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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cinnamon bacon chevre french toast

so i’m on a bit of a bacon kick these days… thanks to the noble efforts and enthusiasm of my good friend krysta who hosted baconpalooza this weekend! what’s baconpalooza, you ask? well, it was a fabulous soiree celebrating all things bacon… candied bacon, chocolate-covered bacon, stuffed bacon jalapenos, bacon & fig dip, bacon crackers, bacon caesars — everything bacon!

this morning, i figured i’d keep the bacon frenzy alive… and infuse a little bacon into one of my fave brunch standards — french toast! mmmm… bacon…

the bacon:
– heat up 2-3 tbsp water in large saucepan on medium heat
– add 4 strips of country-style bacon to pan
– lightly sprinkle 1 tsp ground cinnamon over bacon
– fry bacon in pan for a few min until slightly crispy on both sides (optional: sprinkle a bit more cinnamon after flipping the bacon.)
– remove from heat & set aside bacon on plate to cool
– pat bacon w/ papertowels to remove excess fat & oil
– reserve bacon fat in pan for cooking the egg-soaked bread (optional) 

i like to use wholewheat sourdough when i make french toast. the taste & texture of sourdough is perfect for this dish — soaking up the egg and complementing the flavourful toppings. my fave bread is the locally-made, artisan sourdough from sidewalk citizen bakery. (if you are in the calgary area, aviv’s artisan bread is a must-try!)

prep the toast:
– whisk 1 large egg & 1 tsp ground cinnamon in medium prep bowl
– soak 2 thick slices of artisan sourdough bread (on both sides, until egg mixture is absorbed into bread)

– melt 2 tsp of unsalted butter in large saucepan

(tip: no need to add butter to the pan, if you still have the leftover bacon fat in the pan.)

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.