Blackened Fish Tacos

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These fish tacos are a new favorite dinner in our home. While I love the beer battered version, I think I’ve grown to love this lightened version better. Light, fresh, and bursting with flavor – it’s a meal that comes together in a half an hour or less. Plus, they’re relatively figure friendly (well, compared to their battered and fried cousin at least). This is the kind of meal that I’ll be looking forward to making after a long day at the beach with my guys!

The fish filets are quickly pan seared and piled into warm corn tortillas. Then topped with a spicy chipotle cilantro aioli, a refreshing mango salsa, and some finely shredded cabbage. The sweetness of the salsa, alongside the spicy smokiness of the aioli is sheer perfection. If you’re looking for a new time-friendly dinner to add to your menu, add these tacos. I’m fairly certain you’ll love them too!

Blackened Fish Tacos

1 lb flaky white fish filets (I used mahi-mahi)
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
8 corn tortillas
shredded cabbage

For the mango salsa:
1 mango, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the chipotle aioli:
1/3 cup good mayonnaise
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
juice from 1/2 a lime

To make the mango salsa, combine ingredients in large bowl and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to let flavors meld.

For the chipotle aioli, combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until ingredients are well combined. Place in a small serving dish and set aside.

To prepare the fish, brush fish filets with melted butter. Sprinkle fish generously with seasoning. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add fish and cook, without moving, for 3 minutes. Flip filets, and cook for an additional 3 minutes, until fish is cooked through. Remove from heat, flake the meat with a fork, and set aside.

To assemble the tacos, warm corn tortillas in a skillet for a few moments. Pile fish into tortillas, followed by the chipotle sauce, the mango salsa, and the shredded cabbage.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

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Grilled bok choy is one of my favorite vegetable side dishes. I usually cook it when we’re putting something on the grill anyways – steak, chicken, kabobs.  Often I’ll just keep the seasoning simple – olive oil, salt, and pepper. But, whenever I want something a little more special,  I made a wonderful spicy Asian vinaigrette to go on top before grilling.

Some people steer clear of bok choy because it falls under the cabbage category. If you think you don’t like cabbage, give this recipe a try. I too, was a “cabbage hater”, but bok choy really brought me around. It’s a very mild flavor, so it’s a great place to start. Feel free to play around with the flavorings in the vinaigrette too. I like the flavors that the soy sauce and Sriracha lend, but just most things in the kitchen, the possibilities are endless! I like to use  baby bok choy if I can find it, because it cooks so quickly and is tender. Large heads of bok choy will work as well, but you should quarter them before grilling.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

4 heads of baby bok choy (or 1 head of full-sized)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat for 15 minutes, and lightly oil the grate.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, and black pepper. Slice the bok choy in half, lengthwise. Brush the cabbage with the soy sauce mixture on the cut side, letting the vinaigrette fall into the grooves.

Lay the bok choy on the preheated grill, cut side up. Cook until the stalks show grill marks and the leaves are crisp at the edges, about 2 minutes. Turn the bok choy, brush with remaining soy mixture, cover, and grill the other side for about 2 more minutes. Remove to platter and serve.

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

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This bread is a staple in our house. Alongside some yogurt and fresh fruit, it’s a delicious quick breakfast. But sweet enough that when toasted with some butter and cinnamon sugar is a decadent treat when the boys have gone to bed. I’ve been foolishly buying it in the store, knowing full well that I could make a better version at home. I tried a couple recipes, and while they turned out well, I didn’t find myself looking forward to making them again. Either the filling was too runny, or the swirl puffed out too much. Edible and delicious, but not precisely what I had been looking for.

I came across this recipe at The Kitchn and tried it, and I was blown away by how perfect it turned out! It mentioned in the article that the key to having the layers hold together was to use an egg wash, not melted butter, to adhere the cinnamon sugar mixture to the dough. The protein in the egg binds together, where the fat in the butter pushes apart. Fancy that! Anyways, it came together perfectly. The dough gorgeous and a dream to work with. Soaking the raisins really helped them to “set” into the bread better. With the other loaves, the raisins just wanted to fall out when I sliced the bread. Plus, I think the re-use of the raisin soaking liquid to proof your yeast adds nice flavor to the bread as well.

This recipe makes two loaves, so we enjoyed one this weekend. And, I stuck the other loaf in the freezer to be enjoyed this week! I know I’ll be coming back to this recipe again and again.

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

1 cup raisins
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup  unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 – 6 cups (1 lb 11.5 oz – 1 lb 14 oz) all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons warm water

Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with hot water. Let the raisins plump for at least 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Pour a cup of water into the bowl of a standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top. (You can use the water from soaking the raisins for some extra-awesome flavor in your loaves, but just make sure the water has cooled to room temperature.) Give it a few minutes, then stir to fully dissolve the yeast into the water.

Stir the milk, melted butter, and salt into the water. Add 5 1/2 cups of the flour and stir to form a shaggy dough. Knead in your mixer on low speed with a dough hook or knead by hand for 8-10 minutes to form a smooth, slightly tacky dough. Check the dough halfway through; if it’s very sticky (think: bubble gum), add a little more flour. The dough is ready when it forms a ball without sagging and quickly springs back when poked.

Toss the raisins with a few tablespoons of flour to absorb any residual moisture from when they were plumped. With the mixer on gradually add them to the bowl and continue kneading until they are evenly distributed.

If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto your work surface and pat it into an oval. Sprinkled about half the raisins over the top and fold the dough like a letter. Pat it into an oval again, sprinkle the remaining raisins, and fold it again. Knead the dough by hand for a few minutes to distribute the raisins through the dough. (Alternatively, you can reserve the raisins and sprinkle them over the dough along with the cinnamon-sugar.)

Return the dough to the bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and beat together the egg and water in a second bowl.

Divide the dough into two pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough out on the counter. It should be slightly less wide than your baking pan and as long as you can make it. The thinner the dough, the more layers of crazy-good cinnamon swirl you’ll end up with. If the dough starts to shrink back on you, let it rest for a few minutes and then try again.

Brush the entire surface of the dough with egg wash, leaving about two inches clear at the top. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Starting at the end closest to you, roll up the dough. When you get to the top, pinch the seam closed. Transfer the loaf to your loaf pan seam-side down. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Let the loaves rise until mounded over the top of the pan and pillowy, 30-40 minutes. Halfway through rising, preheat the oven to 375° F.

Brush the top with some of the remaining egg wash. If desired, sprinkle some of your remaining cinnamon-sugar over the tops of the loaves as well. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Remove the loaves from the pans and allow them to cool completely before slicing. Baked loaves can also be frozen for up to three months.

Source: The Kitchn

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

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I’m not  a huge fan of cookies. But these, these make me change my tune. They’re so chocolatey and rich, it’s really all you can do to eat one. I’ve made them a couple of times now, and they’ve turned out great both times. The first time I made them, I didn’t freeze the peanut butter cups. While they tasted great, they weren’t the prettiest. This time I did freeze the chocolate, and the cups held their shape beautifully.

I love that it’s a double dose of peanut butter and chocolate. The peanut butter cups of course, but then also the addition of peanut butter to the chocolate cookie batter. Just enough chocolate flavor to really let the peanut butter shine through! I used crunchy peanut butter for this most recent batch, and was a bit worried it would affect the final outcome. But, in fact, I  rather liked the small pieces of peanuts inside the cookie. So, I’ve changed the recipe to reflect that.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1½ cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. coarse salt
¾ stick (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. crunchy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. milk
2 cups coarsely chopped peanut butter cups, divided (freeze the peanut butter cups for at least 30 minutes before chopping. It makes them easier to unwrap, easier to cut, and helps them stay intact while you mix them into the dough)

Preheat the oven to 350? F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Blend until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add in 1½ cups of the chopped peanut butter cups and fold in gently with a spatula.

Use a large dough scoop (about 3 tablespoons) to drop rounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing 2-3 inches apart. Gently press a few pieces of the reserved peanut butter cups into the top of each of the dough balls. Bake 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. (The cookies may seem too soft immediately after coming out of the oven but they will set as they cool. You don’t want to overbake them.) Let cool on the baking sheets about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Source:  Annie’s Eats, adapted from King Arthur Flour