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!

Thai Lettuce Wraps - One of my Favs! Healthy and Yummy!

Thai Lettuce Wraps:

What you need:

• 1 - 2 LB Chicken Breast
• Teriyaki for Chicken (I love Yoshidas Marinade)
• 2 Bunches Cilantro
• 2 Bunches Thai Basil (reg basil is fine!)
• 1 Bunch Green Onions
• 1 Bunch Mint
• 3-4 Limes - I usually use 3 inside then one for garnish
• 1 cup - 2 cups Sweet Chili Sauce (I usually get Mae Ploy from Food 4 Less- See Below)
• 2-3 Heads of Romaine Hearts
• Optional: Chopped Peanuts - 1 Cup Chopped to incorporate into mixture plus 1/2 for garnish. I usually just do some for garnish.

Equipment Needed:

• Good chopping knife
• Cutting board(s)
• Big Bowl
• 1 Cup Measuring Cup
• Bowl for Chicken Breast
• Medium Pot to Cook Chicken

Note: This recipe is easy but requires a lot of chopping! Great if you need to get some aggression out :) Took me about 30-40 to chop but I was also distracted.

Wish my sink always looked like this! Yumm! I love herbs!!

Directions:

I like to marinate the chicken overnight in teriyaki in a ziploc bag, but it's not necessary. Place about an inch of water or so in your medium pot and add the chicken dumping and left over teriyaki in there too. Steam/boil the chicken stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes, you want it cooked all the way through but not dry. Turn off let cool a little then place into a bowl and put in the refrigerator to cool. Wash your herbs, as you can see in the picture I kind of keep them separated which isn't necessary but sometimes it makes it easier as they chop differently. I cut the stems off except the basil I just run my hand down the stem to remove the leaves and chop just the leaves. Chop everything up cilantro, basil, green onion, mint, and peanuts if desired.

Pull your chicken out of the fridge and if cool enough chop it up. I usually vary the chopping, some a little smaller pieces some bigger. See picture blow. (The chicken looks really pink but it is actually cooked all the way through - all I have in an iPhone for pictures).

Mix everything together pretty well. Then start with adding your limes - Because bunches of herbs and chicken content can vary I do a lot to taste. I start with 2 limes and 1 cup of sweet chili sauce. Mix well and although the texture won't be the best right now try a bite. I usually add one more like an about 1/2 cup more sweet chili sauce. Thing is, go LIGHT on the sauce because as the herbs and chicken sit together in the ridge they will blend and you don't want to over sauce it.

Let it fridgerate for a few hours. The longer the better - honestly, you can make this a day ahead because in my opinion it's better the second day.

Warning will all the chopping it can make a mess!

Wash and cut the stem off of your romaine - I like to stack them in rows for serving. Cut small pieces of lime for garnish and peanuts if you choose to.

Now put a little of your mixture into a romaine leaf, garnish as you please and enjoy! Greg likes to fill them up, and I like to make them a little lighter and add a bunch of lime.

These are very high in protein, low in fat and carbs. The only bad thing really is the sweet chili sauce but you spread it throughout so many servings that I wouldn't think about it too much. Of course adding the peanuts adds a fair amount of fat and more calories. For me as yummy as it is incorporated into the mixture I think it's better just to garnish with chopped peanuts here and there.

As soon as I get the actual site up: www.mikaelaa.com I will come up with a way to make an easy to print version for anyone that prefers to have a hard copy like me. ( Homemade three ring binder with plastic sleeves is my favorite cookbook!)

More recipes & posts to come! Please comment if you try it, have suggestions, requests, questions or anything else!