#happytacos

Happy Summer, Happy Friday, Happy Tacos!

The past 8 weekends of yoga teacher training have been so full, as in full of information, self-reflection, prana, asanas, and inevitably emotions (speaking purely for myself, lots of them). It's been an incredible experience and continues to be for all of the above mentioned reasons, and then some. I mention this, again, because well right now it's very much where my head is at AND also because it's the inspiration for a meal I prepared this week and want to share.

Two weeks ago after wrapping up a FULL weekend of Yoga Teacher Training one of my teachers and friend, Conor, posted a hilarious meme to our group (oh and by the way my 38 year old a$$ just learned that the cute quote images I post on instagram are called memes') that said "I wish I was full of tacos instead of emotions". That had me not only cracking up but, craving some m'er f'ing tacos. Fish Tacos, to be specific.

To say that I have not had a lot of time to cook lately, is kind of an understatement. Grocery shopping has been few and far between, which is a bit of a hinderance for preparing a proper meal. I love to cook, and love to eat so being unable to find the time to do it has had me twitching and SNACKING more than I'd like to admit. 

The other night I decided to leave work a little earlier, this time not to run to a class, or try to see a friend, but to grocery shop and actually prepare an easy, healthy and delicous meal for the husband and I.  I stopped in Chelsea Market on my way home to pick up the makings for a meal FULL of fresh, nutritious, flavorful, and delicious things iCARA for. Given my hankering for fish tacos I decided to make a grain free, carb-less, version with one my favorite antioxidant packed salsas made with blueberries instead of tomatos and the always welcome avocado goodness we call guacamole. 

I want you to trust me when I tell you that blueberry salsa is the BOMB. My friends Danny and Heather introduced me to it 2 summers ago and it has been in my repertoire ever since. The slight sweetness and tartness of the blueberries mixed with garlic, lime, shallots etc. kind does the tango on your tastebuds. Soooooo good. TRUST! Wrap that up in a Collard Green leaf, combined with freshly marinated grilled fish and creamy guac and you've got yourself a guilt free fiesta. 

I love a lettuce wrap, whenever applicable, and love a Collard Green wrap even more. Collard Greens are right up with with Kale. Infact, according to my most recent Whole Foods shopping bag "Collards are the NEW Kale" They both provide rich sources of two fat-soluble vitamins, A and K,  boost your intake of water-soluble vitamins and contain a range of B vitamins, including vitamin B-1, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and vitamins B-5 and B-6, which are nutrients that support your metabolism and help maintain healthy skin and hair. Anyway, enough about the Collards. Nothing says summer like a fresh grilled fish taco, so why not celebrate the Solstice this weekend with these? 

Mahi Mahi Tacos with Blueberry Salsa and Collard Green Taco "Shells"

What you need:

for the salsa

1  pint of fresh blueberries halved

1 long red chile, jalapeno, or pablano *can modify and pick a pepper to meet your desired level of heat

1 shallot chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped 

1/4 cup cilantro chopped ( or more, depending on how you feel about cilantro ) 

Juice one small lime

Salt, Pepper and Adobo to taste. 

*if you want extra for chip dipping, which i highly recommend , just double up on everything. I love this salsa with Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

for the fish

1 pound mahi mahi or another white flaky fish, like orata

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Juice from 1 lime

1/2 tsp. Lime Zest

1 tbsp. Adobo

1tsp. Cumin

1-2 tsp. chipotle chile powder, ancho chili powder or smokey paprika (again depends on how caliente you like things, I used chipotle powder) 

a lil' Salt to taste. 

1 head of Collard Green stalks/leaves - your Taco Shells

Guacamole, for topping.

What you do:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat, or in my case and anyone else preparing this in an apartment and not on a grill, turn your oven on to Broil. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, lime zest, chipotle powder, adobo, and salt. Pour over the fish and let it marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

While the fish is marinating, get started on your Blueberry Salsa. In a large bowl combine halved blueberries,chopped shallot, crushed garlic, chopped cilantro, *jalapeno or red chile, lime juice and seasonings. Stir well and set aside, so all the flavors can meld. 

*for the jalapeno or red chile you can moderate the level of spiciness by seeding your pepper. I love things VERY spicy so I actually used 1/2 of a red chile and 1/2 of a jalapeño and did not de-seed either . If I were making this for guests I would probably use 1 small jalapeño and no seeds, for a more mild kick. 

If you plan to make your own guacamole, do that at this time as well. For my chunky guacamole recipe (always a crowd pleaser) click HERE. This go around I opted to buy already prepared guac to save time. 

Clean and Trim the ends of your Collard Greens. Some of the leaves are pretty big so i cut about 3" off the bottom of some. Pat them to dry and set aside until you are ready to stuff them with your grilled fish, blueberry salsa and guac! ( insert mouth watering here ) 

Remove the fish from the marinade place onto a hot grill, flesh side down or into your oven on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. If broiling place the fish about 6" under the broiler flesh side up. If Grilling- Grill the fish for 5 minutes on the first side and then flip for another minute and remove. If broiling- cook under the broiler for about 10 minutes. Turning the pan every couple of minutes to evenly distribute the "char". Then, for either grilling or broiling, remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. 

Now take your Collard Leave and stuff with all that good stuff. I flaked off ( crosswise) 3/4" strips of the mahi mahi, about 2 tablespoons of the salsa and guac per taco. But do you, go nuts, and stuff yourself with tacos AND emotions! 

Happy Summer!