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!

Huevos Rancheros

When I was 16, my Brother, Josh, and I decided to travel to Costa Rica for a month of intensive Spanish language school. Since we were both homeschooled at the time (Yes, I was homeschooled. Make your judgements as you feel necessary), we had the freedom to experience many different educational experiences. We decided to live with a host family so that we could fully experience the "Tico" or Costa Rican lifestyle. Our host family was amazing. We had a great time getting to know them over the month long period we lived with them, and we enjoyed the foods and cultural experiences that came along with the host-home experience.

One of my greatest memories from that trip was breakfast each morning. Our host mother would cook up the traditional Costa Rican breakfast for us, commonly known as "Gallo Pinto" (pronounced guy-o). Salty beans, rice cooked perfectly (and in a way that I have tried to imitate but don't think I will ever succeed), and fried eggs. It was delicious. I wish I could re-create the dish the exact same way our host mom made it. Unfortunately, I can't. But, Jacob gave gallo pinto a serious contender the other night for dinner.

That's right - Jacob cooked this meal. I got home late from work, and Jacob was slaving over a hot stove creating this:

Funny thing is, this dish was actually made using duck eggs. My Father in Law gave us some duck eggs that he had been given from a friend. We couldn't taste a big difference from regular chicken eggs, but the duck eggs were much bigger and had much thicker shells than "normal" eggs.

A large salad was served on the side - made up of spinach, carrots, and mushrooms.

Just one more picture - it was just so pretty.

Huevos Rancheros Recipe:

(serves 2-3 people)

- 2 cups rice, prepared according to package directions (brown OR white is fine)

- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

- 2-3 Eggs

- 1 tbsp Butter

- Salt/pepper to taste

- 1/4 Cup Salsa

- 1 Avocado, sliced

- 1/2 Cup Cheddar cheese

Directions:

- Once rice is finished cooking, add black beans and toss. Cover, and let the beans steam in the hot rice.

- Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat.

- Add butter to pan, crack eggs into the skillet.

- Cook eggs to desired consistency, season with salt and pepper.

- Place 1-2 cooked eggs on each serving of heated beans and rice.

- Top with desired toppings (salsa, avocado, cheese)