Smoky Fish Tacos

Smoky Fish Tacos

adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2015

I used whiting for this recipe because it was in my freezer but you can use any mild white fish for this recipe.

served with Cabbage & Mango Slaw

Makes 2 servings                                                              2 WW pp / serving

3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 whiting fillets
Cooking spray
2 lime wedges
2 Tumaro wraps or your favorite low carb wraps
Cabbage & Mango Slaw

Your favorite taco toppings - shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa, chopped onions, fat free sour cream and fat free cheddar cheese.

1. Preheat the broiler to high.
2. Combine the garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Place the fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
4. Lightly coat the fish with cooking spray.
5. Broil the fish until it flaks easily, about 6 minutes
6. While the fish cooks, char the wraps over an open flame until lightly toasted.
7. Construct the tacos using the fish, some Cabbage & Mango slaw, your favorite taco toppings and a lime wedge on the side.

Enjoy !

Cabbage & Mango Slaw

Cabbage & Mango Slaw

adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2015

I made this slaw to top tacos but it is hearty enough to be it's own side dish. Serve it beside any grilled pork or chicken dish.

We prefer to our coleslaw to be a little less crunchy so I try to plan ahead and make the slaw a day before. If you like yours crunchy use it right away.

served with Smoky Fish Tacos

Makes 3 servings                                                                  1 WW pp / serving

1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage (green, Savory or Napa)

1/2 cup mango, julienned

1/4 cup sliced onion

1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 jalapeno pepper or mini bell pepper, seeded and minced

Kosher salt & freshly ground black 

1. Combine cabbage, mango, onion, vinegar olive oil and pepper in a bowl; Toss to combine.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Fennel Slaw

Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Fennel Slaw

adapted from  The Rachael Ray Show

The chicken is cooked simply but the slaw and balsamic glaze takes this chicken dish over the top.

Makes 2 servings                                                       1 WW Blue point / serving

1/2 bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 cup shredded green cabbage

1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced and cut in half

1/2 lemon, juiced

Kosher salt & Freshly ground black pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cooking spray

1 clove garlic, minced

1/6 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. Truvia brown sugar blend

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 cup arugula leaves

1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

1. In a large bowl, toss the fennel, cabbage, onion and lemon juice; season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper
3. Cook in frying pan coated with cooking spray until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side; set aside.
4. Add more cooking spray to the same pan; add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the vinegar and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the Truvia, rosemary, and Worcestershire; cook until it thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
7. Stir in the mustard. Whisk to combine.
8. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat and heated through.
9. Add the arugula and parsley to the fennel mixture; toss to combine.
10. Serve with chicken with the slaw on the side.

Enjoy!

MYO BBQ Chicken Bowl

 Make Your Own BBQ Chicken Bowl

A fun way to serve a meal is MYO (Make Your Own). People can serves themselves the ingredients all mixed together of separately depending on their person taste and style.

This recipe will work with any type of leftover chicken that is mild or fits with a BBQ theme.

 

Makes 4 servings                                                    3 WW Blue points / serving

1 lb. chicken, poached

1/4 cup  Carolina Blonde BBQ Sauce

1 recipe Smokey Black Beans

1 recipe Poppy Seed Coleslaw

1. Serve each item in individual bowls and allow your guests to assemble their BBQ Chicken Bowls as they see fit.

Enjoy!

Poppy Seed Coleslaw

Poppy Seed Coleslaw

adapted from Keto for Beginners (2020)

The reduced-fat vinaigrette dressing lightens this coleslaw and reduces the fat and calories.

Makes 4 servings                                                       1 WW Blue point / serving

3 cups julienned green cabbage

3/4 cup julienned carrots

2 scallions, julienned or chopped

1 shallot, halved and sliced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. water

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lime, freshly squeezed

1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1. Combine the cabbage, carrots, scallions and shallot in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a bowl combine the oil, water, garlic, lime juice, dill, mustard and poppy seeds. Whisk to combine.
3. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss well to combine.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, prior to serving.

Enjoy!

The Sloppy Turkey Sandwich

 The Sloppy Turkey Sandwich

Last night my husband and I were watching Diners, Dive Ins and Dives. One of the featured restaurants, Front Range Barbecue  in Denver, CO has a "Sloppy Pig Sandwich". Pulled pork, bacon, kielbasa, coleslaw, BBQ sauce and smoked cheddar. I decided to make a healthier version today for lunch. 

Serves 1                 9 WW Blue points

3 oz Pulled Turkey  

1 Tbsp Mission BBQ Tupelo BBQ Sauce or your favorite sauce

2 oz. turkey kielbasa, pan seared

1 slice turkey bacon, cooked

3 Tbsp Red coleslaw

1 Schmidt Old Tyme 647 roll, toasted

1. Heat the pulled turkey in the BBQ sauce.
2. Place on the toasted roll.
3. Top with bacon, kielbasa and coleslaw.

Enjoy

Red Coleslaw

 Red Coleslaw

adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray June / July 2007

Makes 5 servings            0 WW Blue points

2 cups shredded red cabbage (or any cabbage you have on hand green, napa etc)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp water

1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp celery seeds

Celery salt and black pepper to taste

1. Place the cabbage and parsley in a bowl.
2. Whisk together the olive oil, water, vinegar and celery seeds. Season to taste with celery salt and pepper.
3. Toss the dressing with the cabbage mixture.
4. Set aside for the cabbage to soften for a couple of hours before using. Tossing occasionally.

Caraway Coleslaw

I have been experimenting with coleslaw. Growing up, coleslaw was just chopped cabbage smothered in mayonnaise. Not very appetizing.This slaw is lightly dressed and seasoned to go well with any BBQ.

Caraway Coleslaw
adapted from Guy on Fire by Guy Fieri 2014

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup Mexican crema or reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp dijon mustard with chardonnay
1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp caraway seeds
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 cups shredded green cabbage
1/4 vidalia onion, thinly sliced and halved
1 carrot, julienned

Combine the dressing ingredients and which until well combined. Toss the vegetables with the dressing until well combined. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Salads for our Labor Day Eve BBQ

We had a great time with some friends last evening. Warren cooked chicken and steaks on the grill and I made salads to accompany.

I am a purist when it comes to my potato salad. But I also do not like huge chunks of egg. If you prefer your egg chunky, just coarsely chop instead of getting out the food processor.

Potato Salad
adapted from Bon Appétit July 1995
1 1/2  lbs potatoes
1 1/2 Tbsp  white wine vinegar
1 hard-boiled egg
3 Tbsp chopped onion
1 Tbsp chopped scallion, green part only
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/6 cup chopped Italian parsley
6 Tbsp mayonnaise
5 oz plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp Dijon mustard 
Herbed Kosher Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water just until tender. Drain, cool slightly, peel and cut into 3/4 inch dice. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Drizzle with the vinegar over the warm potatoes. Mix the onion, scallion, celery and parsley into potatoes. 

Very finely mince the egg in a small food processor getting it very small but being careful not to turn it into a paste.until 

Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard in small bowl. Fold in the minced egg. Season dressing with herbed salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix into potato mixture.

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Unlike my preference for very traditional potato salad, I like unusual pasta salads without very heavy dressings. Although this dressing is made with mayonnaise, thinning it out with some milk makes it much lighter.

Macaroni Salad with Peas and Ham
adapted from Gourmet August 1997
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
4-ounce piece cooked ham, chopped
1 celery ribs, minced
6 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup frozen tiny peas
1/4 cup mayonnaise
 fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp low-fat milk
Herbed kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper 

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions, adding the peas to cook for last 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Make sure the macaroni and peas are well drained.
In a large bowl toss together the macaroni, peas, ham, celery, and parsley. In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and milk. Season the dressing to taste with the salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss well to combine.

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Many coleslaw recipes are way to sweet for me. This one remains crunchy and has a little zip! It can be made with red or green cabbage. I just happened to have red from my farm share on hand.

Red Cabbage Coleslaw
adapted from Gourmet June 2008 
1 lb red cabbage, cored finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt & Freshly ground pepper

Toss all vegetables in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise and vinegar. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper then toss with slaw. Allow to chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Grilled Spice Rubbed Chicken Wings with Broccoli Slaw

If you have the time, brining the chicken before grilling leads to very tender, extra juicy meat. 
The CSA share had some broccoli this week. Just trying to mix it up a little.

My grill master hard at work.

Dinner on the Deck

 Grilled Chicken Wings with Spiced Dry Rub
adapted from Food & Wine June 2015
Brine
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
11 bay leaf
4 lbs chicken wings, wings split and tips removed and frozen for chicken stock 

Dry Rub 
1/4 cup granulated light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp onion powder
3/4 Tbsp finely ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp dry sage
1/2 Tbsp dry mustard
1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 Tbsp cayenne

To make the brine, combine the salt, sugar, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 cups of ice cubes and let cool to room temperature.

Place the chicken wings and the brine in a resealable 1 gallon bag. It will all fit but it is helpful if someone is around to lend a hand as it can be a little challenging to close the bag. Refrigerate for 3 hours. I like to stand the bag in a bread pan to give the bag some support and prevent possible leakage.

To make the dry rub, mix all of the ingredients in a small container.

When ready to cook, drain the wings and pat dry with paper towels. Toss the wings with 1/3 cup of the dry rub. Grill over moderate heat, until nicely charred and cooked through, about 15 minutes. 

Serve hot with lime wedges.

Broccoli Coleslaw with Bacon and Raisins

adapted from Food & Wine June 2015

1 small head of broccoli, cut into bite size florets, steamed

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar substitute

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 small red onion, minced

1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels

3 Tbsp real bacon bits 

.

Whisk the mayonnaise with the vinegar and sugar substitute in a bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the broccoli, raisins, onion, sunflower seeds and bacon bits. Toss to coat evenly.