Martha, Martha, Martha!

I'm always in the market (literally and figuratively) for a mind-blowing taco recipe.  And after discovering this bad boy from Martha Stewart (you go girl!), I took myself out indefinitely.  

Pair this meal with an ice cold beer and thank me later.  

Bean and Fish Tacos

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced into rings

2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges

Coarse salt

1/3 cup finely chopped scallions (about 6)

3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno chiles (about 2)

3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for serving

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3/4 pound meaty fish fillets, such as mahimahi (I used halibut)

2 cups cooked beans, plus 1/4 cup cooking liquid (I used canned cannellini beans)

8 to 12 corn tortillas, toasted briefly over an open flame and wrapped in a cloth, for serving

4 ounces cotija or ricotta salata cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup), for serving (I used cojita)

4 radishes, thinly sliced, for serving (I didn't use radishes)

1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed and shredded (2 cups), for serving

Directions:

1) Preheat broiler with rack 8 inches from heat source. Toss onion with lime juice and a pinch of salt. Let stand at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2) Meanwhile, mix scallions, jalapenos, chopped cilantro, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer 1/2 cup to a small bowl (set remaining mixture aside), and stir in remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Rub all over fish.

3) Reheat beans and their liquid. When hot, stir in 3 tablespoons reserved scallion-cilantro mixture. Remove from heat; cover.

4) Broil fish, flipping when scallions and cilantro begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Continue to cook until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes more.

5) Serve beans and fish with tortillas, remaining scallion-cilantro mixture, lime wedges, onions, cheese, radishes, and lettuce.

PC and recipe: MarthaStewart.com

Sky's 'Week in a Day'

Over holiday break I watched Rachel Ray prepare a full week's worth of meals in a one hour show, and I thought to myself, this is totally up my alley! Now that my energy levels vary from day to day and all I crave is a nice, home-cooked meal, why don't I try this?  So when I returned on Sunday I set off to the market with recipes in hand in hopes of becoming a food star in my very own home. (Even though my husband already regards me as a shining star), I have to say that it was a pretty easy feat and there's truly nothing better than having a home-cooked meal on nights that you don't have the time or energy to put in the work.

So here's what I made:

Dinners # 1 & 2: Black Bean and Chorizo Chili  (We ate this on Sunday and Monday night)

I featured this chili last year and it's by far my favorite.  I substitute nitrate-free chicken sausage for chorizo (when I'm pregnant), and use half ground round/half ground turkey meat instead of beef stew meat.  I do this because I personally don't like chunks of real meat in my chili. This recipe yields 10 servings, so if you're a party of 2, it could last you 5 nights.  Or else 1-2 nights and you can freeze the leftovers.

-Serve it with sliced avocado, american cheese, chopped onion, crushed tortilla chips and fresh corn bread.

Corn bread: I often use a mix that I have in the pantry with other ingredients that I always have on hand (like milk, oil, and eggs).  This time I actually used the recipe from the back of the Corn Flour mix since I had to buy it for the chili.

Dinner #3: Turkey Tacos with Refried Beans (We ate this on Tuesday night)

When I browned the turkey meat for the chili, I added on an extra 1 3/4 lbs of turkey knowing that I would use part of it for a night of tacos and the other for spaghetti casserole.  For turkey tacos, I don't use anything fancy but the trusty Ortega taco kit.  And since I already had the toppings on hand from the chili (avocado, shredded lettuce, tomato) all I needed was salsa and refried beans from my pantry. How easy is that?

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Dinner # 4: Easy Spaghetti Casserole (Wednesday night's dinner)

On Sunday, I took the remaining 3/4 lb of browned turkey meat and mixed it with a bottle of San Marzano marinara sauce I had on hand (about 8-10 oz sauce).  I doctored it up with some salt, oregano, and garlic powder, and threw in some sauteed chopped onion and garlic.  Since I wasn't sure if the sauce would stay in my fridge, I threw it in the freezer until Wednesday morning when I allowed it to thaw out.  All I needed to do then was boil some whole wheat spaghetti (8 oz), mix it with the sauce, and throw it in a 8" x 8" casserole and top it with parmesan and shredded mozzarella. You just bake it in the oven at 400 for 35 minutes until it's piping hot. I also baked some frozen broccoli since I had it in the freezer.  This casserole was inspired by my Grandma Rose who used to make it for Mom as a kid. 

Dinner #5: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

I figured that by Thusday we could 'cheat' and just eat some Campbell's Tomato Soup along with a grilled cheese made in our panini maker.  I'll use Whole Food's 9 grain bread with some American cheese and a little butter and call it a day. 

Dinner #6: We're going out. I need a change of pace.

PC: Cooking.com, Today's Turkey, mybrands, Everything and Nothing, Uncommon goods.

Baja "Fresh" Tacos

All this taco talk has me in a frenzy!

Once again I tried a new recipe for fish tacos and boy were they blogicious: Baja Fish Tacos.  I wasn't planning on making them until my husband requested them... anything for love I tell you.

I cut the all the ingredients in half (besides the fish-I used 12 oz of mahi mahi) and the spices were spot on. The mexican cream (I used creme fraiche+ lime/lime zest) pulls all the ingredients together and of course I served mine with roasted fingerling potatoes and jalapeno. The meal was delightful.
Recipe: Epicurious, Image: health.com and food & wine

Street Cred

After trying a dozen recipes for perfect Carne Asada (Steak) tacos, I finally found one that is my new Rose (think Le Petit Prince).

It turns out that these amazing tacos were the creation of three brothers who were obsessed with bringing the delicious Cal-Mex cuisine to the streets of New York...  And boy did they do it.  Two taco trucks later (which have been voted the top street carts in NYC), they started their first brick and mortar operation: Calexico in Brooklyn. Check it out the next time you're here or else make this recipe to impress that special someone (or else yourself).  They are top notch.

The recipe:

The three brothers (and their cart)

PC: Food & Wine, The Daily News

P.S: I served my tacos with guacamole and sauteed onions and red peppers.  It was divine!