Blackened Haddock Lettuce Wraps with Fiery Mango Salsa

Let it be known: I like things hot.  If my mouth is on fire, I am happy.  Sometimes I over spice things for other people.  You are warned.  Check the heat before you use the amounts I use.  You also may want to switch the habanero pepper out for something more mild.  Here is a helpful site for the heat ranges of various peppers and chilis from around the world!

P.S. This amount of fish served one person.   I had plenty of mango salsa leftover, and enough spice rub for maybe two more filets.  Adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:


1 6 oz. filet of haddock (or other white fish), cubed up
1 t. olive oil
Boston lettuce leaves, washed and dried





Blackening rub:

1/2 t. half-sharp paprika
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground Szechuan peppercorns
1 t. Penzey's Trinidad lemon-garlic rub
1 t. chili powder
1 t. dried oregano





The mango salsa consists of:

1/2 cup diced mango
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and cleaned out, minced
2 T. lemon or lime juice
1 packet Truvia (or 2 t. other sugar substitute)
A pinch of black pepper





Instructions:

Place the cubed fish in a bowl.  Distribute 1 heaping tablespoon of the spice rub over the fish and toss to coat.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add fish and pan-fry until, yes, blackened and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.  Your kitchen may get smoky.

Serve hot, with salsa and lettuce leaves.  If I had an avocado, I would have added that as well!

I made cole slaw for a side.  I thought it would be good to cut the heat of the dish, and it did!

NOTE:
Chopping up chilis is serious business, especially when they're very hot.  Wear GLOVES while slicing them up, unless you want to experience a lot of pain in the case of touching near your eyes or other sensitive areas for up to 24 hours after slicing the chili(s).  In case it DOES get on your fingers, washing your hands and cleansing them with rubbing alcohol can remedy the heat.

Ack! Blogger has changed! It took me forever to figure out where the "New Post" button had gone!

I am back from a lovely two weeks visiting my parents and friends in Maryland, and also a somewhat bad eating week. Though I continued exercising, and the odd phenomenon has once again occurred where I continue to lose weight while eating badly, my jeans continue to get tighter (let's not also mention that I tripped on the drive back and ripped the knees of my favorite pair), so I'm going into a few weeks of South-Beach-phase-1-type cooking to lose the bit of pudge that seems to be gathering on my body. Silly body! Too much Five Guys and Cheeburger and beers and gin & tonics for you.

So, that means lower carb counts, lower fat (to which I typically say meh), lower calorie, and no alcohol. Tonight I cooked for myself another rendition of chili because it's essentially all I could make with what we had on hand in the freezer/pantry. Tomorrow and Wednesday, I'll be hitting the store/market and picking up MANY vegetables, fruits, and lean meats for recipes to delight you all with!

I have a recipe for Chicken Paprikash on hand to post, but I'll do that tomorrow, as tonight I'm just completely out of it and formatting the post would merely serve to annoy me.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Charles is in London now for three weeks on work? Yup, that's what he's doing, so many recipes may be especially light or vegetarian-friendly (since I can get away with making that when he's not here and I don't have to hear man-complaints about the meal not having meat).

In the meantime, it is Iago's hatchday today. He is one year old! One year out of around fifty, and he's spent the day being either very happy that I'm back or very angry that I left him for two weeks. But his thawed blueberries seemed to have appeased him a bit, and he's in better spirits than this morning! So, happy hatchday, Iago, you silly baby bird!

New posts coming soon! Stay tuned!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Hi, everyone!

We are heading to Maryland this weekend to visit my parents (!!!) and so Charles can do some work for his company, so I don't know how much I'll really be around after Sunday.

I'm getting up what recipes I have at my disposal for your viewing/cooking pleasure.

And, see what happens?

I started this post two days ago and got busy. Whoops.

Stuffed bell peppers are one of my favorite go-to meals every week. Really simple, really tasty, and hearty! You can easily switch up flavors and go from southwest to Italian to Mediterranean to whatever. Have fun! Taste as you go!

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced small (obviously, adjust this to your tastes)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
1-2 cups black beans (or pinto or kidney, whatever you prefer), depending on how much you like beans (cooked, not dry)
2 cups canned tomatoes (if whole, chop them up a bit)
1 T. chili powder1 T. cumin
2 t. oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 bell peppers (green or other is your choice), tops sliced off and membranes/seeds removed

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a casserole dish big enough to place the standing, hollowed-out bell peppers in.


Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and spices and allow to cook until most of the liquid has cooked off.


Once cooked to your liking, spoon filling into the bell peppers. If you have extra, save it! Or spread it around the peppers in the pan. Top with cheese and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned and bubbly on top! Enjoy!


**I was cooking for two, hence only two peppers.**

For an Italian flair, use more tomato, cut out the beans, use oregano and basil, and stir in some parmesan to the filling, topping everything with mozzarella. Yum yum! The possibilities are really endless with these.