Tilapia Tacos with Cabbage Salad

Cilantro and Lemon Tilapia Tacos with Cabbage Salad

Tilapia
* 3-4 (6 to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets
* 1/4 medium diced onion
* 1 cup diced cilantro leaves
* Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 lemon, finely grated zest and juice (I prefer Meyer Lemon)
* 2 tablespoons butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a Baking pan (with foil lining) Rinse fish and pat dry; place on the prepared baking sheet. Season each fillet with salt, cracked pepper, chopped cilantro, diced onions, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mid way through baking Place a pat of butter on each fillet and cook in the oven for 20 minutes or until done.



Cabbage Salad
* 1/4 to 1/2 Cabbage Head thinly sliced.
* 1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
* 2-3 Tablespoons of Milk
* Cayenne, salt, lemon pepper or pepper to taste.
* 10-12 Cherry tomatoes, quartered
* 1/2 lemon, juiced

Mix mayonnaise with milk and spices, combine all ingredients and chill.

For Tacos, take you best torillas and throw them over the fire to heat them up. Place fish with sauteed onions and cilantro with the cabbage slaw on top. The blend between the hot and the cold is tasty.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I think I'm turning this into a soup blog. No, I really need to switch it up a bit. :) I'm not sure how I started making Chicken Noodle soup, which recipe I started with and how it tasted. I know what I like now and make up my own recipes as I go along.

I made some the other night and it went a little something like this:

* 1 medium onion, diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
* 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 tablespoon of dried rosemary
* 1/2 tablespoon of dried oregano
* 2 pats of butter
* 4 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
* 3 cup water
* Kosher salt, cayenne and freshly ground black pepper (all optional)
* 1/2 box of noodles, your choice. I chose rotini and shells.
* 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken ( 4 Breast tenders or 2 breasts) seasoned.
* 1 large regular or Meyer lemon

Let's get started....

Put the onion, celery, garlic, parsley and sautee in butter, cooking vegetables slightly. Add bay leaves and dried herbs to season them. Once those have a head start, add the chicken broth, and water in a medium to large pot. Season with salt, cayenne (if you choose) and pepper, to taste, and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Simmer until the vegetables are almost tender, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the noodles and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes (depending upon the size of the noodles).

Meanwhile I usually season the chicken breasts with lemon pepper and cayenne and fry those whole. Once they are cooked yet tender - I shred the chicken into bit size pieces. Making sure they pull all the seasoning in and are cooked.

Add the chicken and turn off the heat. Let the broth, chicken and noodles combine together. I add in the juice and pulp of one large lemon. I prefer Meyer Lemons, sweet and tangy.






This was one of my favorite soups. Usually I share a couple bottles with family and friends, but I ate this one myself.

Winter Minestrone with Pancetta and Stelline Pasta

Winter Minestrone with Pancetta and Stelline Pasta

This soup has all my favorite parts about Minestrone, the beans, veggies and tiny little pasta stars. I added my own favorites such as pancetta, rosemary sprigs and chard.

My recipe calls for:

*1 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, diced
* 2 large russett potatoes, diced
* 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
* 4 celery stalks, chopped
* 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
* 1 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken or beef broth
* 4 cups of water
* 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
* 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
* 2 Bay leaves
* 2 pats of butter
* 1 pound Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves thinly chopped
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, divided
* 1 bag (250g) of Stelline Semolina Pasta Stars or tiny pasta

In a large, heavy stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, potato, pancetta, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth and water to the cooked vegetables. Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf and rosemary sprigs. Bring the
mixture to a boil.

In a seperate skillet heat butter and add the Swiss chard and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes or until the chard is wilted.

Add the cannellini beans, the stelline pasta and after mixing add in chard and parsley to the simmering soup base. The soup is done, but since it's so hot, it will continue to cook.

I usually separate a cup in a bowl to cool and try. I will add the appropriate seasonings after I try it.

This soup made a lot! Surprisingly warm and hearty I have quite a few jars of this soup and spent less than $20.00 on ingredients. That's just smart cooking!

xoxo,

Bekah

Corn and Crab Chowder

When I made citrus crab last night, I thought about making this soup. I've never made it before, but had it several times. I looked up several recipes and decided to try it out.

I wanted to make a lighter dairy free soup, so I used potatoes ans mashed them in the pot with the corn to thicken it up. I'm not even sure it is technically considered a chowder, but it's fantastic. I know I may be a little bacon crazy these days, but I think bacon would make this one even more amazing.



White Corn and Crab Chowder

1/2 stick of butter, diced
1 Medium Yellow Onion
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 cups diced Celery
2 tbsp minced Garlic
6-8 Small Red Potatoes, Diced
4-5 cups of water
1- 16 oz package of Frozen White Corn
1 cup or more of crab meat

Heat a deep pot over moderate heat. Add butter and garlic. As you chop your veggies, add them to the pot: potatoes, celery, onion, and red bell pepper. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, cayenne and Italian Seasonings. Saute veggies 5 minutes, then sprinkle in flour. Cook flour 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and combine. Add corn and let boil down, mash soup with a potato masher to thicken.

It's really tasty and non-creamy. it's hearty but still has that sweet corn flavor with bits of crab. It's one of my new favorite soups and I'm glad I made enough to go around.

Citrus Crab

I tend to mold my recipes after what I have in my fridge. This is how my Grandma taught me to cook and the basis for a lot of my ideas and experimentation with food. You make what you have and try not to waste your resources. I also get inspiration from fresh, local produce from farmers markets or backyards when available.

I came up with this crab dish last night. I purchased a live crab, which I had quartered and cleaned. I usually use white wine as a base, it helps cook the crab and gives it a great flavor. But I was out of wine, so I made Citrus Crab.

1 whole crab, quartered and cleaned
2 lemons - juiced and thrown in
2 oranges - juiced and thrown in
1/3 cup water
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup of butter, cut into small pieces
Lemon Pepper, Cayenne, Italian Seasons

Mix all ingredients and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, flipping once 3/4 of the way through. Dungeness Crabs turn from a dark blueish purple to a bright pink. The juices are usually boiling and once cooled, delicious for dipping the crab in.

Christmas Crab

Christmas Crab - Easy Garlic Lemon Butter Crab

For the Christmas Potluck, I stopped by my family's dinner before so I grabbed the following items and assembled them at the party. It was incredibly easy and really great.

- 2 Dungeness Crabs, purchased live but quartered and cleaned
- 1/2 a bottle of white wine
- 1 small sweet Onion, diced
- 1 small scallion, diced
- 2 tbsp garlic
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 2 lemons, juiced and placed in pan
- Lemon pepper, salt, cayenne, bay leaf, Italian blend of spices

Mix all ingredients in a medium roasting pan. Pop the whole thing in the oven, at about 350 for like 30 minutes or until done.

And there you go, easy.

Yellow Split Pea with Black Forest Bacon

One of my favorite soups has always been Split Pea. It's cold out, the holiday season and I've been home nursing a cough and making soups. I had some leftover Black Forest Bacon and decided to experiment with the traditional recipe for Split Pea.

Yellow Split Pea with Black Forest Bacon

2 pats of butter
3 slices of Black Forest Bacon, chopped into smaller pieces
1 Medium Onion, diced
2 tbsp. of chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups of diced carrots
2 cups of diced celery
1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
1 package of yellow split peas
4-5 cups of water
2 bay leaves
Italian Season, Salt Pepper, Cayenne to taste

Place bacon in a large pot, sautee with butter. Stir in onion, garlic, carrots, and celery; cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Pour in vegetable broth. Stir in split peas, bay leaves, water, cayenne and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer until peas are cooked, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

It makes quite a lot of soup and is filling. Despite the bacon and butter, it's pretty low fat overall. I made a pot and had a few jars left over.

xoxo

Bekah