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.)

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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.

spinach & lox quiche

easy does it. breakfast. lunch. dinner. breakfast-for-dinner. whatever you want it to be. :)

yes, this is another one of those awesome i’m-too-lazy-to-go-get-groceries recipes. a little organic baby spinach, cheese and eggs from the fridge. smoked salmon from the freezer. some herbs from the pantry. and you’re all set to make an easypeasy crustless quiche! yummers.

– preheat oven to 375F

the lox:
– 40g wild sockeye smoked salmon (thinly sliced)

(tip: you can easily find smoked salmon in the frozen seafood section at the grocery store… the smoked salmon just needs to thaw and it’s ready-to-eat!)

quiche batter:
whisk together the following ingredients in large prep bowl:
– 1-1.5 cups chopped organic spinach
– 5 large eggs
– smoked salmon / lox (thinly sliced)
– sprinkle 1/2 tsp herbes de provence
– 1/3 cup aged white cheddar (grated – or another cheese that melts well, such as queso fresco or light mozzarella)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns