Sauteed Fish Tacos

Yeah... so life happens, but at least I'm posting something. This has been a crazy week and though I cooked this week, I just didn't have the time to post. But this little gem of a recipe made me want to give it a shot and go for a post.

We're running out of meat because I need to make a store run, but I still had plenty of fish filets and saw a recipe on allrecipes that looked like a really tasty one... and it was different than other fish taco recipes with a unique blend of spices.

Sauteed Fish Tacos
What you'll need:
1 t. olive oil
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 c chicken broth
2 large tomatoes, diced (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. oregano
1 1/2 lbs Tilapia filets
1 lime (or 3 T lime juice)
8 corn tortillas

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the crushed red pepper, green onion, and garlic until tender and lightly browned. Season it well with salt and pepper. Mix the chicken broth and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with the cumin and oregano. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer. Place the Tilapia filets into the skillet, making sure they are seated nicely in the juices. Sprinkle with the lime juice. Cook 15 to 20 minutes turning filets frequently, until the Tilapia flakes with a fork. Wrap in warmed corn tortillas to serve, making sure you include some of the juices!
(Garnish with chopped cabbage or the green of your choice, and sour cream or greek yogurt. I also added some mozzarella cheese.)


Ratings from the Experts*: 4 for hubby, 5 for me. The fish was done, but for some reason the flavor didn't cook through the fish. You only got the flavor if you included the juices. It didn't taste 'bad'...it just didn't have much of a zing to it. And on top of it my corn tortillas fell apart. :-/ (Guess that's what I get for buying bargain bin tortillas.) Thus the even lower than expected rating. Can somebody try something with this and get the juices to cook into the fish??? Maybe... I'd be willing to try cooking this again because in theory it does look like it would be a nice blend of flavors.

Day 1: A Fresh Gluten-Free Start....Black Bean and Chicken Tacos with Cabbage & Lime Dressing

I broke down. I couldn't stay away much longer or my hubby would have gone on a hunger strike. I haven't exactly been cooking all that much since starting this journey into Gluten-Free territory over 2 months ago. Truth be told I'm still adjusting to the whole having-to-read-every-label-on-the-earth thing. And I still misstep often and end up in agony sometimes but at least now I know what it's from! I have been diagnosed as severely Gluten-Intolerant and I'm still in the process of a diagnosis for Celiac Disease.

Anyway... back to my reason for posting, I was inspired once again by my organic food goodies. I get a nice little 'recipes of the week' list with my bag of goodies and saw this recipe, and I was immediately intrigued. The ingredients were eclectic and happened to include cabbage which I'd been debating for weeks how to use, so I decided to give it a whirl. Except I added my own twist... like I always seem to do. The chicken wasn't in the original recipe and I had some left over from a previous meal that I needed to use, and I'm allergic to Cilantro, so I replaced the original call for Cilantro with chopped Parsley. (Sorry for the cruddy image quality. This was a posting on a whim and pictures weren't taken in natural light, so I'm claiming that as my excuse.)

Black Bean and Chicken Tacos with Cabbage & Lime Dressing
What you'll need:
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 c. shredded chicken
1/2 t. ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 T fresh lime juice
2 c chopped cabbage
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 c crumbled feta cheese

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add cabbage, green onions, and parsley and toss in a large Ziploc bag, shaking until well coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture and a 1/4 of shredded chicken onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and cabbage mixture. Pass hot sauce alongside. 

Ratings from the Experts*: For me, 10/10. These tacos rival one of my favorite local restaurant's puffy tacos and have a richer flavor than most traditional tacos.

Hubby agreed with me because what he could taste was good, but rendered himself incapable of voting due to a stuffy nose. (Wonderful Oklahoma Weather).