Buckwheat Meets Tilapia Tacos

I think Lorna and our followers are going to fire us! Maybe we'll post once a week or maybe we'll skip a few weeks, you just never know!  If only we weren't soooo tempted with the outdoors, traveling, and summer fun. I guess until we go on Oprah and become famous, we have some time to slack!

This past week, Ben's dad was in town.  Before he arrived, Ben told me that I should cook "normal" food.  Within the first hour of his arrival, Sid asked me if I was going to try "one of those" recipes on him this week and post.  This is when I give Ben my evil I told you so eyes!  Thank goodness for bags of random grains in my fridge. I'm tyring to become a master at whipping up recipes and spiking them with grains!


Tilapia Mango Buckwheat Tacos
2-3 tilapia fillets
1 mango
6-8 corn tortilla shells
1 can of black beans
lettuce
tomato
avacodo
shredded cheese
lemon and lime juice
sour cream

Guacamole - My rule, no guacamole recipe should be the same.  Tonights creation was simple, mashed avacodo, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, a handful of chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, and several squirts of lime juice. 

Tilapia - Season tilapia.  I make and store an all purpose seasoning in bulk thanks to Vicki's great find.  Cut small slices of mango and spread over fish.  Top with fresh lemon juice.  Bake fish.

Bean Spread - 1 can of black beans pureed in the "Magic Bullet" with cumin, a handful of chopped tomatoes, and a spoonful of sour cream.

Buckwheat - Ohh yes I did cook buckwheat in my pressure cooker and stuff it in the tacos! One of my favorite pages in Lorna's WHOLE book is page 112 consisting of a whole grains timing chart.  I will admit that I was pretty stumped when I turned to the page and buckwheat was not on the timing chart.  I examined the grain and decided it needed to cook for 20 minutes.  YIKES.....apparently Lorna was NOT being forgetful, buckwheat is not supposed to be pressure cooked due to it being such a quick cooking grain. 

Corn Tortillas - Fry tortillas shells on both sides in shallow hot oil.  Pat off any extra oil with a paper towel.

Taco Assembly - Smear the entire torilla shell with the bean spread, add the fish and cut mangos.  Sprinkle buckwheat, cheese, tomato and lettuce over fish.  Add a dollop of guacamole.  Enjoy!  amy w.

Oh dear...I'm behind!

Do you ever have those moments where you suddenly realize you completely forgot a part of your life for a period of time? Like missed a credit card bill for 2 months straight, haven't checked an email account in weeks or (like me!) forgot you were writing a blog with a partner?! Haha... well, I do those sorts of things. For as organized and habitual I attempt to be, I have these memory lapses in my life. So, here I am weeks since my last post and no grain practice to share!

Over the last few weeks I have finished my summer quarter of school, begun a workout routine (with the help of my great roommate and workout motivator Brittany!) and planned several trips that will begin this coming Sunday morning precisely at 7 am.  I leave for Farm School (yes Farm School!) for 7 days in Eastern Washington, followed by a reunion with my Sisters and Mom and some solo camping sprinkled in between.  Then I'm home for a few days and off for my first big European adventure in the wonderful country of SPAIN!!  I'm going on a guided culinary tour of the Castile-Leon region, northwest of Madrid for 8 days.  Yes you should be jealous because it is going to be amazing!

What I haven't done much of is grain cookery, well...creatively anyway. This morning I had cooked roasted buckwheat with two eggs on top...notthing too exciting, but definitely inspired by Lorna's buckwheat hash recipe which I absolutely love. I've made it a couple times since that first recipe test back in January.  I've also had a few servings of plain old quinoa, going back to the basics!  I'll be back in a couple weeks and promise to make something new from our book and share my new domestic skills knowledge. Until then, I'm sure Amy has more great Utah foodie stories to share...and maybe even another cat picture or two  :)
Cheers and happy Summer! -Vicki

Raspberry Muffins, pg. 268

Ahh yes, the time of year when grocery shopping becomes fun! The Farmer's Market has fruits and veggies galore, I can barely wait until Saturday.  After buying fresh raspberries, I couldn't resist Lorna's recipe where the muffin meets fresh fruit. 

Lorna uses only 1/2 cup of brown sugar trying not to defeat the purpose of a healthy muffin. Ohh, and make your own brown sugar it's simple, fast, and cheap! (sugar + molasses + a whisk to mix = fabulous brown sugar)

After making a double batch of sugarLESS banana bread by accident last week, I've really been rethinking the cup(s) of sugar mixed into baked goods. I'm on week two of cutting the sugar in all baked goods by half - Ben has no idea!

Do I like frozen rasberries in my morning smoothie? YES!  How about on my ice cream? Ohh yeah!  However, I do not like raspberries in my muffins.  Too mushy!  I don't think I did anything wrong it's just what happens. I'll be sure to use the several options Lorna suggests in her book.

Check out the following website: http://www.gardenguides.com/416-freezing-vegetables.html. This is a wonderful tool to save money and time.  My freezer is empty and it's about time to stock up.  This past weekend I pitted and froze 2 large bags of cherries, blanched 7 small bags of green beans, and froze a batch of oat zuchinni muffins for breakfast on the run.  This coming weekend, I hope to stock up and prep onions, carrots, zuchinni, and potatoes.  How great would that be, I'll chop for a day but have items prepped for weeks to come.   -amy w.

Wanderlust Yoga Music Festival

We've been super busy!!!  Stay tuned.....