Chicken Burgers Packed with Hidden Veggies!

These were a HUGE hit today with my kids and the kids I nanny for.  The best part is they are packed with hidden veggies. My husband was home for lunch this afternoon and also thought they were delicious. :)


Adapted from Superfood for Babies & Children by: Annabel Karmel

BURGERS:

1/2 cup washed and finely chopped white and light green parts of a leek

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1 large zucchini, grated

1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

6 boneless, skinless, chicken breast tenders, chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated

1 chicken stock cube, finely crumbled

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

COATING:

All purpose flour

2 eggs lightly beaten

Bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for frying

Meunster cheese slices

buns

Saute leek, carrots, and zucchini in the 1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and mix with remaining raw ingredients.  Process in a food processor in batches.  Form into burgers (makes about 10 4-5" burgers) using flour coated hands.  Coat in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.  Saute in vegetable oil until golden and cooked through about 4-5 minutes per side.  Top with muenster cheese and put on a bun.  Serve with fries, some fresh fruit, or a small side salad.

Happy Free-ranging Hens

I haven't posted the happy news about how dog-chicken relations have improved at our house!  Last time I posted about our dogs and our chickens it was my 'Time to Lock the Nesting Box' post about our dog, Max, wedging himself through the nesting box and ending up inside the chicken coop.  A couple of months ago our dogs suddenly decided that the chickens were no longer fun and interesting and everyone has been able to peacefully co-exist in the yard since.  I snapped this picture of our happy free-ranging hens from my kitchen window the other night while cooking dinner.  I call them my 'mobile flowers.'  They are loving getting full access to the bugs, dirt, grass, and plants in our backyard and our vegetable garden.  We need to strategically place some nesting bins around the yard for them because right now we are finding eggs all over the place!

Blueberry Pecan Streusel Muffins

My neighbor made me these AMAZING muffins and I had to steal the recipe from her.  I'll have to update this post later with the name of the book this recipe came from, something along the lines of '100 Best Muffin Recipes.'  These are, hands down, the best blueberry muffins I have ever had!

MUFFINS:
1 1/2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter (softened)
1/2 C. Sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

STREUSEL TOPPING:
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 Cup. Chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Cream butter and sugar together in stand mixer bowl.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Add flour alternately with milk.  Fold in blueberries.

Mix together streusel topping ingredients in separate bowl.

Line or grease muffin pan.  Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.  Top each with approx. 1 tsp. streusel topping.  Bake 20 minutes.

Crafting for Health: Stringing Hazelwood & Amber Necklaces with Kids

My hazelwood and amber beads arrived last night!  Exciting!  The kids and I thoroughly enjoyed making "magic necklaces" out of hazelwood, amber, semi-precious stones, and Czech glass beads.  The "magic" part is that hazelwood and amber have numerous health benefits and are great for kids and adults alike.  You may have seen this type of necklace being sold as a "teething" necklace for infants but the benefits of hazelwood and amber reach far beyond infancy.  Out of one strand of 3mm baltic amber beads and 50 hazelwood pieces we strung necklaces for all the kids last night, including the one in-utero, and two bracelets. 

Here's what you need:

Hazelwood beads (www.clubbeadplus.com)

Baltic Amber beads (www.firemountaingems.com)

Other accent beads (glass or semi-precious stones)

Sterling Silver clasps

Crimp beads (optional)

Crimping tool (optional)

100% Natural Silk beading cord

Stringing the necklace:  Place a crimp bead on your silk cord, then place one end of your clasp, loop the free end through the clasp and crimp bead and crimp shut to secure.  Or, just tie your clasp onto the end of your silk cord and trim the excess.  String your beads in whatever pattern you like and repeat the process either crimping or tying to secure the second half of your clasp on the opposite end.  For children's necklaces make them approximately 12.5-13.5 inches long.  For infant's 11.5-12.5 inches.

BENEFITS OF HAZELWOOD & AMBER:

The branches of the hazelwood tree are known to neutralize acidity in the body when worn next to the skin.  This is especially useful in alleviating symptoms of teething, digestive upsets, and eczema in infants and children.  These wonderful beads can also aid in neutralizing a host of ailments related to acid imbalance in adults and children alike.  Including:

• Skin problems (from acne to eczema)
• Arthritis
• Acid reflux
• Digestive problems
• Respiratory problems and infections
• Ear Infections
• Headaches
• Muscular and nerve pains
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Nervous disorders

Baltic Amber contains high concentrations of succinic acid, which naturally occurs in the body and has many health benefits.  It is a natural analgesic and has anti-inflammatory properties.  Well known as a teething aid for babies, amber also helps sooth other inflammatory-related health problems including:

• Allergies
• Arthritis
• Digestive problems
• Heart disease
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Cancer
• Lupus
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• and more...

Peter's Pickled Peppers

For those who don't know, my husband's name is Peter, and Peter has been obsessed with growing peppers this summer.  Every kind of pepper known to man, we have in our garden.  Of course there have been numerous jokes about Peter picking and pickling peppers throughout this process.  Well he did pick these, but I pickled them.  These are Peperoncini/Pepperoncini/Banana Peppers (usually yellow when jarred but ours ended up fully mature before I could pickle them and they still taste great!) and roasted red peppers.

This was my first experience canning/jarring and it was so easy!  We don't have a pressure canner yet.  I think I want to get one for tomato sauces and things like that but since I was just pickling these I thought water bath canning would be adequate.

The whole process was SO easy and I felt so proud of my little jars when I was done!  When all was said and done I think I had about 10 jars of peppers and it only took a few hours of my afternoon.  We've given a few jars away as gifts and so far the feedback has been great!

Here's the process:

Pickled Peperoncini:

You will need:
Peppers
Canning jars/mason jars
A big pot-think spaghetti
Water
Distilled White Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Bulb of garlic

Instructions:

• Harvest a whole bunch of peperoncini (or purchase at your farmer's market!)
• Slice them into rings and either de-seed or leave some or all seeds depending on how much heat your want
• Boil your jars (I was using 1/2 pint jars) and lids in a pot full of water for about 15 minutes to sanitize
• Remove jars and lids with tongs and set aside
• Empty pot and fill with 1 part water and 3 parts distilled white vinegar, heat to boiling
• Fill jars with peppers and add 1 large peeled clove garlic to each jar and a good sprinkling of kosher salt
• Pour over hot vinegar mixture
• Run a knife down the sides of the jar to release air bubbles
• Secure lids tightly
• Fill your pot with water again, enough to cover the jars
• Gently lower filled jars into the water bath and bring to a boil
• Process in boiling water for 15 minutes
• Remove carefully and you're done!

Roasted Red Peppers:

You will need:

Peppers
Canning jars/mason jars
Some kind of vinegar (white vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar can all be used)
Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Large Pot
Plastic or paper bag

Instructions:

• Boil jars and lids for 15 minutes to sanitize
• Remove jars and lids and set aside
• Clean and dry your peppers
• Place on a baking sheet and put under your broiler at 500 degrees F (or roast on an open flame)
• Roast and rotate them until they are puffed up and BLACK all over-seriously
• Place inside a plastic or paper bag and seal.  They now need to steam for awhile, at least an hour.
• Once your peppers are done steaming (this will make removing the skins easier) take then out of the bag and carefully remove/peel skins over the sink and de-seed.  Try not to rinse them because it takes their flavor away.  Just rinse your hands frequently.
• Place peppers into a clean bowl as you clean and de-seed them
• Pour vinegar over the peppers in the bowl and toss them around
• Salt with kosher salt and toss some more, salt again and toss again
• Now pour a little vinegar into each jar
• Add peppers and remaining pepper juice and vinegar from your bowl to the jars
• Top jars off with olive oil and seal with lids
• Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes 
• Finito!  

Pouring Your Own Beeswax Candles

I'm totally into making candles right now, it is so simple and fulfilling!  I love the idea that I am creating something from basic, natural materials that will bring light and warmth into our home.  Pure beeswax candles are quite expensive, so if that is what you are used to buying then you will probably save significantly by making them yourself.  The raw materials, however, are not cheap.  So, if you've been buying cheap candles made from synthetic materials then you might be spending more to make your own beeswax candles, but perhaps it will inspire you to know how beautiful, clean-burning, and sweet-smelling beeswax is.

Beeswax is a beautiful, natural material for candle-making it has it's own unique honey-like scent and color.  You can buy natural (yellow) beeswax or white beeswax.  The white beeswax may say that it is "bleached" but don't let this put you off.  The process for bleaching beeswax simply involves exposing thin sheets of wax to air, moisture, and sunlight.  I find it easiest to melt and use for candles and beauty products when bought in the pastille form.

You can mix white and yellow beeswax to achieve different shades of yellow or cream.  You can also add pure essential oils to lightly scent your candles, naturally.

Here's what you will need:

Beeswax Pastilles
Double Boiler
100% Cotton Wicks (Square braided are designed for beeswax candles, it's extra easy if you buy wicks that are already waxed and in holders)
Glass jar or container
Essential Oils (optional)

Fill a pot with a few inches of water and fit your double boiler into it.  Place over medium heat.  Add your beeswax pastilles.  If I need 1/2 cup of liquid to fill the container I want my candle in, then I find I need about 1 cup of pastilles in order to fill the container once melted.  Now sit at your kitchen table and read a book or magazine and be patient while your wax melts.

Once melted you can add essential oils if so desired.  Pour a little wax into your container.  Place your wick in your container with the metal tab resting on the bottom of the container and allow the wax to set enough to hold your wick in place.  Wrap excess wicking around a pencil and lay the pencil across the top of your container to make sure your wick stays centered.

Pour the rest of your wax into your container to fill it to about 1/2 or 1/4 inch from the top.

Now just let your candle harden/cool/cure on your counter and then clip your wick and you're all set!  If you want to turn your candle into a gift print up a pretty little tag and tie it with a bit of twine or hemp.

Sources for beeswax, wicks, essential oils, and containers:

www.brambleberry.com
www.mountainroseherbs.com


If you're ready for more of a challenge I'll be posting again soon about making hand-dipped beeswax candles.

Hello, it's been awhile...

It has been awhile since I have posted here!  So long in fact that there is nothing on the blog announcing the fact that we are expecting the arrival of bundle-of-sunshine #3 this fall.  We have been busily preparing for baby, beginning our homeschool curriculum, surviving the outrageous heat wave (105-ish for weeks on end), and harvesting gobs of peppers and tomatoes and learning to can them.  I am still doing my birth doula work through the end of this month, as well as photography (www.life-in-bloom.com), graphic design projects, teaching childbirth education and VBAC classes, midwifery school, and this week I get to start nannying two other sweet little girls during the daytime.

Sometime soon I will be posting pictures of some of our canned (jarred) vegetables as well as a bit about my hubby's new passion-barbeque and smoking all sorts of tasty things.  I am also working on sewing diapers for baby #3 and hope to get some pics and maybe even some tutorials up in the coming weeks.

Fresh from the Garden: Sunshine Quiche

I concocted this quiche recipe in order to make a meal entirely from fresh produce and eggs from our garden. Yay!  It makes a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner.


Pie Crust : 1 store-bought pie crust or use the crisco pie crust recipe here

Filling:
6 eggs
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp milk
4 small/medium potatoes, shredded
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
handful of fresh spinach
2 Tbsp fresh basil
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
2 Tbsp fresh pineapple sage
salt and pepper to taste

Press pie crust into 9" pie plate.  Beat eggs together with flour and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Shred potatoes (you can peel them if they have thick skins).  Fold in shredded potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, and fresh herbs.  Pour into prepared pie crust and bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers with Heirloom Tomatoes, Avacado, and Roasted Red Peppers on a Kaiser Bun

I need a little break from cleaning, sewing, and my graphic design work right now so I thought I would share what we made last Saturday for my husband's birthday dinner.  He requested "gourmet burgers" for his birthday so we took a trip to our favorite grocery store and got a whole bunch of goodies that we could really get creative with.  We grilled out, enjoyed these amazing burgers, and then roasted marshmallows with the kids in front of the chiminea and camped out in a tent in our living room!  By the way, the kids wanted to "take daddy camping" for his birthday. :)



For the patties:
1.5 lbs. ground premium sirloin
2 Eggs
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Splash of Worchestershire Sauce
1/2-1 tsp. dried Mediterranean Basil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 ball FRESH mozzarella


Toppings:
6 Kaiser rolls
1 large avacado
1-2 heirloom tomatoes
1 jar roasted red peppers
1 head fresh lettuce (we used red leaf lettuce)
Your favorite condiments

Mix ground sirloin, eggs, shallot, and garlic in a large bowl.  Add Worchestershire sauce, basil, salt and pepper to taste and combine well.  Shape into twelve 4" patties.  Slice fresh mozzarella ball into 6 slices.  Top six patties with slices of mozzarella, then top with another patty.  Gently pinch together sides of burger to seal in the mozzarella.

Slice kaiser buns in half.  Slice avacado and tomatoes.  Clean enough lettuce leaves to top your burgers.  Arrange toppings on a plate.

Grill burgers over a hot charcoal grill and serve with toppings and condiments.  Allow everyone to build their own burger!

My husband upon biting into his burger: "This is the best burger I've ever tasted, this is exactly what I wanted for my birthday."

Happy 30th honey!

Ah...spring.

I'm calling it.  Weather is beautiful in North Carolina,  chickens are laying daily, herbs and some veggies have appeared in the garden center.  We're still a month away from spring equinox, but I think spring has sprung a little early here. :)

Time to Lock the Nesting Box

We have been keeping chickens now for about two years.  You can read about our initiation into the world of backyard chickens here.  We had a few problems early on in our chicken keeping venture with chickens escaping the coop or run while the dogs were outside.  We subsequently developed fortifications for the coop and run to make sure chickens couldn't get out and dogs couldn't tear the wire.

As time went on the dogs became accustomed to the presence of the chickens and have more or less ignored them for months.  Our small dogs are actually great with the chickens and can share the yard with them, but our big dogs still have to be kenneled if the chickens are going to roam freely in the yard because they have a hard time controlling their hunting instincts.

As I said before, I haven't seen the dogs so much as look at the chickens for the entire winter.  This afternoon I'm sitting in my kitchen and I keep hearing this banging sound.  I have a fleeting thought that it sounds like the kids opening and closing the nesting box, but both kids are inside.  I decide the neighbors must be up to something, I can hear that their kids are playing outside, and that must be where the noise is coming from.

I wish that had been true.  The chickens were making some noise and I thought they must be hungry, so I go out to feed them and collect eggs.  To my horror, I find all 70 pounds of my dog, Max, inside the chicken coop.  Actually, by this time he is in the run and several curious chickens are poking their heads out the coop door and staring at him.  He had managed to lift the nesting box lid and wedge his body through an opening approximately 12x12 inches (there are two nesting boxes, each this size, divided by a barrier).  When I discovered him he had gone through the coop and was in the run, hanging his head in shame.  There was one fatality.  Of course, though he was smart enough to figure out his way into the coop, he had not figured out a way out (that or he did not want to go back the way he came and deal with the 11 nervous chickens that were now all inside the hen house).

Max (left) and his brother Sammy

My first thought is to put a latch on the nesting box lid, but I actually wouldn't be surprised if he figured out the latch, so I think we are going to have to lock our nesting box!  This is the kind of nonsense that warrants the construction of a dog run area.  I have been suggesting this to my husband for months but he thinks the dogs need more room to run.  I think it would benefit us greatly to construct a large run area for them on one side of the yard, which would free up the rest of the yard for chickens to roam safely, reduce the area that we have to patrol for doggy poop, and we can expand the growing area for edibles without having to fence everything in.  Honestly, the dogs almost never actually run around the yard, they just sun-bathe, and the dog area would still be big enough for them to run the length of the fence if they wanted to.  My husband will just need to take them running in the evenings, it would be good for them all!

In happier chicken-related news, we have officially had our first dozen eggs of 2011 from our girls!

Wordless Wednesday

Starting Seeds Indoors

Last year we had a lot of success starting seeds indoors (I was a little too eager when I transplanted, but that is another story).  You can read a short post about my seeds last year here.  This year we have started a number of seeds in our dining room already.  Instead of using fancy trays from the garden center like I did last year we opted for inexpensive and sturdy 9"x13" disposable casserole dishes with plastic lids.  These are a handy size as far as portability, they are also lightweight, sturdy, and deep, plus the plastic lids make a perfect little green house for seed germination!

1.  Fill trays with seed starting mix about 2"-2 1/2" deep.  

2. Moisten soil.

3. Poke holes in soil with the eraser end of a pencil.  For small seeds plant 2 or 3 per hole, 1 per hole for larger seeds about 1" apart (you can also refer to package directions for spacing).

4. Sprinkle 1/2" of soil on top when you've planted all your seeds and gently firm the soil with a flat, heavy object or the palm of your hand so that the surface is covered and even.

5.  Place lid on and keep in a warm place that gets plenty of sunlight (between 70 and 75F degrees for germination and 60-70F degrees after germination).

6. Once your seeds have sprouted you can remove the lid.

7. Poke holes in the bottom of the trays with a small, sharp, pointed object and then place the lid beneath the trays so that you can bottom-water as needed.

8. The first leaves on your seedlings are seed leaves, which are food storage cells.  Once your seedlings develop true leaves you can begin fertilizing. 

9. When you water mix in a diluted amount of natural fertilizer (1/4 strength).  We are using sea kelp to fertilize out seedlings, but some other alternatives would be fish emulsion or vermicompost tea.

I will be posting follow-ups about transplanting to peat-pots, "hardening off", and finally moving to the garden, so stay tuned!

What I Made for Dinner Last Night

Presenting...what I made for dinner last night.  I really didn't know what to title this recipe.  It has a decidedly Thai flavor to it because of the broth and coconut milk but there really isn't anything traditionally Thai about it (at least if there is it was completely accidental).  What happened is that I had this box of Thai Coconut Curry Culinary Broth made by College Inn.  They started carrying this at our Commissary and although I am usually stubbornly committed to USDA organic chicken, beef, and vegetable stocks, if I'm buying boxed stock, I picked it up a couple weeks ago and it was amazing.

So I had this box of stock and I had a can of coconut milk and I thought, what can I make?  Soup.  It's winter, so I wanted something hearty (also I feed a Marine at my dinner table, so if I'm going to make a soup I better make soup, if ya' know what I mean).  I had potatoes and after that I threw in almost every leftover vegetable I had in the fridge and some cubed ham to keep the Marine happy (I think this would have been great with chopped, cooked chicken breasts or leftover, shredded rotisserie chicken as well but I didn't have any of those meat options.  It would also be fine meatless!)

My husband and I have head colds this week so I thought this soup would be perfect since it is packed full of antioxidant-rich, vitamin laden veggies, as well as having chicken stock (would be a better immune-system booster if made from scratch), and coconut milk.  Coconuts have so many amazing health benefits, one of which is that they boost the immune system!  You can read more here and here.  Coconut oil is also amazing, especially for beauty products.

Now, back to the soup.  It was really easy to whip together in 30 minutes and really yummy.

2 Tbsp.butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 leek, dark green leaves removed, cleaned and sliced thinly
Approx. 1 cup matchstick carrots
Approx. 1 cup broccoli florets (chopped into bit-size pieces)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes
1 8oz. ham steak, rind removed, cubed (or chopped, cooked chicken breast, or leftover shredded rotisserie chicken)
1 Tbsp. flour
1 box College Inn Thai Coconut Curry Culinary Broth
1 can Coconut Milk
Dash whole cream (you can omit if you don't want dairy)
Salt to taste

*This is quite mild, with the only spices being the ones already in the broth, you could spice it up with a dash of cayenne pepper if that suits your taste.

Melt butter and olive oil in heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.  Add leek and saute approx. 3-5 minutes.  Add carrots, broccoli, and potatoes.  Saute until vegetables begin to soften.  Add flour and stir for 1 minutes until vegetables are evenly coated.  Add ham and stir to combine.  Slowly add broth, stirring constantly.  Bring soup to a boil over medium heat, stirring, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover (venting the lid a little).  Let simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  Add coconut milk, drizzle in a little whole cream, and salt to taste.

Serve with freshly-baked bread, we ate it with Ciabatta bread and it was sooooo good soaking the broth up with the warm Ciabatta.

I hope you enjoy this hearty, healthy, Thai-inspired winter soup!

Wordless Wednesday

Hello 2011!

Wow.  A total of 5 blog posts since my husband came home in August.  It will be a miracle if anyone is still reading. :)  There's really no excuse for that, but of course I'm going to make some!  Between hubby coming home from deployment, getting my birth doula certification, opening my photography business, and taking TWO lengthy car journeys over the holidays (NC to TX and three weeks later NC to Disney World, FL) I have been running low on time and energy!  Have I been faithfully photographing all of our meals? Absolutely.  Do I remember how the heck I made them?  Not so much.

Hopefully I will have a lot of posts to share in the coming months as winter melts away.  Yesterday we got our first egg of the season from one of our Easter Egger hens.  A large, blue beauty, and that means Spring is nigh!

On our way back from our whirlwind Disney weekend we stopped at a Florida citrus stand and picked up three itty-bitty citrus trees (orange, lemon, and lime).  These little cuties are gracing my kitchen table in 6" pots until they grow up.  I wanted to do something a little fun with them, especially since I am in the process of envisioning/realizing a kitchen re-design.  I painted the terracotta pots with blackboard paint so I could label the pots with chalk.  I think they turned out pretty darn cute and it only took all of 15 minutes!

If you've read this entire rant then you deserve a recipe, how about Fish Tacos with Tempura Battered Mahi-Mahi and Curried Yogurt in Warm Home-made Naan Bread?  Or a less length description would be: crazy delicious.

For the Naan Bread (from ManjulasKitchen.com):
2 cups of All Purpose flour (Plain flour or maida)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of baking soda
2 tablespoons of oil
2 1/2 tablespoons yogurt (curd or dahi)
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon of clear butter or ghee to butter the Naan
1/4 cup All Purpose flour for rolling

Dissolve active dry yeast in lukewarm water and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy.  Add sugar, salt and baking soda to the flour and mix well.  Add the oil and yogurt mix, this will become crumbly dough.  Add the water/yeast mixture and make into soft dough. Note: after dough rise will become little softer.  Knead until the dough is smooth. Cover the dough and keep in a warm place for 3-4 hours. The dough should almost be double in volume.   

Heat the oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone for at least thirty minutes so stone is hot. Using a pizza stone will help to give naan close to same kind of heat as clay tandoor.

Next turn the oven to high broil.  Knead the dough for about two to three minutes and divide the dough into six equal parts.  Take each piece of dough, one at a time, and roll into 8-inch oval shape. Dust lightly with dry flour to help with the rolling.  Before putting the Naan in oven, lightly wet your hands and take the rolled Naan, and flipp them between your palms and place onto your baking/pizza stone into the oven.  You can place about 2 Naan on the baking/pizza stone at a time.

The Naan will take about 2 to 3 minutes to cook, depending upon your oven. After the Naan is baked(Naan should be golden brown color on top).  Take naan out of the oven and brush lightly with clear butter or ghee.   wait 2 to 3 minutes before baking the next batch of naan, it gives oven the chance to get heated again to max.


For the Mahi-Mahi:
4 Mahi-Mahi filets cut into "sticks"
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup ice-cold carbonated water (fizzy)
Oil for frying

Heat about 3 inches of oil in a frying pan.  While the oil heats mix flour and cornstarch together.  Slowly blend in the iced carbonated water until batter is the consistency of heavy cream (will be lumpy).

Salt your Mahi-Mahi sticks and dip in batter.  Fry until batter is golden on all sides, turning once, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

For the Curried Yogurt Sauce:
Whisk together:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder
Pinch salt
(You can adjust the seasonings in this to your taste, more chipotle chili powder=spicier, etc.)

To assemble the Fish Tacos:
Place Tempura-battered Mahi-Mahi in the center of warm Naan bread.  Top with shredded lettuce or cabbage, chopped tomatoes, and drizzle with curried yogurt sauce.  Roll and devour.

Other ideas:  Add corn kernels, red onion, cilantro, and/or a squeeze of lime juice.