Pan Fried Fish & Slaw

Today I had a terrible, horrible, rotten, no good, very bad day. How's that for an introduction? But even though this is a blog and people are encouraged to vent their frustrations I'm opting to not do that primarily because I'm very tired. So here is an enormous understatement: Today I was feeling less than 100% and it negatively affected my entire day. That is, until I got home and Ian had surprised me with the best gifts.

He had purchased me some new pillows that will offer some much needed neck and back support while I sleep. You're probably reading this and not fully understanding how amazing these gifts are so you'll just have to take my word for it. He's a thoughtful man, that one. Good thing I married him. Needless to say, that (and this giant glass of wine) turned my frown upside down and I was left feeling much more positively.

After last night's dinner I was left with 3/4 of a cabbage head to use. Other than slow cooking cabbage and pairing it with sausage I haven't really explored what other recipes that were possible to duplicate. I've come to find out it is a much more versatile vegetable than I gave it credit.  I'll definitely be utilizing this vegetable much more often. I've also been researching Swai fish since it's starting to get a lot of attention in the media. Not only is it a great source of protein, high in Omega-3 fatty acids, low in fat and sodium, mild in flavor, easy to add with many different ingredients, but it's inexpensive even when wild caught. Love it! This recipe was delicious and it helped end my day on a good note.

Cooking Ingredients:

• 1 lb Swai Fish (or your fish of choice)
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 cups Cabbage (roughly 1/4 Head of Cabbage)
• 1 cup Diced Carrots
• 4 Green Onions, Chopped
• 1 Jalapeno
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 4 Tbsp Mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 4 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper

Cooking Directions for the Slaw:

•  Roughly chop the cabbage in small strips and place into a medium size mixing bowl
• Dice the carrots, chop the green onions, and finely chop the jalapeno and then add them to the cabbage
• Mince the garlic and add to a small bowl
• Add the mayonnaise, lime juice and soy sauce and whisk them together
• Pour the sauce over the cabbage mixture and stir everything together
• Add salt and pepper to your taste

Cooking Directions for the Fish:

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat
• Place the fish in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side
• Add salt and pepper to your taste
• Remove the fish from the heat and place a filet on a bed of slaw

Caramelized Onions, Cabbage, & Smoked Sausage

As you read in my blog description above, my husband and I are new to the East Coast! We each grew up in the state of Indiana and that is where both of our families still reside. My husband, Ian, and I have always imagined ourselves living on the East Coast so our first major move together is here in the greater Philadelphia area. We were brought to Pennsylvania for Ian's job and though it's had its challenges at times, this move has created a lot of great memories for us so far.

We thought our summer went by quickly with the relocation and our wedding in July but our fall has gone by equally as fast. Both sets of our parents visited back to back, each staying for a few days. Shortly after they left, Ian and I traveled back to Indianapolis for our friends' wedding. Finally, my sister came back with us to Philadelphia for a few days.  Each visit with our family took us to New York and downtown Philly. Our visits pretty much looked like this: hugs, eat, chat, eat, buy something than eat it, go to the next restaurant, eat, drink some wine, EAT.

It was so easy and so much fun. I mean, both cities are food capitals so how could we not indulge? And while it was fun racking up bills that were high in monetary and caloric heights both my husband and I noticed our clothes feeling a little snug afterwards. And very surprisingly, it was Ian who came forward with his head hanging down, with his eyes sad, with his pants' button unbuttoned, holding his Philly Cheese Steak saying he might have a cheese problem. My husband, who has never passed on adding cheese to any meal because he classifies cheese as one of his major food groups, told me it was time for a cheese hiatus. Yes, it happened. And that's saying a lot, particularly if you know my husband.

But I applauded him for admitting his insatiable appetite for cheese. And I would be lying if I didn't feel the urge to add cheese to everything as well. So we decided it was time to turn a new leaf and walk (that's right, exercise) in a new direction. I found my inspiration for tonight's dinner here: Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Cabbage, and Smoked Ham and I modified it a little. And by a little, I mean a lottle. And it was good. Like so good. And on a scale of "healthy" to "you should definitely, absolutely not be eating this", I give it a 4. We're off to a good start.

 Cooking Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Smoked Sausage
• Olive Oil
• 2 lbs. Onions (approximately 4-5 onions)
• 4 tsp. Butter
• 1/4 head of Green Cabbage
• 8 oz. White Mushrooms
• 3/4 lb of Angel Hair Pasta
• 1/4 lb Fontina Cheese
• 1/2 cup 2% Milk
• Dried Oregano
• 1/2 cup Beef Broth
• Cracked Pepper

Cooking Directions:

• Thinly slice onions on a cutting board
• Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and 4 teaspoons of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat and then caramelize the onions
• To caramelize the onions coat them well in the oil and butter mixture in the pan
• Add 1 Tbsp. Water to prevent onions from drying out during cooking
• After cooking for 10 minutes add oregano, some salt and a pinch of sugar (remember to stir the onions about every 3 minutes)
• Continue to cook the onions over medium heat for another 20 minutes stirring the onions every 3 minutes or so until they turn caramel in color
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente then set aside
• In another pan saute the sausage over medium heat
• While the sausage cooks thinly slice the cabbage on a cutting board
• Add the cabbage to the cooked sausage and allow the cabbage to steam for about 8 minutes
• Add the caramelized onions to the sausage and cabbage mixture and continue to cook on medium low heat
• In the unused frying pan heat a couple of tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and then add the sliced mushrooms
• Once the mushrooms are cooked add them to sausage, cabbage, and onions
• In a small sauce pan add the cheese, milk, and beef broth and melt and stir over medium heat
• Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and then combine with the other cooked ingredients
• Grind fresh pepper over the top and enjoy!