Speaking of Catfish Family Appetizer

 

I haven't actually talked about catfish for a long while,  so I feel the need to get back to it. Catfish, in my view, was born to be dunked in milk or egg, coated with cornmeal and fried crisp and golden. Although my favorite is the fried catfish, there are so many other tasty ways to eat it.  I have used it for fish tacos and, particularly in this weather, in catfish stew spiced with Caribbean curry powder.  Catfish is so versatile that you can bake it, encrusted in grated potatoes, grill it or broil it. with garlic, herbs and lemon or lime.

 You can add it into your favorite pasta dish or in put some of the sweet little morsels into salads.  Or, for example, you can or use it in little pastries as appetizers for a dinner party.  (See recipe below) Be careful, though, you may end up indulging so well in the little pastries, you may find you have left no room for the main dish.

Catfish and Goat Cheese Appetizers

Ingredients

1 - 15-ounce package folded, refrigerated, unbaked pie crusts (2 crusts)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

3 TBS butter or margarine

1½ pounds U.S. farm-raised catfish fillets, cubed

8 oz fresh goat cheese or soft-style cream cheese

2 TBS chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil, crushed

Directions

1. Let pie crusts stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes according to package directions.
2. Unfold pie crusts.
3. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
4. With 3 1/4-inch round cutter, cut 8 rounds from each pie crust
5. In a saucepan, cook onion and garlic in butter or margarine until tender.
6. Add catfish; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until flakes easily.
7. Use spoon to break into small pieces.
8. Add goat cheese or cream cheese and basil.
9. Cook and stir until cheese melts.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Spoon the catfish mixture evenly onto half of each dough round.
12.  Brush edge of crust rounds with beaten egg.
13. Fold crust rounds in half; press edges with fork to seal.
14. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
15. Brush tops with egg or milk. Cut small slit in top of each.
16. Bake in a 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is brown.
17. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is a take on a dish from the US Catfish Institute Cookbook

Cod Filet and Black Bean Sauce

It's funny how things happen where you think your discussions or thoughts seem to have no relationship to anything.  They are just random; just like last night at a fabulous and tasty dinner at the home of Alisa and Greg's, close friends of my daughter's, the conversation, as usual, turned to everybody's take on food.  The food was great!  There were many cooks in attendance, 8 people out of 9, as a matter of fact.  Greg made the Shrimp Creole. Gerri made a Key Lime Pie to which she added toasted coconut and Alisa and Wendy W made a delicious salad.

 Of course, with that many cooks at the table, the conversation naturally turned to food.  Then, the discussion shifted to the subject of vegetarianism and "organic foods."  I mentioned that a friend of mine from Ethiopia who travels extensively in Europe laughed and noted that only in America are people concerned with "organic" foods and vegetables.  She said that in Europe, and in many other countries, the food is fresh, in other words, it's already pesticide free. 

Then, the hostess, Alisa, my daughter Wendy H's contemporary, commented that when she first stared cooking a cookbook she used started every recipe with the ingredients, "a can of this" and 2 cans of that.  We all laughed and tried to figure out what foods we still use from a can.  Not too many we thought, with a slight bit of arrogance.

We pretty much poo-poo'd the idea, thinking of the foods we still use from a can as if everything else is beneath us.   Everybody thought of beans and I thought of anchovies, because that's also a favorite of mine that I use salted from my favorite Italian deli or from a can.  However, like food snobs, we decided canned foods are relatively obsolete and it's passé to use them in healthy cooking.  So, I didn't think that anything more about the subject of canned foods.

Today, however, after an entire day of not eating because I overslept and then was really busy all day and unable to eat until I got home at 4:30, I was ravenous.  So right away, I made a salad of only romaine (because it was right there), sprinkled on some grated Parmesan and a bit of salad dressing and started on that.  I knew that I wanted some fish so I took a couple of frozen cod fillets out of the freezer to thaw out.

Did I mention that I was extremely hungry?  So, after I ate the salad, I thought about the kind of taste I wanted for my fish.  The night before, we had eaten Greg's Creole shrimp, which was delicious and took a little while to chop and cook the ingredients. 

Yet true to my way of cooking and the state of my hunger, I didn't want to wait too long to eat.  So I opened up, guess what?? A can of black beans and a can of tomatoes and hot chilies, threw them into a pan in which I had already melted a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of light butter for flavor and let them cook about 5 or 6 minutes to let the liquid evaporate and thicken the sauce.  Then I placed the cod fillets into the black bean sauce.  (I was so hungry,  I couldn't even wait for the fish to thaw completely.) 

I lowered the fillets gently into the sauce and let them cook for about 3 minutes on each side, smothering them, so to speak, with the black bean and spicy chili tomato mixture.  Then I let them simmer for about  3 minutes more to soak up the flavor of the sauce. I didn't add anything extra; no salt, no pepper, not even any herbs or spices.  I was ready to eat!  Lo and behold—the fish and canned vegetable were delicious; and satisfying and healthy to boot!

I realized that there are many foods we still use that are canned and bottled and can be a lot healthier than some so called "healthy, low fat" foods that have loads of sugar and sodium in them so they taste good.   Just like this cod filet and black bean sauce recipe.  Way yum!

Kale and Daikon

I

Daikon and Kale Greens

If you love kale as I do, you will appreciate this simple and delightful side dish to accompany chicken, tofu or other vegetables.   It only takes a short time to make and the results are very tasty. Plus, for me, it's a new twist to add Daikon and fresh ginger to one of my favorite greens.

As I make my dishes, one of the hardest things for me to do is to write down exactly how much of anything I use.  I suppose that goes back to my mom's and my grandmother's way of cooking.  Unless it was a cake or cookies, something that needed precise measurements, they didn't measure everything exactly. 

I am likely to throw things into the pan and then add seasonings and ingredients that In most cases, I have to painfully try to remember and then record it.  That's why it takes me so long sometimes to put a recipe on my blog.

Anyway, here goes.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbs vegetable or canola oil

1 lb fresh kale

½ lb Daikon radish

1 Tbs minced garlic

½ medium onion, sliced thin

1 Tbs fresh minced ginger

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 Tbs hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Wash kale.  Tear the leaves from the stems.  Discard stems.  Cut or tear leaves into smaller pieces or strips.  Peel the Daikon radish, cut into ¼ inch thick slices and then into four small pieces.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add Daikon and cook for about minutes.  I actually cooked it until it got a little brown.  Add sliced onions, garlic and ginger and co2 ok until soft, another minute.  Add red pepper flakes and washed kale, being very careful because the water from the kale may splatter.  Cover with a tight fitting top and cook about 5 minutes, stirring, occasionally.   Raise heat to medium high and cook another 5 minutes allowing the liquid to evaporate.  Stir in hoisin sauce and vinegar.  Way yum!

Easy Ways to Reduce Blood Pressure

Easy Ways to Reduce Blood Pressure

I've been thinking recently that I have been spending too much money on blood pressure medicine and arthritis pain relief.  I have realized for some time that I know how to combat these symptoms by spending that money on adding more vegetables and fruits to my diet and dropping some weight, especially from my belly.  Now, mind you, I know how to do that and have done it before; it just takes my determination to make a change.

So, the other night, I attended an event where my daughter was sworn in as member of the board of the county women business owners association and met a woman who was a vegetarian.  She and my daughter started talking about vegetarianism.  My daughter is a new vegetarian.  This woman mentioned that she freezes her tofu, which changes the texture and also makes it easier to cook, eat and marinate. 

I am not a vegetarian, however, my motto is, "pretty much if it's food, I like it."  I love all kinds of food, including, and not limited to, junk foods, healthy foods, international cuisine, soul food, ethnic foods, meats, poultry, vegetarian and vegan.  Other people joined the conversation and the vegetarian mentioned kale and collards and how difficult it can be to cook them with flavor without meat.  It got me to thinking about how I have cooked collards and kale and sauerkraut without the meat.

For some reason, after that conversation, I have been craving kale.  I've also been thinking about adding some vegetables that I have tried and either haven't cooked or haven't cooked for a long while. 

So my next recipe will be a kale and daikon mixture that hits the spot.  It was something new for me; because even though I feel I must eat healthy, it must taste good to me, otherwise, I can't encourage anyone else to eat it.

Back from Travels with Doctor Who

So, I'm back from my 3-month journey with The Doctor, Martha Jones and Mickey Smith,  Amelia Pond and Rory Smith and many other companions, encountering, for example, the Daleks, The Silence, the Silurians, the Ood, the Gunslinger and the Shakri.  I must admit, the Weeping Angels are too creepy for me to encounter on this most recent trip, however, I'll check them out again on my short trip with Doctor this evening when "The Angels Take Manhattan.  Don't fret; I'll be back on Monday,  Earth Time.

Then, I;ll be back with some great recipes and simple foods with avocado,  mushrooms and other satisfying, delicious and healthy foods.  This is a food blog,after all.

Open-Face Portabello Mushroom Melt

Portabello mushrooms are a delicious alternative to hamburgers, turkey burgers and those miracle veggie burgers.  They are filling and satisfying and can be teamed up with a host of goodies to make a mouthwatering weekday meal for yourself or your family.

This is a perfect Spring or Summer lunch and so filling that you may not need a big dinner.  I added lots of flavors that I enjoy.  Sometimes, I make it strictly vegetarian, however, today, I added a couple of strips of low fat turkey bacon, because I wanted a bacon taste with the avocado I decided to add.

I always just use what I have in the fridge.  For example, I had some spring onions that needed using, so I cooked them instead of regular onions.  Anything that you would use to garnish your hamburger patties, you can use here.

 I used TJ's California-style Protein Bread and grated sharp Cheddar.  Way yummy!  You might like another hearty bread that will hold up to the ingredients.  If you notice, I did not use any salt  since my sauce is quite flavorful and the cheese and ranch dressing are salty enough.  Besides, you can taste the freshness and meatiness of the mushroom.

Ingredients

2 slices whole grain bread, toasted
1 or 2 Tbs olive oil
Large Portabello Mushroom, whole or sliced
Light mayo or your own special sauce* (See below)
Tomatoes, thin slices
Grated or sliced cheese
Onion slices, sauteed
2 slices crispy turkey bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced
Spring greens or lettuce of your choice
1 to 2 Tbs light Ranch dressing
Freshly ground pepper
My Own Special Sauce *

Heat olive oil over medium  heat. Add mushroom and saute, covered, on both sides in the olive oil.  Add onion slices and cook until soft.  Added grated or sliced cheese of choice.  Turn off heat and cover so the cheese melts over the mushroom and onions.  At this point, you can slice the mushroom so it spreads over both pieces of bread

Meanwhile, toast the bread and let get crispy.  Spread the mayo or sauce on both slices.  Place toast side-by-side on a plate.  Add spring greens and sliced tomatoes.  Grind pepper to taste on tomato slices.  Place mushroom with melted cheese and onions on top. Make sure to spread all ingredients over both slices of toast.  Add ranch dressing and spread over the top.  Place bacon slices acroos the top and add the avocado slices.  Not only beautiful, but delicious looking!

*My Own Special Sauce

1 cup light mayo
3-4 Tbs Greek yogurt or light sour cream
Pinch or two of cumin seeds
2-3 Tbs dill relish
Cayenne pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well in a small mixing bowl. Chill before serving to let the flavors blend.  With this recipe, you can adjust ingredients to taste. 

 *  I also use this sauce on my fried catfish.  Way yum!

Prom Time is Family Time

I had the great fortune and opportunity earlier this evening to spend time with my lovely granddaughter, Danielle, getting ready for her high school prom. Proud GranAngela is at her side.  This is a landmark event for all of our families.  My family, including her "Auntie Wendy", my brother, Garcia, sister in-law, Joyce and nephew, Aubrey, who remembers every birthday and milestone in Danielle's 18 year-old life; her dad, my son Dan's family, including my wonderful daughter in-law, Natalie, Pop Pop (big Dan), Earlyn, and Uncle Brenton; her fantastic mom, Yolanda's family.  We surely missed her maternal grandmom, Vanessa, tonight.  She would have been beaming and joyous, just as I was, to see how well Danielle has done.  Then, there's big brothers, Terrence and Anthony and Sage, Danielle's 4 year old niece and stepdad, Aaron.  Missing, but not forgotten were Mommie Phronie, Daddy Garcia, Big Mommy and Big Daddy, the great grandparents, who would have been overjoyed to see her.  We're all so proud and happy, Danielle! Love from GranAngela

Check out her hot shoes, bag and dress!