Chicken Tacos / Fish Tacos

spice rubbed fish and vegetable taco with tequila lime aioli

Our version of "Spice-Rubbed Chicken and Vegetable Tacos" from Bon Appetit June 2006. For a long time we ate these ALL THE TIME and recently we made a new adaptation by adding a fish option.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1 Tablespoon smoked hot Spanish paprika (Pimenton de la Vera) or really any hot paprika
2 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

2-4 small zucchini (ok, the recipe says 2 but we like zucchini), quartered lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut lengthwise into 3/4 inch-thick strips (or just 4 to 5 pieces)
pam cooking spray
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1 pound flounder fillets (or any light flaky fish that you like)

12 5- to 6- inch diameter flour tortillas, warmed
2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges (optional)
tequila lime aioli (recipe follows)
salsa

Directions
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Whisk brown sugar and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl to blend for spice rub.

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place zucchini and bell pepper on sheet. Spray with Pam, sprinkle spice rub over the vegetables, turn them all over and spray and sprinkle the other side. Sprinkle spice rub on both sides of the chicken as well (I recommend you keep the veggies and chicken separate, then you can bring the cooked veggies in on the same tray you took them out on without having to worry about salmonella). Prepare a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil to grill the fish on - that way you won't have to worry about it sticking to the grill and falling apart. Fold the foil to make a space large enough to hold the fish, then spray it with non-stick spray. Place the fish on the foil and sprinkle it with the spice rub.

Place chicken and veggies on barbecue. Grill until vegetables are tender (or tender-crisp) and browned in spots and chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Veggies cook more quickly than the chicken. When you take the chicken off the grill, slide the foil with the fish onto the grill. It will only take a few minutes. 

Slice the chicken into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Separate the flounder fillets in half. Cut vegetables crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces. Serve with warmed tortillas, tequila lime aioli, salsa and lime. We also like to grill corn on the cob to go with this.

Tequila Lime Aioli:
3 tablespoons premium tequila
1 lime, juiced
8 ounces sour cream (we use fat-free)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper

In small bowl, combine all ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Vanilla Creme Brulee

For our un-official series "fun things to make in ramekins," we adapted this from a recipe by Aida Mollenkamp after doing our best to find one that was a little lighter than average.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
8 large egg yolk
1/2 cup plus 8 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

Bring the cream, half-and-half and vanilla to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse the cream with the vanilla, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and cool slightly. Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to a boil.

Whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale yellow and thick; it should leave a trail when you lift the whisk. Pour in the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Skim off any foam or bubbles from the surface.

Arrange eight 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan and divide the custard evenly among them.

Pull out the oven rack slightly, place the roasting pan on it and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake until the custards are just set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

About 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each custard. Tilt the ramekins to evenly distribute the sugar and tap out any excess.

Holding a kitchen torch about three inches away, burn the sugar until it turns a deep amber. Refrigerate the creme brulees just until the crust hardens, 30 minutes to 1 hour, but not longer (the topping may start to soften). Serve cold.

Bridal Shower Fun!

Saturday we celebrated Britain's bridal shower with a brunch at Jenn's house, hosted by the bridesmaids. Here are a few photos of the fun!

The gorgeous and amazing praline cake was from Au Peche Mignon, our local French Bakery. Thins layers of very light yellow cake brushed with rum then sandwiched with praline mousse - divine! The edges were coated in crushed pecans and the top in slivered toasted almonds and powdered sugar. Each bite melted in your mouth!

The flowers are in the wedding colors and similar to the arrangements Britain and Chris will have at the wedding. See close up photos of the cake and the flowers below. 

Our brunch offerings included mini-quiches (ham, red bell pepper and shallot as well as mushroom and leek, both in fillo dough cups), a yogurt parfait bar, mini-muffins, caprese on a stick and a wonderful citrus salad with feta cheese. 

the buffet

On the left, caprese salad on a stick - grape tomatoes, basil and mozzarella (some with pepperoni, some without) with a wonderful vinaigrette dressing for dipping; on the right, citrus salad with feta and mint. 

At top left: peanut butter chocolate chip muffins; top right: carrot cake muffins;
bottom: berry muffins with blueberries

The yogurt parfait bar included three kinds of yogurt (plain, light blueberry, and Cabot Creamery vanilla bean Greek yogurt, which is amazing by the way) as well as homemade granola and a variety of nuts and dried fruits. 

Our shower game - guess the age of the bride in each of the photos. It was really fun - Jenn won, she got 6 of 10 correct! (For the record, I only guessed 3 correctly!)

This photo of the bride and me was taken by the Matron of Honor, Joy - as were the next three.

Another view of the yogurt parfait bar - sharing it because you can see the cake table in the dining room, through the arched doorway on the right. On the table are the favors, pink lemonade cupcakes, baked by Jenn, in cute little pink and navy boxes. Also, hanging from the pot rack are the great crepe paper rose balls Joy made for decorating. They were really neat.

From left to right: bridesmaid Michelle, Britain, Chris's cousin, Alexa, Chris's Aunt Fabiana and Chris's Mom, Donna.

Flower girl Lottie, daughter of the Matron of Honor, with her Aunt Stephanie. 

A gift from the bride - strawberries from Plant City! We ate them all in less than 24 hours!!

Close up of the cake

Close up of the flowers

Quote of the Week

"Believe in yourself

and all that you are.

Know that there is 

something inside you

that is great

than any obstacle."

- Christian D. Larson

via pinterest

Fish en Papillote

Translated: fish in paper. Sounds complicated but the hardest part is folding the paper. The prep itself is simple. Adapted from this recipe from Melissa D'Arabian

Ingredients
1/2 red onion, shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) sole fillets, hake, flounder or other white fish (we used flouder)
1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 pats butter (1 teaspoon each)
1/4 cup water (original called for white wine)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix together the onion, zucchini, carrot and garlic. Add the oil, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Put each fish fillet in a large square of parchment paper and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables on top, dividing evenly. Top the vegetables with 2 lemon slices, 2 sprigs thyme, a teaspoon of butter and 1 tablespoon water, layering in order. Fold the parchment paper around the edges tightly in 1/4-inch folds to create a half moon shape. Make sure you press as you crimp and fold to seal the packets well, otherwise the steam will escape. Arrange the packets on a baking sheet. Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. To serve, cut open the packets and serve directly in the parchment on a plate or remove the fish to the plate using a spatula, being sure you don't leave the juices behind. Makes 4 small servings - we were each tempted to have a second one!

We served this with basmati rice. Delicious and easy. 

Bean and Barley Soup

The finished product.

We really enjoyed this super healthy soup which I found on daily meal via pinterest. I doubled it and didn't regret it - yummm!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped2 stalks celery, with leaves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup barley
1/3 cup lentils
2 red or white creamer potatoes, cut into chunks
One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Soup in process

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium to large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with the dried marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring so the flavors meld and the spices are evenly distributed.

Add the barley, lentils, potatoes, and kidney beans and stir to combine. Pour in enough water to cover the soup contents by about 2 inches. Stir to combine, cover partially, and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove the soup from the heat and let sit a few minutes before serving.

4 servings (Calories: 121; Total fat: 3.7 g; Saturated fat: 0.5 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 1,265 mg; Total carbohydrate: 18 g; Dietary fiber: 6.9g; Sugars: 4.2 g; Protein: 5.2 g.)

Moroccan Vegetable Salad

For dinner tonight, I adapted a recipe from an old WeightWatchers cookbook from the Turn Around Program. We added butter lettuce and grilled chicken to the original. Delicious, crunchy and filling.

Ingredients
1 pint grape tomatoes, larger ones halved
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream (or yogurt)
2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
1 head butter lettuce, cleaned and cored

Directions
Combine the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in a medium bowl with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and the salt and pepper. Stir well, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to give the flavors a chance to marry.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the cumin and toast, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
Puree the chickpeas, sour cream, remaining 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice in a food processor. Add the garlic mixture; pulse until combined.
Put several leaves (about 1/4 of the head) of butter lettuce on each plate, then top with one-fourth of tomato mixture. Top with about 1/3 cup of the chickpea puree and about half of a chicken breast.

Serves 4.