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!

5 Ingredient Tempeh Tacos

Vegetarian alert! These tacos are veggie-friendly and SO easy to make. I kid no one when I say that there are only 5 ingredients required to make these tacos (only 4 if you don't like mushrooms)! This meal is not only super quick and easy, but it's cheap! Tempeh usually goes for $2.50-$3/package in your regular grocery store. It's usually kept near the tofu in the produce section. Tempeh is a high protein soy product that originated in Indonesia. Soy beans are pressed into cakes and are put through a controlled fermentation process. Don't worry, it doesn't taste nearly as gross as that description makes it sound. I promise. This is what it looks like in un-cooked form.

The rule of thumb with tempeh is that it will pick up whatever flavors your season it with. It doesn't have a ton of flavor on it's own, but it's very versatile because you can customize it to whatever theme you prefer.

I generally have one package of tempeh and one package of tofu in the fridge at all times. They're both cheap, high in protein, and easy to use for a quick dinner during the week. This week, Jacob and I decided we needed to use up the tortillas that had been hanging out on top of our microwave for far too long. So, the tempeh was cubed, the onion chopped, and the mushrooms sliced. Let's get to the good stuff.

I didn't include olive oil as one of the ingredients, because I feel it's a given. But, olive oil was added to the pan before throwing this tempeh mixture on the stove for some heat.

Once the tempeh was heated through and a starting to get crispy, we threw in a couple tablespoons of soy sauce.

The tempeh mixture was piled high onto fajita size flour tortillas (corn tortillas are our usual go-to, but flour was handy this time around) and topped off with a little salsa, pepper jack cheese, and sour cream  greek yogurt (the perfect sour cream substitute)! You can call me a liar if you want, since I didn't include the toppings in the ingredient list.

Along side these delicious tacos were some roasted veggies - kale and broccoli. Cleaned, seasoned with olive oil and salt/pepper, and roasted in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Apple slices too!

Jacob is looking really happy and so attractive in this picture here. But really, he loves tacos.

5 Ingredient Tempeh Taco Recipe

 - 1 package tempeh (any variety will do), cubed into small cubes

- 1 small onion, diced

- 7-8 medium white button mushrooms, sliced

- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce

- Tortillas

Directions:

- Add the tempeh, onion, and mushroom to a hot pan that has been coated with a few glugs (very precise measurements here) of olive oil

- Cook the tempeh mixture for 10-15 minutes or until it starts to get a bit crispy and browned

- Add soy sauce to taste

- Pile high on warmed tortillas (we usually warm ours in the microwave for 30-45 seconds with a damp paper towel on top so they don't dry out)

- Garnish with salsa, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime, or any other taco topping favorites!