Excellent Fish Tacos

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I got back from a fishing trip and have a freezer full of fish, so this is one of the great ways to prepare the Pacific Whitefish that I caught. Cod or any other form of mild fish can be used also.

Ingredients

  • Canola oil (Enough to fry fish in)
  • Fish Fillets. (White fish such as cod) cut into 6 inch strips
  • Corn tortillas 1 or 2 for each taco
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 8-10 oz of  beer
  • Sauce
    • 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
    •  2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • Option toppings
    • shredded cabbage
    • pico de gallo (chopped onion, tomato, cilantro with lime juice and salt)

Directions

Prepare sauce by chopping chipotle finely and mixing with mayonnaise and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Prepare pico de gallo if desired by chopping and combining pico de gallo ingredients. Combine flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, egg, beer in a bowl and mix till smooth. Spay each tortilla with a little cooking oil and lightly fry in a hot pan for about 1-2 mins per side and set aside. Add oil to pan and heat to about 350 degrees. Dip fish strips into batter and fry for about 5 mins or till done turning over once. Put a layer of the chipotle sauce on the tortilla, then the fish and finally toppings. Fold over, serve and enjoy.

Spicy Kung Pao Vegetables

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For times when you want a healthy vegetarian/vegan meal with lots of flavor, this is a great meal. You can add tofu if you want to add protein. Eggplant can be added in as an additional vegetable also and you can leave others out or change the proportions.

Ingredients

  • Veggies
    • 1/4 head of cabbage roughly chopped
    • 1 yellow onion chopped into byte sized pieces
    • 2 carrots sliced crosswise thinly
    • 4 green onions white sliced thinly green ends sliced 1/2″ slices
    • 1 cup of broccoli florets
    • 1 green or red bell pepper chopped into byte sized pieces
    • 2 stalks of celery cut into 1/4″ slices
  • Sauce
    • 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
    • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
    • 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 cup of water
    • 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    • 1 tablespoons minced ginger
    • 2 tablespoons of corn starch
    • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Other Ingredients
    • Rice or noodles to serve with
    • Canola Oil for stir frying
    • Chopped Peanuts for topping (optional)

Directions

Cook rice to serve Kung Pao Veggies over. Chop veggies as directed. Blanch or microwave the carrots and broccoli  first to even out the cooking time for all the veggies. Combine sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix. Stir fry vegetables till done about 3-4 minutes then pour sauce into hot pan with veggies and let cook for 3-4 minutes to thicken and coat the veggies. Serve over rice or noodles and sprinkle chopped peanuts if desired.

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Mac and Cheese

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This is a great tasting and filing comfort food. This will make enough to feed a crowd and they will love it. (Serves 10 – 12)

Ingredients

  • 1 16oz box of elbow macaroni
  • 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts diced into 1/2″ cubes
  • 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • 2 cups of shredded or cubed Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 cup of shredded or cubed Pepper Jack cheese
  • 3 cups of Half and Half cream
  • 1 cup of 2% milk
  • 2 tablespoons of Chicken Bouillon powder
  • 3 cloves of Garlic
  • 2 Chipotle peppers (from can in adobo sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons of Corn Starch
  • 2 tablespoons of water
  • 1 tablespoon of Onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon of ground White Pepper (black can be used also)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of Red Pepper flakes (optional if you like it a little spicier)
  • 1/2 cup shredded Medium Cheddar cheese for topping (optional)

Directions

Cook macaroni and set aside. Fry chicken in olive oil till cooked through with 1/2 teaspoon of salt sprinkled over and set aside. Add 1 cup of the half and half cream, the chipotle peppers, and the garlic cloves to a food processor or blender and process till chipotle is blended. Add this to pan on medium high heat along with remaining 2 cups of half and half and the 1 cup of 2% milk. Mix the cornstarch with the water and add to the pan then add in the pepper, salt, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Heat till it boils stirring constantly, then turn heat to low and gradually add in the Monterey and Pepper Jack cheeses gradually, continuing to stir until it is integrated. Now add in the chicken, continuing to stir, then add in the macaroni and stir till mixed. You can serve it like this or put it in a 9×13 baking pan, sprinkle with the shredded cheddar and put under the broiler to melt it and slightly brown the top of the mac and cheese.

Everyone’s Favorite Salsa

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I have made this salsa many times and have made some tweaks to the recipe. Whenever I make it everyone loves it and wants the recipe. You might need to make extra because it will be gone quickly. So here is is the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 14 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes along with juice.
  • 3 med to large cloves of garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 half of a large onion roughly chopped
  • 1 hot roasted hatch chili or 2 jalapeno peppers (adjust to desired spiciness)
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lime
  • Approx 7 sprigs of cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 cup of water if needed to thin the salsa so it is not to pasty

Directions

Add everything to a food processor and process till everything is chopped up somewhat fine. Adjust to taste by adding lemon or lime juice, salt, and cumin. Serve with chips or your favorite food.

Creamy Delicious Clam Chowder

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This is a great comfort food, and is especially when it is cold and snowy or rainy out. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 4 bacon strips
  • 2 celery ribs chopped finely
  • 1 large onion chopped finely
  • 2 large garlic clove minced finely
  • 2 med to large potatoes peeled and cubed into 1/3″ cubes
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice
  • 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
  • 1 tablespoon white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/3 rounded cup of all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
  • 2 cans (10 oz) baby clams (add with juice)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

Directions

Fry bacon in dutch oven pan over medium heat until crispy, then remove bacon and set aside. In bacon fat add onions and celery and fry for about 2 minutes, then add garlic and fry another 2 minutes, then add in potatoes and flour and fry for another three minutes. Add in clam juice, water, and bouillon and stir until the flour is dissolved. Add in rest of ingredients and stir gently till mixed. Simmer till it reaches a boil stirring occasionally then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes till the flavors blend. Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Serve with a little of the bacon crumbled over each bowl.

Spicy Green Chili Chicken Soup

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The weather is rainy and a little cooler, so I wanted to make something warm,  comforting, spicy, and with great flavor. Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken Breast
  • 32 oz of chicken broth
  • 1 – 4 oz can of hot green chilis (I used hatch brand)
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
  • 4 cloves of garlic (these were medium to small size)
  • 3 tablespoons of cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder (I used New Mexico Hot, others can be used)
  • Optional: Finely diced Jalapeno
  • Salt (if needed, taste at end to determine)
  • Optional: Chopped green onion for topping

Directions

Cook chicken in a covered bowl in the microwave for about 10 – 15 minutes on 40% power till done, but not overcooked. Let cool, then cut across the grain into 1 inch pieces and roughly shred, set aside. Now in a large saucepan on high heat, add butter and garlic. Saute for 1 minute then add flour and make a roux (stir together) let cook for about 2 – 3 minutes, then add the chicken broth slowly while stirring to eliminate lumps. Now add in the chicken along with the rest of the ingredients and let cook for 20-30 minutes stirring till cream cheese is dissolved and chicken is as soft as desired. If you like it spicier, you can added add some jalapeno if you want it spicier. Taste and end and add salt if needed. Top with green onions and serve.

Great Baba Ganoush

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I really enjoy good Baba Ganoush and one awesome thing it is even healthy. I can easily eat about a half of this in one sitting. Here is the recipe so everyone else can enjoy also.

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 3 large cloves of garlic cut in half
  • 1/4 cup of good tahini
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions

Take eggplant and cut slits in it and insert the half cloves of garlic. You can either grill the eggplant till charred all over or if you have a gas stove using a pair of metal tongs char over the burner. Next put into a pan and bake at 350 degrees till completely cook and soft and mushy. Remove outer skin and stem, then put into a food processor along with all the other ingredients and pulse until smooth. I didn’t have naan (Indian bread) so I just served it with toast. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do

High Protein Vegetarian/Vegan Burger Patties

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These came out great and go well in a bun as a vegan burger. They are easy to make and high in protein.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup of mung beans (soaked at least 6 hours or overnight in water)
  • 1/4 cup of dried black beans (cooked) or 1/2 cup of cooked black beans
  • 3 tablespoons of corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Vegetarian Beef Broth (if omitted use 1/4 teaspoon salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Salt (Add more if desired)
  • Olive oil

Directions

In a food processor grind up mung beans into a paste. Add in all the other ingredients except the onions and black beans and pulse a few times to mix them in. Add in the black beans and pulse a couple of times, but keep the black beans mostly in tact. Pour into a bowl and mix in the onions. Heat a frying pan and add in the oil and spoon in the mixture and fry till nicely browned and the middle of the patty is firm when pressed on. Serve and enjoy.

Indian Vegetable Cakes Recipe

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This is a healthy, great tasting vegan recipe that meat eaters will love also. The moong dal have a lot of protein and will really give you a satisfying fullness. You can eat this with an Indian pickle (It goes good with lemon pickle).

  • ¾ cup split moong dal or whole green mung beans
  • 3 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)
  • 1 medium onion,chopped fine
  • 1 small carrot,peeled and grated
  • ½ green bell pepper,chopped fine
  • Optional 2 green chillies,chopped fine (you can substitue 1/2 to 1 tsp of cayenne pepper or leave out all together)
  • ½ teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • Salt about 1 tsp. You can sprinkle more on top while you are cooking if you’d like
  • Olive Oil or Canola oil  (Add a tablespoon or two to the pan before cooking)
  • Optional for more flavor (1/2 tsp of ground fenugreek seed, 1/2 tsp ground cumin)

Directions

Soak Moong dal or Mung beans overnight in water. Drain and in a food processor grind to a paste. now add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) and stir till well mixed. Add water and mix again. Add some oil to a nonstick pan and cook till it is nicely browned flip and brown other side. These are best when eaten hot. Enjoy!

Spicy Korean Tofu Stew

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This is a great hearty soup/stew and is one of the more filling vegetarian/vegan recipes that I have come across. I like to eat it in the colder weather the most, but it is good enough that I even eat it in the summer also.

  •  Ingredients
    • 3-4 cups Vegetable broth
    • 1 package Soft Silken Tofu broken up as desired
    • 1 6-8 oz package sliced mushrooms (Fresh or canned)
    • 4 strips of dried seaweed (sold as snack comes in paper like sheets)
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 teaspoons course ground Korean pepper
    • 3-4 cloves garlic minced fine
    • 3-4 green onions chopped
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • Salt to taste
  • Directions
    • Add olive oil to preheated pan on medium heat along with garlic. Fry about 2 minuites
    • Add vegetable broth, tofu, pepper, soy sauce, seaweed, sesame oil and mushrooms
    • Cook on medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes
    • Serve in bowls topped with chopped onions if using green onions and serve with rice to eat with or scoop into soup