Fabulous Fish Tacos



Both tacos are only 405 calories. 

Say goodbye to summer with this low-calorie favorite from Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave.  In case you are unfamiliar with Ellie, she hosts "Healthy Appetite," a show which previously ran on Food Network and now can be seen on Cooking Channel.  A registered dietitian with a master's degree in nutrition, she has a knack for making boring "diet" food taste pretty great. 

I recently made her recipe for fish tacos.  I love fish tacos but they usually are not low in calories, thanks to many restaurants and taco stands frying the fish.   Ellie marinates the fish in fresh lime juice and a touch of olive oil, then quickly grills it.  You never miss the fry.  She then adds a chipotle cream to spice it up and tops it off with corn kernels, shredded cabbage and cilantro.  Corn tortillas are the vessel of choice, since they are extremely low in calories, sodium and fat.

While the last few recipes I've posted are loaded with fat and calories, this is one you won't feel guilty about eating, and it's ready in a snap.  I picked up some tilapia, an ear of fresh corn, and a bag of angel-hair shredded cabbage, and it was off to the kitchen.  Ole!

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream
(The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)

For the fish
2 T. olive oil
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound white, flaky fish fillets (tilapia, mahi-mahi or halibut)

For the chipotle cream
1/2 C plain nonfat yogurt or 1/3 C Greek-style nonfat yogurt
2 T. mayonnaise
2 tsp. finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

For the tacos
Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
1 1/2 C shredded green cabbage or lettuce
1/2 C cooked corn kernels
1/4 C fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

To make the fish, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Pour over the fish and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.  To make the chipotle cream, if using regular yogurt, put it into a strainer lined with a paper towel set over a bowl to drain and thicken for 30 minutes.  Preheat a grill or nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill until cooked through, about three minutes per side.  Set the fish aside on a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In a small bowl, combine the drained or Greek-style yogurt, the mayonnaise and chipotle.

To prepare the tacos, heat the tortillas on the grill or grill pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork.  Spread each tortilla with one tablespoon of the chipotle cream.  Top with fish, cabbage, corn and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Notes:  I have been using the leftover chipotle cream on sandwiches and it adds lots of flavor and heat to otherwise uninspired turkey sandwiches.  If you don't like spicy foods, use less chipotle in the cream.  Greek yogurt is superior to regular yogurt.  Buy it and you won't need to mess with the strainer.  You can use frozen corn but fresh tastes best, and I simply saute it in butter-flavored cooking spray.

Order Up: Spicy Quesadillas

Sometimes I feel like a short-order cook.  Somebody hates onion. Somebody else hates chicken. Somebody likes their food spicy. Somebody else detests spice.  Somebody is trying to gain weight.  Somebody is trying to lose weight.  The list drones on with mushrooms, green peppers, and blah, blah, blah.

Whatever happened to the time when you ate whatever Mom put in front of you, and if you didn't like it, your choices consisted of either going to bed hungry or making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Oh, those were the days!  I grew up in a family of five kids, and my mom never would have put up with this multiple choice nonsense. 

I bet Martha Stewart wouldn't tolerate it.  Can you imagine her contempt?  Her awesome quesadilla recipe would have been the only one prepared last night, not three different quesadilla concoctions.  I know, you're saying it's my own fault - and it is!  Mom also wouldn't put up with whining, so let the complaining cease and the fiesta begin.

The full monty.  These were fantastic, Martha.

Omnimedia-maniac Martha and her gang of culinary wizards have come through with another fabulous dish.  First, the ricotta cheesecake, and now, adobo-marinated chicken quesadillas.  Oh my word, these were spicy specimens of smokey goodness!   I rarely make Martha's recipes, but with these recent successes, I'm starting to reconsider.

Except for a quick trip to the store for additional rice vinegar and some tortillas, I had all the quesadilla ingredients on hand.  Easy and quick to prepare, these Mexican treats are hearty enough that they need no accompanying sides.  If you have picky eaters in your house - ahem - you can modify the recipe in many ways.  They have a great kick to them for those who appreciate the spicier side of life.

Adobo-Marinated Chicken Quesadillas
(Martha Stewart Living)

1 can (7 oz) chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 C water
4 chicken cutlets
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced crosswise
1 C rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1/4 C sugar
8 eight-inch flour tortillas
5 ounces low-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/3 C) (I used full-fat Colby Jack)

1. Puree chiles in adobo sauce and water in a blender until smooth.  Pour mixture over chicken to coat.  Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, place onion in a small bowl.  Combine jalapenos, vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until jalapenos are soft and sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.  Pour over onion, and let stand until mixture is cool.  Strain though a fine sieve/colander.
3. Heat a grill pan over high heat.  Grill chicken about 2 minutes per side, depending on thickness.  Slice into strips.  Wipe pan clean.
4. Place 1 tortilla onto a work surface.  Arrange strips of 1 cutlet to cover tortilla.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of Monterey Jack cheese and some onion-jalapeno mixture.  Top with another tortilla.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken, cheese, and onion mixture.
5. Carefully place quesadilla onto hot grill pan, and cook over medium heat until tortillas are crisp and cheese melts, about 4 minutes per side.  Cut each quesadilla in half, and divide among 8 plates. (This is funny because I ate an entire quesadilla, both halves.  Explains why I thought they were so hearty!) 

Notes:  I spray the outside of the tortillas with cooking spray before grilling.  If you don't have a grill pan, cook them in a skillet as you would a grilled cheese sandwich.  You won't get the grill marks, but it will still taste great.  I haven't tried these on an outdoor grill, but why not?  A medium-low temperature would probably work best.

These are missing the colorful red onion and jalapeno peppers.  Criminal!

#2  Not-So-Spicy, Low-Fat Adobo-Marinated Chicken Quesadillas
(for the I-hate-onion-and-spicy-foods-but-like-chicken-and-I'm-also-on-a-diet eater)

Omit onion-jalapeno mixture, and substitute black bean dip.
Use whole wheat, low-carb tortillas, fat-free dip, and reduced-fat cheese.

My kid raved about these simple meatball quesadillas.

#3  Easy Meatball Quesadillas
(for the skinny, chicken-and-onion hater)
Makes 1 quesadilla

6 to 8 small frozen meatballs, thawed and crumbled
1 to 2 T black bean dip (I like Fresh Market)
1/4 C Monterey Jack cheese (I used Colby Jack)
Fresh cilantro, optional
Salsa, sour cream for dipping
2 eight-inch regular flour tortillas

Spread bean dip on one tortilla.  Place meatball crumbles on top of dip.  Top with shredded cheese and cilantro, if desired.  Place tortilla on grill pan and grill a few minutes on each side until the cheese melts and you have some nice grill marks.  Cut into wedges, and serve with salsa and sour cream.