Easy, Delicious Fish Tacos

from the kitchen of Stephanie Nielson

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:
•1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
•2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
•Coarse salt and ground pepper
•1/4 small red cabbage, thinly shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
•4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
•1 jalapeno chile, halved lengthwise, one half minced
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1 pound tilapia fillets, (or other firm white fish), cut into 16 equal strips
•8 flour tortillas (6-inch) or corn tortillas
•1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:
1.In a large bowl, combine sour cream and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Transfer half the mixture to another container; set aside for serving. Toss cabbage, scallions, and minced jalapeño with remaining sour-cream mixture. Season again with salt and pepper.
2.In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil and remaining jalapeño half over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. In two batches (starting with larger pieces), cook fish until golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Discard jalapeño.
3.Meanwhile, warm tortillas according to package instructions.
4.To make tacos, fill tortillas with slaw, fish, and fresh cilantro leaves. Drizzle with reserved sour-cream mixture. Serve immediately.

Orange-Avocado Salsa
I made this salsa and placed it on top of the tacos. It was delightfully sweet.

Ingredients:
•1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
•1 teaspoon honey
•Coarse salt and ground pepper
•2 large navel oranges
•1/2 firm, ripe avocado, pitted and diced
•1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, whisk lime juice and honey until combined. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2.Slice off both ends of each orange. Following the curve of the fruit, slice away peel and white pith. Cut oranges into quarters lengthwise; slice sections crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Transfer to bowl along with onion and avocado; toss gently to coat with dressing.

Raspberry Lemonade

From My Baking Addition.

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

¾ cup raspberries

1 cup fresh lemon juice (around 8 lemons)

4-6 cups cold water

Lemon slices, whole raspberries, torn mint leaves (optional)

Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and mixture begins to bubble slightly. Remove from heat and let cool.

Puree ¾ cup raspberries in a blender or food processor until smooth (you can add a little water, about ¼ cup, to help the process). Push the puree through a fine mesh strainer to separate out the seeds. Discard the seeds, and reserve the puree.

Once the simple syrup has cooled, combine the raspberry puree, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Add about 4-6 cups cold water (or more if needed) until desired concentration of sweetness/tartness in met. Add in lemon slices, whole raspberries, and torn mint leaves, if using, for garnish. 

Roasted Tomato Pizza and White Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

A little caveat to this recipe - I didn't measure or use a recipe for the toppings, so I just wrote down the amounts from memory. Hopefully it is about right, but if you use the recipe for the toppings, just go with proportions that look about right. 

Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil, and Pine Nut Pizza

Makes 1 small, 12 inch pizza.

Olive oil

About 16 slices of roasted tomatoes

5 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced

3 large basil leaves, rolled and sliced into thin ribbons

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 portion of Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, recipe below

Prepare pizza dough, oven, and pizza pan according to dough recipe.

Brush rolled out dough with olive oil. Top with roasted tomatoes, then with mozzarella slices. Bake according to pizza dough instructions, about 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is beginning to brown.

Remove from oven and top with ribbons of basil and pine nuts.

*For roasted tomatoes: slice tomatoes into about ½ inch slices. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Crush a few cloves of garlic (you can leave them in the skins), and scatter them over the tops of the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, enough to lightly coat the tops of the tomatoes. Season with salt and a little pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, until tomatoes are shrived and beginning to brown slightly. Discard garlic. Use right away or store in the refrigerator.

White Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Makes six, 12-inch pizza crusts.

From 101 Cookbooks.

4 ½ cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour

1 ¾ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

¼ cup olive oil

1 ¾ cups water, ice cold

Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. By hand stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed. Using the dough hook, mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If needed, add a touch of water or flour to reach the desired effect. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Rub each ball with olive oil and slip into plastic sandwich bags. Refrigerator overnight. Dough can be left in fridge for up to 4 days.

When you are ready to make pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before making the pizza. Keep them covered so they don't dry out.

Place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

Uncover the dough balls and dust them with flour. Working one at a time, gently roll out dough into a circle about 12-inches in diameter. If the dough is being fussy and keeps springing back, let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Dust the baking stone or back of a baking sheet with cornmeal or semolina flour. Place the rolled-out dough on the prepared sheet pan.

Add your toppings and slide the topped pizza onto the baking stone. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

*Dough freezes nicely. Freeze after dividing up dough and putting in Ziploc bags. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Then continue to form and cook as indicated above. 

Welcome!

Friends! Welcome to the Lunch Club for Ladies. Here is our blog, on which we will no doubt enjoy gourmet recipes from Melissa, wit from Andrea, house managing tips from Liz, and book recommendations from Kalie. (You are, of course, not limited to this. Post anything and often!)

We will take turns hosting and planning our bimonthly playdate/lunch meetings. There are no rules, except that we all will eat and bring our babies. And if we need to meet more often or less often or even meet sans babies, that is fine.

The food, however, is non-negotiable. (Do you ladies love how bossy I am?)

After our meetings, be sure to post recipes and include the tags "Recipe" and your name.

Andrea, you're hosting next!

Jalapeno Artichoke Dip

Laurel's Jalapeno Artichoke Dip
*from the kitchen of Amylee Nicoll*

Ingredients
2 c. mayo
2 c. freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1 16 oz. can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
6-8 oz. jalapenos, roughly chopped
whole grain chips, baguette, or veggies, for serving

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir. Spread dip in an oven-safe dish. Bake for 45 minutes until hot, browned, and bubbly.

Veggie Bagel Sandwiches

Veggie and Cheese Bagel Sandwich
*from the kitchen of the Pioneer Woman*

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients
1/2 block Of Cream Cheese
2 whole (to 3) Green Onions
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Avocado
Red Onion
1 whole Everything Bagel (or Any Kind Of Bagel)
Alfalfa Sprouts
1 Or 2 Slices Of Muenster Cheese
Slice Of Cheddar Cheese
Lettuce

Preparation Instructions
Place ½ a block of cream cheese on a plate and mash it a bit with a fork. Next, chop up 2-3 green onions and mix them with the cream cheese until thoroughly combined.

Slice all veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, red onions) thinly.

Slice bagel in half. Spread the cream cheese generously on both sides of the bagel.

Layer the vegetables. First lay the avocados right along the cream cheese to help them stay put. Next the alfalfa sprouts and then one slice of each kind of cheese. On the other half of the bagel arrange the cucumber slices in a circle.

Sprinkle the cucumbers with a pinch of salt if you would like.

Next lay the onion slices on top of the cucumbers, then the tomatoes, followed by a slice of lettuce, and if you’re feeling naughty, another slice of Muenster cheese.

Put the whole thing together and Voila! A cool, crisp, and deliciously fabulous Veggie and Cheese Bagel Sandwich.