Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce

What better way to brighten up a cold winter day or night than with something that is reminiscent of a summer meal? I decided to make a light and fresh fish taco with a flavorful tomatillo sauce (which I personally think is the best part of the meal)!

What I used:

• 6-8 small tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 3 garlic cloves
• Handful of cilantro leaves with stems
• 3 tablespoons Veganaise (or regular mayo)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of sliced red cabbage
• 1 lime
• Olive oil
• 4 cod filets
• Hardshell tacos (or soft tortillas) 
• 1 avocado

1. Preheat broiler to high. Slice the tomatillos in half and arrange on baking sheet with sliced garlic. Broil for 3 minutes on each side or until blackened.
2. Meanwhile, slice the red cabbage thinly. Mix with a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze the lime. Combine. 
3. Toss the tomatillos and garlic in a blender along with the veganaise, cilantro, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. 
4. To cook the fish, heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Sear cod filets on both sides, 2 minutes each. 
5. To construct the tacos, crumble the cod and lay into the bottom of the taco, add the cabbage, add slice or two of avocado, then drizzle the tomatillo sauce. 

600 Dumplings in 2 Hours: Seattle's Revel by the Numbers

I was browsing around on Food & Wine and stumbled upon this awesome "Chef's Feed". I thought it was especially interesting because traveling to Seattle has recently been one of my random desires. It features one of Seattle's restaurant's named Revel - a korean restaurant that utilizes french technique. How perfect is that?! But what really got me interested was the heading of their video,

600 Dumplings in 2 Hours!

I think it is super impressive and if you watch the video, it is very apparent that thoughtful efforts are put in to achieve such a yummy establishment! You can find the article 600 Dumplings in 2 Hours: Seattle's Revel by the Numbers by clicking on the link! This just makes me more excited to visit Seattle. Hooray!

Pesto Bread!

To accompany my last meal post, I did a very simple pesto "garlic bread".

What I used:

• French baguette
• Pesto (fresh or store bought)
• 1 garlic clove
• Olive oil

1. Cut up the baguette in as many round pieces as you'd like. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on it and pop it in the oven at 350 F degrees for 1-2 minutes until toasty.
2. Take out the bread from the oven. Slice the tip off a garlic clove and rub it on the bread slices. Spread the pesto on the slices. Place back in the warmed (make sure the oven is off) until ready to serve!

Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Soup

So continuing on with my soup fetish... I have adapted a creamy tomato soup recipe! I also made a side of pesto bread which I will have in a separate post. As with all of my dishes, its easy to make and doesn't require too many ingredients.

What I used:

• Olive oil
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Dash of red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 container of vegetable broth
• Dried basil leaves, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1-2 packages of frozen spinach tortellini

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender - about 3-5 minutes. Add bay leaves and red pepper flakes.
2. Add diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaves from the pot. Using an immersion hand blender, blend the mixture until smooth. Stir in greek yogurt until combined. Add the spinach tortellini. Cook until tortellini is tender. Note: if tortellini is frozen, you might want to cook them separately first and then add to the soup and cooked for 7-8 minutes.
   
   
   

7 Bean Soup Recipe

I recently shared a post about different soup recipes and it inspired me to start making a few! I will probably be posting one or two more soup recipes since it's so fitting for the cold winter! This bean soup is very versatile regarding the types of beans you can use. You can choose any type of bean that you want but be sure to take note of the different cooking times!

This is an especially healthy soup due to beans being nutritionally rich with iron, protein, fiber, low in fat, and other vitamins. It is also very hearty and easy to make. All you have to do is throw everything in a pot with a lot of water and let it simmer, so don't feel the need to stand by the stove the entire time!

What I used:

• Dark red kidney beans
• Pink beans
• White large lima beans
• Small white pigeon beans
• Chick peas
• Dried green peas
• Lentils
• Barley
• Course bulgar wheat
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Continuously add water

*Use handful amounts for all the beans and grains

1. I would first like to note that it is always recommended to soak the dried beans overnight but if you forget to, it's fine! Start off by combining the red kidney beans, chick peas, lima beans, and pink beans in a pot with 8 cups of water. Add the chopped onions and the seasonings. These will cook through for an hour and a half. 
2. Add the barley, lentils, peas. Check the tenderness of the first batch of beans to see if they're cooked. You will most likely have to add more cups of water depending on how much has cooked through/evaporated. Your total cooking time will be around 2.5 hours. 

29 Cozy Soups! A Buzzfeed Post

The weather on the East Coast has been horrendously cold recently, and so I'm interested in replicating a few soup recipes found in this buzzfeed article, 29 Soups So Good They’ll Make You Want To Stay In And Cook. I love going out during the day but with this dramatic weather change, I'll opt for something more cozy. What soup recipes would you be interested in trying?

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Fancy mac n' cheese?! Yes, it is possible. Comfort food elevated to a higher standard and it is definitely do-able for a date night at home or a dinner party.

What I used:

• 1 or 2 lobster tails
• 1 box of cavatappi pasta
• 4 cups milk (I used soy milk)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
• 4 cups gruyere cheese (grated)
• 1 stick of unsalted butter (divided 6 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dried thyme to taste
• Panko or bread crumbs

1. Add cavatappi pasta to a pot of boiling water. Don't forget to add salt!
2. Prep lobster. If frozen, make sure it is thawed by running it under cold water. If it is not already pre-cut, use kitchen sheers to cut the shell down the middle of the lobster tail and then horizontal. Put on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and put in oven to broil for 5 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, add milk and heat through. Do not boil.
4. Meanwhile, in a smaller saucepan, add 6 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add 
5. flour and cook through for 2 minutes.
6. Add the rue to the heated milk and whisk until the mixture is thickened. Take off heat and add the grated cheeses, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme.
7. Once the pasta is cooked, mix in the sauce and lobster. 
8. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add panko crumbs. Top a large ramekin or mini ramekins with the bread crumbs. 
9. Bake off in oven, at 375 degrees F until the break crumbs are golden or the sauce bubbles.

Happy Food Year! A Buzzfeed Post

Hello January! Not only is this the best month of the year, but it is my BIRTHDAY MONTH! So I might be slightly more excited about my upcoming posts this month. Furthermore, happy 2015! To kick start this new year, I decided to post an awesome buzzfeed article link, 31 Declicious Things to Cook In January. I am definitely excited to try many new things this year. I am very hopeful that it's going to be a great year! Let's keep some positive (and yummy?) vibes going in 2015!