Cream of the Crop by Pink Olive

photo by erin o'leary

i LOVE tacos but i was never was a fan of fish tacos…. maybe because i never had a really good one. it wasn’t until i visited my friend in austin, texas for her wedding last year that i fell in love with… the fish taco.   now i dream about fish tacos and grab every chance i get to eat one and now i can make one…

i came across erin o’leary’s delicious blog and her taco recipe instantly grabbed my attention.  she is the founder of o-cookies.com and instructor at physique  57 so she knows what she is talking about.   my mouth is starting to water…. oh fish taco, i’m dreaming of you tonight.  or better yet, i’m packing this recipe for our trip to texas this weekend for labor day.  happy “fun-filled taco night every night” labor day weekend!!  hee-haw!  xoxo

Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa and Black Bean and Corn Salad

Cooking spray

1 garlic clove, minced

fresh corn kernels (about 2 large ears)

6 (6-inch) corn tortillas

juice from one lime

1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 3/4 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 Tbsp jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 (19-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 lb tilapia fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves

3/4 cup avocado, halved, pitted and sliced

Tomatillo Salsa, store-bought or homemade

photo by erin o'leary

To prepare salad, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add corn; saute 8 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan; cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, 3/4 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt. Combine the corn, tomatoes, red peppers, onion, jalapeno pepper, fresh cilantro, oregano, and black beans. Drizzle juice mixture over the corn mixture, and toss gently to coat.

Heat the tortillas by wrapping in foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Sprinkle fish with 1/4 tsp of salt. Combine the rest of the salt, flour and 1 tsp cumin in a medium bowl; dredge fish in mixture and set aside. Heat vegetable oil in the large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add fish. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with fork.

photo by erin o'leary

Build your tacos by folding the tortillas in half and placing the fish down the center first, followed by slices of avocado and topping off with tomatilla salsa. You can pile on the black bean and corn salad or serve alongside. I used store-bought tomatilla salsa to save time. You can create your own by combining tomatillo peppers, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, garlic, and jalapeno pepper.

photo by erin o'leary

Use leftover Black Bean and Corn Salad for lunch the next day! I piled salad in a warm corn tortilla, wrapped tightly and sliced into small bite-sized pieces. Top with tomatillo salsa. Enjoy!

photo by karen mordechai

i don’t know anyone who doesn’t LOVE pasta…. what’s not to love?  they make a great meal…. they’re delicious…. there’s so many shapes and sizes to choose from and ample options to mix it up with fresh veggies and  cheeses galore!  the options are endless….  so you can imagine how excited i was when i stumbled upon this blog called sunday suppers and came across this recipe for tagliattele with young garlic, asparagus and mushrooms  i was ready to jump into my screen and be in supper heaven.

photo by karen mordechai

for anyone who wants to try a new pasta dish…. this is a must!

photo by karen mordechai

tip: when making pasta, wait until the water boils to add your salt. add a large handful and let the water boil again. You want the water to taste like sea water.

Tagliattele with Young Garlic, Asparagus and Mushrooms

6 bulbs young garlic, trimmed of the stem and scape, cut in half lengthwise
1 bunch asparagus, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1 lb of mixed mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
1 c white wine
½ c half and half
1 lb fresh tagliatelle
salt and pepper

boil water for the pasta. in the meantime, in a heavy skillet, add 4 tbl of olive oil and sauté the young garlic until caramelized and just soft. 10-15 minutes. add mushrooms and cook until they give up their liquid. pour in the wine and let reduce by half. cook the pasta and remove from pot when just al dente.
add the cooked pasta directly to the vegetables and turn to coat, keeping the flame low. pour in the half and half and toss. add asparagus ribbons and toss. remove from heat and shave some parm-regg over top and toss. plate and drizzle with a little truffle oil and more parm-regg.

after a FUN and busy day working at my shop in park slope, michael and i ventured out to red hook section of brooklyn saturday night for what we were about to experience a culinary delight! we found out about good fork after watching the show “throwdown with bobby flay” where chef sohui kim decisively defeated bobby flay in a throwdown for the BEST dumplings!  after having tasted her delicious and flavorful dumplings, i can attest to her victory.

the good fork is the perfect neighborhood spot with its warm and homey personality but the eclectic food will win the hearts of any manhattanites.  who knows we might end up moving right next door…

recommendations:

* LOVE the pork and chive dumplings featuring a superbly delicate dough wrapper and a vibrant dipping sauce.

* crab cake with chili aioli, radish sprouts and endives were mouth watering.

* the good fork burger was super juicy and came with these GI-gantic onion rings that were as big as the hamburger itself (but super light)- we give it A++

* shrimp scallion pancakes had a nice spicy kick to it. DELISH~

THE GOOD FORK
phone: 718-643-6636
location: 391 van brunt street, brooklyn ny 11231 (red hook)
getting there: A/C/F train to borough hall, transfer to B61 bus from jay and willoughby streets to van brunt and coffey streets; F/G train to smith/9th street, transfer to B77 bus to van dyke and van brunt streets. but really, just take a car there

there is something very spicy and homey about having a pumpkin treat.   whether it’s pumpkin pie to pumpkin soup to pumpkin latte, pumpkin is universal and can be made into a “sweet” or “salty” dish!  with all the veggies i recently acquired from the farmer’s market, i felt the urge to incorporate one of my fresh zuchinnis in the mix.  happy fall!! xo

zuchinni pumpkin muffins

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 cup safflower oil

1 can pumpkin (16oz)

2 tbsp apple sauce

grated zucchini

pinches of: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

1 cup chocolate chips

mix all the ingredients together except for grated zucchini, spices and chocolate chips.  once the batter is smooth, stir in the grated zucchini, spices and chocolate chips to the mix.

spoon batter into bake-ware and put into 350 degree oven. for small muffins, bake for 15 minutes. for large muffins, bake for 23 minutes.

living in NYC and having some of the BEST restaurants at our fingertips, it’s hard to not get in the habit of going out or ordering in.  after all, there’s no time to waste and you want the food NOW!!  who knew that with the same amount of money spent on restaurants (and probably even less), you can cook a really delicious, fresh, organic meal at home.  i am not a vegetarian…. but love the sight of vegetables, the smell of vegetables and the color of vegetables.  put me in a farmers market and i’m like a kid in a candy store.

so in following angela’s tip on Sexy Green Lifestyle, i planned a trip to trader joes and the union square farmers market so my hungry stomach won’t deviate to take-outs this week.  i must admit…. i went a little overboard.  the veggies and fruits that were so abundant and plentiful…. i probably have enough to feed a room full of hungry men (and women too!)

you know what they say about “you are what you eat!” why not start each week by fueling your body with something good and healthy. it will make you feel good about yourself, which in turn will create positive energy for a productive day.