Long days, short years

Recently, I came across a quote by Gretchen Rubin, "The days are long, but the years are short." Gretchen is the author of the book The Happiness Project which has been on my reading list for quite some time.  I've heard mixed reviews from friends/trusted book lovers but when I read this quote, it struck a cord with me, so much so that I might move it to my Amazon cart this week.  

Yesterday, we celebrated a year of living in Dallas, which is why Gretchen's quote is timely and appreciated.  I got in an Uber the other day and the driver said, "So, are you from Dallas?"  I hesitated for a second before answering yes. I went on to say that I moved here last year after spending my whole life in the Midwest.  Why did I feel the need to quantify how long I've lived here, or where I'm from? I think it's because in so many ways, as Gretchen stated, the years are so so short and I can hardly believe we've lived in Texas for a year already. While years seem to be flying by, as I reflect on this past year I'm happy to remember that we've had countless long days filled with spelunking through Dallas, BBQ's, lazy days at the pool, margaritas, epic sunsets and oh so many TACOS.  

I thought I knew tacos before I moved to Texas.  When we lived in Chicago, one of the culinary capitals of the US (or at least I think so), we lived near an incredible taco joint called Big Star.  Their logo is literally the Texas five-point star.  Big Star's patio was packed every day of the week with people drinking salty margaritas, Lone Stars and devouring tacos. So when we moved to Texas I figured that tacos would be like that, just like Big Star.  When meeting new people, one of my go-to questions was always to ask their recommendations for tacos. I've learned that Dallas is filled with places serving either traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex, or fancy tacos (aka tacos stuffed with chicken and waffles or shrimp and grits). I had some of the best Mexican street tacos at a place under a freeway and attached to a gas station. It came highly recommended and didn't disappoint. For my birthday, D gave me a Mexican taco cooking class where we learned how to make homemade tortillas and cut a tomato so that all the seeds are removed (life-changing). After a year of eating tacos on almost a weekly basis, this class gave me some new tips and tricks so I could keep perfecting my taco making skills in my own kitchen. 

On a recent trip with my family, my sister asked me "If you could choose one dinner to eat for the rest of your life what would it be?"  My answer - tacos.  A year ago I probably would have said grilled pizza or a big salad, but after a year in Texas, it's tacos. One of my favorites, hands down, is a fish taco.  I like it grilled with tons of slaw, pickled onions and a chipotle sauce.  So when this recipe popped up on one of my favorite blogs, Sprouted Kitchen, I added it to my list of recipes on Pocket.  

A few notes before getting started:

Fish:
Fresh fish is highly recommended for fish tacos, but frozen fish works great too. For this recipe, I bought fresh steel head trout but Sarah said a firm white fish or salmon works great.  Sidenote: if you're interested in learning about how to buy frozen fish, take a looky here.  

Slaw:
A giant head of cabbage from our CSA had been sitting patiently in our fridge so I used just cabbage in the slaw and loved the result.  Luckily I had leftovers of the nutty/spicy dressing that I've been throwing on salads for work lunches.  

Tortillas!
D and I came very close to buying a tortilla press after our cooking class, but knowing myself, I knew it would soon collect dust in our cabinets. I gained an incredible appreciation for those who make tortillas on a regular basis, it's an art. I use flour tortillas at home just because I've had too many bad experiences with weak corn tortillas falling apart mid bite.

Fish Tacos with Creamy Slaw and Chickpeas (from Sprouted Kitchen)

1 15 oz can of cooked garbanzo beans, drained and dried
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin 
sea salt

2 lbs of firm, white fish or salmon
2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 Tbsp taco seasoning

1/2 of a large cabbage 
4 green onions

1 clove garlic
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
1 tsp capers
1 jalapeno, seeded
1 bunch of cilantro
juice of two limes
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp agave nectar
2-3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp each of salt and fresh ground pepper
Tortillas (corn or flour)
Feta Cheese
Avocados for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put parchment paper on a lined baking sheet. Pour beans onto sheet and toss with olive oil, chili powder, cumin and a sprinkle of salt.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. Set aside.

Place fish in a baking dish and spread oil on both sides.  Sprinkle taco seasoning and rub into the fish. Set aside.

Put garlic, pepitas, capers, and jalapeno in a food processor/blender and blend for 30 seconds or so. Then add the cilantro, lime juice, agave syrup, mayo, oil and salt and pepper and blend for 15 seconds. Dressing should be thick but still able to pour off a spoon. If still too thick, you can add a tsp of water or oil until you get the desired consistency.

Chop the cabbage thin - you should have about 4 cups. Slice the green onions and add to the cabbage. Toss with dressing (you might not need all the dressing). 

Preheat grill or pan on stove to medium heat.  Grill the fish for 5 minutes per side. You can also heat your tortillas on the grill or stove, if you like!

Assemble tacos with a piece of fish, slaw, crunch garbanzo beans, crumbled feta cheese and avocado.

Meals at your doorstep

A friend of mine gifted me a free week of Blue Apron meals not too long ago.  In case you're not familiar, their service delivers the exact amount of ingredients you need to make delicious recipes throughout the week.  Their slogan is "Blue Apron Makes Cooking Fun & Easy." Services like this come and go and I assumed that Blue Apron was a sham with low quality ingredients made for people who were too lazy to shop and cook.  I stand here today to say that I am wrong.  I've found myself in a cooking rut recently where I come home after work/yoga/spinning and stare at the fridge like a meal will miraculously appear.  Thanks to Blue Apron, in this case it did and I really enjoyed it!

After signing up, they let you pick the meals based upon your dietary restrictions and then they magically arrive on your doorstep in a cooler on the day of your choosing.  We chose the plan which sent us three meals - shrimp, chicken and veggie based - and they arrived in one box with ice packs and recipes cards for each meal.  It was fun to open the box of goodies which were perfectly measured and labeled.  The first meal we made was Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice.

The instructions were easy to follow and the recipe required chopping a few things like the carrot, scallions, and garlic. I let the rice boil while I sauteed the veggies with the shrimp and pineapple.  

Once the shrimp was opaque and the veggies were soft, I added the soy sauce and Salbal Oelek and sauteed until the sauce thickened. Then the recipe called to add the rice and it made the meal seem more like a stir fry than a fried rice.  While the meal was delicious, the rice wasn't as crispy as I anticipated.

I will say that this recipe was definitely the one with the least amount of effort involved. The other two recipes required much more chopping and multiple pots and pans.  A friend and I were talking about it and we decided that Blue Apron is great for people who love to cook and try new recipes.  If you don't like knives, the act of chopping or waiting for 30 minutes or more for your meal, then Blue Apron is not for you.  Also, part of it felt wasteful since as you'll see in my picture, everything comes packaged in individual bags or containers. On the flip side, if you don't like to shop and buy a package of twelve carrots, a pound of cashews, and the spicy sauce Salbal Oelek, then it's perfect since you won't have these extra ingredients sitting in your fridge or pantry for eons. 

Blue Apron's service is fantastic and while I am not sure we'll continue it (because I love to grocery shop and pick my own recipes), I can see why people rave about it. Cooking is cooking and regardless of how your ingredients make their way into your kitchen, meals deserve to be enjoyed!  Sidenote: we've given a week of meals as gifts for weddings, new houses, and holidays and gotten yummy reviews.  Highly recommend if you're looking for a gift idea!