Fish Experiment # 31

I don't mind fish. I have had fish that I totally loved, however, I am consistently afraid of fish. I hate fishy, mushy fish. I am never sure what to try. I do really well with ocean fish. I do mahi-mahi, salmon and shark pretty well. But, I have also had fish that was mushy, fishy, slimy and to me... totally gross. So every time Alex wants to try a new fish, or something, I wait as long as possible. I have to build up courage to try it. Last night we tried Tilapia again. This was the second time I have made it. However, it was the first time I have seasoned it.
We had pan seared tilapia with roasted potatoes and green beans.
I didn't think I had any lemons, so I used grapefruit. I zested it for the potatoes. Then I segmented it for the fish. I used the juice from the grapefruit and a couple of the segments broken up. 1 clove of garlic, minced, 1 tbs of oil, 2 tsps of basil, and (I did find a lemon) zest of one lemon and juice of half of a lemon. I let the fish rest in the marinade for a minute, then into a hot pan with a little bit of oil. I seared them for 2 minutes. Then I topped them with the rest of the marinade. Then I put them into the oven to finish off. (350*) I left them in there for about four more minutes.
They came out AWESOME. The fish was tender, flavorful, moist and perfectly cooked. The potatoes were Yummy. Here is a picture.
Yummy. I think tilapia is added to the list of fish I like.

Meatless Monday Experiment

My mom told me about this alternative to MEAT, called Jackfruit. It is an Asian fruit that looks like a bumpy football. (or if you get it my way it looks like a metal can...) you tear it apart and pull the middle core out. Then re-heat, season, and sauce or flavor it and build a dish.





I decided to make Pulled Not Pork Barbecue Sandwiches. Then I decided to make my OWN BARBECUE SAUCE. (thank you Bobby Flay for showing me how to do that).




OH MY WORD DEAR the sauce is fabulous. It had a nice flavor, good build up of heat, but not overwhelming. I sauteed the jackfruit with minced garlic and onions. Then I added the sauce and cooked it in for a few minutes. Heat up some sandwich rolls, add yummy barbecue stuff.














MMMM YUMMY.

4 Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Yep... and they were YUMMY.
So, here is the recipe.
I made 6, so that is what the recipe is based on.
1/4 med onion diced
1/2 medium zucchini, diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
oil spray
total of 1/4 cup of your four favorite cheeses. We used 1 Tbs Parmesan (grated), 1Tbs feta, 1 Tbs Monterrey Jack (grated or diced) and 1 Tbs of Mozzerella. semi soft to hard cheeses are best, brie, goats cheeses and other soft could be messy.
OH and the mushrooms. 6 Med-Large (muffin cup sized) mushroom, cleaned, stemmed.
Heat oven to 400
Combine diced onion, zucchini and garlic and saute` until lightly golden. Move to mixing bowl.
Using your MUFFIN PAN (thank you Rachael Ray) or a regular cookie sheet, or an oven proof skillet. Oil lightly with spray. Place mushrooms stem side down and bake for about 5 minutes. this is to pre-cook them a bit and dry them out so you don't have soggy mushrooms or filling.
Return to filling add 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, and a little basil (or any other herbs you like.)
Stir to combine. Add in 3 of the 4 cheeses, reserve one to melt on top. We used the mozzarella to melt on top.
Remove mushrooms. Mound the stuffing up on the mushrooms, and pack it a little bit. Return them to the pan and bake 5-7 minutes. Just until everything starts to melt. Top with reserved cheese and return to oven to melt.
These were SO yummy. Totally vegetarian as is. We decided though that this would lend itself well to adding crab (or Krab), shrimp, or sausage, or even pieces of shredded chicken. You could add green chiles instead of the feta and Parmesan with the chicken. MMM maybe that will be next.
This was easy to make. It took me about 20 minutes. I did it while I was marinating the fish for dinner.

Our First Meatless Monday

Last night was our first Meatless Monday. We had tostadas. Vegetarian refried beans. My favorite tostada shell, Los Pericos. Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles, that I cooked with salsa. Then topped it all with shredded romaine lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, and avocados. It was super yummy.
I love the Morningstar Farms meatless crumbles. You find them in the freezer section. they cook up in about 5 minutes. It makes enough to make 8-10 totadas. I cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with a little oil spray, and add 1-2 tbs of your favorite salsa (or 2-3 packets of Taco Bell hot sauce) Then cook stirring often for a couple minutes. It really cooks so fast. Dinner is ready in no time. The price per meal is comparable to ground beef. I had a package of ground beef in my hand that was a little over a pound of 85/15 that was $4. 26 and the Morningstar Farms crumbles were on sale 2/$7.
Enjoy. Super easy, Low cost.
Morningstar Farms crumbles 2/$7 on sale (used one bag). Refried beans $.88, Lettuce $1.89 a head (only used 1/2) Avocados $1.00 each, Tomatoes $.99 a lb. Scallions $.89 a bunch (used 1/2) Tostada shells $1.49. Grand total. $10.05 for 3-4 people.

Meatless Mondays and Fishy Fridays

I have decided to do at least one day a week where we eat meatless meals, and at least one day a week where we eat fish. This is another attempt to set a good example for my children, expand our recipes, and eat healthier.
Alex wants to eat fish more often. I bought a fish and seafood cookbook. Fishy friday is my way of committing to one day a week. We will likely work up to more times a week. But for now, one day a week is a start.
I have been partially vegetarian for years. I find that when it is just me alone, I revert to eating basically vegetarian. Alex has been very accepting of vegetarian food. Even though he still "lovingly" calls it fascist food. Meghan, my sister, is vegan and has been very good for getting Alex to try new things.

Brie and bread

So, my friend is getting ready to move and we had to clean out her fridge. What did we find? Two kinds of brie cheese, a DELICIOUS cheese that is a white cheddar with apricots in it. (I know sounds weird but it was yummmy.) Well that was in addition to the cheddars, and mozzerellas. We decided on brie for breakfast.
We went to the store to buy sourdough french bread. There wasn't any. So, I bought 2 artizan baguettes, and a regular french loaf. One was an artizan sourdough baguette with sea salt on top. The second was also sourdough but it was everything style. Like an everything bagel.
Here is what to do. I am sure lots of people to this, and I am sure it is really common in France and Europe, but, I had never seen it before.
heat oven to 350
slice the bread. if you slice it on an angle you get a bigger slice. lay them out on PARCHMENT PAPER or that neat non stick foil.
slice the brie. we used standard brie, and this wonderful herb coated brie, covered in basil.
lay the slices on the bread...(duh...)
place in the oven to melt the cheese. 10 minutes at the most.
then eat. I think doing it with more than one kind of bread and more than one kind of cheese is the best. because then you get to have a different taste each time.
NOW. this was delicious on it's own. But in my world I think some oven broiled sausages would be a great addition.
Ok so this might not be the healthiest of breakfasts, but it is probably still healthier that going to Denny's. Plus it will definitely taste better than anything you can get at a Denny's

Beer Glazed Chicken

Yep. I said BEER GLAZED CHICKEN. I will share the fabulousness of it with you.
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, and butterflied
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 bottle good IPA beer. Don't cook with it if you won't drink it. curious phrase, because I don't really love an IPA, but this was a yummy dinner.
garlic powder, lemon pepper, salt, mrs. dash, fresh ground pepper.
Season the butterflied chicken with lemon pepper, mrs. dash, salt and garlic powder.
Brown the chicken breasts in a pan over medium high in heated oil. about 4-5 minutes per side.
Pour on 1/2 a bottle of beer. Cover and simmer 5-8 minutes. Chicken should feel firm.
Remove chicken, and cover with foil.
Whisk about 1 tbs of olive oil into the beer in the pan. Whisk in lemon juice and reduce by about 1/2. finish with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Drizzle over chicken and serve.
Seriously YUMMMY.
Reducing the beer takes the bitter Beer taste out of it.

Time to start this up again.

Yes, that is right. It has been almost a year. It is time to start blogging about food again.
Here is my plan. 2 recipes a week, be they mine or stollen ( borrowed with credit from another source), 1 review of food item a week, and 1 post about feeding my kids every week.... (when they eat something)
I cook a lot like Rachael Ray. with pinches, dashes and some....
So to start.
Today I will review my new favorite alternative food... Coconut milk.

Coming soon.
Love to you all, Eat healthy and Be happy.
OH.... and here is a pic of my sweet boy.
Declan Orlando
Born Aug 21, 08