Who doesn't love a good fish taco? They can be hard to find--can't stand when they are too fishy. The tilapia in this recipe is so mild you will swear you are eating chicken. I kept snatching nuggets and snacking on them while I was frying up the other batches. A nice healthy alternative to fast food tacos. Now, authentic Mexican tacos...that's another thing all together.
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh tilapia fillets
3 limes (I used Thrive Limeade powder instead--a tsp. or so should be enough.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 t. chili powder
2 T. olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
8 6-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded angel hair cabbage (I prefer it thin)
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, thinly sliced
1. Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. For lime sauce, juice two of the limes into a bowl (cut your 3rd lime into wedges for serving). Stir mayonnaise and chili powder into juice. Transfer 1/3 cup of the sauce to another bowl; toss fish in this. Set remaining sauce aside.
3. In a medium to large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Combine flour and salt in a shallow dish. Work with about 1/3 of the fish chunks at a time, toss them in the flour and add to hot oil. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until fish flakes easily, turning to brown evenly. Add more oil as needed. Drain fish on paper towels.
4. Wrap tortillas in paper towels (loved this. worked great!); heat in microwave oven for 30 seconds. Top tortillas with fish, cabbage, carrots and jalapeno. Drizzle with Lime Sauce. Serve with lime wedges.
NOTES: Add lime juice to mayo gradually and to taste. Thrive Limeade powder is available seasonally, so may not be listed on my consultant site.
Why? Well, it was there--by the pool deck--that I had my first taste of shawarma. I thoroughly enjoyed the shaved, slow-roasted chicken with its unusual spice set. The fresh fixins and delicious garlic aioli made it a special treat.
I've been wanting to figure out how to recreate it but, doggone it, I don't have a roasting spit or the patience for all-day roasting! And ever since I started using Thrive Life foods, I'm been a little spoiled in the quick meal prep department. I want it. And I want it now.
So I combed the internet, looking for just the right recipe to "Thrive-alize". After a less than stellar attempt, I found a recipe that fit just right. Thrive's Seasoned Chicken Slices make it super fast. They are freeze dried and reconstistute quickly. Once the spices have been added to them, they really only need to heat through!
Why the funky name? Well, I thought I'd use my Thrive dough mix to try and simulate naan bread. Didn't work. But what happened was a scone-like bread circle that my family has previously used for Navajo Tacos. So I thought, well.....let's mix the two. Add a little garlic sauce, and there you go!
If you don't want to try this recipe with Thrive foods (why wouldn't you, though? It's so super fast!) then I encourage you to visit the recipe site that I used as a springboard for my Thrive-alized version, Jo Cooks. And if you don't have time to do the bread, pick up some naan bread in your grocery store.
Give shawarma a try. Your hunger will be AVENGED!
Ingredients: Taco Bread
1 1/3 c. hot water
2 1/4 tsp. THRIVE Instant Dry Yeast
1 tsp. THRIVE Iodized Salt
4 c. THRIVE Honey Whole Wheat Dough Mix Chicken Shawarma
4 c. THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices - Freeze Dried
2 c. hot water
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Ground Turmeric
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. THRIVE Iodized Salt
4 clv. Garlic, minced Garlic Yogurt Sauce
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1 c. Vegetable Oil
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
6 clv. Garlic, peeled
1 tsp. THRIVE Iodized Salt
1 tbsp. THRIVE Parsley Toppings
diced hothouse cucumbers
halved grape tomatoes
iceberg lettuce, sliced thinly
Directions: Taco Bread
1. Dissolve yeast in hot water (hot from the tap). Add salt. Whisk. Stir in Thrive dough mix.
2. Knead for 5 minutes. Lightly cover dough with a little vegetable oil, place in bowl, cover with towel, and allow to rise until dough has doubled in size.
3. Punch dough down. Divide into 8 equal pieces.
4. Place nonstick or cast iron skillet on stove on medium heat.
5. Take one piece of dough, roll into ball, then flatten as thin as possible with your hands. Place on skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
6. Repeat with remaining dough pieces. Set aside and cover to keep warm. Chicken Shawarma
1. Put the chicken into a bowl and add the 2 cups of water. Toss with a spoon every few minutes while you let it reconstitute (about 15 minutes).
2. Put remaining shawarma ingredients into a small bowl, whisk well, and pour over the chicken (after the chicken has sat for 15 minutes). Toss to coat the chicken well.
3. Drizzle a little vegetable or olive oil in a large skillet and heat to medium high on the stove. Pour in the chicken and allow it to heat through for about 5 minutes. Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Place all sauce ingredients in a blender and process for 1-2 minutes. Allow to rest while you prepare the toppings. Assembling the Tacos
Place a bread circle on a plate and top with some chicken.
Add toppings and drizzle with sauce.
Notes:
This recipe is highly customizable; reduce or increase the shawarma spices as you see fit.
Too much garlic? Simply reduce.
Want a creamier sauce? Increase yogurt and decrease oil.
Play around with it and make it your own!
For this post, you get two recipes in one! The chicken satay recipe came from here. And the most amazing Thai Peanut Sauce recipe came from here.
Thai Chicken Satay:
2
normal to large sized chicken breasts
1/2
cup coconut milk
1
tablespoon curry powder
1
teaspoon turmeric powder
1
teaspoon sugar
1/2
teaspoon salt
12
wooden skewers
Directions:
1. Soak
the skewers in water while prepping your chicken and sauce. This will help keep
the skewers from burning when you place them on the grill.
2. Cut
the chicken into thin slices.
3. Mix
all of the ingredients together in a bowl, add the chicken and massage. The
chicken does not need to marinate in the sauce for very long, in fact only a
few minutes. Place the chicken on skewers and drop them on the grill at medium
heat. Flip the skewer just before you start to see grill marks on the chicken.
This makes for the perfect “doneness” without drying it out.
This
marinade also goes great with shrimp!
For the Thai Peanut Sauce:
One 13.5-ounce can of full-fat,
unsweetened coconut milk
2 ounces (approximately ¼ cup) of
Thai red or Massaman curry paste
¾ cup unsweetened (natural) creamy
peanut butter (Do not use regular peanut butter or anything with added
emulsifiers. I get mine fresh ground in the bulk section at Winco.)
½ tablespoon salt
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
or white vinegar (Do not use white wine, red wine, balsamic, or anything else —
not even rice vinegar)
½ cup water
Instructions:
Put everything into a medium
heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat, whisking
constantly.
Let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes
over low heat; be careful not to let the mixture scorch at the bottom of the
pot.
Take the pot off the heat, let the
sauce cool down to room temperature (or slightly warmer), and serve the sauce
with satay or fried tofu.
Notes
This peanut sauce keeps in a glass
container in the refrigerator for weeks. Refrigerated sauce will thicken up
considerably. All you have to do is thin it out with a little bit of water to
desired consistency, reheat, and serve. The sauce also freezes beautifully.
I found this recipe a couple years ago. It takes some time (like most Risottos) and is a labor of love, but it is so very very worth it! It is absolutely delicious. It is one of my favorite things to eat. I normally double the recipe too.
Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1 cup Marsala wine, divided
3-4 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 cups cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano (I used a lovely grana padano cheese)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced (additional whole leaves for garnish, if desired)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or saute pan over medium heat until foaming subsides.
Add shallots and saute until soft, 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic, tomato paste, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a separate medium saucepan until simmering.
Add the Arborio rice to the skillet and toast until opaque around the edges, 3-5 minutes.
Add 3/4 cup of the Marsala wine and cook, stirring often, until absorbed, approximately 5 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of the broth, and stir occasionally until almost absorbed, 8-12 minutes.
Working 1 ladle of broth at at time, continue to add broth, stirring
constantly. Add the next ladle when the broth is almost completely
absorbed.
After you have been cooking the risotto for 10 minutes, stir in the
mushrooms. Continue to cook risotto, stirring constantly, until it is
al dente, a total of 20-25 minutes.
Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 1/4 cup of Marsala
wine, Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese, basil, and remaining
1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if
necessary.
I found this recipe a year or two ago and have it pinned as one of my favorites. It is rich and delicious. One thing I did differently is that I added some of the drippings from the pan I cooked the chicken in. I de-glazed the pan with a bit of water and poured that into my sauce.
4 chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and fresh pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup onions, chopped finely 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 shallot, minced 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (in package, NOT oil packed) 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook in pan until thermometer reads 162 degrees or so (chicken will continue cooking after being removed from the pan.) Remove chicken from pan and set aside, keeping covered.
In a large
saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and shallots, cook 1-2 minutes, just until soft. Add sun dried tomatoes;
stir.
With a whisk in hand, add flour and stir. Pour in
chicken broth and whisk constantly to remove any lumps.
Add cream; whisk.
Continue
whisking for 3-4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Take off
heat and let sit; it will
continue to thicken
Add fresh basil to sauce and give it a good stir.
Serve the chicken and sauce with your choice of pasta.
So, I like to cook with pork. It is so versatile and lends itself well to different flavors. I decided to make up a curry and ginger marinade and sauce. It is slightly sweet with a definite kick due to the curry.
Ingredients:
1/4 C. oil
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1 tsp. fresh ground ginger
2 lbs. meat. I used pork, but it would be great with chicken or beef.
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Place meat in a large zip top bag. Pour marinade over the top. If you have a meat injector, you could also inject some of the marinade into the meat. Let marinate in the fridge for an hour or two.
Heat up your grill over med high to high heat. Oil your grill grate. Remove meat from marinade and place on grill. Let sit for a few minutes, then turn. Continue cooking pork until an instant read thermometer registers between 145 and 160 degrees F. Let meat rest for at least 5 minutes.
For extra sauce cook the following in a small sauce pan:
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. Brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1/3 c. water
juice of 1 lime.
Heat til just boiling, then simmer for 5 mins or so.
So, in April I went to Utah to surprise my sister for her 30th Birthday. Her husband then surprised us all by taking us by limousine to The Roof Restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City. They had a salad there that was made with Israeli couscous and was full of Mediterranean flavors. I was determined to re-create it at home. I searched high and low for Israeli couscous, but when I turned up empty handed, I decided to just use orzo past, which I love.
It is a simple pasta salad using my Greek Style Vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
1 C. orzo pasta
1/3 C. pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped (about 10 olives)
