Category: Mexican Food

Homemade and Delicious (!) Whole Wheat Tortillas
Mexican Food

Homemade and Delicious (!) Whole Wheat Tortillas

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Whole wheat foods have sort of been on my “no thank you” list! I associate it with dry and tasteless! A recent series of high blood pressure readings have put me on a trajectory of using the DASH Diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. If I can keep from adding medications by the foods I eat, I’m happy to comply!

As I looked at the foods they suggest, I realized that my white flour needed to be greatly reduced. With Cinco De Mayo on the horizon last week, I decided to make some homemade mostly whole wheat tortillas. I was skeptical because I had made some in the past and remembered them being tough and tasteless. My recipe is super simple, and with the use of my tortilla press, a small rolling pin, and my Ninja grill, they came out beautifully!!

I think there are two essentials in these turning out well –

  1. Rolling them out very thin
  2. Not cooking them too long, but just until they get little brown spots that begin to form.

Here’s the recipe:

Whole Wheat Tortillas

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour – I used 1 1/2 C whole wheat and 1/2 cup white – You could use all Whole Wheat if you desired!
2 Tbl Olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 Cup warm water – I added more – just until the dough came together

Mix the flour, salt, and the olive oil until it resembles cornmeal. Then add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Knead for about 1 minute. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into eighths. Roll each section into a ball and press with a tortilla press, then roll with a rolling pin until very thin. Cook in a skillet a couple minutes on each side – or until brown spots begin to form.

Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, these are a great choice if you’re wanting to eat a little healthier. These are such a delicious option! They’re much better than store-bought whole wheat tortillas! If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, you’re in for a treat. These actually have flavor! You need to try these or these, if you’re not concerned about eating white flour. You can also find Spanish Rice and the BEST Refried Beans recipes here on my blog!

Parsarlo bien! (Enjoy!)

Sheet Pan Fish Tacos
Fast meal · Mexican Food

Sheet Pan Fish Tacos

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New recipes are found everywhere…even in the Kroger Magazine! I love Kroger for lots of reasons, but this magazine they send out is a new reason to love shopping with them! The recent edition had tons of great recipes, as well as some craft ideas! I found some super good spring recipes that I tried this week. As a matter of fact, I tried FOUR recipes from in one week! But this recipe I’m sharing today was our favorite!

A lovely spice mixture is sprinkled on both the veggies and the fish, giving a normally plain piece of fish great flavor! The Crema that is added to the taco will make you want seconds or thirds! Wow. It’s just so good.

There are a couple changes I’ll be making in their method, and I’ll note them in the recipe below.

Directions

  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 orange bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1⁄2 medium red onion, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 pound tilapia, cut into 1” strips – I used Mahi Mahi and it was super good!
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
  • 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Salt
  • Warm corn or flour tortillas
  • Avocado slices
  • Step 1 Place rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Step 2 In small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne and salt.
  • Step 3 On sheet pan, drizzle peppers and onion with 1 tablespoon oil. Toss with half the spice mixture. Bake until lightly browned, 15 minutes. (I like my veggies a little crisp, so I’m going to add the fish and veggies on the pan at the same time. These were too cooked for my preference.
  • Step 4 Meanwhile, in medium bowl, toss fish, remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining spice mixture. Set aside.
  • Step 5 Push roasted vegetables to one half of pan; lay fish on other half. Return to oven; bake until fish is opaque and reaches a safe internal temperature of 145°F, 10 minutes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon lime juice over pan. Again, I’m going to add the fish and vegetables at the same time and cook them for the 10 minutes.
  • Step 6 In medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and cayenne. Season with salt, to taste.
  • Step 7 Serve fish on warm tortillas with sauce and avocado slices. Refrigerate any leftovers.

I served this with a homemade creamy coleslaw and it was the perfect side dish.

If you have a love for tacos like we do, and you enjoy fish, I hope you’ll try this recipe and be sure to make the Crema, too; it makes it extra special!

Also, like this recipe I shared a couple weeks ago, this is a one pan meal! Gotta love that!

Happy Taco Tuesday one day early! Thanks, Kroger!
Here’s another take on fish tacos that we love as well as this recipe for my homemade tortillas.

A New Side Dish for Delicious Variety!
Mexican Food · Side dish

A New Side Dish for Delicious Variety!

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If there’s an area of meal planning where I find it hard to come up with new ideas, it’s the category of side dishes! It’s so easy to get into a rut of green beans, corn and baked potatoes. We like each of those things and they’re easy. They take no thought, but they get really boring after a while!

Recently when looking for something to add to my meal of Tandoori Shrimp, I came across a Brown Rice Salad and Black Beans and Corn recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I went for it! Were we very happy I did! My husband raved about it the first night and when leftovers were served the next day, he exclaimed again how good this was! I heartily agree! You could serve this warm or cold and it would be perfect.

It’s hard to get a pretty picture of brown rice, so you have to trust me on this one. The flavor combinations are just so good!

Brown Rice Salad with Black Beans and Corn

1 Cup instant uncooked Brown Rice
15 oz. Black Beans, drained
1 Cup frozen corn kernels
1/4 Cup diced scallions
2 Tbl cilantro
2 tsp pickled Jalapeno peppers – I left this out
1 Tbl lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions:
Cook rice according to directions on package.
While rice is warm, add all other ingredients. Serve with lime wedges.

This couldn’t be easier! It would be a great accompaniment to Mexican meals, chicken or fish.

Get out of your side dish rut and try this. You may be a long time before you look at baked potatoes again!


dinner in 30 minutes · Fish · Mexican Food · Side dish · Tacos

A New Twist On Taco Tuesday

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If you grimace at the thought of Fish Tacos, it’s probably because you’ve never had a really tasty one! We are HUGE taco fans in any shape or fashion, so I am always willing to try a new recipe for our favorite fare because they come together in under 30 minutes, they’re healthy when broiled, and they’re so yummy!

Smoky Tilapia Tacos

I recently came across a new recipe for Fish Tacos in my favorite source – a Cooking Light Magazine. If you’ve been with me for any length of time, you know I adore their recipes. They did not disappoint! This has become my new favorite Fish taco recipe! Their recipe has a little kick added, which I have found the fish really needs in order to be exceptional. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the seasonings, just wing it and enjoy! I’ll share my substitutions and omissions in the following recipe.

Smoky Tilapia Tacos

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika –I used regular paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander – I left this out
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 2 pounds tilapia fillets – I used frozen Polluck
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro – I’m not a huge fan, so I omitted this
  • 2 teaspoons canned chopped green chilies
  • 1 diced peeled avocado
  • 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas – I used my homemade flour tortillas
  • Cooking spray
  • 6 lime wedges

How to Make It

Preheat broiler to high.

Combine first 4 ingredients and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Brush fillets with oil, and sprinkle with spice mixture. Place fillets on a baking sheet. Broil 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, cilantro, chilies, and avocado in a bowl; lightly mash with a fork.

Heat tortillas on a grill pan coated with cooking spray 20 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Divide avocado mixture and fish among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges.

To accompany the tacos, Cooking Light suggested a recipe for Pinto beans which are canned, and are cooked very similarly to the way I share here. Then they are topped with the best cream! I added this cream to the tacos, too, which gave them such a full flavor! These take only Minutes to put together!

My husband declared he’d rather I never fix refried Beans again, and only serve these with Mexican food. I heartily agree! I bet you will, too!

Simmered Pinto Beans with Chipotle Sour Cream

Simmered Pinto Beans with Chipotle Sour Cream

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce

How to Make It

Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion, bell pepper, cumin, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add stock, salt, black pepper, and beans; simmer 7 minutes. Stir in juice and parsley.

Combine remaining ingredients; serve with beans.

Pure heaven!

Refresh your Taco Tuesday by fixing a fishy version with a side of the BEST beans you’ve ever eaten!