PopSugar

Fast and Easy Dinner: Fish Tacos

partysugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:30:21 -0700

Sometimes Mexican food can be too rich and heavy. Not so with these fish tacos. They're high in flavor, but don't weigh you down. The recipe stuffs a soft flour tortilla with flaky white fish, a quick creamy guacamole, and a crunchy cabbage slaw.

Although it calls for red snapper, any firm white fish works wonderfully. Sound delicious? Wait till you read the recipe! Do so when you read more.

Fish Tacos
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

2 Hass avocados - halved, pitted, and peeled
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 small jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small head of napa cabbage, shredded (4 cups)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
2 pounds thick red snapper fillets with skin, cut crosswise into ten 2-inch-wide strips
Ten 7-inch flour tortillas, warmed
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
Hot sauce, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Light a grill. In a medium bowl, mash the avocados, sour cream, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice. Season the guacamole with salt and pepper and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole.
In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Brush the fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat until lightly charred and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter and pull off the skin.
To assemble each taco, spread a dollop of guacamole on a tortilla. Top with a piece of fish, a few tomato slices and a large spoonful of the cabbage slaw. Serve with the hot sauce and lime wedges.

Serves 10.

Print recipe with images | without images

What's the Diff: Omega-3s vs. Omega-6s

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:10 -0800

Omegas are all the buzz right now, and it seems like everywhere you turn, new foods are being enhanced with this essential fatty acid, or labeled as an excellent source. What people don't know is that there are different types of omegas, and eating too much of one kind can actually be harmful to your body.

Omega-3s are found in flax seeds, walnuts, cod liver oil, and fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, albacore tuna, and salmon. Fish are the best sources because they are high in two particular fatty acids that are crucial to good health, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).

Then there are omega-6s. These fats are found in eggs, nuts, chicken, and vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, and sunflower oil. Omega-6s are high in LA (linoleic acid), which is converted by the body into GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), and then further broken down to AA (arachidonic acid).

Do you know which type of omega fatty acid we should be eating more of? To find out, keep reading

Fights the Blues With Fish

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

When thinking of food as medicine, we have gotten a little reductive. By trying to find the one active ingredient that makes a food healthy, we have forgotten about the food itself. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have been found to fight inflammation and reduce depression. But popping a fish oil supplement, rather than eating the fish, means you are missing out on the minerals and lean protein fish provide.

Here's another reason to add one to two servings of fish to your weekly menu. In an international breakdown of nutrition and mental health by country, researchers found that as fish consumption went up, depression rates went down. In countries where people eat the most fish - Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong - the rates of depression were low. Conversely, countries with low fish consumption had higher rates of depression, including the US, New Zealand, and parts of Europe.The secret ingredient is the omega-3s. Rather than taking a supplement, try eating the fish for all the nutrition this lean protein can provide.

Not sure where to start when it comes to cooking with fish? For some tasty, healthy recipes featuring fish and shellfish with high amounts of omega-3s, read more.

Noteworthy Nibbles - June 23-30, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:00:13 -0700

It's almost July, and the palatable parties just keep coming. If you're a wine enthusiast, head over to Pinot Days or the Telluride Wine Festival. Beer more your thing? Throw back some sake bombs at the Beer & Sake Festival, or hit up the Colorado Brewfest. Here in Fog City, the Best of the Bay looks to be one heck of a soirée. What happenings are you hitting up?

If you know of anything that's been left off the list, please go ahead and chime in below!

Sedona, AZ: Dine in Sedona Restaurant Fest - June 23-30
Hampton, SC: Hampton County Watermelon Festival - June 23-28
Gettysburg, PA: Gettysburg Festival - June 23-28
Portsmouth, NH: Taste of the Nation Portsmouth - June 24
London, OH: London Strawberry Festival - June 24-27
San Francisco, CA: Pinot Days - June 24-28
Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Cranberry Blossom Festival - June 24-28
San Diego, CA: Beer & Sake Festival - June 25
Milwaukee, WI: The 2009 Big Taste - June 25
San Francisco, CA: Best of the Bay - June 25
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Taste of the Nation South Florida - June 25

To see the rest, read more.

Cedar Rapids, IA: Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup _ June 25-28
Telluride, CO: Telluride Wine Festival - June 25-28
Luling, TX: Luling Watermelon Thump - June 25-28
Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Wine Festival - June 26-27
Emerson, AR: Purple Hull Pea Festival - June 26-27
Chipley, FL: Panhandle Watermelon Festival - June 26-27
Tacoma, WA: Taste of Tacoma - June 26-28
Long Grove, IL: Long Grove Strawberry Festival - June 26-28
Burlington, VT: Green Mountain Chew Chew Food & Music Fest - June 26-28
Chicago, IL: Taste of Chicago - June 26-July 5
Honolulu, HI: Slow Food's Honolulu Fish Auction Tour - June 27
Washington DC: National Capital Barbecue Battle - June 27-28
Fort Collins, CO: Colorado Brewfest - June 27-28
Pennington, NJ: East Coast Food & Wine Festival - June 27-28
New York, NY: Summer Rosé Celebration With Ariane Duarte - June 29

Source

Fish Breakdown: Omegas and Mercury

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Fish is a great source for lean protein. Fish is part of a healthy eating plan. Fish provides much lacking omega-3 fatty acids to our diets. OK, I get it. Message received. Eat fish.

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice weekly to help reach the recommendation of consuming 1.1 grams of omega-3 fats a day. Although fish is a great source of these healthy fats, you have to be careful about ingesting too much mercury, especially if you're pregnant. Expecting moms should stick to types of fish that have mercury levels of 1 part per million (ppm) or lower. The rest of us can safely consume fish with mercury levels that average 5.5 ppm. So take a look at the chart below to see where the fish you eat falls on the spectrum.

	Mercury in parts per million (ppm)	Omega-3s in grams per 3 oz. serving
Canned Tuna	.12	.17 - .24
Shrimp	below the level of detection	.29
Polluck	.06	.45
Salmon	.01	1.1 - 1.9
Cod	.11	.15 - .24
Catfish	.05	.22 - .3
Clams	below the level of detection	.25
Flounder or Sole	.05	.48
Crabs	.06	.27 - .4
Scallops	.05	.18 - .34

If you don't see your favorite seafood on the list then read more.

	Mercury in parts per million (ppm)	Omega-3s in grams per 3 oz. serving
Lobster	.31	.07 - .46
Grouper	.55	.23
Halibut	.26	.6 - 1.12
Oysters	below the level of detection	.37 - 1.14
Mahi mahi	.19	.13
Herring	.04	1.9 - 2
Shark	.99	.83
Swordfish	.97	.97
Golden bass or golden snapper	1.45	.9
King mackerel	.73	.36
Fresh or frozen tuna	.38	.21 - 1.1
Red snapper	.6	.29
Orange roughy	.54	.03

Fit's Tip: Since it may be tough to consume 1.1 grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day solely from fish, remember that flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, omega-3 enriched foods, and fish oil supplements are also great sources for this healthy fat.

Source

English Food is Not a Joke - Steak & Ale Pie

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:51:32 -0700

English food is not a joke because...
Any cuisine that combines meat with ale gets gold stars in my book.

That's the answer I'm giving for Sam's Fish & Quips challenge. She's asked food lovers everywhere to help her prove that English food does not have to be a joke. After reading about it, I immediately wanted to participate. I lived there for almost a year and had plenty of amazing food (I have crazy fond memories of the cheese guy in my local outdoor market), however I couldn't come up with one dish that I wanted to make. So I called in the brigades - actually I just IM'd my friend Johnny and asked what he thought I should make:

me: What is your favorite British meal - like quintessential British?

Johnny: Meat pie! Like steak and onion pie!!!
I think this is a nice idea, a nice project - British food has a huge inferiority complex for a few reasons.

me: So what should i make?

Johnny: You should try steak and ale pie if you can manage it. I think it is pretty easy really and tastesome.

me: Why'd you choose that dish?

Johnny: It is the thing I like best that is "English"
Make a nice round pie - with leaves on the top of course.

me: Of course

Hrmm... a steak and ale pie. Funny, I never actually had one of those while I was out there - but I figured it was the time to start. So I hunted down a few recipes and cobbled together a pretty decent pie. I cheated and used puff pastry, but I didn't forget the leaves on top.The end result was pretty tasty, like a stew with an added pastry crust - and it was definitely not a joke. To see what recipe I used, and to see a bunch of step by step pictures, read more

Steak & Ale Pie
Inspired by BootsnAll

Sorry for the non-accurate measurements, I eyeballed a lot of it. Also, you may want to add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to your marinade. I was planning on it, but didn't realize we didn't have any until it was too late.

1 1/4 pounds of steak - cut into large cubes
2 short sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 sprigs of fresh marjoram
1/3 - 1/2 pint of Newcastle (or other dark ale)
olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
flour (approx 4 tbsp)
2 carrots - chopped (Jimmy hates carrots, so I only used a few, you may want to up the carrot ante)
1 leek - chopped
1 medium sized onion - diced
1-2 cup beef broth
Puff Pastry (1 sheet) - thawed

Step One - Night Before

Put steak into medium sized bowl with lid (I actually used a tupperware dish). Add rosemary and marjoram (I ripped them with my hands) and mix with meat.
Add Newcastle, a splash (I eyeballed it) of oil, and some fresh black pepper. Mix well. Cover and marinate in fridge overnight.

Step Two - Make the Pie

Preheat oven to 375F
Strain beef from marinade (do not throw out the marinade, set it aside for now). Roll beef in flour until beef is covered. Set aside.
In a large pan, saute onion, leek and carrots in a little bit of olive oil. Cook until onions are soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
Place beef in pan and brown on all sides.
When beef is browned, put the vegetables back in, and add beer marinade, and beef stock.
Simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.
Transfer mixture to pie pan/baking dish. Top with puff pastry and trim sides.
Pierce pastry a few times for ventilation, add decorative pastry leaves if desired (I used my kitchen shears to shape them).
Bake for 40-45 minutes.

View 16 Photos ›

Print recipe with images | without images

All the News That's Fit to Eat - Apr. 1, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:50:45 -0700

Top chefs are employing the help of food scientists to develop cutting-edge ideas. - Los Angeles Times
Leg of lamb is ideal for home-cooked Passover and Easter feasts. - Boston Globe
Are you familiar with Cabernet - Franc, that is? - San Francisco Chronicle
Mangalitsa pigs, an elite Hungarian breed, make a comeback. - New York Times
Best kitchen tools from the 2009 housewares show. - Chicago Tribune
Fish makes for a seasonal, practical midweek Seder meal. - Washington Post
Home cooks are tossing aside recipes in favor of improvisation in the kitchen. - Wall Street Journal

5 Reasons to Love Omega-3 Fatty Acids

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:00:00 -0700

The age of nonfat foods seems to be drawing to a close as the benefits of certain fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, make the headlines almost daily. Found mostly in cold-water fish like salmon (here's my new favorite wild salmon recipe), omega-3s do some wonderful things for your body. Here are five of them.

Keeps the aches and pains at bay: Recent studies at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that taking a fish-oil supplement for 20 to 30 days relieved chronic back and neck pain. This may be due to omega-3's ability to fight inflammation.
Fights obesity with fat: Omega-3s improve the body's response to insulin by stimulating the secretion of leptin. Leptin is an hormone that helps regulate not only food intake, but body weight and metabolism as well.
Improves your mood: This form of fat has been shown to stabilize and lessen mood swings as well as decrease depression by helping the brain create the feel-good brain chemical serotonin.

There's a couple more reasons so read more.

Reduces exercise induced asthma: In a recent study at Indiana University found that fish-oil supplements helped control exercise-triggered asthma symptoms.
Keeps the heart healthy: One of the well known benefits of omega-3s is for heart health. The fat helps to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, which are both associated with heart disease when the levels are too high. Omega-3s also help lower blood pressure. Plus, these fats fight inflammation, which contributes to heart disease as well.

Fit's Tip: It is difficult to eat the recommended 1,100mg daily. The easiest way to ensure that you are eating enough omega-3s is to take a fish-oil supplement.

Source

Yummy Links: Weekly Food News Roundup

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:03:18 -0700

Should bars put sealed lids on drinks in order to prevent drugs from being slipped in? - Liquor Snob
Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to make it to the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. Or as it's dubbed "The Sundance of Food." - Serious Eats

Need some more kitchen tips? Check out the top secrets from this years best new chefs - Yahoo Food
Did you hear about the toddler who was served alcohol at Applebee's? - Slashfood
With the newest round of certification in place, just how organic is organic? - Culinate
Sad but true, McDonald’s fish sandwich is more sustainable than Nobu’s tuna sashimi. - Chow
Wanna take up baking? Be sure to stock up on the 10 things you need for baking in your kitchen. - Baking Bites

Smarter Eats: Gwyneth Reminds Us to Get a Healthy Dose of D

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:30:31 -0800

Gwyneth Paltrow's dishing out some healthy advice on GOOP this week - get your daily dose of vitamin D. The super-fit star points to Dr. Frank Lipman's healthy tips for getting our fair share of the vital D, who reminds us that, especially this time of year -when we head into the colder season and see less sunlight - it's even more important to supplement our diets with the vitamin, and avoid a vitamin D deficiency.

If you're wondering why it's so important, just remember that vitamin D was first recognized for its importance in maintaining healthy calcium levels for our bones. According to Dr. Lipman, it's now becoming increasingly apparent that we've underestimated the value of the vitamin, and a lack of it has been associated with obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and breast cancer - to name a few.

Since we rely on the sun to generate the most reliable way of getting vitamin D, it's a good idea to up your intake of foods that can naturally deliver the goods - try fortified milk in your cereal, dried shitake mushrooms with your stir fry or salad, and wild fatty fish, like salmon and halibut. Just be aware that only 10 percent of your vitamin D intake can come from food, so to really eat smarter and healthier, it might just be a good idea to supplement with the active form of the vitamin, D3. Be sure to read all of Dr. Lipman's great tips, and until we see some sunlight this Spring, make sure you're getting your daily dose with fortified foods.