Tag Archives: chipotle

Blackened Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cilantro Dressing (salmon or cod or whichever fish you want)

Finally, this post is done. I still consider myself a beginner food blogger even though this blog has recently had it’s 3rd anniversary. Blogging recipes takes work. Writing an accurate recipe takes work. It’s work but it’s work I enjoy. I just wish I could do nothing but cook, take pics, and blog… Haha True story.


Been talking about these a lot, I know, I apologize for the redundancy. Finally got all the components together….

You’re going to need to check out my last 2 posts!

Click this photo to get this recipe!

Click on the photo to the left to get this yummy Chipotle Cilantro Dressing recipe for these Blackened Fish Tacos that we’re about to make.

Click this photo to get this recipe!

Click this photo to see the ingredients needed to make the Blackened Seasoning that will crispify (is that a word?)the fish to a nice golden crunch on the outside and give it a deep savory flavour.



BLACKENED FISH TACOS
♥ 2 BAGS COLESLAW
♥ 1½ C. CORN KERNELS
♥ SALT + PEPPER
♥ FLOUR TORTILLAS
♥ 1 BIG SALMON FILET or 4 LARGE COD FILETS
♥ HIGH SMOKE POINT OIL FOR FRYING (i used Canola Oil)
1 BATCH OF BLACKENED SEASONING
1 BATCH OF CHIPOTLE CILANTRO DRESSING
♥ AVOCADO, FRESH, CHOPPED
♥ CILANTRO + LIME FOR GARNISH

Saute the coleslaw and corn with salt and pepper until just tender.
Set aside, but keep warm.
Heat oven to low temp and slowly warm the tortillas. I like em just before they get toasted.
Cut salmon or fish into large pieces suitable for frying.
Heat oil, just above medium, not too hot or the fish won’t cook thoroughly and not too cold or the fish will soak up to much oil and become soggy.
Fry till dark and golden on each side.
If you’re using salmon you may have to do the ends too. Use tongs. They work best.
When they are done gently remove from hot oil onto a papertowel lined dish to remove excess oil.
Let cool for about 5 minutes and break into good chunks.

THE ASSEMBLY
Warmed Tortilla
Sauteed slaw and corn
Blackened fish
Drizzle with some Chipotle Cilantro Dressing
Top with chopped fresh avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice


Place the Blackened Seasoning in a shallow flat bottom container of some sort so you can press the fish into it.  Coating every inch of it.  The better it’s coated the better the crisp.

You don’t want to over cook the cabbage, or it will lose all it’s structure.  You want to saute it till it just starts to wilt.  Keeping it warm will also allow it to keep cooking so with the pan on medium heat, just keep an eye on it.
This is the cod I used last night.  Seasoned all over every surface of fish with the Blackened Seasoning.

Fried in some oil till golden and delicious. I use a large cast iron flat bottom deep dish for frying. Allows maximum room for the fish to fry properly without over crowding the pan.   The heavy duty cast iron can withstand the high temperatures and will maintain it’s heat better when you drop in the fish.

I fried the fish in 2 batches to ensure it cooked evenly and properly. Or you can use a deep fryer but I’ve only used one once and I didn’t like it…. it was too small for what I needed and I don’t want a big greasy appliance kicking around here. I fry as little as possible.
Frying foods took a lot of practice for me over the years.  So many times chicken or potatoes or whatever it was I was cooking, was either undercooked or well well well done. Practice makes perfect.

Frying can be very unhealthy if done incorrectly.  When done the right way you are using the least amount of oil to get that desired crunch and crispiness.

✰ Oil thats too hot will scortch the food on the outside while leaving it raw inside. ✰

✰ Oil that isn’t hot enough won’t seal the food as it should when you drop it in. ✰

(Rather it will sit and soak up the oil.  This results in that drippy soggy mess we’ve gagged on one too many times.

The first time I made these I used some fresh plump salmon and they were to die for! This time around i used cod. I preferred the salmon over any white fish but both were really good.


BLACKENED SALMON TACOS

Here are some pics from the salmon ones I made last week!  These ones were my favourite!

Since the photos were taken down in my temporary basement dungeon kitchen they aren’t of the greatest quality.  We can only go up from here my friends ☺

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CHIPOTLE CILANTRO DRESSING or dip

Hi Guys, How is summer???  EEEEEK I’m super excited.  As many of you know my house is still under reno’s and just recently got my new Caesarstone counter-tops installed.  I’m ecstatic!  They are flawless and beautiful and exactly what i’ve wanted for oh so long now.  Now my foodblog pics have a higher quality look to them.  I’m so pleased.  Time to fine tune my Canon Rebel T3i camera and get to work!

Last week I made some Blackened Salmon Tacos.  There are no words for this easy recipe and there was also no room…. no room to eat as much as I could have, that’s for sure!  Wow, great way to enjoy some tender flaky juicy fish this summer. The recipe for the Blackening Seasoning will be my next blog post.  This is the dressing that I always make and it was great on the fish tacos.

Hope you like!


CHIPOTLE CILANTRO DRESSING OR DIP

♥ 1½ C FAT FREE SOUR CREAM
♥ 1 T LIGHT MAYO
♥ 1 T MILK
♥ 1 T CHIPOTLE PUREE
♥ 1 TSP CUMIN
♥ ½ TSP CRUSHED BEE POLLEN
♥ HANDFUL FRESH CILANTRO
♥ JUICE OF ONE LIME

Blend together using an Immersion/Hand Blender or a Food Processor.
Chill in the fridge until its time to serve.


↑ I love me some chipotle! I buy chipotle peppers in small cans in adobo sauce and puree them with a hand blender or food processor. Chipotles pack a punch let me tell ya. The heat from these peppers is potent and smoky and is great for everything.
**If you don’t do heat. Use a very small amount, like 1-2 teaspoons of pureed chipotle for this recipe instead of the requested amount.**

↑ If you don’t have canned chipotles in adobo sauce then you can certainly use a dry powder version, there are many out there. I have these 2 in my pantry. Remember that the longer the dressing sets for the more the flavour is enhanced, and therefore making it much much much hotter the longer it sits.

↑ My Immersion Blender came with this cool mixing vessel. What I love about this machine compared to a hand mixer or hand beater is that it will stand up inside the vessel and not topple over. Flat bottom makes it easy to leave it standing and use both hands to if you need to pause to get an ingredient or whatever. Anything to help keep the counters less messy.

↑ Bee Pollen is one of Mother Natures little goodies. I add a little to every salad dressing I make. You can add it to anything though; soups, sauces, whatever you like. The flavour is like a flower. Its got a floral taste when it hits your tongue. It comes in the natural foods section of your grocery store and looks like little gold nuggets. I grind them down with a mortar and pestle. I have a small one that I use for spices and such. Another inexpensive way to make your kitchen/cooking life a little easier.

Here’s some info on Bee Pollen I picked up from http://www.mercola.com

What Is Pollen?
Pollen is the male seed of flowers. It is required for the fertilization of the plant. The tiny particles consist of 50/1,000-millimeter corpuscles, formed at the free end of the stamen in the heart of the blossom. Every variety of flower in the universe puts forth a dusting of pollen. Many orchard fruits and agricultural food crops do, too.

Bee pollen is the food of the young bee and it is approximately 40% protein. It is considered one of nature’s most completely nourishing foods. It contains nearly all nutrients required by humans. About half of its protein is in the form of free amino acids that are ready to be used directly by the body. Such highly assimilable protein can contribute significantly to one’s protein needs.

To view the full article, please click here.

↑ Place all the ingredients into the mixing vessel and blend away. Lift the machine up and down to get it good and blended. Oh so easy I want to blend everything in sight.

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↑ ❤ Immersion Hand Blender! ❤ NEW TOY! LOL ❤

↑ COMING UP NEXT → Blackened Fish Tacos, using this dressing!
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Cilantro Jalapeno Chicken Burger with Chipotle Salsa & Guacamole

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CILANTRO JALAPEÑO CHICKEN BURGER WITH CHIPOTLE SALSA & GUACAMOLE
Makes 6 burgers

CHIPOTLE SALSA
1 cup chunky salsa
1 tablespoon chipotle purée
Mix it up and chill it until you’re ready to serve.
{this makes just enough for 6}

LIGHT & SIMPLE GUACAMOLE
2 soft avocado
2 tablespoons fat free sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
Mix it up, we like ours slightly smooth and still a bit chunky…. your call.
Chill it until you’re ready to serve.

BURGER INGREDIENTS
2lbs ground chicken breast {I used extra lean}
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 Pre Made Homemade Garlic Balls {or 5 cloves of minced garlic}
3 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeños
1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt {or less, I used less and they needed more}
couple cranks of fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese {I used the smaller grate}

BUNS & TOPPINGS
6 hamburger buns {sliced and toasted before serving}
Lettuce
Red onion rings
Light mayo
Bacon {this burger be beggin for bacon but my waistline was not 😦 }

BURGER DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl add everything in the order listed.
Using your hands, gently combine all the ingredients.
DO NOT OVER MIX OR OVERWORK
Make 6 patties { I lined a dish in wax paper so they didn’t stick to each other}
I cooked mine on my Cuisinart Griddler, about 15-20 minutes {cooked through}
Would have used the bbq but it’s just too cold outside and I had wet hair from swimming.

BURGER ASSEMBLY
Chipotle Salsa on the bottom of the bun
Add your burger
Top the burger with some Guacamole
Here’s where I would add the bacon if I had included bacon
Lettuce
Red onion
And finally, light mayo, on the top bun.20140128-222558.jpgI came across the idea for this on another site. I had been wanting to do something different with a chicken burger and this ground version seemed great for it. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 lbs of ground chicken, and since my 2 packages of chicken came to more than that, I had to adjust the rest of the ingredients.
1kg = 2.2lbs
Keep this in mind when shopping and referring to your recipes.20140128-222640.jpg20140128-224625.jpg20140128-222727.jpgEverything gets combined in a bowl. Don’t mix it too much. Just enough to incorporate everything.
20140129-195724.jpgMakes 6 patties.
I have to say…. I really don’t like the way ground chicken looks and feels compared to ground beef… Regardless these looked good and they were very tasty. Plus the Chipotle Salsa on these gives you a great mix of flavours in yo mouth!20140129-203530.jpg20140129-203540.jpg
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Love Haleykins
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ON TONIGHTS MENU ~ SHRIMP TACOS

I just posted 2 food blogs I figured I might as well put tonight’s meal on the board as well and make it 3 food blogs in one day.  I’m not sure why I’m in love with cooking these days but it’s become one of the fun parts of the day for me.  I’m always looking for something new for me to try and I’m storing all my recipes in a big binder so I can hold on to them forever.  Plus flipping through a book full of recipes that I’ve already determined would be a gooder is great for grocery shopping time and dinner time.

I’m actually made 2 different tacos tonight… the shrimp ones and then fish tacos, chopping up the fish and frying it the same as the shrimp, sub’ing the yogurt, cayenne, lime juice, cilantro, & salt dressing for a chipotle mayo.  I just mashed a chipotle pepper with some low fat mayo and added some of the adobe sauce from the chipotle can.  So 2 different tacos.  I’ve never made these before but they were SUPER SIMPLE just as the recipe claims.

I served them with guacamole & salsa on the side.  Hubby loves his guacamole!

SUPER SIMPLE SHRIMP TACOS

(source: http://cleananddelicious.com/)

Ingredients

1 lb of frozen shrimp, defrosted, peeled, & deveined

6 oz fat free Greek yogurt

¼ cup chopped cilantro

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

½ a head of cabbage, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)

8 corn tortillas

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat tortillas over medium heat in a dry skillet until warm and starting to form small brown spots.
  2. Set aside on a plate covered with a clean kitchen towel.
  3. Mix yogurt, cayenne, lime juice, cilantro, & salt in a small bowl, set aside.
  4. Heat two teaspoons of olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet and add cabbage. Cook for about four minutes or until the cabbage is just barely wilted. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  5. Cut shrimp into thirds, so you have little bite size pieces. Sauté in two teaspoons of olive oil and season with salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper over medium heat just until done. They cook up in just a few minutes… so be sure to watch them!
  6. Build your taco! Place a scoop of cabbage on the warmed tortillas taco, then top with shrimp, and cilantro sauce… enjoy!

Serves 4.

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YUM! ~ Chicken Fajitas

Is it too soon for another recipe?  This one is really good tho so I just have to share.  It’s late… I’ve been downtown and back reading lusty love books… yes you know the ones… I’m sad to have finished such a wonderful love story but… that’s for another time.  Time to share.  Cuz it’s yum yum in my tum tum!
 
Chicken Fajitas
I’d say this makes 6 servings?  I use the big big big giant size flour tortillas tho…
 
4 chicken breasts cut in thin strips
1 green pepper cut in thin strips
1 red pepper cut in thin strips
1 orange pepper cut in thin strips
2 jalapeno peppers cut in thin strips
1 white onion sliced in half and then in thin slices, seperating the half rings
8 cherry tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
 
now the rest… I eyeball and adjusts to taste.  Here is my approximate guess on the measurements
2 Tbsp cornstarch
pinch of sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 C of water
3 Tbsp oil
2 C  Pepper Jack/Monteray Jack Cheese
2 C cheddar cheese 
4 C cooked white rice
flour tortillas
 
 
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a frying pan
fry up the chicken till no longer pink. 
 
Once the chicken is cooked:
add in the onions
cover and fry for 2 minutes
add the peppers fry for 2 minutes
 
 
add the tomatoes fry for 2 minutes
 
 
add the juice of lime 
 
 
I find adding the lime juice to the chicken and veggies enhances all the flavors and gives it some bite.  Feel free to add more or omit completely.  Your call!
 
In a bowl mix the cornstarch, sugar, salt, chipotle powder, chili powder, & cumin, with the water and the remaining 2 Tbsps of oil.  Gently whisk together till fully blended
 
Cook on medium heat till the sauce thickens.
 
Heat tortillas in the oven.
 
in a line across the tortilla:
add a bit of the cheeses
then the rice
then the chicken and pepper mixture
 fold the sides in and then from the bottom up, wrap the toritilla around the filling. 
 
Heat a small amount of oil or spray oil in a pan and fry till brown and crispy on both sides.
 
serve with sour cream and salsa!
Enjoy!
 
I didn’t take a picture of the finished product cuz we were to hungry… I will take a picture tomorrow.
 
 
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