Tacos aren’t just for Tuesdays

When eating with food allergies you have to find the types of cuisine that most easily work for your diet. I will likely never be able to eat Southern food, or a lot of American comfort foods without a ton of modifications. However, in my experience Mexican food is one of the easiest types of cuisine to modify. As long as you stay away from the flour tortillas it is super easy to make Mexican food gluten free. Another thing about eating like this is you have to shift your thinking. Rarely will you be able to succumb to laziness and make “quick” meals. This one is relatively quick, but requires some planning for the pickled cabbage and salsa, as those taste better the longer they marinate.

Also, I am allergic to tomatoes, and I made the most amazing discovery recently. That delicious green salsa served at Mexican restaurants is made from tomatillos. Ladies and gentleman, tomatillos are not tomatoes!  This is quite possibly the most amazing news I have received since I found out I was allergic to tomatoes. I thought  I was going to have to live a salsa-less life. And that is no life I want to live.

The recipe below for these fish tacos are amazing! We had them one time, and I decided something was missing. And that was something pickled! Total game changer for these amazing tacos. Below are the recipes for the amazing components of this meal. These are easy and delicious. Don’t wait for Tuesday to try this recipe. I love eating tacos at home because Guac isn’t extra!

 

Tilapia Tacos with Guacamole Crema, Pickled Cabbage and Tomatillo Salsa

free of : gluten, tomatoes, peanuts, eggs

contains: dairy (but easily modified, just skip the sour cream in the guac)

Pickled Cabbage (Part one):

Ingredients.

1/2 head of red cabbage, finely shredded with a sharp knife or mandoline

1 jalapeño, chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of red wine vinegar

1/2 cup of apple vinegar

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

2 dry bay leaves

salt 

pepper 

2 medium mason jars or other re-sealable containers 

Steps:

1. First, combine the shredded cabbage, jalapeño, and garlic in a bowl.  Lightly salt them and toss them in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the water, vinegar, and agave nectar.  Whisk them together.

3. Pack the cabbage mixture tightly into the mason jars.  After the jars are packed, pour the vinegar mixture over the cabbage, and place one dry bay leaf in each jar.

Place the jars in the refrigerator — they should sit for at least four hours, but they should remain good for at least a few weeks.

Tasty Tomatillo Salsa  (Part two):

We love this recipe from Rick Bayless! It is amazing!

Tilapia Tacos with Guacamole Crema (Part Three):

Ingredients.

1 pound of tilapia (or another white fish, we use frozen tilapia)

Coconut oil 

corn tortillas 

2 avocados (pitted and peeled — I think it works best if it’s diced as well)

1 jalapeño (minced — remove seeds before for milder guac, but keep the seeds for spicier guac)

2 limes, quartered 

1/4 of a red onion, minced 

2-4 tablespoons of cilantro

spicy seasoning (seasoning of your choosing: chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, etc…)

2 tablespoons of sour cream (eliminate if you need this to also be dairy-free)

Steps:

1. For the guac, in a bowl, combine the avocados, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, and any seasoning that works for you. Mash together, then add the sour cream, and add about a half a lime of lime juice.  Seal and place in the refrigerator.

2. Salt and season the fish. You could keep it simply salt and pepper, but you could also use spicier seasoning if you like. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a frying pan, and cook the fish. Each side should take about 4-5 minutes.  The fish should be lightly charred and easy to flake apart.

3. Warm the tortillas.  The tortillas can be microwaved or heated in the oven broiler.  Warming them prevents them from breaking apart when you eat them. (Super important)

4. Spread the guacamole mixture over the tortilla.  Place flakes of the fish inside with the tortilla, and top with the pickled cabbage.  If you want, please add your own hot sauce — I like the flavor of AZ Gunslinger hot sauce with the fish, or another great on is El Pato Jalapeno Sauce. 

Our Food Philosophy

Our food philosophy is simple. Try to eat whole foods, and as little added sugar as possible. The best thing about doing The Whole 30  was it made my husband and I really start reading labels. Although the diet did not work for me due to my food allergies, it made me start to realize what I was putting in my body. Let me tell you, there is added sugar in almost absolutely everything! The other really annoying thing is that it has a lot of sneaky names such as: corn syrup, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, glucose, maltose, etc. According to sugarscience. org , added sugar is hiding in 74 percent of packaged food. 74 percent! That is huge! If you don’t know all of the names for it, you could be eating way more than you even thought. Now, added sugar does not mean natural sugar, that comes from yummy stuff like fruit. Decreasing my added sugar intake is the single most important thing I have ever done for my health. I feel better, I get sick less. For two people who spend their days around snotty teenagers, I couldn’t ask for anything better. It is quite amazing some of them still can’t remember to cover their mouths when they cough. (We are both high school English teachers).

Yes, trying to eat this way is difficult. Yes, trying to eat this way is more time-consuming. And having food allergies on top of that, is no picnic. However, anything worth doing is usually more difficult. All of the recipes you will find here are free of the following: gluten, peanut, tomatoes, egg (because these are my allergies). Some are dairy-free, or can easily be made dairy free with some simple modifications. Also, these recipes will be as low as humanly possible in added sugar. They are however, not meat free. Those of you who are vegans and vegetarians, I commend you.

The way we eat is simple, and my husband lets the food speak for itself. He does the cooking, I provide the commentary. It really is a perfect marriage.