Tandoori Fish

I've been sick the past couple of days, and I'm currently in that "I-don't-feel-great-but-I'm-better-and-I-feel-like-my-brain-is-going-to-shrink-into-nothingness-if-I-sit-still-anymore" mode. I felt good enough to stand up for short periods of time, so I've been in the kitchen not one, but three times today. Once for the banana bread (posted already) and twice for this fantastically delicious-looking dish.

I only discovered my love for Indian food in the past couple of years, and I have not even attempted to duplicate it in my kitchen until now. Having had several Tandoori Chicken dishes at various restaurants, I was really curious to see how the Tandoori sauce would pair with fish. Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Tandoori Fish
1/3 c vinegar
4 cloves garlic
1 T ground ginger
1/2 t. salt
1 T cayenne pepper
1 T ground coriander
1 T ground cumin
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/3 c milk
2 lbs thick fish fillets, cut into large chunks (I used whiting)
1/2 medium onion
1 green bell pepper

Blend the vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, cayenne, coriander, cumin, milk and oil in a blender until you have a thick paste. Brush the fish chunks with the mixture to coat evenly and place in a shallow dish; pour the remaining marinade over the fish. Allow to marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours.  

Preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange the marinated fish in a broiler-safe dish, reserving the marinade. Broil the fish under the preheated broiler on the oven's center rack for 10 minutes; turn the fish and brush with reserved marinade. Continue cooking until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes more. 

While leaving the fish to broil, saute julienned onion and sliced bell pepper in in olive oil until cooked through and tender.


I served with white rice, sprinkled the bell pepper and onion over the rice, then topped off with fish and a healthy dose of the sauce.

Ratings from the Experts*: From me (the apparently dead-tasted critic) based on my taste... I give it 9/10. I would order it at a restaurant. It was that good. Then again, apparently having strep throat and a stuffy head kind of dulls the senses, so maybe you would agree more with the lightweight... my hubby.

John thought it had too much spicy bite to it and gave it 7/10. Lightweight!!!! I mean yeah it made my nose run a little more than it already was, but to downgrade the rating of the dish by two whole points?! Bah. I'll have to see how it fares for me with a clear head.

Nonetheless, if you want to dial down the spice, cut the pepper in half... or quarter it.

Low Fat Banana Bread

 

I've been craving something sweet and bread-y for the past week and finally realized when I saw that my most recent batch of bananas was nearing the great bright light that now would be the perfect time to try gluten-free low fat banana bread. I subbed applesauce for the margarine my usual recipe calls for, used brown sugar, and for the flour I used one of the varieties of flour I had pre-mixed. I used Bette Hagman's Four Flour Bean Blend, but you can sub any of your favorite gluten-free flour blends 1:1 in place of regular flour. I also added just a tablespoon of chopped pecans to give the bread a little more texture and flavor, but this is optional.

Low Fat Banana Bread

2/3 c brown sugar

1/4 c applesauce

2 eggs, or 4 whites

1 c mashed overripe bananas

1/4 water or skim milk

1 2/3 c all-purpose flour or the gluten free flour of your choice (I used Bette Hagman's Four Flour Bean mix)

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray one loaf pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Then, in a medium bowl, beat the brown sugar and applesauce until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, water and bananas with the sugar and applesauce mixture until it is well blended. Next, mix in the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder just until the mixture is moistened. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Be prepared break up clumps of flour if you're using a finer blend of gluten free flour. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 50-60 minutes. The bread is done when the top is firm to the touch and a golden brown color. When the bread is removed from oven, allow it to cool on its side for a few minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and let it finish cooling on a plate. 

Ratings from the Experts*: Jen (me) 9/10 as a gluten-free dessert bread. I could hardly tell it was gluten-free except for a slight aftertaste from the bean flour that most people probably wouldn't even pick up on.

John: 9/10. He said it has a different taste than other banana bread, but not unpleasant and said he would gladly gobble it up when I make it again.

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).

Taking a break to regroup....

As I've mentioned in some earlier posts, I'm being tested for Celiac disease. I went on very low gluten diet for several months and saw a dramatic improvement of symptoms. Then, when I went back to a regular full-gluten diet for a month my symptoms came back with a vengeance. Headaches, lack of energy, cramping, bloating, irregularity, and heartburn are just a few of the symptoms I experienced. I finally saw a new gastroenterologist and he agreed it sounds like I have Gluten intolerance at the very least. Labs were drawn on me yesterday and results will be back on Monday. I'm also being tested for lactose intolerance and will be tested for that this week. If blood test results are negative or inconclusive, I will be having a more invasive procedure that involves biopsies of my digestive tract.

Anyway, I am writing to explain that I'm taking a break from posting recipes for now because I'm having to restructure my diet and consider the possibility that not only do I need to be living a gluten-free lifestyle, I also might need to live dairy-free. It's going to take me some time to get in the swing of living with this, learning how to cook with various new materials and finding out what I can and cannot eat.

Day 33: Three Cheese Manicotti with Italian Sausage

 

 I have had manicotti in mind for several days now when considering what to make for dinner, so I finally caved to my craving and made it tonight. My problem is that I never get the filling flavorful enough for our tastes, so I tried adding some sweet Italian sausage to the filling mix. Let's just say I think it did the trick. :)

Three Cheese Manicotti with Italian Sausage
What you'll need:
1 (8 oz.) package Manicotti pasta
1 (15 oz.) tub of Ricotta cheese
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T low fat sour cream
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
3 leaves fresh spinach, chopped
1 T basil
Garlic, minced, to taste
2 Italian Sausages, without casings

2 c spaghetti sauce
1/8 c Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan Cheese to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until done, drain. Then, in a skillet, brown the Italian sausage, making sure you break it up into small pieces. In a large bowl combine the ricotta cheese, 4 oz mozzarella cheese, sour cream,  basil, parsley, spinach, garlic and pepper to taste, mixing well. Next add in the Italian sausage and mix well. In a 9 x 13" casserole dish, cover bottom of dish with a thin film of spaghetti sauce. Fill each manicotti with cheese mixture and place in dish; cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top of sauce, then top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes and serve!

Ratings from the Experts*: 9/10 for both of us! This is a huge improvement on previous efforts to make this dish zippier and more flavorful. Definitely recommend trying this one!

Day 32: Recipe 2- Cauliflower Casserole

I abhor the taste of cauliflower. Cooked, raw, either way I can barely take it. But thanks to my organic produce bag that I get weekly (and never knowing what is going to be included) I got a head of cauliflower. Knowing it shouldn't be wasted I started looking for recipes. Most recipes involved doing very naughty things to it, like deep frying it, or smothering it in butter and loading it up with tons of stuff to camouflage the flavor and texture of it. I'm all for camouflaging the flavor, but there's a point when it ceases to be any sort of healthy and the recipe I took inspiration from looked more like something Paula Deen might slather up and serve. I decided to go the slightly lighter route and came up with this. It's basically the same recipe, but halving or quartering all of the ingredients that were previously in excess.

 
Cauliflower Casserole
What you'll need:
1 head of cauliflower, broken up into small florets
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1/8 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2  c cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring two inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cauliflower, cover, and cook for about ten minutes. Drain, and place it in a small casserole dish. In a small bowl mix together butter, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle mixture over cauliflower, and top it with Cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

Ratings from the Experts*: For cauliflower, 10/10! I can actually eat it this way, (and not feel too guilty.) The original recipe was around 24 grams of fat per serving. This, although not exactly light, but improved... sits at 11 grams of fat.