Crispy Fish Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Do you ever have those days where everything just makes you mad? Mad that your AC went out during a Texas summer, mad that you're stuck in this crappy apartment, mad that there wasn't perfect lighting during a photoshoot (even during the golden hour), mad at your job, mad at yourself - I have been having many a mad days. But they usually feel a little less crappy when the dinner you make turns out jusssst right.

Our life is kind of in a weird limbo right now, uncertain whether or not we should chase our dream of venturing out to the Pacific Northwest or endure another year in Houston. Either option involves moving and packing and new job finding which of course comes with it's own little bothers.

Lately I've been taking all my stress out on cooking and baking all the things (I've just been to lazy and hot to blog about them). I saw this fish salad on Pinch of Yums Blog and I HAD to try it out, it looked so fresh and tasty for the summer times. I prepared mine a little differently and breaded the fish with panko bread crumbs to make it extra crispy and used sunflower seeds in place of pepitas because I happen to have them on hand but you could go pretty crazy with the garnishes.


Crispy Fish Salad

Recipe inspired by Pinch of Yum

serves 3-4 depending on hunger level

For the Slaw...
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mayo
3-4 cups shredded purple and green cabbage

1.Pulse the slaw ingredients (in order, starting with oil and ending with lime juice) until chopped/chunky. Add the sour cream and pulse again until just combined (you don't want it totally smooth green - just like an herb-loaded creamy sauce). Toss the sauce with the cabbage. Let it sit in the fridge while you prep the other ingredients.

For the Fish Taco Bowls...
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 lb. cod or other white fish
1/2 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tsp EACH cumin and chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil
1 egg, beaten
avocado, sunflower seeds, queso fresco, lime wedges, or other extras for serving

1. In a bowl add the cumin and chili powder to the flour. Pat the fish dry with paper towels, toss in the seasoned flour, then egg wash, then panko breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. And add to the hot pan, frying for a few minutes on each side. When the fish is golden brown, remove from pan and sprinkle with the salt.

2.Plate each dish with a scoop of quinoa, a few pieces of fish, a scoop of cilantro lime slaw, and avocado or any other extra toppings you like. Serve with lime wedges and additional salt as needed.

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops (With a secret ingredient)

I am pretty stoked right now, why you might ask?! I've been working on this recipe for yearsss and I finally found a winner! You might be wondering what the "secret ingredient" is and I'm kinda scared to tell you because it doesn't necessarily sound appetizing BUT just give it a chance and I promise you won't be disappointed...

It's BEANS! Now, I know what you're thinking - beans in cookies?! WHY?? I've had some bad bean cookies in my day, I also took part in that unfortunate black bean brownie trend (uhg) but these are different! I PROMISE I'm not crazy! Originally I was trying to make a chocolate chip cookie but these turned out to soft and cakey that I decided just to call them muffin tops instead.

Putting beans in baked goods adds fiber, iron, protein, and other nutrients without taking away from the flavor and texture. AND since they have those good things in them you can eat twice as many...at least that's what I tell myself anyway. To ensure that these were winners I had my husband take some to work and get some feedback from his coworkers and they received rave reviews from everyone (even after he told them the bean secret).

These are moist, flavorful, and delicious. Here are some things to keep in mind:
-You wanna stick with using white navy beans because 1) it won't affect the color and 2) their mild flavor will blend well into the batter.
-You can use regular chocolate chips if that's all you have on hand but I personally thought that the mini chips incorporated better and melted a little while baking so you got that taste of chocolate in every bite.


Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Makes 2 dozen muffin tops

1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cups (12 TBS) butter, room temperature
1 whole egg, 1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (15.5oz) can of white navy beans, blended in can (my immersion blender fits in there perfectly)
2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup quick cook oats
2 cups of mini chocolate chips
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl fitted with paddle, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg white, blend after each.
2.Add vanilla extract and can of beans and mix well. In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and oats. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bean mixture and mix just until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
3.On a lightly greased cookie sheet spoon 1 TBS worth of dough spaced two inches apart and bake for 10-15 min. or until golden brown around the edges. Store in the fridge in between baking.

Coconut Curry Tofu Noodle Bowl

It's THAT time of year again. The time where you're being pulled in 1,000 different directions - buying gifts, working holiday hours, decorating the house, posing awkwardly for Christmas cards - you know what I mean. This year is going to be the first year that Lewis and I will be away from family. Normally around this time, I would be helping my mom make enough Christmas cookies to sustain a small country so as you can imagine it's going to be quite the adjustment for me to scale down and only cook/bake for two this year.

While I do have plans to keep the tradition going and make some cookies this year, unfortunately making more practical things like dinner takes priority (although now I just envisioned having cookies for dinner and now I'm slightly disappointed). Curries or a stir fry are always my go-to emergency dinner. They pretty much use the same spices and flavorings and are always on the healthy side.

This is one of those "clean out the fridge" meals that with all the leftover and forgotten items combined, it somehow turns into the most delicious meal of the week. You could easily sub rice for noodles, broccoli and asparagus for peppers and zucchini, or chicken for tofu - whatever you prefer!


For the Coconut Curry Sauce:
1 TBS oil
1 medium sized onion, sliced thin
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 TBS yellow curry paste
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 14-ounce can regular coconut milk
½ cup reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth (more or less depending on how thick you want your sauce)
3 TBS sugar
1 TBS hot chili paste (more or less depending on heat preference)
2 tsp fish sauce (if you don't have fish sauce you can just add an additional Tablespoon of soy sauce)
2 tsp sesame oil
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS chopped fresh basil
1 TBS of dried lemon grass

For the Bowls:
4 ounces Pad Thai noodles
1 tablespoon oil
half an onion, chopped
1 medium sized red pepper, sliced thin
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 block of tofu, cubed
squeeze of fresh lime
a handful of fresh basil for serving

Method

Tofu: I always cut and press my tofu before cooking. Place on a greased cooking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F until slightly brown and firm to the touch (about 20-30 min).

Noodles: Place a pan of water on medium heat, bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook 4-5 min. Place cooked noodles in ice water until ready to use (this will prevent them from sticking together).

Sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, peppers, and zucchini. Cook for 10 min. then add spices (curry, ginger, cinnamon) as well as sesame oil and soy sauce - stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, sugar, chicken broth (start with 1/4 cup), chili paste and fish sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes or so while you prep the rest of the ingredients - it should thicken slightly.

Assembly: When the curry has thickened add the noodles and tofu. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime and fresh basil garnish.

Revolutionize Your Diet with Evolution Fresh 3 Days to Green

I was approached by the friendly folks at Evolution Fresh to head to Publix and try their relatively new line of all natural vegetable and fruit based juice beverages. The Challenge: drink one juice every day for three days to take a small step towards a better you.

I have always been a fan of juice, it lets you reap the benefits of eating all your fruits and veggies in a convenient liquid form. With all the juice brands readily available, you still have to make sure to read the label because some brands (cough cough Naked Brand cough cough) contain food coloring, high fructose corn syrups, and other not-so-natural preservatives.

If you examine a bottle of Evolution juice, you can see that the only ingredients are fresh fruits and veggies - just like it would be if you made the juice in your home! They also use a cold-pressed method which eliminates the chance of loosing those valuable vitamins and the fresh taste you crave. The flavors I will be trying are Sweet Greens & Lemon, Essential Greens with Lime, and Defense Up. If drinking your veggies still sounds pretty intimidating, there are plenty of fruit based flavors to please your palette.

I now invite you take part in the 3 Days to Green movement by going to your nearest Publix grocery store and picking out your favorite juice. You can also check out their website at www.evolutionfresh.com to enter and win 1 of 25 prize packages that can turn your healthy habit into a lifestyle.

I will be documenting my #3daystogreen journey on my instagram so feel free to follow along!

Disclosure - I am participating in the Evolution Fresh blogger campaign and received compensation as part of the program, all opinions are my own.

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Traditional Fried Rice

I recently discovered the deliciousness of lettuce wraps when we ate at Hawker's some time ago. I always was familiar with their existence and I might have tried one or two in passing but for some reason these particular ones struck a chord with me and I challenged myself to recreate them...or at least attempt to do so.

When you think about it, the invention of the lettuce wrap is pure genius, it's lighter than a sandwich but more satisfying than a salad and the cool crisp texture of the butter lettuce acts as a perfect vessel from which to carry delicious stir fried goodies. I really wanted to add bean sprouts to this mix but I couldn't find any at my local store so I subbed out shredded carrots instead. you could always add mushrooms or some water chestnuts for added texture if ya please. I also opted to use ground turkey (because it was on sale) but ground beef or chicken would also work very nicely and vegan/vegetarians are welcome to use tofu or seitan.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

serves 4-5

1 TBS butter
1 pound ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
2 cloves garlic, minced ( I used garlic infused olive oil)
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp ginger powder)
1 tsp Sriracha (optional)
2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 head butter lettuce

for fried rice...

3 cups day old cooked white rice
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 cup cooked and chopped broccoli florets
1 egg
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

recipe adapted from Damn Delicious

Directions:

1.In a mixing bowl, Stir garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha, mix well then set aside.

2.Melt butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add sliced onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 min. Add carrots and cook for an additional 3-4 min. Add ground meat and cook until no red is showing, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the meat as it cooks, if you need to, drain the excess fat from the meat and discard. Add sauce and coat meat mixture.

To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the meat mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style, top with sliced green onions.

For the rice, heat oil in a saute pan on medium heat, add rice and veggies of choice and stir fry for about 3 min. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, mix well. When rice is almost done, make an opening in the middle, crack the egg and mix quickly, when the egg is almost done cooking, mix it in with the rest of the rice.

Heirloom Tomato Tart with Fresh Basil, Ricotta, and Balsamic Fig Drizzle

It astounds me sometimes how beautiful food can be. Just a plain old tomato can come in so many different colors and provide unique flavors and textures depending on the variety. I think that's what originally attracted me to food, being an artist first and foremost, it seems natural that I was attracted to visually pleasing food...

Quinoa Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (can also make in bread form)

So yesterday I realized something tragic...I do not own a bread loaf pan :(
I couldn't believe it! I could have sworn I packed one but alas, when life takes away your loaf pan you make muffins!

I'll just have to sneak one away from my mom the next time I visit heh heh (thanks mom).

So whether you decide to make muffins OR bread with this recipe, it's going to be delicious none the less. The cooked quinoa and banana make this cake suuupperrr moist and the chocolate chips makes it just plain out tasty. I decided to use only half a cup whole grain flour so they wouldn't be quite so dense in texture but you are welcome to use a whole cup instead of using AP (it will just make them extra healthy). These were so tasty as an afternoon snack, just pop them in the micro for about 5 seconds and have them with a glass of soy milk and it is so satisfying (hence the reason I only had FOUR muffins left to photograph, I could barely sneak these away from Lewis).

Quinoa Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

makes 1 loaf of bread or 6-7 large muffins, recipe adapted from Savy Naturalista

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup AP flour
1 cup quinoa (cooked)**
1/2 cup sugar
2 large bananas (smashed)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

**If you're not sure how to properly cook quinoa, click HERE

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F; in small bowl sift dry ingredients and set aside.

2.In a large bowl placed smashed bananas, sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix until creamy. Slowly add dry ingredients and quinoa to the batter and mix.

3.Fold chocolate chips into batter (I put some on top of muffins as well). Place batter into a medium greased loaf pan and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Use a toothpick to stick in the center of the bread; if the tooth pick comes out clean the bread is done. Best served warm.

Fruit & Veggie Pops

After all these years I finally got myself popsicle mold! I have never made these frozen treats before and I couldn't think of a more summery recipe than cool refreshing popsicles. You'd be surprised how difficult it is for a gal to find a decent popsicle mold. I went to at least 10 different stores and they were either too expensive or they had those obnoxious anti-drip handles (while very practical not the most visually appealing for photographs). So I finally found a 4 pop mold at Target for only $2!

I had a hard time naming this post just because there are so many ingredients in this recipe. I happen to just throw in whatever fruit I had in the freezer so you are welcome to add your own twist. I find that if you are using veggies (like carrots and spinach) it's always best to disguise them with fruit, bananas work especially well. You also want to make sure you add a creamy element such as yogurt or cream/milk, otherwise your pops will have an icy texture.

Fruit & Veggie Pops

makes 4 pops

3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, you could use other berries as well if you don't prefer blueberries)
1 small banana (cut and frozen)
1/4 cup carrot juice
handful of fresh spinach
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
splash of freshly squeezed orange juice, pineapple juice, or apple juice

Method: Add all ingredients to blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to add more juice or yogurt to achieve the texture you're looking for. Pour into popsicle molds, add stick, and freeze.

Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (To press or not press? That is the question)

If you have been following this blog at all (even within the past couple of weeks) you know that I am always trying to make unhealthy things semi good for you. I always think there's a preconceived notion that just because I am a pescatarian and I try to eat 'healthy' people think I sit around all day eating celery sticks. Not true. I crave things just like everyone else, dark chocolate, cheesecakes, and pie are just a couple of my weaknesses. Since I don't want to deprive myself (because let's face it, that never works out in the end) I make those 'unhealthy' decadent desires with a bit of a twist.

If you're gonna eat cookies, I think it's muuuuchhh better to at least make them yourself instead of buying the store brand. You'll have fun doing it, plus you have an all access pass to the cookie dough covered spoon. You might remember THESE cookies I made with oats and a can of beans (hey, don't knock it until you try it) I decided to take a more...familiar approach with these cookies. I always replace a little less than half the amount of flour with whole wheat flour and I replaced the butter with sour cream (you could use Greek yogurt as well). These changes might seem small but they cut back a significant amount of calories while adding fiber and they have that crispy, melt in your mouth texture a chocolate chip cookie should have.

This brings me to my next topic which is whether you should press down your cookies. I have always been curious as to how this step effects the size/shape/texture of the product. As you can see here the cookie on the left was the one that wasn't pressed. It's was more dense and cake-like in texture than the thinner, more crispy pressed down cookie. As whether you should press these bad boys? Well, that power lies in your hands.

Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookies sheets and set aside.

2.Mix flours, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. In another bowl, beat butter and shortening until creamy.Add sugar and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended.

3.Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add flour mixture, and beat slowly to incorporate, then beat to blend well.Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

4.Drop batter in 2-tablespoon portions about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake in until edges of cookies are brown but an area about 1 inch wide in the center is still pale, about 10 minutes.

5.Let cookies cool on pan about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks with a spatula.Serve warm or cool.

Whole Wheat Kefir Blueberry Muffins with Two Different Crumble Toppings

The other day I was craving blueberry muffins something fierce! I already had a killer recipe from America's Test Kitchen that used a lemon sugar glaze topping but since our new goal to eat more healthy, I decided to alter the recipe a tad. That fact alone plus the practically untouched bottle of unsweetened Kefir in our fridge (it was a purchase made out of pure desperation since they didn't have any other flavors left) lead to this magnificent muffin creation. As for the dual toppings, I have always been a fan of the classic lemon with fruit combo, I feel like it livens up the taste. Lewis prefers more subtle flavors like cinnamon so I decided to experiment with both.

When using whole wheat flour I find it necessary to mix at least a little white flour into the mix to prevent the product from becoming overly dense. These muffins turned out super moist and flavorful and made for a perfect breakfast coffee companion.

Whole Wheat Kefir Blueberry Muffins with Two Different Crumble Toppings

makes 8 large muffins

for the muffins...

1 cup all-purpose flour (reserve some to coat blueberries)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup kefir (you could use buttermilk, Greek yogurt, or sour cream instead)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries

for the crumble toppings...

1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup COLD butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tsp lemon zest

*I always coat my blueberries with a little bit of flour, this makes it incorporate more evenly into the dough

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

2.Combine both kinds of flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix.

3.In a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, crack egg then add enough plain kefir to fill to the 1 cup (8oz) line. Add vanilla.

4.Mix this with flour mixture. *Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, mix with fork. Split the topping in half and add cinnamon to one and lemon to the other. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done

Healthy Recipes To Try This New Year

I feel like the word healthy has gotten a bad rep. When I tell people I love eating "healthy" I think they tend to imagine me eating dry lettuce and celery all the time. Nine years ago today I decided to stop eating fast food and dedicate my life to eating fresh, seasonal, good for you food and I have never felt better. It's not as hard as one might think, you can still eat the things you love, just the healthier version of it. For example, instead of regular spaghetti noodles try these black bean noodles for this pad Thai recipe, they have triple the fiber and the same great taste/texture of regular pasta. Love creamy alfredo sauce? Make it with purred cauliflower instead! It's simple substitutions like these that will get you back on track this year.

From top left to right:
Banana Berry Green Tea Smoothie
Oven Roasted Chic Peas (Indian Style)
Baked Almond Crusted Tilapia With Vegetable Rice Pilaf
Black Bean Pad Thai
Cauliflower Alfredo With Roasted Red Peppers and Edamame
Salmon Burgers with Remoulade Sauce
Baked Shrimp Egg Rolls
Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie