FISH STYLE VEGETARIAN TACOS

You're going to like these. Trust me. I ran out of fish one night and figured I could sub some seasoned black beans. They turned out so delicious. I hope you find them as awesome as my family did. 

Step 1:  Prep your white flour corn tortillas by placing them in a skillet with a damp flour sack towel. 

FISH STYLE VEGETARIAN TACOS

The other night I ran out of fish and realized it as I was starting to assemble all the ingredients together for my fish tacos. I had actually made the sauces earlier that day so I was totally bummed to find no fish in the freezer. Well, I did find a can of black beans (which I always keep in my pantry for situations like this) and figured I was sub those for the fish. They were delish! So here are my instructions for some amazing fish less fish tacos. I have to apologize that the pictures aren't pretty. I was so hungry I couldn't wait to eat them.

Step 1 : Prep your white corn tortillas by putting them in a skillet with some damp flour sack towels. You can buy those here if you are interested. 

Panera Mac 'n Cheese

If any of you have had Panera Mac 'n Cheese, you'll know exactly why I have to share this recipe. Periodically they will put their recipes on their website for a day so I grabbed this one while it was "up for grabs." 

Try it out and let me know what you think. If you are not completely taken over by it's creamy goodness, than I'm going to form a very strong opinion about you. Okay, not really, but you get the picture on how awesome this is. 

1 16-ounce Package package of Rigati pasta (or other small pasta shells)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk (2% or whole)

6 Slices white American cheese (chopped)

8oz extra-sharp white Vermont cheddar (shredded)

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Step 1

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Step 2

Melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.

Step 3

Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.

Step 4

Add cheeses, mustard, salt, and hot sauce, stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.

Step 5

Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat for 1 minute (or until thoroughly heated). Serve immediately.

I actually omitted the hot sauce the second time around because I thought it was too much. I'm not a fan of mustard either, but I think it gives it a bit of the zing this mac and cheese needs. So instead I used about 1/2 tsp of mustard powder. 

Cous Cous Salad

This salad is not an original. I don't know where it came from, but when it hits my plate, I know exactly where it is headed. My mouth. Pictures to come soon. 

Chopped Salad with Chicken, Couscous, & Vegetables Recipe 

  

Dressing:

 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves

1 cup mayonnaise

1 shallot, halved

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Blend basil leaves, mayonnaise, and shallot in processor until smooth.  Gradually blend in buttermilk and lemon juice.  Season dressing to taste with salt & pepper.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Salad:

 1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese

1/3 cup dried currants

1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

1 – 10oz. package plain couscous, cooked according to package instructions. (about 5 cups)

3 cups baby arugula

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)

2 cups shredded chicken

Toss all ingredients together with dressing.

HOW TO CLEAN A CAMELBAK TUBE FOR UNDER $2.00

My family is planning a trip to Moab Utah. I checked the weather forecast and it's going to be in the upper 80's and lower 90's. So I pulled out the old hydration pack. I try to clean and dry this the best I can after every use, but apparently I didn't do a good enough job last time. While the bladder was fine, the tubing had just a hint of something foreign (I'm not sure what, but  it wasn't supposed to be in there). So I took a trip to the craft store and purchased a clearance package of pipe cleaners ($.49 normally $.99) and a 1/4 inch wooden dowel ($.49). Brilliant idea, I know, since the cleaning kit for these things is about $15-$20.  The rest is pretty self explanatory, but if you can't figure it out, watch the youtube video I've attached. 

For disinfecting I've read that you can use bleach (yucky taste), mouth wash (which can leave a little minty flavor), or vodka or other high proof alcohol. 

To help make your water not taste like bad plastic, I suggest putting a tiny bit of gatorade or lemon juice in the bladder. You need just enough to take the taste away- I'd say maybe 1-3 tablespoons depending on the size of your bladder. 

Thanks for watching. Happy climbing, or hiking, or biking or whatever you do with your hydration pack. 

CITRUS QUINOA SALAD

I originally got this recipe from the food network's website so I can't claim full responsibility for this fantastic salad. I have, however, improved on the original to make it taste even better. If you want to see The Food Networks version you can find it here.   I think you'll like mine more. 

Citrus Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa (uncooked)

1 1/4 cuP chicken stock

1 green onion (white part only)

1/2 cup craisins

1/4 cup  toasted pine nuts

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 tsp orange zest

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp (pinch) of cumin

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/4 cup italian parsley 

(or substitute 1/8 cup fresh basil 1/4 cup parsley)

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer or chinois and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Bring the chicken stock to a boil and then add quinoa. Return to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the quinoa is fluffy. This takes about 20 minutes. Once quinoa has fully expanded, place it in a cooking tray and  refrigerate it until it's cool. 

In a small mixing bowl, soak the cranberries in the orange juice. 

In a separate bowl mix together the green onions, vinegar, zest, oil, cumin, cucumber, parsley, salt, and pepper. 

When the quinoa is cooled, mix the craisins and orange juice into the dressing and then mix the dressing into the quinoa. Mix in the pine nuts.  I also squeeze more orange juice on the top of the salad because I can't get enough of the awesome citrus taste.

Enjoy! 

Creamy Black Bean Salsa

I don't know where my mom got this recipe, but I'm glad she shared it with me. It is beautiful and fantastic! 

1- 15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed) 

1 1/2 cup frozen white corn (thawed)

1 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1 Tbsp chopped fresh italian parsley

(my mom uses cilantro but I don't like cilantro so I substituted parsley)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 t garlic powder

1/8 tsp (on a pinch) of pepper

Combine the sauce by mixing the parsley, sour cream, yogurt, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper together first. Then mix it into your veggies. I think it tastes better if you let it refrigerate at least 1 hour, but it is fantastic right off too. 

Serve with corn tortilla chips. 

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