Baked Fish Tacos--orange we glad we waited!

When is an orange not just any old orange? When it springs from an orange tree in your own back yard!

In the Western part of these United States, where we have a little “grandparent house” that shelters us when we visit some special little people, has grown an orange tree—planted quite a few years ago on the same week our first grandchild was born. Year after year we’ve wondered whether we’d ever see any of the luxurious citrus like that on our neighbors’ trees. This year was our lucky year! Gorgeous golden orbs finally emerged from those branches at our place. Just had to find a special recipe that would feature oranges aplenty.

About the same time, the Kroger grocery circular appeared in our mailbox. It featured a recipe for Baked Fish Tacos that had oranges as a main ingredient. Segments from our yield of oranges were quickly removed and readied for this healthy and yummy entree.

We’ve heard about farmers who are reluctant to butcher a cow they’ve cared for from birth. We had no such sentimental ties to the yield of an orange tree we once planted at knee-height. We enjoyed this orange-studded menu item to the fullest!

Baked Fish Tacos

1/2 cup plain panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander (I substituted parsley flakes)

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 tilapia fillets, cut in half lengthwise

salt (or salt substitute) and pepper

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 to 2 chipotle peppers, minced (or a pinch or two of cayenne pepper)

2 oranges

1 bunch cilantro

8 soft flour tortillas

1 lime quartered, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Place the fish on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet; season fish with salt and pepper. Top each fillet generously with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake the fish for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the fish is firm, opaque, and has reached a safe internal temperature of 145 degrees. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the yogurt and chipotle peppers. Transfer to a small bowl; keep refrigerated until you are ready to eat. Prep the rest of the ingredients: Peel the oranges, separate into segments, and remove any seeds. Clean the cilantro; remove the stems. To assemble tacos place 1/8 of the fish in the center of a tortilla. Smear some of the chipotle yogurt on the tortilla. To each add 2 orange segments and some fresh cilantro. Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 8 tacos. (Source: Kroger grocery MyMagazine)

Plenty of Sunshine Headed Our Way with this Citrus Platter

So simple from start to finish, yet so enjoyable and such a different way to present delicious fruit—Southern Living contributed the idea in its display for “Our Easiest Brunch Ever” in the February 2012 issue of the magazine.

The feature was called “Sunshine Citrus Platter”; since (as I’ve mentioned) I just happened to be in the possession of some of the most beautiful, sunshine-y citrus ever, this recipe made my heart leap.

Oranges and grapefruit are peeled and cut into manageable rounds. Cinnamon and powdered sugar are sprinkled on; fresh mint leaves (which still grow right by my back door in this non-winter) top everything for a garnish. The recipe tells folks that if they don’t have time to section their own citrus, to grab some in purchased jars on the grocery produce aisle. That wasn’t my situation, since I had gorgeous citrus, juicily fresh from the tree, just waiting to be carved into.

Hubby’s comment was, “I never thought about sprinkling cinnamon and powdered sugar on fruit before, but this is tasty.” The pretty platter that was created from the project indeed would make a brunch spring alive, although it was a fairly nice addition to our weeknight dinner spread as well.

Sunshine Citrus Platter

4 navel oranges

2 Ruby Red or Rio Star grapefruit

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

ground cinnamon

garnish: fresh mint leaves

Peel oranges and grapefruit; cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours Arrange fruit on a large platter Sift powdered sugar over fruit. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Grapefruit, Avocado & Shrimp combo does dinner up right

No surprise that, at this time of year, a recent issue of Prevention magazine would feature citrus (which covered everything from limes to kumquats) as its monthly focus and tub-thumped consuming these rich sources of vitamin C and fiber.

While we were visiting my son’s home in the epicenter of citrus country, where lemons the size of dinner plates and other citrus grow by the thousands in the yard, we had been given some lovely grapefruit. One of Prevention’s featured recipes in the citrus promo caught my eye, so some sections of this gigantic grapefruit immediately went into creating this dinner entrée of Grapefruit, Avocado, & Citrus.

This made a lovely meal that couldn’t have been more simple, from start to finish, to get on the table. It became an attractive presentation on the plate also. Some peeled, deveined shrimp, tossed with spices, were sautéed in oil in a skillet until cooked through. Sections from a grapefruit and slices from an avocado, along with the shrimp, went on the plate.

The whole preparation/serving process took me the whole of 10 minutes from tossing the shrimp with the spices to setting the filled plates on the table. Who can argue with that kind of time frame—without skimping on health benefits?

Grapefruit, Avocado, & Shrimp

3/4 pound peeled, deveined shrimp

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 grapefruit

1 large avocado

In a medium bowl toss peeled, deveined shrimp with cumin and paprika. In skillet over medium-high heat sauté shrimp in oil. Stir until shrimp is cooked, about 4 minutes. Remove peel and pith from 1 grapefruit and slice into sections. Divide sections among 4 plates. Slice avocado. Top grapefruit sections with 1 chopped avocado and shrimp. Makes 4 servings.

(Courtesy Prevention, December 2011)

Chocolate-Orange Cornmeal Cookies mark special occasion of meeting new kin

Though I have many decades of life under my belt, little stirs me as much as does meeting flesh-and-blood kin. I’ve been fortunate to have this experience many times now, yet I’m still like a kid on Christmas morning when I realize I’m looking on the face of someone who shares my same bloodline.

That’s because as an adopted individual, I spent many years not knowing anyone to whom I was genetically related. Many adult adopted persons testify to the same take-your-breath-away sense of wonder when they realize they at last can gaze on “biological relations”.

Both my cookbooks, Way Back in the Country and Way Back in the Country Garden, are written in praise and devotion to the adopted family that loved and reared me—some of the finest folk on the face of the earth. I owe so much to these wonderful individuals; all the ink in the world is not sufficient enough to sing their praises.

But more than 30 years ago I was privileged to begin meeting members of my birthfamily and to uncover many rich stories of the physical heritage from which I sprang. This week I made the acquaintance of two more of their number, as some cousins from my maternal side paid me a delightful visit. Having traveled to the sunny West to celebrate the 35th birthday of our son (mentioned in the two previous blogs), we were able to connect with these cousins who are snowbirds from a colder climate and winter in the same city in which our children live year-round.

What kind of treats to prepare for a celebration such as this? Something that reflected our current Western geography—specifically, the citrus season about which I blogged earlier. The recent issue of Southern Living magazine, which features numerous “sweet-on-citrus” dishes, shared a recipe for Chocolate-Orange Cornmeal Cookies. I took an orange from our son’s backyard citrus grove and used it for the fresh orange juice and orange zest that the recipe specifies.

Pressing the dough into the log shape and cutting the log into slices made perfectly shaped, round cookies. The citrus gave the dough a special bright tang. The cornmeal addition was indecipherable in the finished product and actually helped the dough solidify. Drizzling the chocolate over the cooled cookies—well, it does what a bit of chocolate frosting does for any recipe. These cookies were just amazing!

Hours ticked away as though they were seconds as Hubby and I exchanged some special conversation with these newfound “cuzzins”. Comparing a physical resemblance here and there never ceases to bring huge amazement for one who never knew any physical kinfolk until I gave birth to my son and finally set my eyes on a face that looked like mine. One of the two visitors—a sprightly 93-year-old who’s still going strong—encouraged me about quality, long-term life expectancy. Firsthand accounts of her own grandparents—my great-grandparents on my birthfamily side—brought highly cherished moments for me.

Hubby and I never again will dine on Chocolate-Orange Cornmeal Cookies without thinking about these few rare hours in which we once again gathered some missing pieces (the title of my book, Gathering the Missing Pieces in an Adopted Life, which tells about my initial experience of finding birthfamily) and enjoyed fellowship with some interesting relatives.

Chocolate-Orange Cornmeal Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plain cornmeal

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

wax paper

Combine flour and cornmeal. Set aside. In a large bowl and with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar at medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and next three ingredients. Beat until all are blended. Gradually add flour mixture. After each addition beat just until blended. Cover and chill dough one hour. Using wax paper shape dough into a 12-inch log. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill 8 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove log from refrigerator and allow to soften a little at room temperature so it will slice easily. Slice log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12 minutes or until set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely (about 15 minutes). Drizzle 1/4 cup melted semisweet chocolate morsels over cooled cookies. (Use a small drop of cooking oil to thin melted chocolate if needed for drizzling.) Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Citrus season inspires experimenting with this bright new salad recipe

In citrus country where our son lives, oranges grow on trees like roses on a rose bush. Sometimes, from a distance, a citrus tree in bloom will appear to be almost ablaze because of its brilliant orange color. This time of year, in the peak of citrus season, folks will have huge baskets of oranges, lemons, or grapefruit sitting on their curbs; these boxes bear signs that say, “Free. Take some.” Residents are more than happy to offer up their overflow citrus to passersby—and believe me, the overflow from their citrus gardens is plenteous.

Naturally, when I visit there during the season that citrus is king, I'm eager to try some of the citrus recipes I've been saving. A recent issue of Southern Living magazine dedicated itself to extolling what it called “the incomparable sassy tartness and vibrant good looks of citrus” and helped out with several delicious recipe suggestions that I’m eager to try with some of the fruit I've collected.

However, the first of my citrus treats—Citrus Bulgur Salad—was prepared with a recipe from the Chickasaw Nutrition Services. I'll be the first to admit that not only had I never cooked with bulgur, I really wasn’t familiar with the product and had to look it up on the Internet so I’d even know in which section of the grocery to search for it. I learned that bulgur, a whole-grain wheat product, is considered one of the best ways to incorporate whole grain into the diet. As a growing number of people know, diets rich in whole-grain foods may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

Mixing the bulgur with sections of a fresh orange and grated orange peel, along with tomato, fresh parsley, onion, and seasonings, made an amazing salad. I started out by cooking the bulgur in a covered pan much as one would cook brown rice: two parts water to one part bulgur. After it simmered for about 20 minutes and all the water in the pan was absorbed, it was ready to cool and then add to the remaining ingredients.

The recipe with the odd name—Citrus Bulgur Salad—was excellent; the oranges made an dynamite pairing with the nutritious grains. I had stretched and grown and learned a new ingredient; the salad it made was fit for any family gathering or buffet table. Best of all, eating just one portion of bulgur provides nearly all of USDA's recommended daily dietary guidelines for whole grains. One serving also contains only 70 calories, 5 mg sodium, and 0 mg cholesterol. Now who can argue with that?

Citrus Bulgur Salad

1/2 cup bulgur, uncooked

1 large orange, peeled, membrane removed, chopped

1/4 cup medium red onion, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

3/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Cook bulgur as directed on package, omitting salt. In a medium bowl toss bulgur and remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Makes 6 1/2-cup servings.