After Fish Tacos ~ Left Overs

Everybody knows some of the tastiest meals are made from Left-Overs.

Here's what happened after fish tacos last week.

I placed Leftover potatoes on a cookie sheet, reheating @ 200 degrees, while I made two cups of Basmati rice (20 - 22 minutes). Excess rice stored for later meals.

Leftover fish was reheated in a dollop of butter and olive oil, together with raw, sliced baby carrots. When the rice was half cooked, I tossed a couple hands full of frozen peas into the frying pan and covered it.

When the rice was done, the peas and carrots and fish were ready to be eaten.

Delicious!

Addendum:
These Leftover Potatoes came from a previous roasted chicken dinner. When roasting the 4.5 pound chicken in a 10x10 inch pan, I set the pan on a cookie sheet. After the chicken had cooked for 45 minutes, the potatoes (sliced and seasoned with butter, extra virgin olive oil, curry, salt, pepper and chedder cheese) were placed alongside the chicken pan on the cookie sheet. They cooked nicely during the bird's last 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

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Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos are one of our regular, easy feasts. If you like fish, you probably have a favorite species you'd like to cook up. We like the mild, fish-farmed tilapia. The two filets pictured below will make enough fish for four tacos.

tilapia filets from a fish farm

Since I normally cook for only two persons, I like to buy four to six filets while on sale and then freeze packages with two filets in each package. 

Some basic ingredients: lemon, lime, avocado, jalepeno and sweet red pepper.

Big Ugly tomato chunks, chopped romaine lettuce, chopped spinach.

Saute stripes of red peppers and diced jalapeno in butter and extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. We like these ingredients caramelized. I sometimes add some green onions, as well. Tonight I boiled sweet corn then mixed it into  our fish tacos.

Place butter and caramelized peppers into the pan. Salt and pepper the underside of the fish before placing them in the pan on medium high. Flip fish and peppers several times while they are browning. Squeeze lemon and/or lime over fish.

Here I've separated the thinner sections of the cooked fish on the left. The thicker (less well done) sections are quickly removed and placed in storage for the next meal. Or, cook it all if you cook for more than two.

I butter my tortilla with a mixture of sour cream and chipolte. Pam likes a spicey Thai peanut sauce. Next, pile on sliced greens, tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and fish with pepper saute.   

This is Pam's tortilla; she likes to fold it as follows...

Pam is daintier than I.

Here's my layout, below. I simply wrestle all sides until they fit into my mouth.

Once you get it wrapped up, it becomes a walk around dinner. Who needs plates? Who needs silverware?

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Home-Made Pepperoni Pizza

Click on Pix to Enlarge

One of our favorite easy meals is home-made Pepperoni Pizza. We prefer using Middle Eastern pockets or Pita Bread as a base; but, if you like thin crusts, you may want to try flour tortillas. I like both.

Tomato sauces are a matter of taste. I usually spread about three tablespoons of sauce around each pita or tortilla. We like store bought sauces of many varieties. Some sauces may be sweeter, others may offer fewer varieties of additional ingredients. This is Classico caramelized onion and roasted garlic.

stage one

This pizza was for me (left) and Pam (right). She doesn't care for mushrooms! I start with mushrooms and add spinach. I fix Pam's with spinach on the bottom.

stage two

Pam likes her pepperoni on top; I like mine under the cheese. She likes shredded Italian cheese. I like both Italian and Mozarella, sometimes on the same pizza.

stage three

Ready for the oven: Sometimes I add diced red pepper, onions, jalepenos, or more fresh tomato; Not this time. 

With pita bread as a base I fire the oven to 400 degrees F and set the timer for 10 minutes. Tortillas crisp up a bit faster so I watch them around 7 or 8 minutes. Obviously, some ovens are hotter or cooler at 400 degrees.

Here's Pam's pepperoni pizza cooling, waiting to be cut. The pizza cutter was presented to me (quite a few years ago) by Mama Tottino during her PR announcement that she sold her brand of pizza to General Mills. 

Here's my pizza cooling. Obviously, both Pam and her pizza are better looking.

But they taste pretty much the same to me (except mine seems cheesier!)

fin

Fast Chicken Salad

Easy and tasty, this is the second meal for my wife and me from one 4 1/2 pound roasting chicken.               

Fill bowls with salad greens, bite sized chunks of cold chicken, rice noodles, and diced and sauteed red and jalapeno peppers. Throw in a few slices of avacado or your favorite shredded cheese, add sesame and ginger dressing.

Saute lightly salted red and jalapeno peppers in butter and extra virgin olive oil while water for corn is heating. Drop corn into boiling water, remove from burner and cover for 5 minutes. Scoop and drip sauteed peppers into salad laden bowls. Insert corn ears and you're ready to eat.

Cheers!