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.

Baked Italian Savoy Cabbage and Sausage Casserole

This is a really filling, really tasty, comforting dish that almost satisfies a lasagna craving! Incredibly flavorful and hearty.

Ingredients:

2 lb. savoy cabbage, sliced into 1/2 inch ribbons
1 T. olive oil, plus more as needed
4 sweet Italian sausages, removed from casings and crumbled
1/2 cup diced tomatoes in juice (or more, depending on your taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (I used a little more)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (you can do this while preparing the dish).

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and prepare an ice bath (cold water + ice) in a large bowl. Add cabbage to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (or drain in a strainer) and add immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Allow to cool, then drain well. Using a salad spinner, dry the cabbage well.


In a medium skillet, heat 1 T. oil over medium heat. (I actually didn't find the oil necessary, as I had normal pork sausage, which is fatty enough.) Add crumbled sausage and cook until done through. Stir in the tomatoes, and season with salt & pepper to taste (I didn't find salt to be necessary). Allow the water from the juices to cook off.

Oil a medium-sized casserole dish (my Le Creuset was too large...a 2.5 quart round casserole dish would have been way better).

Place 1/3 of the cabbage into the bottom of the dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Top with half the mozzarella and sauce. Repeat this layer. Top with the last third of the cabbage and all the parmesan cheese.

Pour the cream over the top and bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until browned and bubbly.


Serve in shallow bowls (there will probably be some liquid) with a lovely glass of wine! And bread, if you're not doing low-carb :D.


(Once more, excuse my dumb cell phone pictures.)

Kalyn's Ratatouille Wanna-Be and Almond-Pesto-Encrusted Haddock

This is one of my favorite side dishes. Very flavorful, very simple, and filled with super-healthy ingredients!

Ratatouille Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 onion, preferably red, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow/orange bell pepper, diced
2 large zucchini, diced
1 28-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes with juices
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and peppers and saute until the onion is cooked through and the garlic is fragrant. Add in the zucchini, and cook for about 5 minutes, until it begins to soften.


Add in the tomatoes and spices and stir together. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook over low heat for about an hour. I prefer if most of the liquid is cooked off. Adjust spices to taste before serving.


I'd never cooked haddock before, and it's one of those flavorful whitefishes like cod, pollack, tilapia, etc. You could substitute any of those fish into this recipe as well, just adjust your cooking time.

Haddock Ingredients:

3 haddock filets (or other white fish), about 6 oz. each
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
3-4 T. mayonnaise

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salt & pepper over the haddock filets and place them on an oiled, foiled-lined baking sheet.

Place almonds in a food processor and process until they become a meal. Add the parmesan, basil leaves, and garlic, and pulse until combined. Add mayo and blend together.

Spread the mixture evenly over the fish and bake for about 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. I had to broil the fish for a couple of minutes to brown the crust.


Serve hot out of the oven! Some asparagus would be delightful with this fish as well, but I didn't have any.


Excuse my cell phone pictures, my camera was dead when I was making this and I wanted to document it!

CHEAT DAY: Strawberry-Banana Bread Pudding

I made brioche this weekend and had quite a bit leftover from breakfast yesterday, and I decided to make something delicious with it.

Bread pudding it is!

I couldn't find a recipe I exactly wanted to make, so I pretty much made this up, loosely following some recipes I looked up online.

Ingredients:

6 cups stale brioche, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups half-and-half
3 eggs
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 T. vanilla extract
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling

Instructions:

Cube up your bread and place it in a large bowl. Mix in the sliced strawberries.



Using an electric mixer, combine the cream, brown sugar, and eggs until blended. Then add the bananas, vanilla, and cinnamon, and mix until blended together.


Pour the liquid over the bread and strawberries and allow it to soak for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a casserole dish (I used a tall, round one, but I would suggest allowing the bread pudding to be more spread out, as you won't need to cook it as long). Pour in the mixture and press it down into the dish. Sprinkle the top with some brown sugar and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped and the interior reaches a temperature of 170 degrees F.


The finished product! It is divine.

Broccoli-Carrot Slaw with Cranberries and Almonds

Good day, everyone!

I have finally decided to sit myself down and write up a bunch of posts. I apologize for neglecting this. My motivation in the last week has been lacking. It's been problematic lately, but I'm trying to get back in the saddle.

This recipe is a nice summer side dish, especially for grilled meats and hot days. It's great if made a day ahead, too, as the flavors all get to meld together! It's very versatile, and you can remove or add any flavors you might prefer quite easily.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli
2-3 carrots (depending on size)
1/4 cup grated onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries (get the unsweetened kind)
1/2 cup almonds or other nut, chopped (pine nuts or sunflower seeds work very well)
A creamy, low-sugar vinaigrette dressing (the one I used will follow)

Instructions:

Grate up the broccoli stalk, and chop up the florets into tiny, bite-sized pieces. In all, you should have about 3-4 cups of broccoli (the florets included).

Grate up the carrots. You should have twice as much broccoli as carrots.


Combine the carrots, broccoli, onion, cranberries, and nuts in a large bowl. Adjust the onion to your taste (I like a little more).


Either buy a nice, tangy vinaigrette dressing, or make your own. I really like this one!


Combine with the dressing and allow to sit for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled! We had it with grilled sausage and caramelized onions.