Spicy Blackened Tilapia Tacos with Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce

If you know anything about me, or have looked through my blogs, I HATE, (yes that's a strong word) Hate, seafood!  I mean, I can't even to tuna fish.  No shrimp, no California roll, Nothing!  So don't ask me why I've been on a quest to get a good tilapia recipe.  I guess you can say it's the one fish, I could almost, kinda, sorta tolerate if I was forced to take a bite!  But I just know how healthy fish can be, so when I saw this recipe, I decided to give it a whirl, and seriously ate it 3 times in 1 week because I LOVED it that much!  So give it try!

 BLACKENED FISH TACOS WITH AVOCADO-CILANTRO SAUCE

 

hOST THE tOAST

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME

25 mins

 

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

For the Blackened Fish:

• 1.5 lbs tilapia fillets
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon brown sugar / I used organic coconut sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
• 6 corn tortillas

For the Slaw:

• ½ red cabbage, sliced thin
• ¼ green cabbage, sliced thin
• ½ medium-sized onion, diced
• ½ cup cilantro - chopped
• Juice of 1 lime

For the Avocado-Cilantro Sauce:

• ½ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and skinned
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
• Salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, onion powder, cumin, salt, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over both sides of your tilapia fillets, and then rub the seasonings in.
2. Combine all of the Avocado-Cilantro Sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until well-combined.
3. Combine all of the Slaw ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
4. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add in the tilapia (a few at a time if you can't fit them all at once). Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the outside is blackened and the fish flakes apart easily.
5. Remove the fish from the heat, and warm the corn tortillas on a skillet over medium heat, cooking for about 30 seconds on each side.
6. Break up the tilapia into 2-3" pieces.  Distribute the fish evenly between the 6 tortillas, and top with Slaw and Avocado-Cilantro Sauce. Serve.

Recipe adapted from: Host the Toast Food Blog

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

 Ok, so I've been really wanting to try this whole cauliflower crust thing for a LONG time, and just haven't gotten around to it.  I've done the Zucchini crust thing and it was good.  Soft, but good.  So It was make your own pizza night with the kiddos, so I decided, I get to make my own pizza too!  Guiltless, and no grains in my crust!  I could call this Paleo'sh, if I wanted too.  It all depends on if you allow dairy into your paleo lifestyle, which I do.  I try to go light on dairy, so it has to be for a special dish.  And I think Pizza is a special dish that REQUIRES, cheese!  Am I right???

Even after getting the "weirdo" look from my Husband, after it was all said and done, cooked and cut, I got the approval from him saying it was good, and really not that different from a regular crust.  A tad softer, but the taste is not compromised at all!  It tastes awesome!  And I actually had it for lunch the next day with a cut up chicken breast for a tad more protein and it was fulfilling and yummy!

The biggest tip I can give you to get your crust to turn out firm and crusty, is after you "rice" your cauliflower, cook it in the microwave for 4 minutes, dump it onto a Tea Towel, wait for it to cool so you can handle it, then wring the heck out of it until you can't get anymore liquid out of it, and it looks like a ball of dough, like this!

 Grain-Free Cauliflower Crust Pizza

makes one approx. 10-12 inch pizza

1 small to medium sized head of cauliflower - should yield  3 cups once processed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush it even more between your fingers)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush it even more between you fingers)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
optional a few shakes of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg

Then use your preference on pizza sauce and toppings!  You all know how you like to dress your pizza up!

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don't have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil. 

Wash and thoroughly dry a small head of cauliflower.  Cut off the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with  3 cups cauliflower "snow". Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess. 

Dump cauliflower into a bowl. Now add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want.  Now add your egg and mix away. Hands  or a a fork tend to work best. 

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don't make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want.  Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Test your patience and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Probably closer to two. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula serve up your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!

*** Oven time may very!  Just make sure you cook the crust long enough that its not a crumbly soft mess.  Also make sure if you don't have a silicone pat, use parchment paper, not wax paper or tin foil!  

*** If you are  don't get enough "cauliflower snow out of your head of cauliflower, you can always add in a tablespoon or 2 of Almond meal to get the thickness you need.  

I got this recipe off of Pinterest from a wonderful blog called THE LUCKY PENNY BLOG