Oscar Taco Party!

This isn't a post that contains a bunch of recipes, but rather an idea post. For the Oscars we were hemming and hawing over what type of finger foods we wanted to make. We ended up deciding to make a taco bar. Although we made entirely way too much food (I think we made enough for 10-15 rather than the 5 that we had), it was a lot of fun and pretty easy to prep. We roasted zucchini, bell peppers, and onions, baked fish, and baked a pre-marinated tri-tip in a carne asada sauce. With these as our bases, we had bowls of black beans, yogurt, guacamole, and pineapple salsa. We topped our tacos with queso fresco. Every one could make their tacos perfectly to their liking, so this really works for picky eaters or a party when you may not know people incredibly well.

The only thing that took much creativity at all was the pineapple salsa which was just a whole pineapple chopped fine, minced red onion, cilantro, and serrano pepper with a sprinkling of salt. It was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet to top the tacos.

Grilled Pizza

One of my favorite meals has always been grilled pizza. I have even asked for grilled pineapple pizza for my birthday meal. Surprisingly enough, we have recently made an improvement to this glorious pizza--grilled jalapenos. We really like experimenting with pizzas and making them on the grill only makes our concoctions that much better. Last night, we had a Grilled Pineapple and Jalapeno Pizza and a Mushroom, Caramelized Onion, and Blue Cheese Pizza. Really, I don't think I've had two better pizzas.


Pizza Dough (My mama)

We generally use the same dough recipe for whatever bread product we make, so I may have posted this before. Adam kindly made the recipe two-thirds whole wheat for me, and it worked really well for the pizzas. (He is usually not a fan of whole wheat.) Why not add a healthy component to your pizza?

1 1/4 cups water
1 big Tbs. yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 cups flour (any combination of whole wheat and all-purpose)

1. Place the ingredients in a bread maker in order listed, or as your machine instructs. Set to dough setting, and allow for it to go through the process.


Grilled Pineapple and Jalapeno Pizza

1 pineapple, cored and sliced into rings or cubes
3 jalapenos
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, or amount for preferred sauciness
1 cup quattro formaggio cheese (or mozzarella), or amount for preferred cheesiness

1/2 pizza dough recipe

1. Grill the pineapple and jalapenos on medium-high heat until charred slightly. Cut the jalapeno into rings.
2. Carefully place the dough on the grill, trying to have it not bunch up. Grill the dough until can be easily lifted off the grill, without sticking. Flip it to the other side and repeat process.
3. After you have flipped the dough, top with tomato sauce, pineapple, jalapeno, and cheese. Allow to cook until the dough is done and the cheese is melted. (You probably won't use all of the pineapple, but the extras are delicious too.)


Mushroom, Caramelized Onion, and Blue Cheese Pizza

3 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 heaping tsp. garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 oz. blue cheese
1 cup quattro formaggio or mozzarella cheese

1/2 pizza dough recipe

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Once the oil has heated sufficiently, add onion and turn heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 40 minutes, or until a deep mahogany color.
2. Saute the mushrooms in the remaining oil in skillet.
3. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.
4. Grill pizza dough as in previous recipe.
5. Top with olive oil mixture, onions, mushrooms, and cheese. Allow the dough to complete cooking and the cheese to melt to a gooey oblivion.

Fish and Tofu Ole!

I was watching Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffman the other day when she made this fantastic looking fish and rice recipe. I decided we had to try it. I altered mine by marinating tofu and baking it over the rice instead of the tilapia. It turned out absolutely fantastic and is hardly any work at all. The timing works out perfectly because the fish/tofu takes the same time to marinate as the rice does to cook. Then, you just have to bake the rice and protein together for about 30 minutes. And, the nice thing is that you have protein, fruit, vegetables, and grains all wrapped into one dish. We forgot to mix the salsa into the rice before baking as the recipe instructs, so we just topped our portions with it. It tasted wonderful both with and without the addition of the salsa. We will definitely be making this meal again!


Baked Costa Rican-Style Tilapia with Pineapples, Black Beans, and Rice (Simply Delicioso, Ingrid Hoffman)

1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable boullion)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (5 to 7 oz.) tilapia filets, rinsed and patted dry (or tofu slices)
2 cups jarred or homemade tomato salsa
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
2 limes, thinly sliced

1. Combine the rice and chicken broth in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, the garlic, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add the tilapia fillets to the marinade, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
4. Stir together the cooked rice, salsa, beans, pineapple, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in a 2 or 3-quart baking dish. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, reserve the marinade, and lay the fish fillets over the rice mixture, overlapping if necessary. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish. Shingle the lime slices over the fish. Bake until the fish flakes easily, is opaque, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.