Tuna Steak Fish Tacos with Black Beans & Pico de Gallo

I know most people use white fishes like tilapia most often in tacos - but we had some Tuna Steaks in the freezer from Trader Joe's to use. So why not?

You need:

-Package of Trader Joe's Frozen Tuna Steaks

-1/2 Onion - diced

-2 cloves garlic diced

-1 Jalapeno - if you like spice!

-1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped 1/4 for Tuna & 1/4 for Beans (or any salsa you like! I bet pineapple salsa would be great!)

-1/4 cup to 1/2 Cup Pico de Gallo

-1 lime - cut in half

- Salt & Pepper

-Can of Black Beans

-Some shredder cabbage

-Avocado

-Pico de Gallo

-Corn Tortillas - optional

I defrost the tuna in room temperature water - not hot water (cooks the fish). While the fish is defrosting I put the chopped onion/garlic & jalapeno if you desire, in a skillet on medium/high heat with a little EVOO and brown it a bit. I chopped up the tuna into big chunks and turned down the heat to medium/low. Add 1/4 cup of pico de gallo in the skillet and squeeze in half of the lime and half of the chopped cilantro. Stir around here and there until tuna is almost cooked all the way through - turn heat on high for just a few minutes to brown everything.

Warm up the tortillas if desired or pile up like a salad - which is what I do. Fish, black beans, cabbage, more pico de gallo, more lime and more cilantro! So refreshing, light and tasty!

Nice thing about this recipe is start to finish it maybe takes 20-30 minutes from chopping to enjoying!

Good Breakfast: Quinoa with Fruit, Agave and Almond Milk

Easy Quinoa Breakfast Cereal!

I love Quinoa - such a diverse food. It's the only carb I'll eat with dinner as it's a complete protein ("Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids."). I love it's nutty flavor and similar-to-couscous texture. I use it in place of pasta & rice - two things I try not to eat too frequently.

For this example I had blueberries & peaches in the fridge so I made the quinoa as normal - very similar to rice but takes less time. Note about quinoa is that it is unlike typical breakfast cereals and you don't want to fill your bowl as much as usual. Quinoa is very hearty and honestly if you eat too much you're going to feel that heavy kind of full. I scooped maybe 4 good spoonfuls out into a bowl and placed it in the fridge and went about making coffee and what not. Took it out when it was about room temp, I cut up a juicy peach I had just bought from Whole Foods, put in a small handful of blueberries and topped with a splash of Almond Milk - which in my opinion so far is the best option for a "milk". Stirred it up and usually for me the fruit is sweet enough but I was craving something a tad sweet so I added just a little bit of agave syrup. It was so yummy! And I was full for hours! You can use honey, different fruit, or for you guys that want more protein - add some almonds or even a scoop of your favorite whey protein powder!

A lot of my recipes as you can see are pretty simple - I will post specific recipes too but I remember when I started cooking the joy of creating my own "thing" and that's kind of what I like to encourage! I want you to make it your own! What's your favorite fruit? What's going bad in the fruit basket or maybe you prefer honey? DO IT!

Sesame Chicken, Kidney Bean, Feta Salad & Salad Ideas

Yummy Salads!

At almost all times, I keep romaine and spinach on hand. I love getting the big 6-head pack from Costco. Otherwise, the best way to create a salad is use what you got! Beans? Celery? Carrots? Beets? Lemon juice? Lime juice? Salsa? Turkey? Chicken? Leftovers? :)

The salad I made the other night stood above the rest though:

Sesame Chicken, Kidney Bean & Feta Salad:

-Need a chicken breast

-Either chicken broth cube or EVOO (see previous posts)

-Sesame Seeds (I prefer toasted)

-Toasted Sesame Seed Oil

-Dried or fresh ginger

-Salt & Pepper

-Romaine Lettuce

-Can or homemade Kidney Beans

-Feta Cheese (I buy the low fat version)

I like to rub sesame seeds and ginger on both sides of the chicken first then put it into a small skillet with either the chicken broth or EVOO in it on medium heat. I use just a few drops of toasted sesame oil on both sides of the chicken as well as a little salt and pepper (when you flip it). Sesame oil is good for blood circulation, fatigue, backaches, hair and hair loss. I flip back and forth a few times as I like the outside to get a little brown and crispy. When cooked all the way through - sometimes I'll just cut it in half on the pan - take it off the pan and cut it into bite size pieces. Chop up some romaine - top with your chicken, I put maybe /13 cup on pinto beans then just a little feta on top. Nice thing about feta is a little bit goes a long way. With the tastes of the sesame and ginger, the nuttiness of the beans and taste of the feta you don't need any dressing in my opinion! But if you feel it's needed - an olive oil/lemon juice dressing would be delicious! Picture was taken after the gym, a little beat as you can tell but a great recovery dinner!

This is actually the insides from the Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe - I threw it on top of romaine for a quick lunch and it was great! Again, if you're one of those people that need dressing - this is a great opportunity to use salsa or pico de gallo instead of heavy fattening dressings! As you can see I throw kidney beans on salad a lot. They just compliment salads so well! Great source of protein and fiber too!

This a post I will probably add on to later. Trying to get as much posted before my surgery in two days!

Stuffed Baked Peppers with Ground Turkey

The Very Versatile & Very Delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers: :)

I did a Spanish Style this time around...

You need:

-Bell Peppers

-Package of Ground Turkey

-Handful of Spinach

-1 Small Onion (I used Yellow)

-2 Garlic Cloves

- About 1/2 Cup Pice de Gallo (I usually use homemade for this I used fresh store bought)

-1 Carrot - shredded

-Chopped Celery if desired

-About 1/3 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese (optional)

- (I didn't actually use the beans pictured, but they are always a great addition!)

Spices:

-Chili Powder

-Cumin

-Black Pepper

-Italian Herbs

-Cheyenne Pepper

-Veggie Salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start with chopping the onion and mincing the garlic - throw in a pan on medium heat, let it brown a little bit and then throw in a big handful of spinach and let it reduce down.

I keep my ground turkey in the freezer as I buy it in bulk usually (I love it!) so I let it defrost overnight - then throw it in with the spinach/garlic/onion mixture.

*Again, experiment! What inspired me was we had some pico de gallo & spinach that needed to be used - use what you have!*

Add in your spices! Sorry I didn't measure, something I need to work on. My mom always taught me "to taste" and that's how I have always been. I put just a light sprinkle of cheyenne, a few teaspoons of cumin, chili powder, crushed some fresh black pepper and italian herbs over and added a little bit of veggie salt.

After the turkey has been mixed and I try to chop it up a bit with a spatula, add in the pico de gallo - and stir well. (Homemade pico de gallo is easy to make- this just needed to be used up).

After adding the pico de gallo, I shredded one carrot over the mixture and let it cook for a few more minutes.

Stuff those peppers! I cut the them in half and take out the seeds and some of the ribs. I kind of cram it in, and even put a little on top. Then sprinkle with a little cheese. I rarely eat dairy but we had some cheese about to go bad and it adds such a nice texture & flavor on top.

I had some leftover as seen here - great to throw in with eggs in the morning, or make a little quinoa or even on a salad!

Place your peppers in the oven and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or 25 to brown the cheese a bit - which I did and it turned out amazing and the peppers were nice and soft.

Let cool for a few minutes and serve! I used a fork & butter knife and it was fine. Also, don't be fooled I was pretty stuffed after just one!

This is a recipe you can play with! Next time I am think I may try a "Greek" version. Chopped up olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, basil, spinach, and top with some feta!

Please let me know any questions, suggestions, etc! As always thanks for reading and enjoy!