Baja Fish Taco with Southwestern Chipotle Slaw

Taco Tuesdays has legit become a thing. My Instagram is filled with hashtags and tacos and chips and margaritas every Tuesday. I am constantly craving them and having FOMO. Not this past Tuesday though!! Chris and I decided to have a date night at home and I made these awesome fish tacos. There are a few steps and I did little over the course of a day- so don't feel overwhelmed to do it all at once. The slaw can be made the night before. But once it's done- it's SO worth it!! Chris said it was even better than my old restaurant, Mamasa's fish taco. Impossible! 

Baja Fish Tacos with Southwestern Chipotle Slaw

Slaw:

3 cups of red/purple cabbage, thinly julienned 

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup corn kernels, cooked, cooled and cut off the cob 

1/2 cup red pepper, small dice

1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced

2 tbs cilantro, minced 

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste 

Slaw Dressing:

1 cup (8 oz) of sour cream 

1 1/2 tbs of adobo sauce from chipotle can (add actually chipotles, minced if you like heat) 

2 tbs cilantro, minced 

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lime (approx 2 tsp) 

1/4 tsp cumin powder 

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste 

Fish:

2- 3 large filets of tilapia or solid white fish, cut into strips (easily fit in your choice of tortilla side)- 

6 tortillas 

1/2 cup flour 

1tbs Cajun seasoning

2 eggs, whisked 

1 1/4 cups plain Panko breadcrumbs 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Juice of 1 lemon 

1 avocado, sliced for serving 

Lime slices for serving 

5 tbs of canola oil 

Tools: 

Frying pan 

Spatula or tongs

Large mixing bowl 

Small mixing bowl

3 plates or shallow wide bowls

Salad serving spoon/tongs

Whisk

Measuring cups/spoons 

Cutting board 

Chopping knife 

For the slaw: In a large bowl mix together all ingredients listed under slaw. Combine well.

For the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients listed under dressing. Set aside to dress the slaw before serving if you like a crisp slaw or an hour before serving if you prefer it a little softer. I prefer mine crisp. You do not need to use all the dressing if you don't want to. 

For the Baja fish: In the first shallow bowl add flour and Cajun spice. Mix well. In second shallow bowl add the whisked eggs. In third shallow bowl add the Panko breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. This will be your order for breading the fish. 

Squeeze half of the lemon onto the fish strips. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Take each strip and dredge them in the flour mixture, then dip them in the eggs and finally coat them in the Panko breadcrumbs. Put on a plate until ready to fry. 

Heat the canola oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the breaded fish strips to the pan. Be sure to not overcrowd it, as that brings the oil temperature down. Depending on your pan size, you may need to fry in batches. It takes about 2-3 minutes per side for thicker pieces and 1-2 minutes per side for thinner ones. If they are browning too fast, turn down the heat to medium/low. 

Remove fish from frying pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. 

Serve tacos by placing the tortilla on the plate, add the fish strips on top, then the southwestern chipotle slaw with a couple strips of avocado and lime slices on the side. Omg so good! I want another one right now. Enjoy them!! Xo

Chicken Paprikash

I first had Chicken Paprikash when a chef I was working for made it for our kitchen's family meal. It was such an easy process and it turns out this really feel-good meal. I tend to forget about how simple and delicious this recipe is- but once I make it again- it gets added to my recipe circulation for a few months. This is my first time making it in over two years though and I must say- it was delicious. And the kids I babysit for loved it also! It's a great week night meal to add to your routine. 

Chicken Paprikash 

Fridge:

2-3 lbs of chicken (I used a combo of chicken tenders for the kids and drumsticks for the adults) 

2/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tbs butter 

6 oz white button mushrooms, sliced 

1/2 red pepper, julienned (about a cup or so) 

1/2 green pepper, julienned (about a cup or so) 

1 tbs Italian parsley, minced 

Counter:

1 1/2 cups yellow onion, sliced thin 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

Few lemon slices (optional) 

Pantry:

1 tbs olive oil 

2 cups chicken broth 

1 1/2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika 

1 tsp hot Hungarian paprika 

1/3 cup ap flour plus 1 tbs 

1 tsp salt 

Fresh pepper to taste 

Tools:

2 medium mixing bowls

Whisk 

Wooden spoon/spatula 

Tongs 

Measuring cups/spoons

Casserole dish 

Large oven proof pot 

Ladle or large spoon 

Cutting board

Chopping knife 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In medium mixing bowl- add 1/3 cup flour, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. 

Toss the chicken pieces into the flour mixture. Coat them well. 

Heat the large ovenproof pot over medium to high heat on the stovetop. Add the olive oil and 1/2 tbs of butter. Allow to melt but make sure the butter does not burn. 

Add chicken pieces in batches to the pot- cooking each side until there is a nice sear or color to it. I cooked the drumsticks first because they take longer. Add each chicken batch to the casserole dish and place in the oven to continue cooking while you make your sauce. 

Once chicken has been slightly cooked and place into oven- add the remaining 1 tbs of butter to the pot. Do not clean pot unless you burned the chicken. Turn stovetop down to medium at this point. Add the onions slices and garlic to the pot. Cook for 8-10 minutes- allowing the onions to caramelize a bit. 

Next add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Add the red and green peppers and then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of ap flour. Mix well and then pour the chicken broth over everything. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

In the other medium mixing bowl, add the sour cream. Using a ladle or large spoon, add some of the hot cooking liquid to the sour cream. Whisk them well. Continue to do this slowly as you need to bring up the sour cream temperature- aslo called tempering it. This will help stop the sour cream from curdling. Once the sour cream is slightly warm- you can add the entire bowl to the simmering pot. Continue to stir as it comes back to a gentle simmer. 

Add the remaining 3/4 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sweet paprika, 1tsp of hot paprika and fresh pepper to taste. Mix well. 

The chicken can be removed from the oven and added to the sauce at this point. You have two choices- to allow it to simmer for 15 more minutes on the stovetop- while stirring occasionally or pop the entire pot, covered, into the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Once sauce and chicken have melded for a bit- remove from heat and get ready to serve. 

Just before serving add the Italian parsley and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top if you like. 

Traditionally this is served with spaetzle- which is sort of a mix between dumplings and pasta. But I just use egg noodles when I serve it. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!! Xo

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

Is it possible to make a super healthy lasagna? I'm sure it is but I am not one to skimp on cheese and going vegetarian with a lasagna is about as close to healthy as it gets for me. Both my bosses and the kids I nanny for really enjoyed this lasagna- so it is a great fall family meal!

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna 

Fridge: 

2 1/2- 3 lbs of butternut squash, thinly cut

9 oz spinach 

3/4 cup heavy cream 

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 tbs butter 

1 1/2 cups Asiago cheese, grated (extra for sprinkling on top-optional) 

1/2 cup parmesan, grated (extra for sprinkling on top- optional) 

1 egg

3 cups ricotta, I use whole milk ricotta

Counter:

3 garlic cloves, minced 

Pantry:

20 pieces of lasagna pasta* 

1 1/2 tbs ap flour

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp fresh black pepper 

1 1/2 tsp olive oil 

Canola spray 

Tools:

Large pot with boiling salted water

Colander

Large casserole dish 

Medium bowl 

Mixing spoon

Mandoline or sharp knife to thinly slice butternut squash 

Large sauté pan 

Wooden spoon 

Whisk 

Measuring cups/spoons 

First add the lasagna to your large pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 5-7 minutes until it is just under al dente. Drain in colander and set aside. 

Heat the same large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and allow to melt. Once melted add the flour and whisk together for a couple minutes to cook out the flour taste. Then add the heavy cream and milk. Let this come to a simmer and then add the asiago and parmesan cheese. Whisk this all together and allow cheeses to melt. It's ok if the sauce is lumpy- it will melt once lasagna is baked. 

Heat the sauté pan over medium to high heat and add olive oil. Once hot- add the minced garlic. Heat garlic for 30 seconds and then add the spinach. Allow the spinach and garlic to cook for a couple minutes and then turn off the heat. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the spinach and set aside for layering. 

In the medium bowl- add the ricotta cheese, egg, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Mix well. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray your casserole dish with canola oil and begin to create your lasagna. 

Here is how I layered mine but keep in mind- you can layer however you want because it all tastes the same: 

Thin layer of ricotta mixture, pasta, butternutsquash, salt/pepper, cheese sauce, pasta, ricotta, spinach & garlic, pasta, butternut squash, salt/pepper, cheese sauce, pasta, butternut squash, salt/pepper and sprinkled with cheeses to finish. 

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook uncovered for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy it!! Xo

* my casserole dish fits 5 pieces of lasagna per layer and I had 4 layers within this lasagna so I used 20 pieces. I recommend laying out your lasagna into the casserole dish to see how many you need per layer and then multiply by 4 and cook that many pieces of pasta.