Yummy goodness

I have two recipes that I want to share with you. They are SO delicious and I am so excited to have discovered them.

Recipe #1: Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema

When Neil first saw the word "tacos" on the menu, he got very excited. Then he noticed the word "fish" in front of it and was visibly deflated. There may have even been some pouty lower-lip action. Neil is not shy about sharing his dissatifaction with some of my cooking experiments and he was positive this was going to be disgusting. And, I have to admit, I was a bit trepidatious about it myself. I don't usually think to myself, "fish tacos. Yum". So Neil usually makes up his mind before the food is made whether or not he is going to like something, and he rarely changes his mind. It's a little intimidating, actually, knowing that someone has decided not to like your food before you've even begun making it. However - HOWEVER - this recipe changed his mind. He liked it. In fact, when I put it on the menu this week, he looked at it, and there was no pouting, no lower lip - amazing! And that is because it is so YUMMY!

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema
from Cooking Light (Dec. 06 issue)

Cumin, coriander, and paprika lend these fish tacos a delightfully warm, smoky flavor. They're the perfect foundation for the zippy sour cream sauce. For an appealing variation, substitute peeled medium shrimp for the snapper or romaine in place of cabbage.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)
Ingredients
Crema:
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
Tacos:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
Cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.

Notes: I used Halibut the first time I made these, and then Petrale Sole the second time. They were both a really nice, meaty fish that flaked into nice big chunks. I also used lettuce instead of cabbage, and when I make any of the cooking light recipes, I disregard all of their fat-free mumbo-jumbo. I use full-fat mayonnaise and sour cream and then am easy on the portion size. It's not worth what you sacrifice in flavor for the small reduction in calories, in my opinion. Also, we used flour burrito-size tortillas. Don't skip the crema - this is what makes the entire recipe. It would still taste okay without it, but it's AMAZING when you add it! It would also probably make a great dip for raw veggies.

Anyways, I hope you love it. I couldn't wait for the next day so I could eat the leftovers for lunch!!

Recipe #2: Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Fingers

This was another recipe that I was nervous Neil would find something wrong with. Don't get me wrong, he loves the idea of chicken fingers, but these have coconut flakes and curry powder in them - two flavors that Neil is not so fond of. So, I just didn't mention to him that these ingredients were in there. And he didn't seem to notice - he just gobbled them up and made "mmm" sounds. The other really great thing about these is that they aren't fried. They are baked in the oven, and, because of the cornflakes, they come out FABULOUSLY crunchy. Oh my gosh they were so good, I could have eaten like Lola, without stopping, until my gut was watermelon sized. Please, please try these. You will be so happy.

Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Fingers
from Cooking Light magazine (April 08)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 chicken fingers)

Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch-thick) strips. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
2. Preheat oven to 475°. Place baking sheet in oven.
3. Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine crushed cornflakes and next 5 ingredients (through ground red pepper) in a shallow dish.
4. Working with 1 chicken strip at a time, dip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture, and cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 475° for 6 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.

Notes: I used one large chicken breast and it was enough for both Neil and I to happily stuff ourselves. I served them with home-fried potatoes and a green salad. One tip - don't toss the strips with flour in a bowl. Put the flour in a separate bowl and dip each individual strip into the flour to coat, then follow the remaining steps. If you toss them all together in the bowl, you get a huge, goopy, gluey mess. Not good. I cut back on the coconut flakes and probably only used 1/4 of a cup or so (that was all I had left). And I was nervous about the curry powder, so I probably only used 1/4 of a teaspoon of that. I made some homemade ranch and we dipped the strips and the potates in this. Oh, I'm drooling just typing this. Honestly.

BON APPETIT! (We watched Julie and Julia a few nights ago and Meryl Streep was just delightful. I wanted to be best friends with Julia Child after we watched it)