OK, so I grow my own pumpkins, steam them and freeze the meat, so when I say pumpkin, I'm not talking about like canned pumpkin-pie filling. . . but I think you can get pumpkin meat that's just plain at the store but I've never looked because I keep mine in my freezer :) I also keep my "green chili" in the freezer -- I grow jalapenos and chilis in the garden, roast and chop like a tapenade and freeze that, too. I add that for a lot of heat but you can just get canned jalapenos and/or green chilis and add however much you and your family like for your desired spiciness.
So here's how I made my turkey chili, keep in mind that I don't care for kidney/navy/red beans so I put legumes in there that I like :)
1 cup chopped onion
1 can chopped green chilis
1/2 can jalapenos or 1 whole fresh chopped jalapeno
3 cloves garlic
1 to 1.5 lb. ground turkey
1 can tomato paste
2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 can diced tomatos
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 can black beans
1-2 cups frozen corn
I add psyllium husks to mine for extra fiber. . . I'm in a shred right now so I add psyllium husks to everything. It doesn't really affect flavor or taste, just helps move things along, if ya know what I mean ;) Depending on how much liquid you have in your chili dictates how much psyllium you'd add -- too much will make it gummy, start with a couple teaspoons and if it blends right in you're good to go. Literally....hahaha!
Spices/seasonings:
Cumin
Cayenne
Chili Powder
Cajun spice mix
Cinnamon
Himalayan sea salt
beef bouillon
I add a lot of cumin and chili (over a tablespoon) a little less cajun and cinnamon (my secret ingredient! Cinnamon makes everything taste amazing!!) and salt to taste.
Saute all of your savories until fragrant and soft, add your turkey and dice it up, I like to add most of my spices to the turkey meat while it's cooking, then once it's no longer pink add all of the canned stuff, stir and simmer for 20 then check for taste and re-season.
I was going to add shredded zucchini and carrots and cook that in but I forgot. . . another great way to hide veggies and add fiber and vitamins, just do those right at the beginning with your onions, etc., celery is also a nice veggie to add but my fam doesn't like it, same with green bell peppers -- experiment! Chili is such a fun, awesome, healthy dish! I made brown rice for the kids as an accompaniment to offset the heat, but it's amazing all by itself!
Hope you love!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Efficient Food Prep!
Cook once, eat many times! Cook healthy for yourself and still make what the kids will eat! You CAN do it all!
Subscribe to the blog for more great information about how to make your life easier, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel for fitness, health, upcoming events and much more!
Make your day AMAZING!
Subscribe to the blog for more great information about how to make your life easier, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel for fitness, health, upcoming events and much more!
Make your day AMAZING!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
What's Your Personal Investment Strategy?
I am getting after July with a vengeance!
I will be the first to tell you that I struggle with staying on track - especially in the summer. . . with longer days, yard work and gardening, hot weather, parties, barbeques and holidays, I just love to socialize, soak in the sun, enjoy a Twisted Tea digging in the dirt, cheeseburgers on the grill, concerts in the park with chilled white wine, bread & cheese -- it's just way too easy to play at the pool all day and forget about your workout!
This particular year we took our entire family on a Disneyland vacation, and if any place on earth will derail your clean eating, it's The Happiest Place on Earth! But I have worked hard since January on a lot of different projects and aspects of my life, so I gave myself most of June to mess around, relax, eat and drink to my heart's content and take a little breather. Nine pounds later and now that I've got that out of my system, I am reinvigorated, refocused, and ready!
So what's my plan? Well, I need to tighten things up in nutrition and fitness, and one of my big goals this year was to really hone in on FINANCES. Now that vacation is over, it is really time to start tracking where our money is going, eliminate debt and get to saving with a very specific purpose in mind. . .
So how does one get going when they've lost a little momentum or maybe even done a little bit of backsliding? Well, you don't go it alone, and you don't go it without a plan of action! So here's what's on tap for my next week, 28 days, 6 weeks, and 90 days, books I'm reading and programs into which I have invested (in myself) to guarantee I meet and exceed my goals for the second half of the year.
I just finished The Compound Effect, am a few chapters into Make Money, Not Excuses and How To Bring Your Book to Life, I have Get Rich, Lucky Bitch teed up in my library and am referring always back to The Eat-Clean Diet Stripped and The Secret. In addition to my "regular" personal development reading, I also work regularly on the Jim Rohn One Year Success plan, which conveniently just finished up a section on Health and is now focused on Finances. To that end I have enrolled for the next 6 weeks in Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey and to tie it all together and stay on track I am "playing" PLD (Pacesetter Leadership Dynamics) for the next 90 days which is a team of high performers taking personal integrity and accountability to the next level through intensive weekend workshops, weekly team meetings and multiple weekly coach calls. I have started participating in a business "mastermind" group called CEO Connection to develop and foster relationships with leaders in business.
On the fitness/nutrition side, I am starting another round of Body Beast to get my workouts up to speed, have joined a Coach-led Challenge Group on Facebook and to shore up accountability, have formed a small group of workout buddies locally with whom I will schedule regular workouts throughout the week. And finally, I have a fitness conference at the end of the month where I will obtain another format certification and be engaged in more education and advancement of my fitness career goals.
No matter what your current level of earning or savings, if you ever want it to increase you must before all other things make investment of your time, resources, money and energy into yourself; your health, fitness, nutrition, mind, knowledge and business. Even when I could least afford it, I took risks and invested in myself and the dividends were always multiple times the principal. And the times when I thought I could least afford the expense of that investment were when it was most critical that it be made.
What investment will you make in your future this month?
I will be the first to tell you that I struggle with staying on track - especially in the summer. . . with longer days, yard work and gardening, hot weather, parties, barbeques and holidays, I just love to socialize, soak in the sun, enjoy a Twisted Tea digging in the dirt, cheeseburgers on the grill, concerts in the park with chilled white wine, bread & cheese -- it's just way too easy to play at the pool all day and forget about your workout!
This particular year we took our entire family on a Disneyland vacation, and if any place on earth will derail your clean eating, it's The Happiest Place on Earth! But I have worked hard since January on a lot of different projects and aspects of my life, so I gave myself most of June to mess around, relax, eat and drink to my heart's content and take a little breather. Nine pounds later and now that I've got that out of my system, I am reinvigorated, refocused, and ready!
So what's my plan? Well, I need to tighten things up in nutrition and fitness, and one of my big goals this year was to really hone in on FINANCES. Now that vacation is over, it is really time to start tracking where our money is going, eliminate debt and get to saving with a very specific purpose in mind. . .
So how does one get going when they've lost a little momentum or maybe even done a little bit of backsliding? Well, you don't go it alone, and you don't go it without a plan of action! So here's what's on tap for my next week, 28 days, 6 weeks, and 90 days, books I'm reading and programs into which I have invested (in myself) to guarantee I meet and exceed my goals for the second half of the year.
I just finished The Compound Effect, am a few chapters into Make Money, Not Excuses and How To Bring Your Book to Life, I have Get Rich, Lucky Bitch teed up in my library and am referring always back to The Eat-Clean Diet Stripped and The Secret. In addition to my "regular" personal development reading, I also work regularly on the Jim Rohn One Year Success plan, which conveniently just finished up a section on Health and is now focused on Finances. To that end I have enrolled for the next 6 weeks in Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey and to tie it all together and stay on track I am "playing" PLD (Pacesetter Leadership Dynamics) for the next 90 days which is a team of high performers taking personal integrity and accountability to the next level through intensive weekend workshops, weekly team meetings and multiple weekly coach calls. I have started participating in a business "mastermind" group called CEO Connection to develop and foster relationships with leaders in business.
On the fitness/nutrition side, I am starting another round of Body Beast to get my workouts up to speed, have joined a Coach-led Challenge Group on Facebook and to shore up accountability, have formed a small group of workout buddies locally with whom I will schedule regular workouts throughout the week. And finally, I have a fitness conference at the end of the month where I will obtain another format certification and be engaged in more education and advancement of my fitness career goals.
No matter what your current level of earning or savings, if you ever want it to increase you must before all other things make investment of your time, resources, money and energy into yourself; your health, fitness, nutrition, mind, knowledge and business. Even when I could least afford it, I took risks and invested in myself and the dividends were always multiple times the principal. And the times when I thought I could least afford the expense of that investment were when it was most critical that it be made.
What investment will you make in your future this month?
Friday, July 5, 2013
Halfway!
I LOVE the 4th of July! I come from a small town in New Hampshire and our town always went ALL OUT for the 4th; the first one I remember was 1976 and being the BIG BICENTENNIAL year, it was quite a huge deal. We were members of the Andover Snowmobile Club and all of the various organizations in town sponsored a float in the big parade that went all the way through town (about 1 mile total!) and it was a MAJOR competition to capture the glory of 1st Prize for the best float! The Snowmobile Club came up with some pretty awesome ones, one year we had a larger-than-life Mr. Peanut and one year was a Civil War theme, here's my Dad dressed up like an old war hero:
(My sister took a picture of a picture, she doesn't know how to scan -- don't judge! Haha!)
Anyway, now that I'm older living in a state in which I do not have such longstanding roots and a city that's a little too big for an old-fashioned hometown parade, the holiday has a little different meaning for me beyond the natural feelings of patriotism and love of All Things America. . . of course I still make sure we do something cool and fun that usually involves pyrotechnics, propane and partying with friends, but I mark the Fourth of July from a little different perspective now as a coach and business owner . . .
I'm not shy about poo-pooing "New Year's Resolutions" because I think they're kind of like excuses (which are like a$$holes, if you've ever heard that joke! "Everybody's got one and they all stink!" I know, totally inappropriate, but true!) and you only see a small percentage of the population in February or March still rocking out their fitness, financial, family or fulfillment goals that were so passionately professed to on January 1st.
So I like the "do-over" that July 4th, Independence Day, brings. There's lots of sales on personal development products, (and cars, oddly enough) the days are longer, the weather is fabulous and it's the perfect time of year to renew those goals and ideals that you tried to set for yourself in January, without all of the overwhelming holiday debt and letdown to contend with. This is the ideal season to take those books, courses or other personal development items you invested in 6 months ago, and make the second half of the year count before you get caught up in holidays again!
So, proclaim your independence from the monotony or possibly mediocrity of your life and resolve to some GREAT things with the rest of your summer and the 3rd and 4th quarter of this year! Make it like Christmas in July! Goal-set, create a DMO and a vision board and use the longer days to dive into those personal development materials you've got sitting around. If you don't have any, check me out on Facebook or Pinterest or comment and ask me what I'm reading and working on! I've got lots of ideas to get you going!
Happy Independence Day!
Anyway, now that I'm older living in a state in which I do not have such longstanding roots and a city that's a little too big for an old-fashioned hometown parade, the holiday has a little different meaning for me beyond the natural feelings of patriotism and love of All Things America. . . of course I still make sure we do something cool and fun that usually involves pyrotechnics, propane and partying with friends, but I mark the Fourth of July from a little different perspective now as a coach and business owner . . .
I'm not shy about poo-pooing "New Year's Resolutions" because I think they're kind of like excuses (which are like a$$holes, if you've ever heard that joke! "Everybody's got one and they all stink!" I know, totally inappropriate, but true!) and you only see a small percentage of the population in February or March still rocking out their fitness, financial, family or fulfillment goals that were so passionately professed to on January 1st.
So I like the "do-over" that July 4th, Independence Day, brings. There's lots of sales on personal development products, (and cars, oddly enough) the days are longer, the weather is fabulous and it's the perfect time of year to renew those goals and ideals that you tried to set for yourself in January, without all of the overwhelming holiday debt and letdown to contend with. This is the ideal season to take those books, courses or other personal development items you invested in 6 months ago, and make the second half of the year count before you get caught up in holidays again!
So, proclaim your independence from the monotony or possibly mediocrity of your life and resolve to some GREAT things with the rest of your summer and the 3rd and 4th quarter of this year! Make it like Christmas in July! Goal-set, create a DMO and a vision board and use the longer days to dive into those personal development materials you've got sitting around. If you don't have any, check me out on Facebook or Pinterest or comment and ask me what I'm reading and working on! I've got lots of ideas to get you going!
Happy Independence Day!
Monday, July 1, 2013
I Don't Know What To Call This!
Except DELICIOUS!
I hesitate to call it "Massaman" because of all of the ethnic cooking I do, Thai & curry-related dishes are ones at which I am the least experienced and since I put what I want into these creations, I don't know if I knock a dish out of a particular label by addition or omission...
In any event, I made this just for myself and Jeff and as soon as we plated up, we had a swarm of children. Although we warned them it was spicy, everyone gobbled up the small bits we actually shared . . . (you know if I had made this FOR them, they would never have touched it. . . haha!)
I had Wildtree Red Curry paste and also some Taste of Thai red pepper paste that I used in this dish. I did not use Tamarind but read that Worstershire sauce was an OK sub. I've never had this dish at a restaurant so I have no idea how it's "supposed" to taste, so if you make it and it is nothing like any curry or Massaman you've ever had, well, don't say I didn't warn ya!
I started with two or three tbsp of the Red Curry paste and a tbsp of the red pepper paste in a large, high-sided skillet and mixed those with about a tbsp of coconut oil on medium-low heat. The recipes I read online all indicated that mixing the curry with the oil and heating it beforehand was important, so I did it but don't know why, exactly. So, just do it.
I cut boneless skinless chicken breast into chunks (I used one breast for the ratio of ingredients I'll lay out here, I didn't know how it would turn out so I didn't want to use 3 lbs of chicken and have it suck.) and also chunked one white and one sweet potato. While heating the pastes I added more cumin (1 tsp.), red pepper (1 tsp.) flakes and 2 cloves of fresh-pressed garlic and about a cubic inch of fresh ginger, plus a dash of tumeric (I have found tumeric can easily overpower a dish, so exercise caution here!)
After 3 or 4 minutes, I added my chicken to the paste mixture and stirred it around until covered in the spice, then added my potatoes, about 1/2 of a yellow onion and two sweet peppers cut into strips and got that all stirred up together and heated for another 3 or 4 minutes, then added fish sauce (similar to tumeric, beware and use restraint here, maybe one tablespoon?), just a few dashes of Worstershire sauce (probably a teaspoon), a couple shakes of cinnamon and my 13.5 oz. can of light coconut milk with a light sprinkle of organic coconut sugar, and about a tbsp of peanut butter. Other recipes that used more peanut better said the sauce was very thick (too thick for many) and since I like a little bit looser sauce, I went easy on the PB (also trying to watch the calories a little!)
Once all of that is combined nicely and bubbling over medium heat, turn your heat back to very low and cover, let it simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes to get the potatoes fully cooked. Once you have the texture you like on your potatoes, squeeze in lime juice (I used 1.5 limes, I love lime), stir well again and let heat back through for a few more minutes, finish with a generous garnish of cilantro (a couple of tablespoons) and let it rest/thicken for a few minutes while you cook whatever you're going to eat it with. I used thin (angel hair type) brown rice noodles, but thicker noodles or just rice would work just dandy also. The sauce was thick enough to stick but not running, and not gummy. I felt there was a great balance of flavor with the lime really coming through but as I said, I like lime. I thought it was spicy without being overpowering but it wasn't spicy enough to keep my kiddos away so obviously I needed more red pepper flakes!
Many commented on various recipes that they served it with avocado but I am actually out at the moment (hard to believe!) so I didn't try that, but I can see where it would be good like that.
Some online subbed a puree of dates or raisins for the tamarind so I'd like to actually try to find the real stuff and see how that changes the dish, perhaps the addition of the dry fruit would eliminate the need for any added sugar at all, although as sugar goes, coconut is most certainly the best of them all!
I hope you try it and love it!
I hesitate to call it "Massaman" because of all of the ethnic cooking I do, Thai & curry-related dishes are ones at which I am the least experienced and since I put what I want into these creations, I don't know if I knock a dish out of a particular label by addition or omission...
In any event, I made this just for myself and Jeff and as soon as we plated up, we had a swarm of children. Although we warned them it was spicy, everyone gobbled up the small bits we actually shared . . . (you know if I had made this FOR them, they would never have touched it. . . haha!)
I had Wildtree Red Curry paste and also some Taste of Thai red pepper paste that I used in this dish. I did not use Tamarind but read that Worstershire sauce was an OK sub. I've never had this dish at a restaurant so I have no idea how it's "supposed" to taste, so if you make it and it is nothing like any curry or Massaman you've ever had, well, don't say I didn't warn ya!
I started with two or three tbsp of the Red Curry paste and a tbsp of the red pepper paste in a large, high-sided skillet and mixed those with about a tbsp of coconut oil on medium-low heat. The recipes I read online all indicated that mixing the curry with the oil and heating it beforehand was important, so I did it but don't know why, exactly. So, just do it.
I cut boneless skinless chicken breast into chunks (I used one breast for the ratio of ingredients I'll lay out here, I didn't know how it would turn out so I didn't want to use 3 lbs of chicken and have it suck.) and also chunked one white and one sweet potato. While heating the pastes I added more cumin (1 tsp.), red pepper (1 tsp.) flakes and 2 cloves of fresh-pressed garlic and about a cubic inch of fresh ginger, plus a dash of tumeric (I have found tumeric can easily overpower a dish, so exercise caution here!)
After 3 or 4 minutes, I added my chicken to the paste mixture and stirred it around until covered in the spice, then added my potatoes, about 1/2 of a yellow onion and two sweet peppers cut into strips and got that all stirred up together and heated for another 3 or 4 minutes, then added fish sauce (similar to tumeric, beware and use restraint here, maybe one tablespoon?), just a few dashes of Worstershire sauce (probably a teaspoon), a couple shakes of cinnamon and my 13.5 oz. can of light coconut milk with a light sprinkle of organic coconut sugar, and about a tbsp of peanut butter. Other recipes that used more peanut better said the sauce was very thick (too thick for many) and since I like a little bit looser sauce, I went easy on the PB (also trying to watch the calories a little!)
Once all of that is combined nicely and bubbling over medium heat, turn your heat back to very low and cover, let it simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes to get the potatoes fully cooked. Once you have the texture you like on your potatoes, squeeze in lime juice (I used 1.5 limes, I love lime), stir well again and let heat back through for a few more minutes, finish with a generous garnish of cilantro (a couple of tablespoons) and let it rest/thicken for a few minutes while you cook whatever you're going to eat it with. I used thin (angel hair type) brown rice noodles, but thicker noodles or just rice would work just dandy also. The sauce was thick enough to stick but not running, and not gummy. I felt there was a great balance of flavor with the lime really coming through but as I said, I like lime. I thought it was spicy without being overpowering but it wasn't spicy enough to keep my kiddos away so obviously I needed more red pepper flakes!
Many commented on various recipes that they served it with avocado but I am actually out at the moment (hard to believe!) so I didn't try that, but I can see where it would be good like that.
Some online subbed a puree of dates or raisins for the tamarind so I'd like to actually try to find the real stuff and see how that changes the dish, perhaps the addition of the dry fruit would eliminate the need for any added sugar at all, although as sugar goes, coconut is most certainly the best of them all!
I hope you try it and love it!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Have You Launched an F-Bomb Today?
Well, anyone who knows me will tell you that I do it all of the time, but get your head out of the gutter!! I'm talking about the F-words that are the BOMB and that will EXPLODE your life! Food, fitness, faith, family, finances, and for some this could even be fame and fortune. Fulfillment. Forgiveness. How many of these words have you explored today??
I have been working on creating BALANCE in my life and so I strive on a daily basis to pay some attention to and focus on multiple F-Bombs each day. For awhile there I was so caught up with fitness that I was neglecting food, or focusing so much on finances that my family was getting the short end of the stick. A perfect day for me now encompasses some aspects of all of the important F's: Future (writing my book), Finances (earning a living while also working on building a fortune), Faith (devoting some time to spiritual pursuits), Family (trying to ensure that I engage in conversation and/or praise each one of my children, prepare and/or eat dinner with my kids, help with homework, be involved in their activities on some level), Fitness (of course, a workout!), Food (striving to eat clean, whole, non-toxic, non-processed fuel only), and Factor S (SLEEP!).
Today was one of those days. With FOCUS, I managed my time, day, and activities and followed my DMO (Daily Mode of Operations), completed my To-Do List and am wrapping up with writing and planning my activities for tomorrow. I have seen over the past 30 months what striving for these days most of the time can do to a life, and the amazing progress, achievements and FULFILLMENT that results.
Have you planned your day, your week, your month, your next year, 5 years and 10? Are you creating your future or just drifting along and hoping for the best? This is my Future!
What's yours?
Top Five Things You Can Do Starting NOW: 1) Figure out YOUR "F-Bombs", 2) Create a DMO, 3) Practice Gratitude, 4) Read, and 5) Record.
Let me know if you need help!
I have been working on creating BALANCE in my life and so I strive on a daily basis to pay some attention to and focus on multiple F-Bombs each day. For awhile there I was so caught up with fitness that I was neglecting food, or focusing so much on finances that my family was getting the short end of the stick. A perfect day for me now encompasses some aspects of all of the important F's: Future (writing my book), Finances (earning a living while also working on building a fortune), Faith (devoting some time to spiritual pursuits), Family (trying to ensure that I engage in conversation and/or praise each one of my children, prepare and/or eat dinner with my kids, help with homework, be involved in their activities on some level), Fitness (of course, a workout!), Food (striving to eat clean, whole, non-toxic, non-processed fuel only), and Factor S (SLEEP!).
Today was one of those days. With FOCUS, I managed my time, day, and activities and followed my DMO (Daily Mode of Operations), completed my To-Do List and am wrapping up with writing and planning my activities for tomorrow. I have seen over the past 30 months what striving for these days most of the time can do to a life, and the amazing progress, achievements and FULFILLMENT that results.
Have you planned your day, your week, your month, your next year, 5 years and 10? Are you creating your future or just drifting along and hoping for the best? This is my Future!
What's yours?
Top Five Things You Can Do Starting NOW: 1) Figure out YOUR "F-Bombs", 2) Create a DMO, 3) Practice Gratitude, 4) Read, and 5) Record.
Let me know if you need help!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Fish Tacos!
Fasten your seat belt, because this is no ordinary recipe!! I will be all over the map here, and you'll probably be more confused by the time you're done than ready to hit the kitchen to make these, but here goes!!
First of all, I started making these when I had an AWESOME garden, and as with anything else you create in the kitchen, the fresher your ingredients, the far more superior outcome will you achieve. I had fresh cucumbers, dill, and cilantro and this makes a HUGE difference and is possibly why my subsequent attempts at replicating my original creation have fallen short.
The long and short of MY version of fish tacos consists of the following basic components:
1) White fish: Grilled, not fried. I usually foil tent tilapia loins seasoned with either jerk seasoning or some combination of cayenne, chili pepper, cumin and of course lots of LIME (my favorite summertime ingredient for everything!) and grill until white & flaky -- YUM.
2) "Cool & Creamy" Sauce: I mince fresh cuke in the MANUAL FOOD PROCESSOR (more about that later!) and mix with fresh dill, Fage plain Greek yogurt, Himalayan sea salt, sometimes Tzaziki seasonings, but the simpler, the better with this component. This is for your creamy heat diffusion but the crisp flavors of the cukes & fresh dill really pack a punch.
3) "Sweet & Spicy" Slaw: I have started to use Napa cabbage (sometimes referred to as Chinese cabbage) for EVERYTHING lately. I love the lacy leaves, the mild flavor and the fact that it stores fabulously forever in the fridge. I mix my minced cabbage with carrot, jicama and/or red onion, apple cider or rice vinegar, a little olive oil, some crushed pineapple and a little of the juice, and crushed red pepper. This is the bulk of your taco, so play with your slaw until you get it just perfect!
4) Hot Sauce: You can use Frank's, Cholula, or for those of you that LOVE the heat:
EL YUCATECO RED HABANERO SAUCE :)
Be choosey about your hot sauce!! It kind of makes the taco!
So, you can go more Jamaican-style and use jerk seasonings and flavor profiles in your fish, slaw and hot sauce, Mexican style with Cholula or Melinda's and a more Mexican spice or Cajun-style with Emeril's Essence on your fish, Thai style with more coconut & curry flavors in your cool & creamy, fish sauce in your slaw and a spicy peanut for your hot sauce -- the possibilities are endless!
Oh, and don't forget a nicely warmed-on-a-cast-iron-pan corn tortilla (sprouted if you want to go for the full health effect!) to wrap up all of that amazingness!
My sister-in-law uses salmon in hers so tilapia is not set in stone, either! I think a salmon/miso/ginger/five spice combo, Sirachi hot sauce and sesame oil, rice vinegar in your slaw sprinkled with sesame seeds would be an amazing Asian twist. Super fun to experiment!
When I hit on the absolutely PERFECT combination, I will let you know! In the meantime, send me your versions, creations and photos; I'd LOVE to see what you come up with!!
Happy Cooking!!
P.S. If you haven't used, seen or heard of the Manual Food Processor from The Pampered Chef I HIGHLY recommend that you a) book a party (with my friend Alisa Smith or Danielle DePoy), b) order from MY party I am hosting the weekend of July 5th, c) get Alisa or Danielle's contact info and/or website info and check it out. For mincing, dicing, chopping and creating, it is a MUST as it is small, portable, non-electric and you control the amount of dice you want on your herbs, onion, cucumber or whatever you're whipping up. AMAZEBALLS!! If you EVER cook, you have to have one of these things!!
First of all, I started making these when I had an AWESOME garden, and as with anything else you create in the kitchen, the fresher your ingredients, the far more superior outcome will you achieve. I had fresh cucumbers, dill, and cilantro and this makes a HUGE difference and is possibly why my subsequent attempts at replicating my original creation have fallen short.
The long and short of MY version of fish tacos consists of the following basic components:
1) White fish: Grilled, not fried. I usually foil tent tilapia loins seasoned with either jerk seasoning or some combination of cayenne, chili pepper, cumin and of course lots of LIME (my favorite summertime ingredient for everything!) and grill until white & flaky -- YUM.
2) "Cool & Creamy" Sauce: I mince fresh cuke in the MANUAL FOOD PROCESSOR (more about that later!) and mix with fresh dill, Fage plain Greek yogurt, Himalayan sea salt, sometimes Tzaziki seasonings, but the simpler, the better with this component. This is for your creamy heat diffusion but the crisp flavors of the cukes & fresh dill really pack a punch.
3) "Sweet & Spicy" Slaw: I have started to use Napa cabbage (sometimes referred to as Chinese cabbage) for EVERYTHING lately. I love the lacy leaves, the mild flavor and the fact that it stores fabulously forever in the fridge. I mix my minced cabbage with carrot, jicama and/or red onion, apple cider or rice vinegar, a little olive oil, some crushed pineapple and a little of the juice, and crushed red pepper. This is the bulk of your taco, so play with your slaw until you get it just perfect!
4) Hot Sauce: You can use Frank's, Cholula, or for those of you that LOVE the heat:
EL YUCATECO RED HABANERO SAUCE :)
Be choosey about your hot sauce!! It kind of makes the taco!
So, you can go more Jamaican-style and use jerk seasonings and flavor profiles in your fish, slaw and hot sauce, Mexican style with Cholula or Melinda's and a more Mexican spice or Cajun-style with Emeril's Essence on your fish, Thai style with more coconut & curry flavors in your cool & creamy, fish sauce in your slaw and a spicy peanut for your hot sauce -- the possibilities are endless!
Oh, and don't forget a nicely warmed-on-a-cast-iron-pan corn tortilla (sprouted if you want to go for the full health effect!) to wrap up all of that amazingness!
My sister-in-law uses salmon in hers so tilapia is not set in stone, either! I think a salmon/miso/ginger/five spice combo, Sirachi hot sauce and sesame oil, rice vinegar in your slaw sprinkled with sesame seeds would be an amazing Asian twist. Super fun to experiment!
Happy Cooking!!
P.S. If you haven't used, seen or heard of the Manual Food Processor from The Pampered Chef I HIGHLY recommend that you a) book a party (with my friend Alisa Smith or Danielle DePoy), b) order from MY party I am hosting the weekend of July 5th, c) get Alisa or Danielle's contact info and/or website info and check it out. For mincing, dicing, chopping and creating, it is a MUST as it is small, portable, non-electric and you control the amount of dice you want on your herbs, onion, cucumber or whatever you're whipping up. AMAZEBALLS!! If you EVER cook, you have to have one of these things!!
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