Healthy, light and easy – Fish tacos

Now that I am expecting, my food moods have been all over the board.  The scent of certain foods puts me over the edge, so cooking on a regular basis has drifted off. There are days when all I want are two cheeseburgers (bad for me!) and then there days when I feel like making something simple, light and nourishing. Here’s an easy recipe that not only good for you, but inexpensive as well.

Tilapia Fish Tacos seasoned Cajun-style, then topped with cheddar, chunks of mango and a salsa of fresh cucumber, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, fried shallots & Pinot Grigio vinaigrette. Served on white corn tortillas.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of tilapia (4 filets), fresh preferred, not frozen
• Cajun seasoning
• garlic powder
• fresh ground pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon, other 1/2 cut into wedges for garnish
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Clean and pat dry the fish. Season both sides with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, pepper and olive oil. Marinade for 30 minutes (or overnight if you can).
2. In a medium grill pan on medium high heat, drizzle in the oil and grill the filets two by two. Fish doesn’t take long to cook, so just a few minutes on each side until they are brown and slightly crisp.
3. Let cool on a plate and garnish with lemon wedges.

For your mise-en-place, you’ll have 3 different items — the cheddar to add richness, the mango to add sweetness and then the salsa for a fresh citrus balance.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c low fat shredded cheddar
• 1/2 c diced mango
• 1/4 c diced cucumber
• 1/4 c diced cherry tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp fried shallot
• 3 thin slices of jalapeno chopped
• 1/8 c of Pinot Grigio Vinaigrette (or distilled vinegar is fine)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Place your cheddar and mango chunks into separate bowls.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, cilantro, fried shallot, jalapeno, lemon juice, vinaigrette, salt, pepper, sugar and garlic powder. Mix and chill for 15 minutes.
3. When you’re ready to eat, layer the tilapia, cheddar, mango and salsa on your preferred type of tortilla. I just found a white corn tortilla that is so soft and fresh that makes this all taste great!
4. Optional: if you want to, make a fresh guacamole from avocado or add a low fat sour cream to give this even more of a rich flavor. (Just know that you’re adding some calories!)

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4