what-i-cooked: fish tacos with a spicy cabbage slaw

living in houston gave me a real appreciation for mexican cooking and flavors.  i've never had better mexican food than when i lived there from the tex-mex to the traditional mexican and even the mexican fused chinese, the restaurants really can't be beat.  from those fond memories i tried creating my own version of fish tacos using a citrus marinade accompanied by some spice and a clean burst of cilantro and a traditional cabbage slaw spiced up a 'la texas with some jalapeno:)

ingredients (serves 2):
2 limes
1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red chipotle peppers
1/4 teaspoon penzy's arizona seasoning
6 corn tortillas
avocado
cilantro
red onion
red cabbage
jalapeno
jalapeno balsamic
pico de gallo or fresh salsa

directions:
first prepare the marinade by combining the ancho chili powder with the arizona seasoning and ground chipotle. then mix with the juice of 2 limes, 1/2 of a lemon and a rough diced handful of fresh cilantro. pour the marinade over the mahi filets and refrigerate in a freezer bag for one hour.  while the fish is marinating prepare the cabbage slaw by thinly slicing the jalapeno and about 2 cups of red cabbage, mix together in a bowl with 1/4 cup of jalapeno balsamic.  then, chop the avocado into thin slices and drizzle with lime juice.  dice the red onion and chop another handful of cilantro and set aside.
after the fish has finished marinating, cook on a grill over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side. let the fish rest for 3 minutes and then flake apart with a fork. while the fish is resting, toast the tortillas on the grill for about 1 minute per side (caution not to burn).
to arrange the taco, layer the fish on the bottom and top with the slaw, avocado, diced red onion, pico and cilantro  enjoy!

what-i-cooked: spice rubbed chicken with a corn salsa salad

when i was in college my roommate ash and i had two three hours labs back to back from 3-9 p.m. although we spent 6 hours dissecting in our anatomy lab and making distillations in organic chemistry, our appetites were not affected and we spent the latter half of lab talking about what we were going to make for dinner when we got home.  one of our favorites was what we called "spice chicken".  we made the chicken by taking almost every spice from our 4 sided spice rack and completely over seasoning our chicken.  from those fond memories, i have created a slightly more refined chicken rub and a summer corn salsa salad to go with it.  

ingredients: serves 2
2 chicken breasts
chili powder
cumin
oregano
garlic
salt
pepper
onion powder
red onion
red bell pepper
2 ears of corn
cilantro
jalapeno balsamic
rice wine vinegar

directions:
first remove the silks from the corn but keep the husks attached.  rinse the corn and then rub with olive oil, pull the husks back over the corn and place on a grill over medium heat for 25 minutes. 

for the chicken, mix 1 tsp of each dried spice (onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder) together to make a rub for the chicken.  then after cleaning the chicken, coat with the rub and  grill over medium until fully cooked (about 15 minutes). 

while the chicken and corn are cooking prepare the corn salsa salad by chopping one red bell pepper, 1/2 red onion, 1 jalapeno (seeds removed), and a large handful of fresh cilantro.  combine together in a bowl and cover with equal parts rice vinegar and jalapeno balsamic.  season with salt and pepper.  once the corn is done cooking, remove it from the cob and add it to the salsa mixture.

for plating, place a large spoonful of the corn salsa salad on the plate and top with the chicken.

what-i-cooked: goat cheese with sweet medjol dates and onions

i love zingerman's creamy goat cheese and am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my dinners.  i used the goat cheese here as an appetizer and balanced it with some sweet medjol dates and onions before topping it with a filo dough crust.  can't wait to make it again!
ingredients: serves 2
.5 lb creamy goat cheese
12 dried medjol dates
1/4 diced yellow onion
butter
pepper
filo dough
small oven safe pot
french baguette
olive oil
directions:
first pre-heat the oven to 350 and dice the medjol dates and place in a bowl with the goat cheese.  then dice the onions and saute until translucent in 1 tablespoon of butter.  once the onions are done saute-ing, combine them in the bowl with the goat cheese and medjol dates and then transfer the mixture to the baking pot.  cut 5 filo dough sheets to fit the top of your small pot and then layer atop the goat cheese with each layer separated by a thin layer of butter.  then transfer to the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the filo is slightly browned. 
while the goat cheese pot is cooking, cut the french baguette into 2" rounds and saute in a fry pan with butter until lightly browned.  serve the toasts alongside the cooked goat cheese pot. 

what-i-cooked: indian spiced chicken pot pie

this recipe was inspired by my love of samosas and my desire for a warm cooked meal on this cold (40's) michigan spring day.

ingredients:
serves 3- 4
1 rotisserie chicken
4 carrots
3 stalks of celery
2 large red potatoes
1 yellow onion
1 tablespoon freshly diced fennel bulb
1.25 teaspoons garam masala
.7 grams of saffron threads
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
butter
extra virgin olive oil
15-20 sheets filo dough
flour

directions:
first pre-heat the oven to 375 and clean and prep the vegetables by dicing the peeled carrots, celery, onion and fennel bulb.  add the vegetables to a pre-heated dutch oven with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 swirl of evoo.  saute until the onions become translucent. then add 2 tablespoons of flour to the mix to thicken into a roux.  heat 3 cups of chicken stock in a separate pot.  then, to the roux, add the diced white meat from the rotisserie chicken, the potatoes and the spices (garam masala, saffron, onion powder, salt, pepper, ginger).  add the heated chicken stock and the heavy whipping cream to the roux and give it a stir before covering and simmering for 20 minutes.  then, ladle the mixture into oven safe ramekins and top with 5 layers of filo dough each separated by a layer of butter before cooking in a 375 degree oven for 30- 40 minutes. enoy!