Baja Fish Taco Bowls

Ingredients:

• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T cumin
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 3-4 tilapia filets (or other fish of your choice - mahi mahi, cod, etc.) *I used the frozen filets from Costco
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh would be ideal, frozen is next best *what I used as corn isn't in season right now, canned is last choice)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• cooked brown rice (I used 2 cups uncooked) or you use spinach for a low carb option
• Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, baja ranch (equal portions ranch dressing mixed with pico de gallo or salsa)

Directions:

1. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and rub on both sides of fish filets. I used all my seasoning, but this could be easily adjusted for your preferences.
2. In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, heat about 1-2 T of olive oil.  Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds before adding the fish filets to the pan.  Cook fish on each side for several minutes.  I flipped the fish when the white color (indicating it was cooked) starting creeping up to the top side/edges of the fish.  Fish is done when it is white all the way through and flakes apart.  Remove fish filets and set aside.  Do NOT clean the pan out.
3. In the same pan, add corn, red bell pepper, and onions without additional oil.  Stir and then let cook for a couple of minutes without stirring.  Repeat the stir and wait process a few times until the peppers and onions are tender crisp. The "wait" part of this process gives them the roasted touch and blackened edges. Add in the black beans and stir to heat through.
4. In a bowl, layer rice, corn/bean/pepper/onion mixture and top with fish (flaked apart).  Top with your preference of goodies listed above!

My family FLIPPED over this meal!  100% repeater... and probably next week even! We also did a low carb version by serving up the fish and veggies over spinach instead of rice and used pico de gallo or baja ranch for the dressing, also delicious! It was quick and easy.  Extremely healthy too depending on how you top it.  Love, love, love!  adapted from a recipe on pinchofyum blog.

Blackened Cod Caesar Salad

Ingredients for rub:
3 tablespoons paprika (I used smoked)
1 teaspoon dried, crushed thyme leaf
1 teaspoon dried, crushed oregano
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Other ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 filets of Alaskan cod
2 heads of romaine, chopped
1 ripe avocado, cut into small chunks
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Croutons
Caesar salad dressing (I used store-bought)

Preparation:
1. Prepare the rub by mixing together all of the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, using a whisk.
2. Coat each fish filet with olive oil and then roll each filet in the dry rub mixture and add to a skillet or fry pan on medium heat. Cook fish evenly on each side until just before it is tender and flaky. Finish by raising temperature to high heat long enough to produce smoke - to "blacken" the fish. Remove from pan.
3. While fish is cooking, chop romaine, avocado, and tomatoes and place in a large serving bowl.
4. When fish is done, top your salad with fish, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing just before serving.

Mediterranean Roasted Salmon with Lemon-Feta Angel Hair Pasta

Mediterranean Roasted Salmon

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped pitted green olives
• 2 tablespoons chopped ripe olives

Directions

• Place salmon in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, honey, mustard and remaining salt. Spoon 1 tablespoon over each fillet.
• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, green pepper, olives and remaining oil mixture. Spoon over fillets.
• Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.

Lemon-Feta Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• In a large skillet, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Drain pasta; stir into skillet. Add the remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.

This was a HUGE hit at my house! It's a definite keeper!

Recipes and photo from Taste of Home

Creamy Pesto Salmon

Ingredients:

• Salmon fillet
• 1/2 c pesto
• 3/4 c alfredo sauce
• 1/2  small sweet onion, sliced 1/4" thick

Directions:

1. Lay out two sheets of overlapping foil and place salmon meat side up.
2. Mix together pesto and alfredo sauce and spread over salmon.
3. Separate rings of sweet onion slices and place on top of sauce.

4. Pull together sides of foil to make "tent" for the salmon/sauce/onions.
5. Place tent on the grill for about 13-15 minutes. Check for salmon to be flaky.

By the way, this final picture is not the real thing.  We completely devoured ours before I remembered to take a pic, but you get the idea. :-) Also, in case you were wondering, I use the pesto and alfredo sauce from Costco - conveniently sitting next to each other in the refrigerated section! I wish I could give proper credit to the person who shared this recipe with me (Kim?) but you will absolutely love how easy and "gourmet" this recipe is with a 3 minute prep time!

Baja Fish Tacos, Ole!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• About 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 pound flaky white fish (such as mahi mahi or cod), cut into 4 pieces
• Salt (to season)
• 8 fresh corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• 2 cups of raw coleslaw
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Mexican crema (light sour cream + hot sauce and/or salsa, to your liking)
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges 

Directions:

Marinate the Onion
Put the onion in a small bowl and pour in enough red wine vinegar to cover well. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to several weeks.

Marinate the Fish
Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and add the ancho chile powder, paprika, cumin, chopped cilantro, and some salt. Mix well. Place the fish on a dish and pour the marinade over it, making sure to coat the fish well on both sides. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook the Fish
Heat a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and place in the hot pan (there is no need to add more oil). Season the fish with salt. Cook the fish for 4 minutes undisturbed, then turn over, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and flake the fish into the pan with a fork, making sure to mix in all the marinade that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.

Heat the Tortillas
Place four of the tortillas on a plate and sandwich them between two slightly dampened sheets of paper towel. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Place the warm tortillas in a towel-lined basket or plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Assemble and Serve
To assemble the tacos, place a heaping spoonful of the marinated flaked fish onto the center of a tortilla. Squeeze a bit of lime juice on the fish.  Top with your choice of: marinated onions, coleslaw, cheese, avocado. Drizzle Mexican crema over the top. Enjoy!

Maple-Glazed Salmon

From Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder or ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground ancho chile powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 – 6 oz. Alaskan salmon filets

cooking spray

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

1.     Preheat broiler.

2.     Combine first 6 ingredients through salt; rub spice mixture evenly over one side of filets.  Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 8-10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

3.     Remove filets from oven and brush filets evenly with maple syrup; broil 2-3 minutes.

Note:  The salmon could also be grilled on your bar-be-que instead of broiling.