Red Snapper Fish Tacos with Chard Corn, Cabbage with Lime Dressing, and Avocados!

Mise-en-place for Southern Fried Tacos Part 1

  What had to be my father's favorite food, has become an icon of California cuisine, fried fish tacos. You can almost find them anywhere and even in a drive-thru. I mean, nowadays, fish tacos are in almost every casual restaurant that sells Mexican food. I remember someone mentioning that all we had were tacos in California. They are probably right for the most part, it you are looking for something quick and easy. Fish tacos are inexpensive, depending on the fish and the sustainability. They are light, easy to make and quite tasty. You can find "street tacos" almost on every corner. Although, fish tacos are a sort of specialty and require careful storage. I haven't seen very many Fish Taco food trucks, since food trucks are quite popular. At least not were I live, and I've only seen one because of the the restaurant. I even thought of having one, but my body is quite shot from all those years of cooking rigorously for people sometimes up to 500 at a time, with no to little help, which I was pretty much on my own for a great deal of years. Nonetheless, my mother would make my father fried fish almost every Friday. I suppose it came from her Catholic belief, living in a very small tight net town. It was considered taboo to eat meat on Fridays, so we always had fish,  beans, or something else that didn't include meat. I thought it was a good idea not to always eat meat by having some days that were simply non-meat days. Nonetheless, it worked! Bringing a praised "fish day" ritual to our family table. And if she didn't make them, my father just casually made a trip to a nearby restaurant and ordered a dinner of fish chips and fries for himself. 

   I don't recall my mom ever making fish tacos actually. When she fried the fish, she simply heated up the corn tortillas, slap some of her salsa on them, rolled it up into a type of soft taquito, enjoying her fried fish, calling it a taco! She seem to always purchase cat fish. It was what my father grew up eating, and he loved it. You know it's a scavenger fish!! It's tasty, meaty, and if cooked properly, it's quite delicious. But that wasn't my favorite fish if my mother didn't make it. My mother's fish had something that no other fish had. And it was simply a good seasoned blend, which made it superb. Though, most of the time, my mother made beautiful tacos with meat, not with fish. The fried kind, using toothpicks, and placing lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc. I'm sure if she had lived long enough, I would of enjoyed making her my fish tacos, the way I make them! I know she would of loved them.

  Nowadays, tacos have become somewhat sophisticated, taking the simplicity and humility and turning them into a competitive show case. I laugh at times, but have to acknowledge the efforts. Tacos are being showcased in so many ways with so many creative styles. I won't go into naming them all because there are just too many varieties to name. Still the taco goes back to my heritage from my mother's side and I love making them.

  As, I mentioned, there are so many ways to make a taco with so many choices of fillings and a diverse varieties of corn tortillas. In this recipe video, I wanted to include fried red snapper, fresh cabbage seasoned with a lime dressing, chard corn, ripe avocados, and simple Louisiana hot sauce. Now that's what I would call a California taco!! A bit of southern style in a humble corn tortilla! I mean what's better then that? And why not make it a lighter version? It's pretty much all California grown, even the olive oil, for the exception of the tortillas. They are made from a beautiful town Albuquerque in New Mexico, where my son in his family reside and where I have visited my other son a couple of times. What's better then that? All sustainable ingredients and all made here in America except the avocados grown in Mexico, our neighboring country, simply because of the crossing of crops, and the change of season. Who said they didn't want corn? Corn has been grown in our country from our neighboring origin of Mexico since God knows when.

  The corn tortillas I used in this recipe video, are organic and very thin, not like the usual corn tortillas that are found in the grocery stores, with a whole bunch of fillers, that I actually hate. Why take something beautiful and add some crazy ingredients that only cause you indigestion? OK, so they are cheap, right? But what an insult to our economy, our heath, most importantly the beautiful sustainable corn. I'm just saying, that it's so very important to have ingredients that you trust and when making that special meal, it's all about the wonderful flavors as you bite into these tacos. Enjoy the recipe video! And thank you again for watching. Have a great taco day!

Fried Red Snapper Tacos with Chard Corn, Fresh Lime Cabbage, and Avocados! Part 1

Fried Red Snapper with Chard Corn

Mise-en-place, ingredients for recipe:

Fresh red snapper, 10-16 ounces, cut into 2"

Kefir or buttermilk, 1 cup

AP four, 1/2 cup

Corn flour, 1/2 cup (preferably non GMO)

Ingredients for seasoning:

Cajun spice with salt, 1 teaspoon

Granulated garlic and onion, 1 teaspoon each

Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon

Cumin, 1/4 teaspoon

Dried mustard, 1/2 teaspoon

Ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon

Oil for frying, about 1/3 cup

Chard corn, your choice to char yourself or find it at a local grocery store

  Soak or marinate red snapper in Kefir or buttermilk, for several hours, or at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, season the flours with seasonings listed. Remove excess Kefir and dowse into the corn flour seasoned mixture.

  Heat the cast iron skillet and char corn, following the instructions of fresh or frozen corn. If you have packaged frozen corn, just reheat it, and char it slightly on high heat with a bit of cooking oil. If it is fresh corn, then time the charring giving ti only a couple of seconds, depending on high the heat, with a bit of cooking oil. Or you can simply just reheated the packaged which I already have. I found this charred corn in the frozen isle and for myself, it simply cuts time.

  Deep fry the fish in medium high heat in the same skillet with about 1/4" of cooking oil. Then gently turn each one over using a tong or spatula. Be careful not to burn yourself. You may have to lower the heat a bit to make sure the the internal part of the fish is thoroughly cooked, without drying out. Since I have been cooking for years, it's pretty easy fro me. But if you are cooking fish for the first time, please follow the guidelines of your state. Place the fish on a paper towel or a pan strainer to drain the excess oil. If you are using expeller canola oil, and are frying them properly, then most likely you won't have a lot of oil in the fish. Fish doesn't take too much time to cook. (http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html).

  Next, heat up the grill on medium high heat. Depending on the thickness, and quality of the corn tortillas, make sure they are quickly heated, because they can easily burn. Gently place each tortilla on the grill, unless you are making them from scratch, follow that particular recipe. Then remove them placing the in a warmer or a clean kitchen towel. Snuggle them by folding the towel underneath the tortillas. Or you can remove the tortillas straight from the grill onto a plate, and add the fish and the corn. I don't use cheese with my fish tacos, unless requested. I like my fish tacos to remain light and crispy allowing the avocado to take the place of cheese. Oh yes! Yet, sometimes, I do add the cheese, but it's culinary rules of perfect cuisine. (:

Mise-en-place

Recipe ingredients for fish tacos:

Fried red snapper, 10 ounces to a pound, cooked-fried

Charred corn

Avocados, 1-2 ripe firm, organic, is possible

Ripe tomatoes, 1, small diced

Fresh jalapeno, 1/2, seeded and finely diced

Cilantro, 1/4-1/2 cup, diced, small

Limes, squeeze 1/2 lime

Salt, pepper to taste

Green cabbage, 1/2 thinly sliced

Red onions, 1/2 of small, thinly sliced

Lime, squeeze 1/2 

XVOO, 1 tablespoon, preferably from California

Salt, pepper, to taste

Hot sauce....(: Your choice! 

  Mix each food ingredient for to assemble the tacos. After placing the fish and corn on the tacos, place the hot sauce for additional flavor, cabbage, and avocados. Delicious!! Enjoy!!

Part 2

This recipe video is part 2 and it includes plating that enjoying!!

Beautiful Fish tacos for your fish Fridays! 

Garden Fresh Vegetarian Soup with Legumes!

 Mary's Making Garden Fresh Soup Part 1

  Seasonal vegetables are so essential to one's culinary practice when cooking. Many restaurants create their menus on the basis of what is available in order to keep our local growers in business and simply because of the change of season. Our society has been intensively talking about Farm to Fork for the past couple of years, although it has been a part of our past time for several generations. For example, every year my father tilled part of his backyard and planted tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, chili peppers, and of course he had fruit trees. His favorite were peaches. He also had grapes which grew freely from previous owners, and a lot of cactus which was initiated by my mother. (At times cactus reminds me of okra). I would ask him why only fruit trees? He would respond, it wasn't worth having a shaded tree if it didn't give fruit of some sort. It was what he was use too and grew up having the family's own farmland. So when a special vegetable is in season, I like to take some time thinking of a particular recipe to fit that one vegetable and make a specific meal celebrating it.  

  Who wouldn't want a vegetable soup? I mean it's has to be the best thing since the arrival of newcomers when they were dying, until the Native Americans came and helped them grow crops and contributed to their survival skills. When I'm not feeling well, I consider making a vegetable soup with plenty of vegetables which falls into the category of  a vegetarian dish. And if I want to get on a diet, this makes for a sure starter in changing some of my bad habits. I always include very green vegetation, more then three of the green groups. For example, spinach, green beans, zucchini, etc. And sometimes, I'll just look into my refrigerator and find all sorts of goodies to use. I may not want or desire vegetable soup at the time, but for me, it's a healthy habit, especially during those cold days. Vegetable soup is one of my favorite foods to make if I need to adjust my nutrient levels for my diet, so that I can feel better. And it has since then become my ritual as well. I made it for my parents when they were elderly. I felt that it was something I could make for them and share, if I felt helpless in other areas. Vegetable soup has become important part of diet.

  One can never go wrong with soups, and most importantly vegetable soups. Delicious and quite nutritious. Yeah, I know, I sound like a commercial! (I'm laughing at myself). But who cares! Frankly it's so true and I'm sure my doctor or any registered dietitian would agree. Really! If you need a "pick me up" as often as I do, and your bad cholesterol is saying, "Hi, if you don't change your eating habits, I'm here to stay and I'm going to eventually take your life". And after hearing those words, "Your cholesterol is too high and so is your sugar level"! Makes perfect sense on why mosquitoes attack me so much. Stay away mosquitoes!! You know who you are! It's just time to take care of self and place some nutrients back in my diet.

  What's real neat about this soup is that you can easily add some tofu, omit some of the carbs, like potatoes, although, I absolutely love them. But it can easily change if you choose to do it gradually. You can also add some of your favorite noodles to it if you get tired of potatoes, or even rice if you desire to have more of a variety of carbs, those fillers that make you feel so much better. But I will have to say, the less of those types of carbs, the better if you are going to wish to lose that weight and if your sugars are too high. I'm not an registered dietitian, but you can always ask your doctor, I'm sure. Anyway, it's better to have potatoes then sweet pastries. Right? OK, so make a vegetable soup to meet your diet goals. Simple as that! This one basically is a vegetarian soup.

  I probably was a bit tired when making this recipe video and didn't soak my chickpeas long enough. I mean who likes crunchy chickpeas? (I'm laughing at myself, once again). I mean, really!! Crunchy chickpeas?! So you don't have to be too concern about making comments; I already know about it. This one is for anyone who enjoys eating the bountiful foods of our earth. So simply enjoy!! Blessings!

Fresh Garden Vegetarian Soup with Legumes Part 1

Mise-en-place

Ingredients for recipe:

Chickpeas, 2 cups, thoroughly washed and soaked in water for at least 2 hours 

Lentils, 2 cups, thoroughly washed and soaked in water for 30 minutes

White or yellow onions, 1 cup, 1 medium whole, washed, peeled and small diced
Yellow bell pepper, 1 cup, medium diced

Celery, 1 cup, small diced
Carrots, 1 cup, small diced

XVOO and Canola oil, as needed (Tablespoon at a time)

Coconut oil, as needed

Potatoes, 3 large, peeled and medium diced in uniform with the other vegetables

Crushed tomatoes, 2 cups 

Vegetable broth, 32 ounces

Water, 16 ounces, preferably purified water

Roasted Italian peppers, 2-3, (discard skin) and small to finely diced

Mushrooms (sauteed in advance-optional), 10 ounces,  medium sliced

Okra, 1 pound (sauteed in advance), medium sliced, and lightly seasoned

Green beans, 2 cups, cut into 2"

Zucchini, 2 cups, medium diced

Cabbage, 2 cups, thin sliced and chopped
Chard, 4 cups thinly sliced and chopped

Seasoning of salt, pepper, granulated onion and garlic mixture, as needed

Fresh sage, 1 tablespoon, finely diced

Bay leaves, 2 whole leaves

Dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon
Dried oregano,1/2  teaspoon
Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon

  Heat a large stainless steel pot with XVOO and canola oil, 2 tablespoons. Add onions, bell peppers, celery, and carrots. Season with salt mixture. Add the legumes and stir into the the onion mixture. (Please note: If you like chickpeas to be a a bit al dente, allow them to soak for a shorter period of time. The longer they soak the more tender they become). Add them to the mixture. cover and allow to cook for about 10 minutes. (You may need to add a little more of the oils, about another tablespoons). In between adding the vegetables, allow them to heat up and slightly cook. Make sure you cover the pot in between. For example, add the potatoes, allowing them to cook for another 4 minutes, then add next food item. Add the fluids, peppers, tomatoes, cover and bring to simmer. Season in between to taste. The salt will help to bind the flavors creating a beautiful symphony of delicious goodness. Ha! Add the green beans. Add the cabbage, zucchini, cremini mushrooms, and lastly the chard. Season with the  oregano, thyme, paprika, fresh sage and bay leaves. Cover and allow to simmer for 8 minutes. 

Sauteing the okra in a cast iron skillet

  Heat the cats iron skillet adding 1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil. Add okra and saute. Add my seasoning mixture of salt, pepper, granulated onion, and garlic.

Slightly charred okra...delicious! 

Add sauteed okra to soup. Makes the soup quite delicious and full of flavorful healthy ingredients.

Garden Fresh Vegetarian Soup with Legumes Part 2

Roasting the variety of Italian and Anaheim peppers on an open stove top flame

 Roast pepper. Sweat them in a plastic bag. Rinse discarding the skin and seeds. Dice, medium and add to the soup. If you wish to saute the mushrooms, set them aside and add to the soup.

Garden Fresh Vegetarian Soup with Legumes Part 3

Enjoy your soup!! 

Garden Fresh Vegetarian Soup with Legumes