Food Matters Project #19: Crunchy Fish Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce

It’s another Food Matters Project post!  I was very excited about it since it mentioned chimichurri sauce, which I have eaten, but never made myself.  This sauce originates in Argentina, and is a condiment which can be added to almost anything (steak, eggs, tacos).  It’s usually made from parsley and oil, but can also have cilantro or basil.  A perfect way to use extra herbs from your fridge.

This weeks host is Lexi, from Lexi’s Kitchen.  From Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters Cookbook, she chose Mixed Grill with Chimichurri.  Many of us change up the recipes from this cookbook, and Lexi did the same this week.  Check out her post or what everyone else made in their kitchens!  (The original recipe can be found on page 460.)

My biggest change to this weeks recipe was that since we haven’t had Mexican or fish (I’m not including the shrimp in the gazpacho) in some time, this was be a perfect opportunity.  In addition, I saw an awesome chimichurri recipe from Emily, of Em-i-lis, who I met at Eat Write Retreat 2012.  Definitely had to try it!  We’ve made Fish Taco’s with Sam’s Special Sauce before, so now a new version for everyone to enjoy.

 

Crunchy Fish Tacos with Chimichurri Sauce

Step 1:

red cabbage
radishes
green onions

Chop up all crunchy vegetables, arrange on a plate so everyone can add their own.

Step 2:
Adapted from Em-i-lis

1 cup (packed) fresh parsley
1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Add all of the ingredients into a food processor, process until smooth.

Step 3:

about 1 lb fresh halibut
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
caribbean jerk seasoning

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a skillet and heat to medium high.

Meanhwhile, lightly coat fillet with olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and liberally dust with caribbean jerk seasoning.

Cook fillet on both sides for approximately four minutes on each side.  Remove from skillet and cut fillet into chunks.

Step 4:

tortillas (6 small or 3 large)

Have your tortilla ready (fried, toasted or warmed up) and arrange all of the ingredients.  Enjoy it with a cold beer or tasty margarita!

Triple Green Chicken Salad

About every other month we make chicken stock.  Yes, the kind you boil water, add some veggies, a whole chicken, and some salt and pepper.  It’s delicious, flavorful and I can never wait to add it to future soups.

We always use a whole chicken, and I feel like all the meat should be used.  Since last week we also made bread, I thought a chicken salad would be perfect for lunch!  I wish this past Sunday would have been nicer in DC (it was raining the whole day), otherwise we would have had a little picnic on the Mall for Earth Day.

Need another idea for how to use up leftover chicken?  Try tabbouleh with shredded chicken (and you can make your own pitas too)!

I liked this chicken salad since it had some crunch in it, but rather than using celery, there were other veggies in this.  I also liked it in a tortilla with some lettuce and hot sauce- perfect lunch wrap!

Triple Green Chicken Salad
Adapted from: Bon Appétit Magazine (April 2012)

If you don’t have any leftover chicken, you can poach and shred chicken breasts, or use rotisserie chicken.  More yogurt and less mayo will also give this a great taste, but remember to add some mustard- gives it better flavor.

Dressing:
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Salad:
4 sprigs of tarragon, minced
4 shallots, minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb shredded chicken
1 cup sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
1/2 cup snow peas, thinly sliced
1 cup green peas (defrosted or fresh)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup chives, chopped
1 tsp lemon zest

In a bowl combine the following ingredients for the dressing: yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

In a larger bowl combine the rest of the ingredients for the chicken salad: tarragon, shallots, garlic, chicken, sugar snap peas, snow peas, green peas, parsley, chives, and lemon zest.  Mix all of the ingredients together, then add the dressing.  Continue to stir until everything is well mixed.

Breakfast: Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins with Cranberries

Are you a breakfast eater?  If not, you should definitely start, it’s a healthy habit to have.  I am definitely a breakfast eater, more or less within 30 minutes of waking up.  Although, I’m not the pancake-bacon-sausage-toast kind of girl.

We tend to make small, but savory dishes for breakfast.  And by “we”, I actually mean Sam.  Unless it involves mixing-up yogurt and granola at 6 am, you will not see me in the kitchen.

Sam is the egg master- and I’m not just saying that because we’re getting married!  Next time you stay over, just ask nicely- you’ll not be disappointed!

So to pull my weight in with breakfast dishes- I decided to make some muffins.  And they turned out delicious.

If you have some extra pumpkin puree or cranberries in your kitchen (post-Thanksgiving leftovers) this is a great recipe to use up the extras.  I don’t like muffins that are too sweet- so this was perfect- tart and savory.  The muffin was soft with a crunchy top!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins with Cranberries
Adapted the idea from: Back to the Cutting Board
makes about 6 big muffins

**Pumpkin Granola Topping:
2 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup flaxseed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp maple (vanilla also works great)

Muffin:
4 oz (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree (rest of the can)
3 tbsp honey
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, mix all of the pumpkin granola toppings together.  Make sure all of the oats are coated with the other ingredients.  Spread the oat mixture evenly on the parchment paper.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  The granola should be slightly stiff, feel free to mix it around before pulling it out of the oven.  Let the oats cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter.  Slowly add the sugar, until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Then add the eggs, continue beating the mixture.  Slowly add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Once that is mixed, add the pumpkin puree and honey.  Once all of the ingredients are mixed well, fold in the cranberries.

Divide the batter into muffin cups (I used the big 6-muffin tin).  Fill the cups 3/4 full, and sprinkle the oats on top.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10-15 minutes before trying them out.

**This makes significantly more oat granola.  I used the extra with yogurt.  If you keep it in an air-tight container or ziplock bag, it’ll last for about 4-5 days.

Cabbage Thai Salad

As I have mentioned, I love salads.  Easy salads that take less than 30 minute to throw together and they can be a meal.  Growing up, my mom used to make a chinese cabbage salad, which included Ramen noodles as an extra crunch- and I loved it!  So when I saw this recipe from Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters Cookbook, I definitely wanted to try it to see this salad satisfied my love for the crunchy cabbage salad.  Simililar ingredients, but there are some fun additions.  I did change it just a bit, more of some stuff, less of others- but it is crunchy and refreshing.  My favorite was putting the sesame seeds on it!

Cabbage Thai Salad
Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 fresh hot red chile, minced
1 carrot, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 Chinese cabbage, chopped
2 handfuls of snow peas, chopped
5-7 radishes, chopped
1 handful of cashews
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
8 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
6 leaves of fresh mint, chopped

Mix all of these ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Although, this can get a big soggy, so it’s better to eat it right away.