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.