Summer in a bottle

Woohoo!! Summer time has arrived here in Northern Virginia! Finally! 

After what seemed like the coldest, longest winter in decades, the spring finally came...for two weeks and we went straight to summer. Ugh! 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity...not that I'm complaining. Having once lived through two winters in Maine, and the accompanying snow and fridges cold that  went on for 6 months , I resolved never to complain about the heat again. 

That being said, I need a drink. Something cool and refreshing. Maybe a touch sweet. So off to my container herb garden I went to grab some fresh mint for some iced mint tea. 

This isn't so much a Recipe. It's more of a technique- 

Step 1

Boil water in a kettle

Step 2 find beautiful glass bottle, jar, pitcher (make sure it is heat resistant or it may shatter) and fill with a large bunch of mint. Your decision on how much you use but I like mine quite minty and use about one cup of tightly packed leaves, well rinsed of course. You don't want any bugs on your tea (unless you are looking for the extra protein from wee beasties that might live in your mint- hahaha). 

Step 3

Add between 1/3 c to a full cup of sugar for sweetness. This is your preference here. I like mine slightly sweet but the kids like it a touch sweeter than i do because, well, they are children and will work for sugar.

Step 4

Add the boiling water and stir to dissolve  the sugar. Enjoy watching the beautiful swirls of sugar syrup and mint mingle 

Step 5

Let stand as long as you can you hold off and enjoy over ice cubes. My daughter loves to use ice cubesade from leftover lemonade.

Xx

K

Cinco de Mayo Improv!

Yay! It's Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo...a match made in taco heaven! So I head to the freezer to pull out my go to mahi mahi and - shock! horror!- there are only 3 pieces of fish, 2 fillets of mahi and one of flounder. Grr....I hate it when this happens. Poor planning on my part but I got this covered. I will have black beans and rice, with a salad, chips and salsa for dinner. Dearest husband and daughter get the mahi and my picky son gets the flounder. No problem.

Fish goes in a bowl of cold water to defrost and I head down to the pantry to pull out my go to canned Goya black beans.... and no beans! Seriously!?! I can't believe this. I am down to my last can of beans  and it is chick peas, which would be fine for Indian night but they don't say Cinco de Mayo to me. Ugh!

Quick glance over the shelves and Iron Chef Pantry it is! I grab the tube of tomato paste, a can of whole kernel corn, and the bag of precooked lentils my sister brought me from the UK and lentil and corn vegan tacos for me/side dish for everyone else and we are off to the races!

Fish Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. Smoked or regular paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Corn and Lentil Tacos

 1 tap canola oil
1 onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 roasted red pepper, diced (jarred is fine)
1 tbsp. Tomato paste
1/2 can sweet whole kernel corn, drained
8 oz cooked Le Puy lentils (you could use any kind of lentil, but the Le Puy lentils keep their shape and integrity better and the texture is really nice)
2 tbsp. jarred Sofrito (I love Goya) but if you make your own that's even better
1/4 c water
1 small whole bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tap fish taco seasoning (optional)

Sauté onions and garlic in canola oil over medium heat until soft
Add remaining ingredients and simmer until all of the water have nearly evaporated
Serve immediately as a side dish with brown rice or as a taco filling with toppings of your choice. 

Grilled Fish Tacos

Preheat grill or grill pan to high

4  4-6 oz Fish fillets- I prefer mahi Mahi or flounder, but use whichever white fleshed fish that you like and can find at your fish counter

Brush the fish lightly with canola oil on each side and sprinkle liberally with the seasoning.
Place firm fleshed fish, like mahi mahi directly on a well oiled grill, or if using a more fragile fish like flounder mist a piece of foil with canola oil, place fish on the foil and then the foil onto the grill.

Cook the mahi mahi on high heat for 4-5 minutes per side or the flounder for 7 minutes (no need to flip)

Assemble tacos using corn or flour tortillas- corn is traditional but hey, you use what you like best-with sour cream or chipotle mayo, shredded white cabbage or romaine lettuce, slice avocado and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!

Both tacos were delicious, and while fish tacos are a staple in our house, the lentil and corn tacos will definitely be added to the rotation.

Hope you enjoy them!


Xx
K