Tilapia Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

When I wrote out the title for this post, I though to myself "that sounds really summer-y". The truth is, I am a little sad about the fact that summer is long gone and fall is almost over. You see, here in the mountains, we didn't really get a summer this year. It never got above 85 degrees and it rained a LOT. So maybe I made these tacos to try and trick our palates into believing it is summer again.

Wild caught tilapia was on sale at the store, and we had a pineapple on hand that was ripe and ready to be eaten. So I put my menu planning hat on and came up with this simple week-night creation!

The salsa. So simple. So delicious.

Tilapia seasoned and ready for cooking!

I like to get the pan really hot before adding the fish, that way it gets a nice crispy texture.

My secret to getting corn tortillas soft and tender. Get a few paper towels wet - then wrap a small stack of tortillas in them and microwave for 45 - 60 seconds. Perfect every time.

Roasted asparagus along side the tacos. Fresh grated parmesan on top!

Tilapia Tacos Recipe:

Serves 4

- 3 large or 4 small tilapia filets

- 2 tsp chili powder

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- Salt/Pepper

-Toppings of your choice (lettuce, cucumber, sprouts, lime wedges, sour cream)

- 8-10 corn tortillas (fajita sized flour tortillas would work just fine too)

- Pineapple salsa (recipe below)

Tilapia Tacos Directions:

- Season the tilapia filets with salt and pepper.

- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium/high heat.

- When the oil is very hot, place the tilapia in the pan.

- As the fish cooks, break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula.

- Sprinkle chili powder over the fish while it cooks.

- The fish should only take about 5 minutes to cook.

- Season with salt and pepper to taste.

- Warm the tortillas, and build your tacos!

Pineapple Salsa Recipe:

Makes about 2 cups of salsa

- 1/2 cup finely chopped pineapple (fresh is best, but canned would be fine too!)

- 3 roma tomatoes, chopped

- 1/4 cup diced onion

- 2 tsp or 2 cloves chopped garlic

- 1-2 tsp chopped cilantro

- Salt to taste

Pineapple Salsa Directions:

- Mix all chopped ingredients in a large bowl.

- Season with salt to taste.

- Serve with chips and/or over tilapia tacos!

Lately.

Just a few pictures from Thanksgiving, our home, and a few things we've been eating. Enjoy!

The final product of our bathroom renovation. Even though this project has been complete for several months now, I don't think I ever posted a final picture for you all! 

A re-store find. Not sure what to do with these cute little things, but I thought they were pretty and they were only $5 each. Open to suggestions! Right now they're just on display in our living room.

Oma (that's Grandma in dutch) and two of her Grandbabies at Thanksgiving. She's the most fun to play with. Too cute.

Uncle Jacob and baby Ian taking a little snooze.

Dakota and her new baby brother. 

Blue mason jars! These guys aren't the "real" blue mason jars, but they're close enough for me! I love them. We're keeping some grains in them for now but will probably use them for flower vases in the summer time.

Granola day!

Roasted asparagus with parmesan a couple nights ago.

Tilapia tacos with pineapple salsa along side asparagus pictured above. Recipe coming soon!

Happy Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Plan

T-minus 4 days until Thanksgiving! This year is our year to spend Thanksgiving Day with my family in Cary, NC. We're looking forward to good food and a great time. My Mom is a master in the kitchen but she and I like to work together to get the menu planned out, and I like to add a couple new additions each year. Gotta keep it fresh! Since our Thanksgiving gathering is including lots of family friends this year, and each sibling usually brings one or two things, I decided to make a little layout of who was bringing what, plus the schedule for the kitchen at my parent's house.

I'm in charge of homemade green bean casserole, some kind of fun non-alcoholic cocktail, and wine. I'll be using this recipe for the casserole: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/11/green-bean-casserole-with-crispy-onions/.

And I'll be purchasing some three-buck-chuck cabernet sauvignon from Trader Joe's. I'm not ashamed. As far as the cocktail, I'm planning on making Pear and Rosemary Mocktails:

- Pear Juice (from Trader Joes)

- Rosemary Simple Syrup

- Club Soda

- Rosemary Sprigs (for garnish)

*Served over ice

I'll also be helping my sister in law who just had a baby last week with her responsibility (more veggies)! I think we'll do some curried roasted veggies - cauliflower, brussels, and carrots.

 

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving filled with gratefulness and full bellies.

Menu Planning (Food Planning Post #2)

Happy Veteran's Day! I'm enjoying the day off, thankful for all the service men and women in our country, including my very favorite Marine and brother, Joel.

For those of you not on the bandwagon, this post is part of a small series on food planning (hence the name). I'm big on planning ahead when it comes to meals. If you plan ahead, and get in a regular routine, you can save a lot of time, money, and stress. 

I started cooking meals for my family when I was 12 years old. I loved being able to plan meals out, shop for them with my Mom, and tackle the new recipes that I found in cookbooks. It was almost as fun to plan the meals as it was to cook them! Once I left the house for college, my Mom would call me and say "Rachel, tell me what to cook for dinner!". I like being prepared and I like the entire process of cooking (even the cleaning up part). Menu planning is just one of those steps in my mind.

When I start planning a menu, I usually plan 5 days out. Planning more than that is hard, since I don't like to buy produce and/or meat that has to sit in the fridge for a week before I use it. I write out the days, then I think through the days listed. If we're going to be out of town, have a planned dinner out, or one of us has to work late, I make sure to note that. Not point in planning a meal for a day when we won't be home (obviously).

Once I think about the days, I move on to inventory. I take inventory of what's in the fridge and what's in the cabinets. Then, using the items we already have, I plan out the days. Since we usually have a good stock of grains and legumes on hand, our grocery list usually consists of produce, dairy, and proteins.

Sometimes we'll already have a mostly-prepared entree item on hand, like fancy ravioli or a take-and-bake pizza. Those items make meal planning very easy. Just whip up a salad to go along side, and viola!

Other meals take a little more creativity to plan. We like a lot of the same staple meals (beans and rice, tofu stir fry, tempeh tacos, chicken stews), but we like to switch it up at least once per week with a meal that isn't on the usual rotation.

I always try to keep a mental inventory of what's living in our freezer. Sometimes we'll keep tilapia filets in there, or we'll have some chicken that needs to be cooked.

And of course there are the rare occasions when we just go crazy and cook pork chops.

All in all, a meal on the table and a good glass of wine are more enjoyable when the whole experience has been enjoyable. If you take a little time to plan ahead, you won't be stressed and running around like a chicken when you get home from a busy day and have no dinner game plan. Planning your meals can save you time, money, and sanity!

What's in our fridge? (Food Planning Post #1)

I've decided to write a small series on food planning, prep, and our "everything in moderation" food lifestyle. This post is part one, I hope you enjoy!

I'm sure you're dying to know - what's in our fridge? Well, you're in luck. Yep, today's your special day! I just got back from grocery shopping and I have a well (but normally) stocked fridge. Here are the Junaluska Julep fridge essentials (and some not-so-essentials).

My goal is to only go to the grocery store 1-2 times per week. This requires me to plan ahead, make a list, and bring the list with me to the store (anyone else out there make lists and forget to bring them with you 90% of the time?). I go into auto pilot when I get to the store most of the time, picking up all our usual favorites. But, if I want to do something a little out of the ordinary it takes some planning.

First off, the produce. Since produce varies in price so much, I usually go to the store without certain fruits or veggies in mind. There are only a few produce items that I like to have on hand at all times:
Kale or spinach (for morning smoothies)
Bananas (also for mornings and smoothies)
Cabbage (because it's so cheap and makes a good side when roasted)
Broccoli (my favorite veggie!)
Garlic/Onions (necessary)
Carrots (also very cheap and great for lunches)
Mushrooms (Good for throwing in all kinds of things)
The rest is just based on what's cheap that week.

As far as proteins go, we usually stick to beans, eggs, tofu, and tempeh. If we are planning a gathering with friends or family I'll usually plan ahead and buy some chicken or beef, but during the week we're 90% vegetarian (more on this coming in an upcoming post). When I took this picture, we had lots of bacon in the fridge. Bacon is a family favorite of ours, but we really don't eat it very often. I had bought this a while back since family was coming into town and I knew we'd be having a big breakfast.

Dairy?
Yogurt (for smoothies and to pack for lunches)
Cheese
Almond Milk
Half and Half (For coffee. Gotta have it.)
Orange Juice (not really dairy, but in the dairy section. For smoothies)
Sour Cream (we use it in all kinds of things, but especially for beans and rice)
Sometimes I'll pick up some ricotta cheese for a pasta dish, or cream cheese for bagels.



Other staples:
Salsa
Various sauces and dressings
Pesto (for quick pesto-pasta dinners in a pinch)
Pickles
Butter
Hot sauce
Beer/white wine
Maple syrup (For when my parents come to visit. Pancakes are always involved)



Next post in the "food planning" series - meal planning!

Broccoli and Garbanzo Pasta Bake

Hello there! I'm still trying to get back on the food blog train after several weeks of little inspiration (yes, it does happen). I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things and hope to have some new and exciting things posted up here soon! And today, you get to learn all about baked pasta.

There aren't many things that I love more than a hot baked pasta dish. Perfect for the cool nights we've been having, and even more perfect for lunch leftovers the next day. 

I started by chopping the broccoli into small florets, then running hot water over them from the tap for 30-45 seconds. I did this instead of blanching (cooking in boiling water very quickly) to save a little time. 

Next, I cooked the pasta. Shells were the pasta of choice for this dish, but any pasta varietie would do.

Tomatoes, garbanzos, broccoli, ricotta, pesto, and crush red pepper flakes go into the bowl!

Kitchen scene from afar (with kale in a pan on the stove getting ready to be cooked as a side dish).

Hot pasta gets placed on top of all the other ingredients so that the steam and loosen everything up.

Mix, and divide into one (9'' x 13'') or two (smaller) casserole dishes. Top with grated parmesan.

Bake until heated through and cheese is golden and crispy!

Serve along side something green, or all by itself.

Broccoli and Garbanzo Pasta Bake Recipe:

- 12 ounces (3/4 lb) dry pasta (I used shells for this particular recipe)

- 2 large heads broccoli, cut into small florets

- Two cups (one 14 oz can) garbanzo beans

- 28 ounce can (or two 14 oz cans) petite diced tomatoes

- 1 and 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

- 2 tbsp pesto

- 1 tsp red pepper flakes

- Salt to taste

- Olive oil

- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

- Cook pasta according to package directions (make sure you salt the water for flavor!).

- Place broccoli florets in a strainer and run very hot water from the faucet over the florets for 30-45 seconds or until the florets turn bright green.

- Drain and rinse garbanzo beans and add to a large bowl along with ricotta, tomatoes, pesto, broccoli, and red pepper flakes.

- Once pasta is cooked and drained, pour it on top of all the other ingredients in the large bowl.

- Stir everything together and taste. Add salt as necessary.

- Place into one 9'' x 13'' oiled baking dish, or a couple of smaller dishes.

- Sprinkle grated parmesan on top.

- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through and cheese is golden and crispy.

Tempeh, Wild Rice, and Sweet Potato Stew

You can thank me for not posting a recipe that has the words "pumpkin spice" in the title. To be honest, I think the whole pumpkin spice muffins, lattes, cakes, sticky buns, etc have been a little out of control this year. I like fall, and I like pumpkin, but not EVERYTHING has to be flavored with the dang orange squash-like food.

So, I decided to create something that was very fall-ey, but did not include pumpkin. Who doesn't like a good soup when the weather gets brisk? Who doesn't like a nice big bowl of steamy goodness accompanied by a slide of crusty, cheesy baguette? Exactly.

This combination of flavors worked out really well, and we ate off the pot of stew for several days (yet another reason why I am a huge fan of stews and soups). This is a hearty stew, heavy on the ingredients, fairly light on the broth. Since we typically eat our soups (or stews) as a main dish, I want like them to be filling and hearty.

How many times did I say either soup or stew in that last paragraph? If you don't have a cast iron dutch oven, you're truly missing out. This is one of our most loved wedding gifts.

Butter? Yes. I used a little olive oil as well, but I just can't get over the flavor that butter gives a hearty stew. Careful not to burn it!

The kale I se most of the time comes pre-washed and chopped. It may cost a tad bit more, but the convenience factor is worth it to me. This is the same kale we use for smoothies as well, makes the morning routine quick!

Other things, and stuff.

Chopped ingredients, ready to roll.

I gave the ore-sliced mushrooms a quick chop. I like buying pre-sliced most of the time because they're usually free of dirt and I don't have to worry about trying to wipe them off before using them. Also, you usually don't pay any extra/get the same amount of mushrooms either way!

Cumin was the star of the show in this stew. It gives a really nice flavor that I can't quite explain in words. A little smoky, a little homey, really good stuff.

Lots of sweet potatoes! These two chopped into a little more than I thought they would, but that was fine by me.

Only needed half of the extra large can of tomoatoes, so I saved the rest to use throughout the week.

All assembled, bay leaf tossed in for some additional flavor. I don't usually use boxed or canned broths in my soups and stews, I would rather create the flavors using my own spices. I also like to be able to control the amount of salt that goes into the dishes I create, and using pre-made broth usually adds quite a bit of sodium.

I actually transferred the soup to the crock pot at the last minute because Jacob was racing one evening and I decided I wanted to go watch! So, I transferred everything to the trusty crock pot and set it on low for two hours. It was perfect when we got home later that evening!

Served with a big chunk of toasted baguette with melted muenster cheese. Comfort at it's finest. Happy fall!

Tempeh, Wild Rice, and Sweet Potato Stew Recipe:

- 1 tbsp butter

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 package tempeh, diced into 1/2 in cubes

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 small sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped roughly

- 3 packed cups kale, trimmed, washed, chopped

- 1 can (2 cups) diced tomatoes

- 2 tsp cumin powder

- 4 to 4 cups of water

- 1/3 cup wild rice

- 1 bay leaf

- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- Melt butter and oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add onions, garlic, and tempeh to the pan.
- Season with 1/2 tsp salt.
- Saute' until the tempeh is golden and the onions are tender.
- Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, kale, tomatoes, and cumin powder.
- Cover and let the mixture cook for 5-10 minutes. The kale will wilt and the mixture will cook down.
- Add water until the vegetable mixture is just barely covered in liquid.
- Mix in wild rice and bay leaf.
- Cook for 45 minutes on low heat, or simmer all day in the crock pot.
- The wild rice grains will break open and curl up when they are cooked through.
- Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Serve with crusty bread.