Blackened Fish

I don't have a lot of fish recipes. I'd like to learn more ways to cook fish.  This is my husband's favorite fish; my son loves it too!  I was inspired to try making blackened fish after we had taken a family trip to New Orleans.  Blackened catfish was my husband's favorite meal in New Orleans.  It was easy enough to make up my owned blackened seasoning blend with spices I had on hand when we got back home.

Blackened Seasoning Blend 

Store in an air tight container at room temperature

2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons to 2 teaspoons dried (the original recipe called for 4 teaspoons)

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 to 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (omit for Whole30)

1 to 2 teaspoons salt (I use just 1 teaspoon)

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper/cayenne (use less for less spicy)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Here's a little photo tutorial to show you how to make blackened fish.  In our kitchen, we have used flounder, tilapia, and swai.  I've not tried this spice rum with catfish but I bet it would be good (if you like catfish).  I'm comfortable pan frying fish such as flounder/tilapia/swai because it is sort of thin and easy to cook all the way through on the stove top.  I've also heard of blackened chicken but I've not yet tried that.  This might be a great spice rub to use on boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs on your outdoor grill.  You might just chose to omit the sugar, as I wonder if sugar would burn.  I'm no grilling pro.

Heat about two teaspoons of cooking fat in a large skillet over MEDIUM HIGH heat.  I typically use butter but we've run out of butter and have been using extra virgin olive oil; my husband says he notices no difference in taste in this recipe.

Blot both sides of the fish dry with a clean paper towel.  Brush the warm cooking fat on ONE SIDE of the fish and then sprinkle the blackened seasoning blend generously over the oil coated fish.

Place the fish in the skillet *seasoned side down*.  Reduce the heat from MEDIUM HIGH to MEDIUM.  Brush a little more cooking fat onto the SECOND SIDE of the fish in the skillet and then sprinkle the blackened seasoning blend generously over the unseasoned side of the fish.

Try to not move the fish around in the pan. Let it cook undisturbed on one side for about three minutes.  Carefully flip the fish over to cook the second side.  Add a little more cooking fat if that seems necessary.

Cook about three more minutes on the second side or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.  

ENJOY!

Creamy Tuna Salad with Curry Spice

Eating lunch in my craft room (above).

Creamy Tuna Salad with Curry Spice


I've been doing come experimenting.  The other day, we went for an afternoon walk (my husband and I) and we were discussing what to have for dinner. We both decided that canned tuna sounded good but he made his tuna his way and I made my tuna my way.  My husband's tuna is pretty straight forward: light mayonnaise, some spicy Guldens mustard, and he mixes it together with shredded lettuce and he eats it on toasted rye bread.

I went a totally different direction. Curry spice, yogurt, raisins, carrots, apple.  It was good but needed some tweaking.  I've had it a few more times, tweaking here and there, and I've settled on a combination I really like.




Creamy Tuna Salad with Curry Spice

1 can tuna (5 ounce size), drained (I used Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore)
1/2 honey crisp apple, diced
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (2 percent fat)
a squeeze of Dijon mustard (about 3/4 teaspoon)
a squeeze of honey (about 3/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon of curry spice (I used Penzey's "The Now Curry")
a few pinches of salt
a few grinds of black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons of raisins
a few tablespoons of celery, diced
a few tablespoons of onion, diced (sweet or red onion)… you can omit the onion if you prefer

Mix all ingredients well in a bowl. Dig in!
Or you could put in on bread or toast.
Now that romaine lettuce is "safe" again, you could eat this on lettuce leaves.
As for me, a spoon works just fine.

Summer Tuna Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

Summer Tuna Salad with Chickpeas & Tomatoes

If you take a look at my last few posts on this blog, you will see a lot of similarity in the recipes.  This recipe just sort of happened when I came home really hungry last Thursday.  On Thursdays, I hang out at a local Farmers Market.  My friends, Jacki and Janet, demonstrate spinning wool on their spinning wheels.  They have some items on display such as wool sheared from a sheep in various stages of preparation... washed, unwashed, combed, carded... and then Jacki and Janet demonstrate how the yarn is actually spun on the wheel. They also have some hanks of yarn on display; a hank of yarn is yarn that is ready to be knit up.  I sit there and knit and chat in the shade of the big, beautiful trees and I talk to folks about knitting if they are interested.  It's a fun way to spend the morning but I came home hungry and hot this past Thursday.

I really liked a salad I had tried earlier in the week... white beans, tuna, red onion, arugula, and a vinaigrette dressing with dried herbs.  On Thursday, I was thinking of making up a similar salad with a Greek-sort-of-dressing with fresh and dried oregano but I saw my homemade "Merlino's Belvedere Salad Dressing" sitting on the counter top so I decided to use that. I was hot and hungry and just wanted to eat! This salad turned out so good.  I had it all gobbled up in two days. So easy and refreshing on a hot summer day.


Summer Tuna Salad with Chickpeas & Tomatoes

1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2 5-ounce cans tuna packed in water, drained (I used albacore tuna)
1 very small Vidalia (sweet) onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 to 2/3 cup)
about 1 cup grape tomatoes
6 tablespoons of the prepared Merlino's Belvedere Salad Dressing (see recipe below)
Salad greens if desired (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, tuna, onion, and tomatoes.  Top with about 6 tablespoons of the salad dressing; gently toss to coat.  If desired, serve over a bed of your favorite greens.  I had iceberg lettuce on hand, but spinach or any other leafy green would be great.  This salad is also good without any leafy greens.  

Merlino's Belvedere Salad Dressing

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup light olive oil (or peanut oil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried basil

Measure all ingredients into a bowl; whisk to combine. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine all ingredients.

White Bean Tuna Salad

White Bean Tuna Salad



I was at my Mom and Dad's house over Mother's Day weekend.  My mom showed me this cookbook she had just purchased and I really liked the looks of many of the recipes.  I ended up ordering the cookbook for myself.  I have decided I should really cook my way through this book.  For the first recipe, I just had to purchase a few items... red onion and cannellini beans and arugula.  I had the remaining ingredients on hand.

I really like this salad.  This salad would be great over arugula or baby spinach as stated in the recipe instructions.  Unfortunately I purchased a really bad batch of baby arugula!  The container was full of inedible woody stems.  I kept thinking to myself, "This is BABY arugula! When did it have time to grow tough woody stems!"  Bummer.  The arugula did have a nice peppery bite to it but, if you are not a fan of arugula, spinach would be great.  I portioned my salad into four servings to eat over a few days, so I chose to not mix in the greens until just before eating.  It worked well this way.  I drizzled some fresh lemon juice over the greens just prior to eating and I think it added a lot.



White Bean Tuna Salad from Better Homes and Gardens "Skinny Dinners"

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 5-ounce cans tuna packed in water, drained (I used albacore tuna)
2 cups lightly packed arugula or spinach
1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped (I substituted a little dried Italian parsley)***
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 of a fresh lemon

In a very large bowl, combine beans, tuna, arugula, red onion, and parsley***.

For dressing, in a screw top jar, combine vinegar, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  *** If you are using dried parsley in place of fresh parsley, add the dried parsley in with the dressing ingredients.  Shake well to combine.

Pour dressing over tuna mixture; toss gently to combine.  Squeeze juice from 1/2 a fresh lemon over salad



If you are making this salad ahead for meals for a few days, you will want to keep the greens and the tuna-bean mixture separate like I did.  Otherwise your greens will wilt... no good!  I squeezed over a little fresh lemon just before eating each portion.

Dijon Tuna Salad with Cottage Cheese

Dijon Tuna Salad with Cottage Cheese

Tuna + Cottage Cheese = Good Eats!

I tried to eat tuna without adding anything to it a few weeks back and I nearly choked since the tuna was so incredibly dry. It was actually scary. Thankfully I had some water to drink nearby.

I have had a recent love affair with cottage cheese, as it's a great source of lean protein. I got to looking on the Internet in search of various recipes with cottage cheese. When I saw it, the idea of combining cottage cheese and tuna sounded great. Replace the typical mayonnaise in tuna salad with cottage cheese!  Smart indeed. 

I just whipped this up as a late night snack last night.  I would have added celery if I had it. And I was too lazy to chop up some red bell pepper. I considered adding some fresh parsley, but I just wanted my snack. This was a tasty, light treat and especially great on crunchy, salty Triscuit crackers. 

Dijon Tuna Salad with Cottage Cheese

1 small can solid white tuna, drained (solid white albacore in water, 5 ounces)

3/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 - 3 tablespoons finely minced onion

Optional: add in 2 - 3 tablespoons finely diced celery & 2 - 3 tablespoon red bell pepper if desired

Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; stir well to combine. Enjoy!  Great on Triscuit crackers. 

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Basil Pesto and Tomato (21 Day Fix Friendly)

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Basil Pesto and Tomato

This was dinner last night; it was EASY and DELICIOUS.  I ate a lot of seafood on my recent cruise to Alaksa and it's inspired me to prepare fish more often at home.  On the cruise I had salmon with a little basil pesto one night and another night I had swordfish over a spinach salad.  This recipe merges both of those ideas.  My Kroger grocery store offers mahi mahi filets in the frozen section.  The 12 ounce package contained two individually wrapped filets.  I considered grilling my tomatoes but, as you can see, I just diced them up and topped the entire dish.  Tomatoes (fresh or cooked) and pesto are a match made in Heaven.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1 mahi mahi filets (4 to 6 ounces in size)

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons prepared jarred pesto (I used Kroger's brand "Private Selection" Basil Pesto)

a few handfuls of fresh, prewashed baby spinach

1 Roma tomato, diced

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Non-stick cooking spray (such as PAM)

Directions:

Preheat a grill pan or a skillet over medium high heat (you could also grill your fish outdoors).  Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Season fish filet on both sides with kosher salt and ground black pepper.  Place fish on hot grill pan; you should hear a nice sizzle.  Reduce heat to medium and allow fish to cook for about 4 minutes on first side.  Turn fish over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on second side.  Turn fish over one more time (both sides should now be nicely browned).  Top fish filet with about 2 teaspoons of prepared pesto. Allow fish to continue cooking until cooked thru and fish flakes easily. 

If serving over fresh spinach, toss the spinach with about 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive, as well as a pinch of salt and pepper.  Serve the fish on top of the dressed spinach and top all with fresh, diced tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon Kabobs

Grilled Salmon Kabobs

I am trying to get back on track with healthier eating. Despite exercising more since I've been retired, I've put on a few pounds.  My husband was heading to the grocery store today and I told him I felt I had nothing much to eat aside from salads with grilled chicken.  Boring!  I had a few things in mind that I might like to cook and he suggested salmon and I said, "Sure!" 

He came home with salmon, asparagus, blueberries, apples, and nectarines.  An entire rainbow of food.  That was very thoughtful of him.  I got to cooking right away.  I made up some quinoa, I put the asparagus in the oven to roast with a scant amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and I made up salmon kabobs like I'd seen on the internet.  I just thinly sliced a lemon, folded the lemon slices in half, and then slide them onto the skewers between the cubes of salmon. 

I grilled the salmon on my small grill pan (which is actually a panini pan).  I like my salmon rather well done so I just kept cooking it until it was really flakey and kind of dry.  It made a delicious meal with quinoa and roasted asparagus.  The only seasoning I used was kosher salt and pepper. When I looked up the original recipe source, a blog called Skinnytaste, I saw Gina recommended some additional spices.   Next time, I'll try that for sure.  To see the Skinnytaste recipe for Grilled Salmon Kabobs, you can find it HERE.   I will get four meals out of the cooking I did today (I used two salmon filets and they weighed less than 1 pound total I think).  It will be a nice to have this meal, and NOT just salads with grilled chicken. 

Comfort Food on a Cold Snowy Day: Tuna Noodle Casserole with Mixed Veggies

 

 

Tuna Noodle Casserole with Mixed Veggies

 

I just don't think to make Tuna Noodle Casserole. My family would never eat it so I haven't given it much thought over the years. When I stop and think about it, I THINK the last time I made Tuna Noodle Casserole was probably the late '80s or the very beginning of 1990.  I don't ordinarily keep track of things like that, I just remember I was living in a boarding house as I was finishing up college when I last made Tuna Noodle Casserole.  I am pretty sure I put cream of "something" soup in it and I remember it being so-so.

 

I've mentioned before that I am often inspired to make recipes I see when I am scrolling through Facebook on my phone.  The past two weekends, I've stumbled across recipes for Tuna Noodle Casserole and it was just sounding good given the crazy, crazy snowy weather we've had this past week.

 

 

I love the shadows our pergola is making in the snow in our back yard.

 

This is our back yard this week.  Just a week ago, we had a picnic under the pergola.

I would have sworn this recipe was on the Cooking Light Facebook page, but when I clicked on the recipe, it linked to a recipe on www.myrecipes.com and the recipe is from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. I guess I felt compelled to make this since it seemed to be a somewhat lightened up version of comfort food and also because it sounded perfect after our snowy walk with the doggies today. 

 

I modified the recipe to use things I had on hand: ditalini tube-shaped pasta instead of egg noodles, frozen mixed veggies instead of peas and carrots, low fat milk instead of skim, and butter instead of olive oil.  I used the last of a tub of cream cheese we had in the fridge from the last time we had bagels a few weeks back and I even used up the diced up onion in the fridge from the last time we had tacos.  We don't often have potato chips in the house, but today we did... so I topped the casserole with crushed up chips. I love that this great big casserole used up so many things I had on hand!

 

Tuna Noodle Casserole with Mixed Veggies

Inspired by the recipe found HERE.

 

Ingredients

 

8 ounces pasta (I used small tube pasta called ditalini)    

2 tablespoons butter    

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion         

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 3/4 cups 1% low fat milk

1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened    

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (next time I might even add more)   

1/4 teaspoon salt (next time I'd add a bit more)   

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, green beans)

1/4  cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 (5-ounce) cans albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked    

about 1/2 cup crushed up potato chips for topping (I used Wavy Lays Potato Chips)

Cooking spray

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cook mixed veggies in the microwave according to package directions; drain and set aside.

3. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and cooked until softened, about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk until slightly thick. Stir in cream cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in noodles, Parmesan cheese, mixed veggies and tuna. Spoon mixture into a shallow broiler-safe 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray (I used a glass Pyrex 8"x8"x2" dish; top with crushed up potato chips.

5.   Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until bubbly.  If desired, broil until potato chips begin to brown.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

Cabin Fever: Baked Fish Gremolata

 

Winter came to Colorado on Monday sometime after noon.  It blew in like a lion!  I was about to go outside and someone warned me I might blow away. I assured them I'd put some rocks in my pocket and I'd be okay. 

 

Monday morning I had an appointment with a physical therapist.  It was 6:00 am and I was quite comfortable in flip flops and shorts.  When I drove home from work, less than about 10 hours later, it was snowing.  I think it snowed on and off all of Tuesday and Wednesday, and then today it was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit first thing in the morning.  When the sun rose, we could see there was not a cloud in the sky and it was a gorgeous day.  Cold, drippy, and sunny... but gorgeous. We did venture down to the river with the dogs and went for a short walk.  The dogs loved it.  The dogs have been feeling a bit cooped up; the humans have, too. 

 

With so many hours at home (I only worked two days this week... vacation time to burn... Woo Hoo!), I've burned off some steam with some creative cooking.  Today, I made more of my Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats in the Crock Pot.  In a second Crock Pot, I made some Three Bean Turkey Chili.  For dinner, we thawed out some fish.  We bought a bag of swai at Sam's Club.  Swai looks like tilapia but the filets are a bit larger.  It's a soft, delicate white fish and it's very mild. Not fishy at all.  Years ago, I saw something on a cooking TV show about gremolata.  Basically, the gremolata was a combination of lemon zest, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, and olive oil.  I looked at a few recipes today but I just sort of winged it.  My husband really liked it so I am typing this up before I forgot how I made this yummy and healthy dinner.

 

Baked Fish Gremolata (serves 2)

 

2 tilapia or swai filets

4 tablespoons Italian dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

zest from 1/2 to 3/4 of  a lemon

1 small to medium sized garlic clove, finely grated

1 tablespoon finely minced Italian flat leaf parsley

salt and black pepper

olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread about 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.  Rinse fish with cold water and pat dry well with paper towels.  Place the fish in the baking dish, turn the filets to coat both sides in olive oil. Season top side of filets with salt and pepper. I used kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, and parsley.  I used a Microplane grater to zest the lemon and finely grate the garlic.  Stir well with a fork until all ingredients are well combined and all of the bread crumbs are moistened.  Spread the bread crumb mixture on top of the filets.  Bake the fish in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.  Then turn the oven to broil and broil until the bread crumbs are golden brown; keep an eye on it, as it will brown quickly. 

 

We had the fish with sauted bell peppers and onions.  I also made some quinoa.  The quinoa I made had an Italian flair as well.  I combined a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with a pinch or two of salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil.  I stirred the olive oil and herbs into the cooked quinoa and topped it all with some Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Above:  a shot of the gremolata... great combination of flavors.

 

Above:  a shot of the fish just before popping it in the oven.  It smelled really great baking in the oven.

Sandy and Brutus have enjoyed me being home this week. We have been hanging out on the couch and knitting and looking out the window a LOT this week!

 

 

A few pictures of the great outdoors during this cold snap.  Ummmm, no grilling this week. The sun came out this morning and things got drippy but as soon as the sun passed over the house, things froze up really quickly again.  The high temperature today was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Above:  I loved how the snow piled up on the pergola. 

 

Below:  What a difference a few weeks make... a photo from pretty much the same angle taken not too long ago.

Stay warm folks!

 

Our back yard.

Italian Pasta and Tuna Salad

Italian Pasta and Tuna Salad

I don't think to make pasta salad very often.  On our recent vacation, I had salads with pasta and it got me to thinking I should do that more often.  On our trip, I had a mayonnaise's based salad with orzo pasta, cheese, and peas... very good but very rich.  Sitting in the airport, waiting to catch a flight, I had a pre-packaged salad with greens, diced chicken, balsamic vinaigrette, tomatoes, and cooked tri-colored rotini pasta. Some how I just need some carbs on my green salad.  Despite eating salad on vacation, we all packed on some pounds in a week's time. When I went grocery shopping I tried to think of healthy, lighter recipes.  I came up with this recipe.  I had a coupon for Ronzoni pasta so I used the Ronzoni Tri-colored Rotini, which I think looks attractive in a pasta salad

Ingredients
4 ounces of rotini pasta, cooked according to package instructions, rinse in cold water
1 five ounce can of tuna
1/4 of a cucumber (I used an English cucumber and left the skin on), coarsely choped
1/4 of a small red/purple onion, coarsely chopped
1 (about 3/4 to 1 cup) big handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half if large
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing (I used Wishbone Brand Zesty Italian)
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook the pasta according to package instructions (with a pinch or two of salt in the water).  Rincse under cold water, drain; set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, break up the tuna into small bite sized bits.  Add in the chopped cucumber, onion, and tomatoes.  Add in the pasta and salad dressing and gently fold ingredients to combine and coat with dressing.  Season with a little salt and pepper if desired.  Makes 4 servings. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

 

Calorie saving tip: We buy large bottles of Wishbone brand Zesty Italian salad dressing at Sam's Club. When we open a new bottle, we actually pour off a LOT of the oil.  This saves us quite a lot on calories but also makes the dressing intensely flavorful.   In this recipe I tried to use only 2 tablespoons of salad dressing but after I had refrigerated the salad, I added a bit more dressing to each serving. Seems like the dressing sort of soaks into the pasta as the dish sits.

 

This recipe would also be really good with diced, cooked chicken.

Blackened Fish Revisited and Observations about a Family on a "Diet"

Wow, things have been feeling very crazy in my world lately! As I’ve mentioned, we were out of town and on vacation literally in and around the Gulf of Mexico for 10 days. We returned home to loads of laundry, house cleaning, lawn mowing (and watering), and an empty refrigerator. I had four days at home before I had to return to work today which seems like more than ample time to get everything done, but frankly, I am feeling like a hamster running and running his exercise wheel. Scurrying to get it all done and never quite getting there. We all returned home from our trip several pound heavier so we’ve all decided to “get serious” about eating better and exercising more. I am super motivated.

Just before I started this cooking and baking blog, I had lost a little over 20 pounds. Sure enough, I have gained nearly all that back. I am disappointed in myself, but truth be told… I’ve always struggled with my weight… forever… as long as I can remember. It’s a long story, but I’ll spare you the details.

Since our return from our trip, I am amazed by the drastic extent to which my entire family is willing to change up their eating habits. I caught my husband snacking on the carrot and celery sticks I chopped up on last Wednesday. The huge tub of salad I made last Wednesday was gone within a few day. We’ve eaten fish two times this week alone (we’ve probably eaten fish at home only one other time this year and it was breaded and fried).  My son was finishing up tennis practice the other day and his coach offered him an ice cream treat from Dairy Queen, and my son said, “No, thanks!” The coach insisted and gave him two! A saboteur me thinks!  My family enjoys the Ranch Burgers I make on our George Foreman Grill. I kid you not, we USED to polish off two pounds of grilled hamburgers in one meal (terrible)!  This past week, we turned into two meals for the family (with fresh garden salads on the side). We’ve all been making a good effort to figure out the calorie count in some of the dishes we like. This past Sunday, I made “No Chop Chili” and we added up all the calories on all the can labels and I “Googled” the calories in a pound of ground beef. When the chili was done, I measured out how many cups the recipe made to figure out the calories per serving, and when my husband had a bowl for a snack, he measured his serving with a measuring cup. When my husband was making a sandwich, he asked me to help him figure out the serving size and I showed him  the “tare” function on my digital kitchen scale. He plopped his slice of bread on the scale and added lite mayo until the scale read “15 grams”.

The other surprising change I’ve noticed in my family is that suddenly my husband and son are taking an interest planning meals and helping in the kitchen. In fact, don’t fall off of your chair, my 14 year old is taking the initiative to cook for himself. Yep, he now makes scrambled eggs for himself and is making baked potatoes in the microwave. He’s also making healthy sandwiches for himself. Now I should tell you, he is 14 years old and most kids that age probably are much more self-sufficient in the kitchen, but I’ve made a bad habit of doing far too much in the kitchen for my son. I blame it on the fact that he’s an only child after all… but I digress. Whatever the case may be, I am tickled pink that my son is FINALLY interested in cooking! Very cool, huh?! And one more thing… my son set the table for lunch the other day and I did not even ASK! I almost fell over.

For last night’s dinner, as I mentioned above, we had fish again. It’s the same Blacked Fish I mentioned HERE. This this time, we served it with Cilantro-Lime Basmati Rice and Salsa Fresca (pico de gallo or fresh salsa… whatever you want to call it, it was good!).

Again… bad blogger. No photo, dang it. And it was such a pretty dish. Like I said, my world has been crazy lately. I’ll work on the photo thing. Finally, here are some recipes:

Salsa Fresca (fresh salsa)
3 or 4 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ small yellow onion, finely diced (about ¼ cup)
½ to 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced (I used 1 entire pepper… hot!)
1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
Juice of 1 lime (if making the cilantro-lime lime rice, first remove the zest of the lime with a grater before cutting the lime in half for the juice)
About 2 tablespoons finely diced fresh cilantro, finely minced
Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cilantro-Lime Basmati Rice
1 cup basmati rice
1 ¾ cups water
Pinch of salt
1/3 to ½ of a bunch of fresh cilantro, finely minced
Zest of 1 lime

Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add rice; stir. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer on stovetop’s lowest setting, cover with a lid, and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with a fork; add the lime zest and cilantro and stir to combine.

We served the Blacked Fish on a bed of Cilantro-Lime Basmati Rice and topped it all with the Salsa Fresca.  Nice fresh flavors.

My husband asked me to make this meal again next week since he liked it so much!

Vacation Inspired Cooking... New Orleans Blackened Fish



Blackened Seasoning for Fish

 On my other blog found HERE, I am slowly adding posts about our recent vacation.  The first leg of our trip was in New Orleans, Louisiana.  We flew from Denver to New Orleans and found our hotel on Canal Street with no troubles and then set out on foot to explore the French Quarter.  We walked and walked... boy, it was hot and muggy there. We live in high mountain desert in Colorado so it was quite an adjustment.  While we were looking around the French Quarter, we decided to eat at a restaurant called the River's Edge on Decatur Street.  On the menu, I eyed the jambalaya, red beans and rice, and crawfish etouffee.  I told our server I had never tried any of them and I asked which dish he thought their restaurant prepared the best.  Based on his recommendation, I ordered the crawfish etouffee.  My son ordered a shrimp po'boy sandwich, and my husband ordered blackened catfish.  When he told me he was contemplating ordering the blacked fish, I said, "Really?"  Ordinarily, he just likes battered and deep fried fish... you know... Long John Silvers (Ick!)

Turns out the blackened catfish my husband ordered at the River's Edge was his favorite meal on our entire trip.  Who would have known!?  When we returned home the other day, I looked on the internet to learn about the spices traditionally found in blackened seasoning.   I stumbled across this recipe (click here) and wouldn't you know, I had all the herbs and spices on hand.  We had individually wrapped frozen flounder fillets in the freezer (say that five times fast!) and tonight we had blackened fish for dinner.  It cooked up so quickly and easily and we gobbled it up even faster... no photo... sorry!  But you can see the spice blend above. 

Recipe for Blackened Seasoning for Fish or Chicken

From About.com Southern Food

Ingredients:
•2 teaspoons ground paprika
•4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme (I used about 3 1/2 teaspoons, I crushed the leaves)
•2 teaspoons onion powder
•2 teaspoons garlic powder
•1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I used only 1/2 tablespoon)
•2 teaspoons salt  (I used only 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
•2 teaspoons black pepper
•1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
•1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano (I crushed the leaves)
•3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used only 1/4 teaspoon)

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a jar and store in a cool dark place. Shake jar well before each use.
 
Over low heat, melt about 3 tablespoon of butter (I used less) in a nonstick skillet (enough butter to cover fish and the bottom of the pan). As soon as the butter is melted, place the fish in the pan, flipping it over to cover both sides with butter. Then generously coat the fish with the seasoning, flip over again and coat the other side with seasoning.


Now turn up the heat to medium-high and cook on one side until blackened and somewhat crispy. Flip over and cook the other side. Add a little more butter whenever necessary.
 

 ***

 

Given that this recipe is far different than anything I've ever made for my family and I have very little experience cooking fish, I was a little nervous how this meal would go.  Before I could even sit down at the table, my son was diving into his fish and he said, "This is REALLY GOOD!".  Success!  We had this fish dish with big garden salads and my husband and I also had some quinoa with sauteed onion and red bell pepper.  It was all a hit!

 

Did you notice my little dishes above?  They have the "fleur de lis" on them.  Very New Orleans!  I had to look up "fleur de lis" to figure out how to spell it.  Here's what I learned.  The fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily (in French, fleur means flower, and lis means lily) or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol.  In the French Quarter you could find all kind of items (caps, shirts, glasses, etc.) embellished with the fleur de lis.  I just happened to have these little dishes on hand. 

Panko Crusted Fish



Breading station ready.  Flour seasoned with salt and pepper, egg whites, and bread crumbs
 (from right to left).



 

Anyone who knows me KNOWS that I am a huge fan of the Food Network.  There is a new network called The Cooking Channel and I enjoy it maybe even more (if that's possible).  What I like about these channels is how I learn techniques, I get inspiration to combine things I would not otherwise think to combine, and I learn about products I would never think to try.  Panko is something I've been hearing about for quite some time.  In case you are not familiar with this ingredient... Panko are Japanese bread crumbs. You can use them to make a coating on fish, chicken, pork... why, at our local Japanese restaurant, I've even had tofu coated in Panko and fried.  It makes for a great crispy coating on things.  I was reading the side of the box where they also suggested using Panko on top of casseroles.

I've finally found Panko on the shelves of my local grocery stores and had to give it a whirl.  Progresso Brand offers Lemon Pepper Panko... the box jumped off the shelf and into my cart so I promptly made a U-turn to the frozen seafood aisle for some cod.  It was on sale... SCORE!   My local grocery store also has a generic brand of Panko. So far I've tried the Italian style which has Parmesan cheese and is speckled with dried Italian herbs.  The Italian style is also good on the fish, but I imagine the Italian style would be really good on pork and chicken.  My husband and son both like the Panko crusted fish.  We had this Sunday night with frozen crinkle cut fries... I ate too many fries but it was yummy.  I don't eat fries often but there is something especially good about the crinkle cut fries.

This is not much of a recipe; it's basically just a technique. I apologize I did not get a "beauty shot" of the fish but my family gobbled it all up before I had an opportunity to take a decent photo.

Panko Crusted Fish

1 to 1 1/2 pounds fish (I used cod), cut into similar sized pieces

about 1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

salt and pepper

egg whites, whisked (I used 2 egg whites)

Panko Bread crumbs (whatever flavor you can find)

vegetable oil for frying

In the first shallow dish, combine some flour, salt and pepper.

In a second shallow dish, whisk egg white(s).

In a third shallow dish, place the Panko.

Dredge the fish in the seasoned flour, gently tap to remove excess flour.

Then dredge the fish in the egg whites, coating all sides.

Then dredge the fish in the Panko, coating all sides, gently pressing the crumbs to ensure they are stuck. (I tried to put too many crumbs on my fish and made a mess of my cooking oil... don't do what I did!)

Heat oil in a skillet (I used two skillets) over medium heat.  Pan fry the crumb coated fish for 3 to 5 minutes per side (approximate) until fish is done.  Serve immediately.