baja fish tacos

cinco de mayo was just a few days ago… but who says you can’t keep the celebration going with some mexican-inspired menu faves? :)

fish tacos are one of my fave things to order on a sunny patio with a frozen lime margarita on the side. while i haven’t quite mastered the art of mixing a good frozen marg, i’m happy to say that fish tacos are easypeasy to make at home.

prep veggies:
- 2-3 sprigs of green onion (chopped)
- 2 roma tomatoes (rough chop)
- 1.5 cups organic mixed herb salad or greens
- 1/2 large haas avocado (halved, pitted, peeled, sliced)

prep fish:
- heat up large saucepan w/ 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) on high heat
- add green onion & tomatoes to pan
- reduce heat to medium, add 1 large fillet of fresh salmon to pan (already thawed, if previously frozen)
- season salmon fillet & tomatoes w/ 1/2 tsp ancho chile spice
- cook until salmon lightens slightly in colour on outside & opaque in center (but do not overcook)
- turn sides to cook evenly, about 3min per side
- remove from heat & set aside. allow salmon to cool for a few min.

assemble tacos:
- place 3 medium whole-grain tortillas on a plate
- divvy mixed greens on each tortilla
- add tomatoes, cooked salmon (flaked) & avocado to each tortilla
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- top w/ queso fresco (grated) over taco fillings

food styling:
- fold tortillas into halves & place on a serving dish
- warm-up tacos in microwave for 15-20sec to melt the cheese
- pairs nicely w/ your fave chilled lime beer or frozen margarita

(tip: if fish tacos aren’t your cup of tea, swap out the salmon for stir-fry chicken. i also tried this taco recipe w/ chicken instead, and it works well w/ the chipotle seasoning & veggies.)

acorn squash risotto

risotto. acorn squash. cheese. these are a few of my favorite things.

another one of my fave things is looking for some culinary inspiration… whether it’s a new ingredient, a new (to me) cooking technique, or a fantastic recipe posted by one of my fellow foodie bloggers. in this case, i was lucky enough to stumble upon two fabulous posts from two fabulous bloggers – the faux martha & lauren’s latest. and this was the culinary inspiration for today’s post.

on another note, i’ve been MIA on the blog for the past few weeks (thanks for your patience!), but i hope you’ve enjoyed following my tweets @yumyumyummers about my culinary adventures around alberta!

now, back to the risotto…

adapted from the faux martha & lauren’s latest

(tip: the first thing you’ll need to do is roast the acorn squash. however, finding some canned squash puree could work as a shortcut. if you don’t have time to roast. though my preference is fresh squash, since roasting veggies is relatively simple.)

roasted squash:
- preheat oven to 400F
- lightly grease oven-safe baking pan w/ extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) or line w/ cooking parchment paper
- place 2 acorn squash (halved, seeded, lightly greased w/ evoo) in baking pan (squash side down)
- roast in oven for approx 40-45min at 400F
- remove from oven and allow to cool before handling squash

the rice:
combine the following ingredients in large saucepan and bring to a boil:
- 1.5 cups organic arborio rice
- 3 cups water

- once boiling, reduce heat to medium & simmer for 10-12min.
- stir ingredients until water is absorbed and rice turns into a creamy consistency.

recipe roundup: chinese new year dishes

countdown to… the year of the dragon!

with chinese new year just around the corner, i thought i’d roundup some of my fave chinese-inspired recipes for my readers celebrating this weekend. while i’m no expert at cooking authentic chinese cuisine, i like to think that these simple dishes could grace a lazy-suzy or takeout box. :) so grab your chopsticks and dig in! (ps – don’t forget your fortune cookie.)

cashew beef & veggie stirfry
chicken & chinese broccoli in black bean sauce
egg tarts

ginger shrimp & edamame noodle bowl
orange pomegranate chicken w steamed broccoli & nutted couscous

spicy beef & edamame noodle bowl
wonton dumplings (siomai)

quick poll: what is your fave chinese food?