Monday, July 25, 2016

cooking light cooking right ~ fish tacos with cabbage slaw




I love Sundays, because we adore our church family.  But sometimes we adore them for so long after church is over, we're rushing like crazy to get home and eat.  On top of that, yesterday, we had to run to the grocery store.  Why we do that to ourselves, I'll never know.  It truly tries every ounce of patience I have and is a really wonderful way to self-reflect on that which the preacher's message has challenged me earlier in the morning.  

Love others.  Do not be easily angered.  Practice patience.  

You know, those things that are oh-so-easy to do at Wal-Mart when the crowd could fill twenty check-out lines but only three are open (insert sarcastic expression here).  

At any rate, after collecting a handful of groceries, getting stuck in the mega-church's dismissal traffic one mile from our house, unloading our car and putting away everything, I was so seriously excited to eat this meal, I only snapped about two pictures and called the family to the table.  It was ~ no joke ~ one of the best meals at home we've had.  Not because it was fancy or difficult, gourmet or laborious.  This meal was fresh and clean and just plain good.  Exactly what I have come to expect from Cooking Light's recipes.  

If you want a quick meal with even quicker clean-up, put a big ol' platter of the fish and fixin's out on the table, distribute the paper plates, and completely and totally chow down.   Oh, and do a side of black beans with a little salt and cumin, because that, my friends, is what you call Sunday lunch.

Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

serves 4-6


For the tacos
  • 6-8 tilapia frozen fillets, thawed
  • chili powder
  • kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 8 corn tortillas
For the slaw
  • 12-oz bag shredded cabbage (or slaw mixture)
  • 1/2 cup diced roma tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • malt vinegar to taste
To garnish
  • 2 avocados, diced
  • 2 limes, quartered
1. Combine all slaw ingredients and mix.  Set aside.

2. Heat oil in large skillet.  Meanwhile, sprinkle fillets evenly with chili powder and salt.  

3. In hot skillet, cook fillets until they flake easily, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove and cover with foil to keep warm.

4. Heat second skillet (I love my cast iron for this) and slightly blister the tortillas on each side.  Place with fish to keep warm until all are heated.

5. Fill platter with cooked fillets, slaw, avocado and lime quarters.  Build tacos to your liking and enjoy!

Recipes for slaw and fish inspired by Cooking Light.






Wednesday, July 20, 2016

pan seared scallops with sesame sauce




It has been quite a minute since I've been on here, has it not?  It's actually a little scary to think it's been nearly four months since my last post but feels like yesterday.  I remember being a young adult and having older adults warn me how fast life will go, the older I get.  They were not joking one. single. tiny. bit.  

I have been in my kitchen some this summer, but not much at all.  We have traveled pretty regularly, leaving out on our first trip the day after school got out (you can read about our mission trip here) and getting back from our fourth this past weekend.  In the middle of those was a jaunt up north to Indiana.  

When we visit family, you can bet we'll have a cooler, along with a bag or two, of groceries sent home with us.  It's just how family is, and this last trip was no different.  Within the load of groceries were a bag of bay scallops and box of Asian noodles (Shan Dong, to be exact).  So I set out on a search for an easy recipe to combine those two ingredients, imagining something a little sweet, savory and spicy would work nicely.  

We really, really enjoyed this dish and I LOVED the short prep time.  I believe it took me about 20 minutes from start to finish.  Super-big flavor in minutes flat?  Ladies and gentleman, we have ourselves a winner.

Pan Seared Scallops with Sesame Sauce

makes four servings
printable recipe

  • 8 oz Asian noodles
  • 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds scallops (I used small bay scallops)
  • 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1.  Cook noodles according to package directions.

2.  While noodles cook, in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch and red pepper flakes.  Set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add scallops and cook until golden.  Turn with spatula and continue to cook until second side is golden.  Add soy sauce mixture to pan and bring to simmer, about two minutes, until sauce thickens and scallops are cooked through and have an opaque color.

4.  Serve scallops over noodles, toss, and top with scallions.


Recipe from Robin Miller, by way of foodnetwork.com.