Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Fish tacos were requested this evening, so I decided to try my hand at a beer batter, and the results were fantastic! I was told this was the best thing I have ever made for dinner. This recipe makes A LOT! So you can cut it in half if you're not having a fish taco party. :)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp ground mustard

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/4 cup beer (hoppy beer makes the batter fluffy!)

2 eggs

2 lbs. white fish (like cod or tilapia), cut into strips

tortillas

Toppings:
sour cream

cheese

guacamole/avocados

lime wedges

pico de gallo

salsa

cilantro

Sweet Potato & Corn Quesadillas

I really have to thank my friend Meg for inspiring this recipe. She made me sweet potato & corn quesadillas a couple years ago and they were so tasty! I don't remember her process so I made up my own, and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. oil

2 cloves garlic

 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp pepper

8 tortillas (I used soft taco size)

8 oz cheddar, shredded

Cooking spray

sour cream and hot sauce for garnish

Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa

This one is super quick, easy and healthy too!

Ingredients

For the fish:

2 lbs white fish filets (tilapia, cod, mahi mahi, catfish, or snapper)

2 limes, cut into wedges

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 tbsp oil

Corn Salsa:

1 cup corn

1/2 red onion, diced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced finely

soft tortillas

Garnishes:

avocado

sour cream

hot sauce

salsa

shredded cheese

Chuck Wagon Stew

Here is a quick and easy one that I am told is a kid pleaser. Super filling and tasty. Serve over rice or by itself.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey

1/2 onion, diced

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 lb. green beans

2 carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp. onion powder

14 oz can beef or chicken broth

Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo

So... as I was making this I realized that it was very similar to my Spicy Mac with Chicken and Broccoli recipe. I probably should have used another veggie, but I love broccoli sooo much. Anyway, the sauce is different, and both are delicious, so let's just say it's a variation. :)

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, sliced into small strips

2 heads of broccoli, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c. butter 

4 oz cream cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 1/4 cup milk

4 oz. parmesan, grated

pepper to taste

1 lb. fettucini noodles, cooked according to package instructions

Pork Chops with Caramelized Pears

Ingredients:

4 pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick

1 cup italian bread crumbs

1/2 c. pecorino romano, grated fine

2 eggs

3 tbsp butter

2 pears, sliced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mushroom Bacon Quiche

As I stated in my last blog entry, I typically make two different kinds of quiche at the same time because frozen crusts tend to come in packs of 2. Here is the slightly more complicated recipe I made.

Click here for the recipe for the Broccoli Cheddar Quiche shown in the picture above on the right.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp oil

1 medium onion, chopped

10 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced

6 oz. spinach

1 frozen pie crust

3/4 cup milk

4 eggs

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried dill

4 slices bacon, crumble

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

I read somewhere that there is some sort of hatred of quiche amongst some men. I don't get this. Do they hate pie? Eggs? Veggies? Cheese? So why can't they all hang out together and be delicious?

Well I for one LOVE quiche because it is super easy to make, you can switch out the ingredients and basically make any kind you want. Most frozen pie crusts come in a pack of 2, so I tend to make two different kinds.

Click here to see my recipe for the Mushroom Bacon Quiche that is shown on the upper left in the picture above.

Ingredients:

1 frozen pie crust, thawed

2 tbsp oil

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 large head of broccoli, chopped

2 tbsp water

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Maple Glazed Salmon

Kevin and I picked up a bottle of good ole Vermont maple syrup when we were visiting some of his friends there, and whenever I have a good quality maple syrup I feel inclined to make this incredibly simple but tasty dish, which is one of my favorite meals to make because it is just so darn good and takes barely any prep at all.

1/2 c. maple syrup

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 lbs. salmon filets

Breakfast Burritos

Some mornings I get up and I absolutely don't feel like prepping, making, and cleaning up after breakfast. This is my go-to for mornings like this, because there is virtually no prep and the clean up is super easy.  Breakfast is done in about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

1/2 bag of Ore-Ida Potatoes O'Brien

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 can black beans (I left this out)

1/8 tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. chili powder

4 eggs

1 jar salsa

1 (4 oz) can of green chilis

1 package tortillas

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend, but cheddar or something similar would work)

sour cream, Sriacha, guacamole, and/ or cilantro to garnish

Filipino Chicken Stew (Chicken Adobo)

This was a staple dish during my childhood, probably because my parents were so hardworking and this dish is easy to prepare and only requires one pot to cook it. Now when I make it, I make a big batch and eat it for leftovers over a week. The pic above was from a different time that I made it, since I forgot to take a final picture this time around... 

I have been recently told by my mother, after several Pinoys out there denied this recipe's authenticity, that this version is Batangueno style (from the great province of Batangas where my mom was raised).

Ingredients:

2 lb. chicken, traditionally thighs and drumsticks

2 tbsp. oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 cloves garlic

2 cups water

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 

6 tbsp soy sauce 

2 bay leaves 

salt & pepper to taste 

Not pictured due to my poor planning: bay leaves, salt & pepper. I also usually use fresh garlic but I didn't have any, so I used some jarred minced garlic.

Heat oil in a pot, add chicken and brown on both sides. I typically use drumsticks and thighs, but I did not have any thighs in my freezer. I do recommend using both thighs and drumsticks for a nice variety.

Add onions and garlic and cook until caramelized. 

Add water, vinegar, and soy sauce.

Add potatoes.

Season with salt and pepper and add bay leaves.

Stir and stew for 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Serve over sticky rice

I eat mine in a bowl and soak up the sauce in the rice. The chicken should fall right off the bone. Yum! 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Here is my super easy chicken pot pie recipe!  

You can also make it more healthy by using low sodium broth.  I also would love to learn how to make my own crust, because as you can see below, the store bought ones tend to crumble and make the presentation not so pretty.  But it tastes good!

Excuse the quality of the pictures, I used my phone camera for these because I couldn't find my good camera.  :( I found it now, so the future blog entries should look better, I promise.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 medium potato, diced

1 lb chicken thighs, cut into chunks

3 tbsp butter

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/3 cup flour

1-3/4 cup chicken broth (not pictured)

2/3 cup milk (also not pictured. Oops!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried thyme

2 frozen deep dish pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Boil peas, carrots, corn, potato and chicken for 15 minutes in a covered saucepan.  Drain and set aside.

Balsamic Chicken with Peppers

As promised, I am posting a healthier recipe.  This also happens to be a super quick and easy recipe that I whip up when I am tired and don't have very many ingredients to work with.  You could add other fresh veggies that you like, but I tend to make mine very simple. 

Ingredients:

olive oil

6 chicken breasts

salt and pepper

2-3 thinly sliced bell peppers, any colors 

1 medium onion, sliced thin

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp dried basil (or one bunch fresh basil)

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar