Miso Ginger Glazed Chicken Thighs

Tonight’s dinner had us seeking out an ingredient we never had before- Miso Paste.  While we have a pretty awesome Mexican selection at our local Shop N Save, the Asian section leaves us with just the basics. 

So we headed over to Olive to China Town Market.  Olive Boulevard in University City is full of a lot of ethnic food grocery stores and restaurants.  Just about all of them fall in that, “are you sure we’re supposed to be HERE?” category. 

We walked into China Town Market and I was totally feeling that way. First, almost all of the packaging for all the items was written in Chinese characters.  There were some things that were pretty obvious what they were (hey, there’s some rice!) but just about everything else looked a little out of our league.  After wandering through a few of the aisles we realized we were going to need some help.  We asked about the miso paste and were directed to it, only to find out a.) miso means soybean (ohhhhh) and b.) there’s a red kind and a white kind.  According to Wikipedia, the red kind is a little stronger tasting.  We picked the red kind.  The recipe actually called for shiso miso paste, and I’m still not sure if we got the right stuff. 

After finding some miso paste, we found ourselves in the candy/ chip aisle and it took all of my might to get us out of there without buying cod jerky (just let that sink in a minute…) and wintermelon candy.

It turned out pretty good.  It had the taste of one of those tasty chicken dishes on the Chinese buffet, but a lot healthier.  I felt pretty good about eating it. 

Little red chili flakes give the chicken some flavor but don't go overboard. 

Caramelious Monkeybread

Lee gets his recipes from all over the place… magazines, websites, old family recipes, and of course, from our friends.  One of our friends, Leena, put on Facebook that she had some awesome and easy Monkeybread, and we wanted in.  Leena shared the surprisingly easy recipe with us.  It was originally published in the December 2009 Southern Living magazine.

It ended up being delicious.  The cinnamon and smooth caramel cut through the rolls and becomes the scrumptious and juicy ball of dough that makes up for every dry and under seasoned cinnamon roll you’ve ever had.  

Check out that caramel dripping down the bread- have a napkin ready!

Goulash and Csipetke

Goulash.  It sounds like some sort of torture food, doesn’t it?  I had my first experience with goulash when I was 5.  I was at my best friend’s house and her mom served it up for dinner.  I was a picky kid and wouldn’t eat it, but her mom forced me to have just one spoonful, which quickly turned into two bowlfuls.  It was delicious. 

Then later, I discovered something even better, Grandpa’s Goulash.  What I remember most about my Grandpa was his garden, he had this huge garden filled with corn and beans and all kinds of great vegetables, but most importantly, it was overrun with strawberry and raspberry bushes.  We would spend hours picking (and eating) the berries.  I thought that was the best thing about his house, until the day he made goulash.  It was nothing like what was served up at my friend’s house, but it was even better.  Grandpa’s been gone over 15 years now, but whenever goulash comes up, I think of him.  

So when I was reading Hunter Angler Gardener Cook blog the other day and came across a recipe for not just goulash, but venison goulash, I knew I had to make Lee make it for me.  He swapped out venison for chuck roast because oddly, we don’t have venison in the freezer right now. And we didn't have lard or sunflower oil, or caraway seed, or two kinds of paprika.  So go to their blog for the original recipe, Lee's adapted recipe is below.

Goulash and homemade noodles- WOW

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

I gave fish tacos the stink eye for about a year before I broke down and tried them.  It took seeing them on menu after menu and on the Food Network and then hearing about them from countless friends before I could make fish and taco go together in my head.  It’s the Midwesterner in me, I guess.  My mom still cringes when I say fish taco.  I think we have an irrational fear that the chef is going to feed us ground fish- which would be pretty gross, I think.  

Once I gave in and had my first fish taco (at Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square) I was hooked.  There was no ground fish, just fillets of delicious fish fillets. 

Tonight, Lee set out to make fish tacos.  You’ll remember he loves him some tacos.  He’s been talking up these fish tacos since Monday.  It’s almost embarrassing how excited he was to make them. 

Nope, not tartar sauce, that's coleslaw!!!

It was worth the wait!   

These fish tacos are fried in a batter that’s not too heavy and just crunchy enough, then your mouth hits the creamy cool cilantro lime coleslaw that was seriously meant to be served with fish and finishes up with a sharp crunch of radishes… all wrapped together in a tasty flour tortilla. 

Lime and Cilantro Coleslaw

Inspired by a recipe by Tyler Florence/ Food Network

1 bag of coleslaw mix

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, torn

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 limes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Toss the cabbage, green onions and cilantro in a large salad bowl.
2. Make the dressing by combining the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and the zest of the limes in a medium bowl.
3. Season with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lime juice. 
4. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.
5. Store in refrigerator overnight so all the flavors meld.

Calories 131      Calories from Fat 79

Total Fat 8.8g

Saturated Fat 2.7g

Cholesterol 13mg

Sodium 122mg

Total Carbohydrates 13.1g

Dietary Fiber 1.3g

Sugars 3.9g

Protein 1.3g

Vitamin A 8%   Vitamin C 30%

Calcium 5%       Iron 3%

Fish Tacos

6 tacos

3 tilapia fillets

1 cup flour

1 cup very cold water

1 tbsp baking soda

1 cup oil

½ cup sliced radishes

6 8-inch flour tortillas

1 cup lime and cilantro coleslaw

1. Mix flour, water and baking soda and dredge tilapia in mixture.
2. Heat oil in frying pan and fry fish.
3. Heat up tortillas in dry frying pan or microwave.
4. Slice fish fillets into chucks and place on tortilla. 
5. Top with a scoop of coleslaw and slices of radishes.

Amount Per Taco

Calories 420   Calories from Fat 121

Total Fat 13.5 g

Saturated Fat 3.8g

Cholesterol 96 mg

Sodium 827 mg

Total Carbohydrates 40g

Dietary Fiber 3.5g

Protein 36.4g

What food did you have trouble wrapping your head around, but you’re glad you gave it a chance?

Almost Famous Bacon Tuna Melts

I’m often asked how I afford Lee.  He’s expensive and likes to make fancy food.  The simple answer is that we keep an eye on the sales and the coupons.  This week, we matched up a sale and coupons and stocked up on packs of tuna.  It can be kind of a rush to get tuna for fifty cents.  We probably will never fall in the Extreme Couponer category, but we could be categorized as Reasonably Moderate Couponers. 

But this is not a coupon blog. This is a food blog. 

Lee put those packs of tuna to work in his almost famous tuna sandwiches.  Now, this tuna salad is super good without the bacon and cheese, but really, if you can add bacon and cheese to anything, why won’t you?  The bacon here makes a meat bite before the softness of the tuna and the onion roll.

Bacon and cheese make everything more delicious!

Tuna Melts 

makes 2 giant sandwiches

2 cans Tuna (drained)

Half of onion (diced)

6 slices of bacon

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

2 onion rolls

½ cup real mayo

2 tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoon pickle relish or chopped sweet pickles

1 tablespoon chopped capers (optional)

1. Drain tuna and place in a bowl, mix in onion, mayo, mustard, relish, and capers.
2. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Preheat Broiler to High and place rack on the very top level.
4. Fry bacon and set aside.
5. Slice rolls and butter each half and place in a hot skillet to toast.
6. Take the bottom roll and cover with your tuna mixture. Next top with bacon, then the cheese.
7. Place on a sheet pan and broil for about 3 -4 minutes keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. 
8. Once done place the top part of the bun on and enjoy. 
   

Nutrition Facts

Calories 500   Calories from Fat 243

Total Fat 27.0g

Saturated Fat 9.8g

Cholesterol 70mg

Sodium 787mg

Total Carbohydrates 24.6g

Dietary Fiber 1.7g

Sugars 6.5g

Protein 38.8g

Vitamin A 10%  Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 32%      Iron 13%

What do you do to afford your fancy food obsession?