Might Have Missed Monday: Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Slaw and Chipotle Mayo

Here's another recipe that you "might have missed" from my first year of blogging.  My family loves tacos.  I don't make fish as much as I'd like, probably because I try to limit my trips to the grocery store, and I only make fish the day I buy it.  Seeing these again though reminds me of how tasty they were.  I may have to make these again soon, since it's been over a year since I first made them.  I know the ingredient list is a little scary (i.e. long!).  And this does take a little time to prepare, with the breading and frying of the fish, prepping the mayo, making the sauce, etc.  However, it is really tasty!  I ended up brushing the honey-cumin sauce on the fish for the kids, but didn't give them the slaw or mayo. It definitely had too much a kick for them. They both ate all of their tacos and my daughter even asked, "Mmm, what's this tangy, sweet sauce?" I served this with yellow rice and frozen, steam-in-a-bag veggies.

Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Slaw and Chipotle Mayo

recipe from allrecipes.com by SCAREY76

Ingredients:
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko crumbs
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
2 cups 3 color coleslaw blend
1 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
8 (7 inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:
1.Place the tilapia chunks in a flat dish and pour 1/2 cup lime juice over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

2.Meanwhile, make the honey-cumin sauce by whisking together 1/3 cup lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, and ground cumin a small bowl. Set aside until needed.

3.To make the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, place the mayonnaise, chilies, adobo sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

4.To bread the fish, place the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs in three separate shallow dishes. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish pieces first in the four, coating evenly, and shaking off any excess. Dip next in the eggs, and last in the panko crumbs, patting the pieces to help the breadcrumbs hold. Set the fish aside on a plate.

5.To cook the breaded fish, pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a skillet to 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) over medium heat. Cook the fish, turning until all sides are golden brown, and flesh is easily flaked with a fork. Drain on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey-cumin sauce.

6.Mix the coleslaw and cilantro together in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, and pour the remaining dressing over the coleslaw mixture. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing.

7.Place the tortillas on a flat surface, and spread each with 1 tablespoon reserved chipotle mayonnaise dressing. Divide the fish between the tortillas. Top with the cilantro coleslaw.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

This post is being shared at:
Totally Tasty Tuesdays @ Mandy's Recipe Box
Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green
Back for Seconds Social Link Party @ Back for Seconds
Wednesday Whatsits @ White Lights on Wednesdays

Crunchy Coconut Shrimp Tacos

At a recent supper club dinner that the kids attended one of the members made a coconut shrimp.  I could not believe how quickly my kids were gobbling them down!  So when I saw this recipe I knew that they would love these tacos.  They love tacos and filled with crispy, coconut shrimp.....yum!  Originally I was planning on making  homemade guacamole to serve with these.  While at the grocery store I saw that Wholly Guacamole was on sale and would end up being cheaper (and easier!) than buying the ingredients for and making homemade guacamole.  It was our first time trying it and....I'm hooked!  It was really tasty and addicting!  I highly recommend if you haven't tried.  My husband commented that the shrimp were so good by themselves, which I have to agree with!  However, I love putting sour cream and guacamole on things so I enjoyed them in the taco as well!  I served this with some yellow rice which made for another meal that we all enjoyed.

Crunchy Coconut Shrimp Tacos
recipe from Miss Delish

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 lb large Shrimp
3 Cups Panko Breadcrumbs
2 Cups Sweetened Flaked Coconut
1 cup Flour
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Water
Salt and Pepper
Canola Oil (for Frying)
Tortillas

Directions:
Pour the Flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs and water in another shallow dish. In one last dish add the Panko breadcrumbs and coconut. Bread the prawns by first coating in the seasoned flour, then dipping in the egg and lastly coating with the coconut and panko mix, make sure to press the panko/coconut on to each prawn to coat well.

In a heavy bottom pot pour about 2 inches of oil. Heat over medium high heat, it’s ready when you drop in a breadcrumb and it sizzles and bubbles right away. Fry the prawns in small batches, and set aside on a stack of paper towels to absorb excess oil.

While still hot, season with salt to taste.

Serve in warmed tortillas with salsa, guacamole and sour cream!

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

This post is being shared at:
Back For Seconds Social Link Party
Wednesday Whatsits @ White Lights On Wednesday

Fish Tacos with Fresh Salsa

My kids will usually eat anything in a tortilla.  I had not made fish in awhile and thought that fish tacos sounded good.  I liked that this used a tomatillo since I had thought about cooking with tomatillos for this month's Eating the Alphabet Challenge.  I wasn't that impressed with these, which is probably my fault.  I don't really like catfish and next time might try a different type of fish like tilapia.  I also didn't have Wondra (and actually never had heard of it before) so I used regular flour.  Bad idea....everything got kind of soggy.  The salsa was tasty though.  The tomatillos have a slightly bitter/sour taste and paired well with the tomatoes, onions, and lime juice.  The kids had just the fish in the tortilla.  My daughter really enjoyed it, while my son did not. I'm not opposed to fish tacos, just won't be making these again.  However, based on the reviews at foodnetwork, others have enjoyed these.

Fish Tacos with Fresh Salsa
recipe very slightly adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:
1 large tomatillo, husked, rinsed and chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 1/4 pounds catfish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup instant flour (such as Wondra) or cornstarch
8 small flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:
Make the salsa: Mix the tomatillo, tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime juice in a bowl and season with salt.

Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Season the fish with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then toss with the flour in a bowl. Fry the fish in 2 batches, turning as needed, until golden brown and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; season with salt.

Fill the tortillas with the fish and salsa. Serve the tacos with lime wedges.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.



 

The Weekend Chef: Honey & Garlic Braised Chicken Tacos

My husband loves our Dutch Oven.  Now that fall is a-coming I have a feeling that he'll be using it a lot!  Labor Day weekend my parents and brother were coming over for dinner.  I didn't know what to make and finally saw this recipe and decided on a Mexican themed dinner.  The Weekend Chef got to use the Dutch Oven to cook the chicken and I served yellow rice and refried beans.  We used thighs and the hardest and most time-consuming part of this dish was separting the chicken from the bones!  The meat was falling-off the bone moist and delicious. It was really tasty and I liked the sweetness of the honey.  Not the normal flavor that you'd expect from a taco.  The picture below just shows the meat (not the tacos) which didn't look so pretty but were delicious loaded with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. 

Honey & Garlic Braised Chicken Tacos
recipe from Miss Delish

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Butter
8 Bone in Skin on Chicken Legs and/or thighs
1 cup finely chopped Onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 cup Chicken Broth
1/3 cup Honey
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
12 6inch Flour Tortillas

*Toppings for serving such as cheese, avocado, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, red onion ect…

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and set the rack in the middle position.

2. In a large dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, melt butter over medium high heat until hot and bubbly. Brown chicken legs in batches until golden brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. With the pot still over medium high heat and with the remaining butter still in the pot, cook the onion and garlic until softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Add in the chicken broth, honey, lemon juice, ground ginger and soy sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the chicken pieces back to the pot. Turn them to coat with the sauce. Place the lid on the pot (make sure it’s on there tightly) and put the whole pot in the oven for 2 hours.

4. Remove the pot from the oven and take out the chicken pieces, leaving the sauce mixture in the pot. Allow the chicken to cool slightly until you can handle it. Using your hands or two forks, remove all the chicken from the bones and shred into small pieces, removing any skin left as you go, all we want to keep is the meat. Discard the bones and skin.

5. Put the pot with the sauce back on the stove over medium high heat and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for 12 minutes until reduced and thickened slightly. Add the chicken back to the sauce and leave it just long enough to soak up all the sauce and get heated up.

6. Serve in tortillas with any toppings you would like!

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Easy Taco Casserole

Here's another casserole recipe, perfect for the cooler fall weather that's been arriving.  For some reason when I make tacos I feel the need to make rice and a veggie to go with it.  Somehow, a casserole counts as a whole meal to me!  The ingredient list of this dish is super simple.  I ended up prebrowning the turkey in advance knowing that I was making this on a busy day.  So when we got home from my daughter's gymnastics class at 6 PM I assembled this quickly, threw it in the oven and let it cook while I gave the kids their showers.  We were eating by 7 PM, which is definitely late for us.  But this was made during the summer when the kids didn't have camp the next day.  My husband and I thought that this dish was tasty but we only gave it 1 thumb up since the kids really weren't fans.  And they normally love tacos but I think they disliked it because everything was mixed together and it was hard to pick out what they didn't like. 

Easy Taco Casserole
recipe from KitchenJoy

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground turkey, browned
1 cup corn
1 cup salsa
1/2 bag corn tortilla chips (or enough to cover pie pan twice when crushed)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can sliced olives

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix turkey, corn and salsa.

3. Lightly grease a pie plate or 8 x 8 glass pan. Slightly crush tortilla chips and spread in an even layer, covering bottom of pan. Top with half the meat mixture, followed by half the sour cream, half the cheese and half the olives. Repeat layers. Cover lightly with foil.

4. Bake 30-40 min. or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Note: this recipe can also be made ahead and frozen! Simply bake 20 to 30 min. more.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Thai Turkey Tacos

I think that I've mentioned how much my family likes Mexican food.  I think my son will eat anything if it's wrapped up in a tortilla!  I saw this recipe and knew I was going to make it since it mixed Mexican and Asian....both cuisines that my family loves.  These tacos were really easy to make and super tasty.  The kids ate theirs all up!  I served with some edamame (see Friday's post!) and brown rice.  This made a lot, so we ended up with some leftovers for lunch.

Thai Turkey Tacos
recipe slightly adapted from Newlyweds: Exploring the Joys of Marriage

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 bag coleslaw mix
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from 2 limes
2 tsp sesame oil
6 T soy sauce
4 T honey
1 T cumin
1 pk flour tortillas

Preparation:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add turkey; cook, crumble and stir until meat is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, onion, and slaw mix; stir-fry with meat for 2-3 minutes until vegetables are wilted. While veggies cook  mix lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey and cumin in a small bowl.  Add sauce to meat mixture, stirring constantly to blend all ingredients, about one minute. Serve on warm tortillas.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Ranch Doritos Taco Salad

I saw this recipe and it brought back memories from my childhood.  My mom made a similar salad using regular Nacho Doritos, but the same premise.  And I remember really enjoying it.  My husband ended up going to a Yankee game with my dad last minute the night I had planned to make this.  I was hesitant about making this for just me and the kids.  But the produce was ripe and ready to use and the next night we were going out to dinner and I couldn't make it then.  So I ended up making it but wish I had waited.  The kids wanted nothing to do with this meal but eat the doritos.  I really enjoyed it.  But warning, the doritos get soggy overnight.  The next day my husband and I both had some for lunch.  I forgot to remind him to bring some fresh doritos from the bag, so he ended up with a soggy mess for lunch.  I added some crunched up new doritos to my salad and it was better.  Definitely not as good as the first night, but better than the soggy mess my husband ate!

Ranch Doritos Taco Salad
recipe slightly adapted from Moms Crazy Cooking

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey cooked with 1/2 envelope Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 head of lettuce
Ranch Doritos Chips
1/2 cup Thousand Island Dressing

Directions:The recipe is simple, the ingredients are easy. Add a few more, or take away a few if you don't like them. But the secret ingredient is the Thousand Island Dressing (even people that don't like Thousand Island LOVE this recipe) and the Ranch Doritos... make this salad taste like no other Taco Salad you've ever had before. It's DELICIOUS!!!

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Taco Pasta Bake

My family is a fan of tacos and pasta.  I saw this recipe that mixed the two and thought I'd give it a try. It really did have all the flavors that you'd expect from a taco (the seasoned meat, cheese, sour cream) with the addition of pasta.  I was even happier that I chose to use whole wheat pasta.  With all of the flavors you couldn't really tell that it was whole wheat, which I sometimes find that you can (and don't really like!).  Although I used ground turkey, ground beef or even ground chicken would probably taste just as good.  The pound of pasta made enough for us to have a ton of leftovers, even with the kids eating some.  They weren't huge fans, but ate enough to make me happy.

Taco Pasta Bake
from  Curry and Comfort

Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta (any style)
1lb of lean ground turkey
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
2-3 Tbs of Taco seasoning
1 tsp of ground cumin
red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1/4 cup of water
juice of half a lime
1/2 cup of sour cream
6oz of Mexican Cheese blend


Directions:
Prepare pasta per package instructions.

Brown the meat and add the onion and garlic. Then season with the Taco seasoning, ground cumin and red pepper flakes. Now Add the salsa, water and lime juice. Simmer for a few minutes.

Mix the cooked pasta with the taco meat sauce and a 1/2 cup of sour cream. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and fill with your cooked pasta.

Cover pasta with shredded Mexican cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up. 

Slow Cooker Pork

I had a pork shoulder in the freezer that I wanted to use and found this recipe.  I love using the slow cooker, especially on those days when I don't really feel like cooking.  Once the pork was cooked, I shredded it and served it in tacos.  I had both hard and soft shells for variety and served this with yellow rice and frozen veggies.  My kids love tacos so this was a hit with them.  This was also their first time having hard taco shells which they loved.  Their was very little hands-on cooking for this recipe.  We served it with mexican blend shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa.  I am giving it two thumbs up though because everyone enjoyed the meal, and that doesn't happen very often!

Slow Cooker Pork
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com - by 2obies

Ingredients:
3 pounds pork shoulder
1 (1 ounce) package low-sodium taco seasoning mix
chili powder to taste

Directions:
1.Place pork shoulder in a slow cooker.  Rub with taco seasoning. If desired, add chili powder. Place lid on pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

2.Remove pork shoulder from pot and shred.

*Note:  I did not add any water to this recipe.  As the pork cooks it provides enough liquid.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Slaw and Chipotle Mayo

This recipe wasn't originally on the menu.  I had some sour cream that I wanted to use and thought that fish tacos sounded good.  Only after making dinner last night did I realize that I didn't use the sour cream!  I did find another recipe though for later in the week to use that sour cream! The only changes I made to the recipe were that I omitted the cilantro (will eat it, but I'm not a huge fan) and didn't add the cayenne pepper to the mayo.  I tasted it and thought that it was spicy enough without. And of course, I thought that we had panko in the house, but when I went to cook I couldn't find it, so I used plain bread crumbs.  The fish still got a nice golden brown crust on it. (My husband later told me that we definitely had panko in the house....I guess I just didn't look hard enough!)  Even without those ingredients these tacos were delicious!  However, they were a bit time-consuming (all of the breading and frying of the fish and making two sauces!) and required a lot of clean-up (lots of dishes were used!).  I wouldn't categorize this as a quick weeknight dinner.  However, if you have a little time to make this, it is well worth it.

Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Slaw and Chipotle Mayo
allrecipes.com - by Scarey76

Ingredients:
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko crumbs
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
2 cups 3 color coleslaw blend
1 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
8 (7 inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:
1.Place the tilapia chunks in a flat dish and pour 1/2 cup lime juice over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

2.Meanwhile, make the honey-cumin sauce by whisking together 1/3 cup lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, and ground cumin a small bowl. Set aside until needed.

3.To make the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, place the mayonnaise, chilies, adobo sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

4.To bread the fish, place the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs in three separate shallow dishes. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish pieces first in the four, coating evenly, and shaking off any excess. Dip next in the eggs, and last in the panko crumbs, patting the pieces to help the breadcrumbs hold. Set the fish aside on a plate.

5.To cook the breaded fish, pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a skillet to 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) over medium heat. Cook the fish, turning until all sides are golden brown, and flesh is easily flaked with a fork. Drain on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey-cumin sauce.

6.Mix the coleslaw and cilantro together in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, and pour the remaining dressing over the coleslaw mixture. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing.

7.Place the tortillas on a flat surface, and spread each with 1 tablespoon reserved chipotle mayonnaise dressing. Divide the fish between the tortillas. Top with the cilantro coleslaw.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!  I brushed the honey-cumin sauce on the fish for the kids, but didn't give them the slaw or mayo.  It definitely had too much a kick for them.  They both ate all of their tacos and my daughter even asked, "Mmm, what's this tangy, sweet sauce?"  I served this with yellow rice and frozen, steam-in-a-bag veggies.