Tourist Fun and some (Healthy) Breaded Fish Tacos

With hubby's busy grad school schedule, we certainly don't get to clown around on the weekends as much as we used to. Our usual weekend itinerary goes a little like this... hubby's locked away in the office, head in the books...I, on the other hand spend my Saturdays out in the sun by the pool. Poor guy.

Well, last weekend we were lucky to have a sunny day to spend some time together doing fun touristy things around "America's Finest City" (San Diego, for those of you wondering). We spent the early afternoon enjoying margaaritas from the ocean view deck of the Hotel Del Coronado, soaking up the sunshine...and walking around the beautiful Coronado Island beaches.

During a nice, long stroll we proceeded to find the house of our dreams on the beach. Now, I just need to win the lottery. If you own this house, please call me. I'd be happy to be your maid.

After a rough afternoon of drinks and walks along the beach, we headed to the Gaslamp district to sip even more margaritas and grab a late lunch on an outdoor patio basking in the sun. We happened upon a somewhat cheesy Mexican joint, though it fit the bill since we were both in the mood for tacos.

By default, I always order fish tacos. I'm on a little bit of a San Diego area-wide fish taco taste test quest. You see, they're somewhat of a staple here. While Chicago has its Italian Beef and deep dish pizza, San Diego has amazing fish tacos.

While the fish tacos were tasty and satiated my craving, I thought back on my days in the Midwest where I'd cook fish tacos all the time. They didn't appear on many menus, and if they did, it was usually at a bar - not really the freshest source of fish in my opinion. It became my signature dish, seeing as they were a rare commodity. Once we moved to San Diego, we've had so much fun on our fish taco taste testing that my beloved taco recipe has fallen to the wayside.

So, today I bring you Part 2 of my Limes series: (Healthy) breaded fish tacos. I put healthy in parentheses because though these are not deep fried, its still hard to imagine anything breaded as healthy.

This is a dish I've been making for many years now, way before I realized fish tacos were somewhat trendy. (Gosh, I'm such a culinary pioneer.) Since I've been making these for years, documenting the exact recipe is a little tricky though I think this comes close. Traditionally, San Diego fish tacos are served on a charred corn tortilla with crispy fish draped in a smooth mayo-based sauce. To lighten things up, I substitute the mayo sauce with fresh pico de gallo, corn kernels and a few spinach leaves to add a smidgen more vitamins.

The fish are coated in a cornmeal breading and lightly pan fried with nothing but nonstick cooking spray. For the breading, I would highly suggest Andy's fish breading. It may not be available in all areas, but its by far the best I've tried. It lends a crispy coating without deep frying, and is seasoned to perfection. If you can't find it (look around the seafood counter), I suppose that another cornmeal-based breading would work.

Andy's Crusted Fish Tacos
Juice of one lime
1 pound of tilapia (or mahi mahi), cut into 1/4 inch chunks
dash of salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 egg whites
1 tbsp milk
1/2 cup of Andy's Fish Breading
4-6 flour or corn tortillas, warm
1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of chopped spinach or cabbage
Assorted veggies (i.e. corn kernels, avocado slices)

Pico de Gallo
Courtesy of Rachael Ray
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 white onion, coarsely chopped
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For pico de gallo, mix ingredients together and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Fish Tacos:
1. Sprinkle fish with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Setup breading station:
-In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic powder, egg white and milk. Place fish pieces into egg mixture.
-On a flat, shallow dish, sprinkle a thin layer of fish breading. Pour additional breading as needed.
3. Dredge fish chunks into cornmeal breading, several pieces at a time making sure that the fish are not covered in excess egg. Set the prepared fish aside.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray liberally with nonstick spray. Pan fry fish one layer at a time.
5. Serve tacos with lime wedges, pico de gallo, cilantro and spinach or cabbage.

Enjoy with a tasty margarita!

Aww, shucks! Thanks!

Thanks to Bridgett over at La Bella Cook for giving me the "I Love You This Much" Blog Award, which I must say, is one of the cutest I've seen. Doesn't it make you smile?

Bridgett has a fabulous blog with beautiful pictures that make me want to pack my bags and head on over to Italy for a month. Since that's sadly not feasible right now, I may just show up at her doorstep and have her bake me the delicious red velvet cake she posted. Go visit her & you won't be disappointed!

Like many others, I started this blog as a little project, mainly to help me keep track of my culinary experiments and serve as a virtual cookbook. I'm a little forgetful at times so what could be more helpful than posting my dishes on the web for the whole world to see? I wasn't sure who would read my blog, but I thank all my readers and visitors for coming by and offering comments. It really does make my day!

Though I'd really like to send this award along to all the blogs listed on my link list, I suppose that'd take awhile. I'm sharing this award with three blogs that I've been following for awhile and greatly enjoy:

• Paws and Pours combines a little of all the good things in life: food, wine, dogs. I don't have a dog right now (though desparately want one), so reading about Chase is a nice way to live vicariously.
• Adventures of an Amateur Foodie, based in San Diego, tempts me with not only yummy recipes but local restaurant reviews that remind me I need to branch out and go try something new!

Both of these blogs provide a wide variety of delicious recipes that I'm constantly bookmarking. My to-try list is way too long... Lastly,

• My Life in Transition, while not a food blog, is full of fun, laughter and life. Julia's uber-creativity inspires me to one day be creative. I just haven't gotten there yet. Seriously, this woman is amazing and cracks me up with every post.

Thanks again, Bridgett! :)

Gooey Delights - Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

I'm interrupting my previously scheduled "recipes with lime" series to tempt you (and myself) out of any previously scheduled diets. Yikes, I'm a nasty one.

In honor of my wonderful Mother who absolutely loves cinnamon rolls, I made these gooey & tasty treats for hubby and me on Mother's Day. Since my Mom couldn't actually fly out to join our glutton fest, I called her to wish her a Happy Mother's Day, and also tell her about my creation - I wasn't sure if she appreciated that or was just jealous. Sorry, Mom. I promise I'll make you some soon.

Though I'm not yeast phobic, baking with yeast is always a little bit of a gamble. My last kitchen disaster happened when I tried to make last minute dinner rolls and ran out of flour midway through the process. I still got a rise out of my rolls, but they were odd-tasting to say the least. Luckily, this attempt was much more successful.

Planning ahead this go around, I prepared the dough the night before and used the correct amount of flour. Genius, huh? After using my trusty Kitchen-Aid stand mixer to do the brunt of the work, I allowed the dough to rise (crossing my fingers the entire time) and then proceeded to roll out the dough, fill and cut like a madwoman who needed cinnamon rolls to survive.

Because I like things to be decadent if I'm going to splurge, I increased the amount of brown sugar in the cinnamon filling mixture to 1 cup. When sprinkling on the dough, it seems like an awful lot, but trust me, it's delicious and worth it. Plus, a little bit tends to fall out during the assembly process, and I want all the gooey goodness I can get. If you're so inclined, you could also add raisins or nuts to the filling and thus incorporate some vitamins into an otherwise non-nutritious meal. After rolling (be sure to make it tight!) and cutting the rolls, I covered the beauties with plastic wrap and let them sit in the fridge overnight.

Fast forward to Sunday morning, I woke up when the sunlight peeked through our blinds and and pulled the buns out. I promptly went back to sleep to give those guys a chance to rise again. Though they only need about 45 minutes for the final rise, mine had a chance to rise for 2 hours thanks to my sleepiness.

Into the oven they went:

...we were almost immediately rewarded with wafting scents of cinnamon. Luckily, we only had to wait about 16 more minutes to dive in. Yum!

**If you're visiting via Google Reader, please click on the original post to see my site makeover. Thanks to Julie from LeeLou Blogs who was a great help!!

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
Courtesy of Molly Wizenberg on Epicurious

Dough:

1 cup whole milk (I used skim milk)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar (I used 1 cup)

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

(add in raisins or nuts, if you choose)

Glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
For dough:

Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 21/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling:

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.
Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. If making ahead, refrigerate dough overnight. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 16 -20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kitchen Notes:

• Use high quality cinnamon...you won't regret it. Penzeys Spices has some good ones to choose from.
• Be sure to roll the dough very tightly to keep the rolls uniform and to prevent precious filling from falling out
• If you're not the type to wake up at 6am to have these rolls ready by brunch, prepare the dough overnight. After assembling, cover the pans with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator. Remove in the morning and allow to rise for 45 minutes - 1 hour before baking
• Not sure what to do with two batches of cinnamon rolls? Besides making some new friends at the office, freeze an already baked batch and save for a future treat. When ready to enjoy, microwave or bake in the toaster oven.
• If you're really feeling indulgent or you love icing, double the icing recipe!