Fish Tacos

Every time I think of fish tacos, I think of Dean from Supernatural.  If you are a fan, you know what I mean. 😂

I am not a fan of fish or any seafood.  However, I know that fish is good for me and I have been trying some.  I have always liked tuna and I like salmon when done properly.  I do not like cod because it feels too thick and rubbery.  I prefer a flaky fish.  For this recipe, as well as the pecan crusted tilapia, we use tilapia loins.  I really like those. 

Ingredients: 
Batter:
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour, heaping
water as needed to loosen up the batter
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning (we use our own concoction which I will post at another time)
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt

Tacos:
small corn or flour tortillas (I personally prefer the flour with this)
3-4 tilapia fillets (There is enough batter that you could do more if you need)
avocado slices (optional)
shredded red cabbage (optional)
lime zest (optional)
grapeseed oil for frying (preferred frying oil)
preferred shredded cheese (we use a combination of Oaxaca cheese and quesadilla melting cheese; goat cheese would be good on these as well.)

Cream: 
1/4 cup crema
1/4 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lime
salt
pepper

Directions:
Heat up a skillet with oil for frying.
Dip fish fillets into batter, coating evenly.
Make sure oil is hot enough before tossing battered fish into the pan.  We use a laser thermometer after many other thermometers have been ruined in oil.  They just don't last long that way.  We use the minimum amount of oil on this recipe so there is no way to clip a thermometer on the side anyway. 
While this is happening, stir together the ingredients for the cream. 
When fish is cooked through, cut into bite size chunks and put in soft taco tortillas with preferred toppings. 


These are so good and I say that as someone who is EXTREMELY picky about seafood and fish.

Chicken Crust Pizza

***Disclaimer: I am still perfecting this recipe.  Feel free to use it and make it your own.  It is very important to make sure the layer of chicken for the crust is very thin.

One thing I have missed since losing weight is pizza.  It is so hard to make sure you have a pizza that matches nutritional needs after surgery or really, to maintain any weight loss.  This is a way to have pizza and still get the high protein and low carb needed.  Keep in mind, we do not have a full-sized oven where we live.  We have a large toaster oven.  This works fine for most of our needs, but if you are cooking in a full-sized oven with a regular sized sheet pan, you may need to up the amounts on the ingredients listed.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3-1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of black pepper
Topping:
Favorite tomato sauce (Sometimes I make my own, sometimes I buy carefully)
1/4 cup parmesan
Sprinkle of chopped basil
Mozzerella
Favorite pizza toppings

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.  Add all of the ingredients for the crust to a food processor.  Blend until mixed well.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add pizza crust spread very thin.  The thin crust is key.  The crust will thicken some as it cooks and to get the crust to be a similar consistency to regular pizza, it must be pretty thin.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the edges have browned and the chicken has cooked through.
Add ingredients for the toppings starting with the sauce.  You can put whatever toppings you like. I prefer cheese or pineapple.  J prefers bacon.  We made a half cheese, half bacon pizza.  Back in the oven with the toppings for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to golden.
Remove from the oven, slice, and enjoy after cooling for a few minutes.

High Protein Granola

I have been working on my own granola recipe.  Most granola you find in the store is high carb and almost no protein.  If I eat carbs, I make sure to have enough protein first.  However, I like a little something with my yogurt now that I eat so much.  I have two recipes for now.  I will add more as I create and play around with the recipe.  This is a good base and easy to change up to your own tastes... Don't like pistachios? Use another type of nut.  Don't like nuts much?  Take some of the nuts out and add more oats and rice cereal.  Just remember, if you add more of those, you add more carbs back into the granola.

Vanilla Cinnamon Granola
Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup rice cereal
1 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (you could use any seed but I prefer sunflower)
1/2 cup pistachios
1-2 scoops vanilla protein powder
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Handful dried cranberries (optional)
2-3 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. maple syrup (optional, you can change up sources of sweetness)
1 Tbsp. sugar substitute (I use in the raw stevia if possible, or sometimes I leave out.  You could use more of this and less syrup if you would like.)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oats, cereal, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, protein powder, cinnamon, sweetener, cranberries, and salt.
Make a well in the center of the bowl and add wet ingredients to the well: butter, applesauce, eggs, and syrup.
Fold over until well combined. 
Spread the mixture on the parchment lined baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for approximately 24 minutes.  I turn the tray halfway to make sure it bakes evenly.  If you have a thicker batch, you may want to flip the granola before you turn.  I haven't noticed that flipping makes much difference.
Let the granola cool completely. 
I go ahead and cut this into bars and dip them in the yogurt.  I have not been able to get it crunchy enough to pour into yogurt but I love it dipped in or just as a bar. 
I keep this on the cabinet in a glass jar for a few days to about a week.  You can put it in the fridge but this definitely changes the texture and adds moisture.

Peanut Butter Granola
Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup rice cereal
1 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (you could use any seed but I prefer sunflower)
1/2 cup pistachios
1-2 scoops unflavored protein powder
4 Tbsp. powdered peanut butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. maple syrup (optional, you can change up sources of sweetness)
1 Tbsp. sugar substitute (I use in the raw stevia if possible, or sometimes I leave out.  You could use more of this and less syrup if you would like.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oats, cereal, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, protein powder, peanut butter powder, sweetener, and salt.
Make a well in the center of the bowl and add wet ingredients to the well: butter, applesauce, eggs, and syrup.
Fold over until well combined. 
Spread the mixture on the parchment lined baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for approximately 24 minutes.  I turn the tray halfway to make sure it bakes evenly.  If you have a thicker batch, you may want to flip the granola before you turn.  I haven't noticed that flipping makes much difference.
Let the granola cool completely. 
I go ahead and cut this into bars and dip them in the yogurt.  I have not been able to get it crunchy enough to pour into yogurt but I love it dipped in or just as a bar. 
I keep this on the cabinet in a glass jar for a few days to about a week.  You can put it in the fridge but this definitely changes the texture and adds moisture.

Teriyaki Burgers

Well, things in our world are very crazy right now.  Big changes have happened for our little family at the same time and things have not gone as planned at all.  My husband and I have both found ourselves without our regular jobs during this COVID-19 craziness.  I really don't have another word for the current situation. I am still working but inconsistently.  My husband is not working at all.  Tough times...

However, I am lucky enough to have a decently stocked kitchen since I am normally a bit of a "prepper" when it comes to the freezer and pantry.  With the changes I have had since surgery, I am still working hard to be healthy and continue to lose some weight.  I have now lost 97 pounds, over 50 inches, and 5-6 sizes depending on the fit of the clothes.  I am no longer on the obesity charts, no longer prediabetic, no longer have high blood pressure, and no longer in plus size clothing.  Some think that surgery is the easy way out, but it is not.  I have still had to do a lot of work and after years of medical issues, it was truly a life saver.

I made this burgers with ground turkey.  However, in the future, I believe I will use other meat such as pork or bison.  I just don't care for the texture of ground turkey.  You could also put these on a bun like a burger but we did not.  I am very careful with carbs and usually prefer to get better carbs from other sources. 

Friends often ask if they can leave something out...  Of course you can.  Some things need a substitution but some don't.  If you don't like onions, leave them out and add flavor with something else... more garlic and ginger perhaps.  If you don't like ginger, leave it out. If you don't like ground turkey, use pork, chicken, bison, or whatever is your favorite ground meat.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey (or any lean meat)
1/4 cup scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce but I don't do soy)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 small chopped onion
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
salt and pepper
olive oil spray

Directions:
Combine turkey, scallions, garlic, ginger, and pepper in a bowl.  Divide mixture into patties.  If you are putting this on a bun, make 4 patties.  If not, you can make the patties smaller if you like.  Spray the bottom of a skillet with the olive oil. Cook the burgers until cooked through on medium/medium-high heat.  Remove burgers from pan.  You can keep the burgers in the oven to stay warm or tent with foil.  Pour chicken stock, coconut aminos, vinegar, and onions to the hot pan.  Simmer until onions are soft.  Stir in sesame oil and serve over the burger patties.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not everything can be healthy.  During the holidays, I still ate some cookies, I was just very careful about how many I ate.  These cookies were a winner.  They were so good that J wants me to make some without chocolate chips next time.  (He doesn't like chocolate much.)  I used the recipe from BakerByNature and made a few edits to go with my own tastes.  But I must give credit where it is due because this is the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever eaten. 

Ingredients:
14 Tbsp. salted butter
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup 2Tbsp. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

(The chocolate chips is where I varied the recipe.  I prefer less chocolate and made my own mix of flavors. The original recipe called for 2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.)

Directions:
Place the butter in a small sauce pan on medium-high heat.  Stir constantly until butter is melted and just starting to brown.  Scrape butter into a bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator until butter is room temperature. 
After butter is back to room temperature, preheat oven to 375°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt.  In the stand mixer bowl, add the brown butter and all sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each egg.  Slowly fold in the flour mixture.  I still used the stand mixer for this but added it in slowly.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Roll the dough into desired size balls, I used 1-2 tablespoon size but I didn't measure.  I just did what felt and looked right.  Place the dough balls on the parchment paper leaving about 2 inches between each ball for spreading.  Back each baking sheet for 8-10 minutes.  The cookies should be golden at the edges but still soft in the center.  Let cookies cool a bit before transferring.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia

I will start by saying, I am not a fan of fish.  I am not a fan of any seafood for that matter.  However, I do experiment now and then with certain fish.  Tilapia is one I like when it is done right.  Most recipes though, include things like bread crumbs, flour, corn meal, etc.  All of these add a lot of carbs.  I remembered that I used to order pecan-crusted chicken salad at a restaurant which we no longer have locally.  So, I thought I would try it myself.  This went over very well with me and J.  I would like to play around a bit more with the crust to make it stick a little better, but it was good whether I perfect that part or not.

Ingredients:
2-3 tilapia fillets (if you need more, double the recipe)
2 large eggs (If you would like to cut down on some fat, you can use egg whites)
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup ground pecans (I used a spice grinder)
1/2 cup chopped/crushed pecans (I used a mallet and a plastic zip bag)
salt and pepper
season salt
lemon juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
lemon wedges (optional)
Olive oil spray

Directions:
Preheat the broiler to high.  In a shallow dish, mix the eggs or add egg whites.  In another shallow dish, combine pecans, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle each fillet with season salt, then dip each in egg, and cover with the pecan mixture.  Then place them on a broiler pan coated with olive oil spray.  Broil each side for 5-6 minutes, or until done. 
Mix together the mayo and lemon juice.  Feel free to sprinkle some lemon juice on top of the fish fillets as well.  If you like, you could add some dill or pickle juice to the mayo sauce.  We don't like dill or pickle juice but many people like that taste with fish.

Chicken Burrito Salad

It is more important than ever for my family to eat healthy.  I have been working almost daily to find winning dishes that satisfy all of the needs and picky taste buds.

Ingredients:
Chicken Burrito Salad:
3-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Taco Seasoning (I use my own you can find here.)
Green Leaf Lettuce (You can use your favorite lettuce.)
Roma Tomatoes
1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Favorite Salsa

Dressing:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Juice of One Lime
2 Tbsp. Favorite Salsa


Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and toss into a pan with the olive oil over medium-high heat.  After the chicken starts to cook, add in the taco seasoning.  I don't measure the taco seasoning.  I season to taste.  Stir around the chicken regularly until almost done.  Add in some of your favorite salsa. Cook until chicken is done and most of the water has cooked out of the salsa.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad bed.  I used green leaf lettuce because that is my favorite.  Tear it into bite sized pieces and dice up a tomato.  Add the chicken on top.

For the dressing, stir together all ingredients and pour the desired amount over the chicken and salad.