Taco Night

The other night I made fish tacos, kind of a combination of traditional meat-based tacos (without the meat) and fish-tacos. I realized as I was putting everything together, that I'm not much of a recipe person. I sometimes start out with a recipe for ideas but then nearly always, run astray, adding or subtracting things, a little more or less of this and that and somehow end up with something I like. I've had a few things end up in the trash, like the cookies I made back in junior high, that had EVERY type of chip I could find-- mint, butterscotch, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, peanut butter and more do NOT work well in the same cookies. Usually, what I create, works out all right.

Based on the above, I hope you'll forgive me that I don't have exact measurements for the meal below. If there isn't an amount, "to taste" is implied because that's how I cook.

I made these with the crunchy taco shells I remember from childhood. If you prefer soft shells, go ahead and use tortillas.

I served three people, including one 4-year-old and had leftover beans & coleslaw. My husband and I each had 2 tacos (maybe 3 for my husband) and Q had 1 + 2 empty shells.

What you'll need:
Taco shells

1 bag of cole slaw, the shredded stuff you find in the produce dept, not pre-made with the sauce
2-3 T light mayonnaise
apple cider vinegar
celery salt
a sprinkling of sugar
poppy seeds

2 cans black beans, preferably organic
about 2 T canola oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (I use yellow but white or sweet works too)
minced or crushed garlic
more apple cider vinegar
cayenne pepper

dover sole, figure at least 1 fillet per person, 2 if you have big eaters
Italian dressing (not creamy)

1 avocado
cumin
salsa

Start by making the coleslaw. In a medium or large bowl (no need to use the whole bag if you don't think you'll eat it all), combine the coleslaw shreds with 1-3 T of mayonnaise. Stir in a bit of cider vinegar until you get a consistency you like. I don't want it runny but I also don't like dressing that's too mayonnaise-y. Season to taste with sugar and celery salt. Sprinkle poppy seeds, as desired. I like quite a few poppy seeds because I like the texture it gives. If you want though, just use them for appearance. Paprika might work well here too, although I haven't tried it. Cover and place in the fridge until serving time.

Next, make the "refried" beans. In a large nonstick skillet, saute onions and garlic in 1-2 T of canola oil until soft and slightly browned. If you find the onions are getting dry, add a T of oil, water or chicken broth to add some moisture. I don't like a lot of oil in my food and I've found that adding water works well. Do take care when adding liquid to a hot skillet, so that you don't burn yourself if it splatters.
While the onion & garlic are sauteeing, drain and rinse the black beans. Add them when the onions are soft & slightly browned. Cook until they begin to soften and you can mash them with a spoon or spatula. Add a few splashes of cider vinegar, continue to stir and mash and then add cayenne to taste. Leave on low heat, stirring occasionally until serving time.
If you don't want to go to this much work, you can sub pre-made canned refried beans but they don't taste as good IMO, and this recipe takes all of 15 minutes so how lazy do you want to be?

In another non-stick skillet, place the sole fillets and drizzle / cover with Italian salad dressing and cook until flaky. This won't take long as sole fillets tend to be thin so keep an eye on them.

Slice the avocado in two and using a knife* remove the pit. Scoop avocado out of shell and into a small bowl. Sprinkle with cumin (I sometimes add sea salt, onion powder & garlic too) and add 2-3 T of salsa. Mash with a fork. I like my guacamole on the chunky side so try to find avocados that have some give but aren't too soft in the grocery store and they tend to give me the right texture.

Remove the coleslaw from the fridge and you're ready to start assembly. Starting with an empty taco shell, add a layer of beans followed by the fish. Next add the guacamole and top with some coleslaw. You can also add shredded cheese, salsa and some other things but I've found the shells are too full for much more at this point.

This recipe is dairy-free, assuming you can eat eggs (although you can substitute vegan mayo and it will be egg-free too) and skip the cheese. It's gluten-free as long as you use corn tortillas or regular taco shells instead of flour.

* I take no responsibility for injury so if you don't know how to do this properly, find another way to remove the pit.

Beautiful words to remember

‎"I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being."

Khwāja Šamsu d-Dīn Muḥammad Hāfez-e Šīrāzī, known by his pen name Hāfez (1325/26–1389/90)[1] was a Persian lyric poet.

A friend posted this on her Facebook page earlier this month. I'm posting it here so that I don't forget it.

Anteater shoes

These shoes featured on The Art Room Plant scream anteater to me:

Apparently they are fashioned after medieval shoes and they do look torturous, both in comfort & style.

What I Wouldn't Do

At 26, I started having problems with dry eye. At least, that's when I can track my first doctor appointment to -- the one that, within a month led to my first punctal plugs, Restasis and expensive preservative-free eye drops after a round or two of glaucoma-causing Lotemax and whatever else to help with inflammation.

All of those things worked back then and summer was more pleasant than winter with it's dry, cold air and indoors, warm, dry heat (that's changed and it's bad year round now). I wore makeup and while dry eyes were a nuisance, they weren't life-changing.

Today, I'm 40, and frequently it feels like my dry eyes have taken over my life. I wear no makeup because it could further irritate my eyes. I have an hourly alarm set to put in either my serum drops, which must be refrigerated, or my preservative-free drops if I can't get to my serum drops. I follow each drop with 2 minutes of closed eyes, as prescribed by my specialist. I'm taking a round of (4) fish oil / (3) flaxseed oil and healthy-eye vitamins daily as suggested by my eye specialist, in addition, to a concoction of chia seeds, slippery elm root and aloe vera my naturopath has prescribed. I've been to numerous eye doctors, taken numerous prescriptions, seen a rheumatologist, consulted with another, gone to an allergist (followed by nearly 12 weeks of dairy-free & tree-nut free living with the tiny hope it would help -- it hasn't so far and I'm in my 10th week) regularly search the Internet for anything that might lead to a cause and / or (better) a cure. At night I put goop in my eyes and wake up at 2 or 3 am because my eyes are so dry I need to administer more eye drops. I use a humidifier at night and have a special humidifier for travel. I use a small thermos with tiny ice packs, cut to fit, to keep my serum drops cold when I travel. Recently, I've started wearing goggles to bed. In the morning and before bed, I spend about 20 minutes doing a procedure that requires a warm, damp compress over my eyes followed by rubbing a Q-tip saturated with sterile saline over my eyelids.

All this because and in spite of, the fact that I am in agony and terrifiedmy eyes will get worse. By worse, I mean, the corneal damage (abrasions) that can lead to all sorts of horrors; horrors such as Tarsorrhaphy and corneal transplants. The constant pain and burning, apparently, isn't enough to hold over my body and mind so the threat of surgery looms.

It's taxing. Between the lack of sleep, due to waking in the night to put eye drops in, the worry and responsibility, I rarely relax. If I fail to put my drops in regularly, I suffer more and even the regular preservative-free drops don't seem as effective as the serum drops. Nevermind that I'm terrified of needles and I've had a gazillion test performed (all negative) and the serum drops require 10 vials of blood to be drawn. The needle fear has gotten better. I still feel nauseous just thinking about them and I always have to play Jedi-mind tricks in order not to hyperventilate before or during a draw. I still cry every time but it's gotten better and to be fair, I cry a lot these days. I'm only 40 and despite overall health, I feel like I'm falling apart.

The worst part about crying is that it ends with my eyes worse than before. Strange as that sounds, crying tears are different than regular tears, or they seem to be. The puffiness that normal people get after a good, solid emotional cry, only further devastates the inflammation I already have and for days, I can look like I've had some horrible allergic reaction where my eyes puff up so much and redden even more, I look more freakish than usual. The inflammation seems to make my eyes even dryer as an added bonus.

I see my eye specialist every 4-6 weeks and so far, no matter what I do, there's been no improvement. The doctor won't tell me much so I wonder if, perhaps, the problem is getting worse. I've stopped asking because I know I'll just cry even longer after my appointment, or more humiliating, during my appointment. I'm pretty sure, at this point, he's only seeing me, anymore, to make sure I don't end up with glaucoma from all of the steroids.

What I wouldn't pay, what I would do, for a cure, to feel better, to go on with my life without the hours I spend taking care of my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm lucky. I can afford the expensive drops, tests and whatever else has gone along with my eye care. I am, overall, very healthy and I have a family that has been supportive, including my dad, a retired M.D., who has spent countless hours researching dry eyes on the Internet for me, and my mom, who despite her own debilitating, chronic back pain has listened to me cry again and again, over this, and my four year old daughter, who, when she hears my eye drop alarm go off, reminds me to put eye drops in. Still, imagine the good I could do with the money I've spent treating what seems to be un-treatable, or the hours I've spent taking care of my eyes.

Pumpkin-Coconut Bisque

Another dairy-free, gluten-free soup. I made this the other night and it turned out nicely. Like usual, I couldn't leave well-enough alone and doctored it quite a bit.

Pumpkin-Coconut Bisque

Yield: 6 servings.

2 T butter or alternative (Earth Balance, olive oil, etc)
1 c chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced (shortcut - use 2-4 tsp minced or crushed garlic from a jar)
2 cans, solid pack pumpkin (make sure it's not the stuff with spices added)
2 c chicken broth or stock (if you're dairy- or gluten-free and you buy broth, check the label, some contain dairy/gluten)
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper, or more depending on personal taste (1/2 tsp adds flavor but not bite)
1 can, unsweetened coconut milk
ground nutmeg, to taste
curry, to taste
unsweetened, shredded coconut for garnish

Over medium heat, in large heavy pot, heat butter or substitute and saute onion and garlic until golden, about 10 minutes.

Add pumpkin, broth, sugar, allspice, crushed red pepper and plenty of curry powder. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

If you have an immersion blender, get to work, otherwise, working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. IMO, if you're going to make pureed soups, an immersion blender is a necessity. Besides the mess, moving hot soup around and pureeing in a blender can be dangerous.*

Bring soup to simmer, thinning with coconut milk or water, to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more curry. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with nutmeg and coconut and serve.


* Here's a review from America's Test Kitchen on which immersion blenders. Sorry, you have to sign up for a 14 day free trial and they get your email address, in order to read it. I had the information somewhere but can't find it anymore. I have a Cuisinart immersion blender and it's all right; there's got to be better out there.

Absolutely Wild

Check out these shoes. Dogs, slides, geese and more by Kobi Levi.

I'm partial to Blonde Ambition

and Sling Shot

Dairy-Free Treats

I'm not sure I can be friends with people that don't like chocolate and coconut. YUM. My latest find dairy- & nut-free find is Manischewitz Chocolate Macaroons. Chocolatey-goodness abounds with chewy coconut. M's Chocolate Macaroons are also gluten-free*

I also tried Manischewitz's Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties. A little too similar to York Peppermint Patties, which I don't really care for. I prefer Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mint Creams (I think that's what they are called... I don't have a box handy because every time I do, I eat them all!). TJ's Mint Creams are softer and less 'sharp' than M's Peppermint Patties.




* Manischewitz Chocolate Macaroons are made in a facility with both dairy & wheat products so while they do not contain either, for those who are extremely sensitive or cautious, it's important to note.
** Always read labels if you have food allergies. Product ingredients can change without notice and frequently do.

Dress

Alexis Mabille Crinkled Chiffon on Cotton Crepe Dress available at Luisaviaroma, $2612.90

Incredibly feminine and sexy. Unfortunately, while beautiful, the craftsmanship doesn't look up to par with the $2000+ price tag. It is possible that the dress simply doesn't look good on the model (the top, in particular) or that the fabric is adding lumps & bumps. There's a lot of texture in Alexis Mabille's Spring / Summer 2011 collection, which I love but, this may be a situation where the fabric was a poor design pick despite the great contrast with the lace, ribbon and cut of the dress.

Sweet Treat

My latest obsession is one I picked up from Nancy's Kitchen in NW Portland. Nancy's is terrific and they've watched our daughter grow from bb (before birth) to the chatty yet coy four year old she is today.

We go often enough that they treat our daughter like their own and frequently bring her little treats or tastes of new items on the menu as we wait for our meal. The last time we were in, the treat warmed, homemade jam with sliced bananas. Q was being fickle and the smell of the warmed jam was so good, I had to try some... and then preceded to eat the entire banana dipped in the warm jam. Delish!

I'm not a huge fan of bananas but this has become my latest fave and while it's high in sugar (depending on the jam you use), it's pretty healthy overall. Healthier than a lot of dessert options, anyway!