Tilapia Fish Tacos with Ginger Soy Slaw

The fresh corn tortilla is simple and necessary. You can make the basic recipe on the Masa Harina bag/container or do the following- Sorry, i think measuring with weight and using a simple kitchen scale to do so is the way to go.

Corn tortillas: 200g masa harina, 8.9 fluid ounces of hot water, .1 fluid ounce lime juice, 1/4t salt

--NOTE: use a total of 9 fluid ounces of liquid- it's just a bit of lime juice to add a layer of interest.

Mix together the above ingredients in a bowl then transfer the mixture to a surface and knead for about 2-3 minutes, till your dough holds together and doesn't stick to your hands. Form a large ball, return it to your bowl, cover with plastic wrap, rest for 30-45 minutes. **if your dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; sprinkle with water if too dry.

Put aside and make your slaw.

Purple Cabbage Slaw with Ginger soy dressing

Julienne 1/2 head of purple cabbage for about 5-6 cups' worth

Dice 1 large fennel bulb and its stalks 

Dice 4-5 red radishes

1-2 diced shallots (about 1/3 cup)

dice or waffle cut 4-5 average sized carrots (waffle cut using the zig-zag blade of a mandolin and with every other swipe, turn the carrot 180 degrees and voila! Waffle cut.

Tilapia:
4-6 tilapia filets
salt, pepper
fresh or dried dill

Lightly spray olive oil onto filets on each side. Place them on parchment lined cookie sheet.
Salt, pepper, and dust with dried or fresh dill to taste Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, till fish is flaky.
(c) Marya Doerfel

Butternut Squash Soup with Spicy Seared Arugula and Toasted Almonds

This is a nice balance of sweet, spicy, bitter, and crunch. Enjoy!

For the soup:
1 Large butternut squash, skinned, de-seeded, and cubed into about 1" cubes
2 shallots cut in about 1/2" chunks (the ones I use are about the size of a golf ball)
2-4 cloves garlic
               - Leave them whole, but smash them to maximize phytonutrients (Robinson, 2014)
               - Use only 2 if the cloves are on the thicker/bigger side
2 T Olive oil
2 T Butter
1/2 t dried sage or one fresh sage leaf (leave whole then remove after cooking)
OPTIONAL: 2 T natural maple syrup;
OPTIONAL: 1/2t sea salt

6-8 oz. chicken stock (use vegetable stock if vegetarian)

Soup Instructions: 
1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT BROTH in a 9x12 cast iron or heavier gauge baking pan, cover with tin foil, and cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
2. Allow ingredients to cool slightly then puree, slowly adding the broth until smooth, in a food processor.
--HINT: during the minute or 2 of cooling off time, start heating up your saute pan for searing the arugula 
3. Put soup in a medium sized saucepan (about 2-3 quart) and simmer while preparing the other components of the dish.

Spicy Seared Arugula:
2T olive oil or enough to fully cover bottom of skillet
1/4-1 t. red pepper flakes (these can be hot)
1 minced garlic clove
3 cups then another 2 cups baby arugula

Arugula Instructions: 
1. In a medium (about 10") caste iron skillet that is preheated to medium/high heat, add the oil.
2. As soon as it swirls around, it's hot enough to add the pepper flakes and let them saute for about a minute.
3. Add the garlic, stir, then quickly add 3 cups of the arugula, turning it as it wilts with tongs. Once the first 3 cups have room, add the other 2 cups and turn the greens to wilt but not fully.

For the toasted almonds:
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted almonds (I just buy them this way so the soup is not so complicated to put together)

Plate your food: Fill your soup bowl with the soup first. Add about 1/4 of the arugula mixture to the middle. Sprinkle with about a quarter of your shopped almonds.

Yield: Serves 4
Prep time about 15 minutes to prep soup vegetables for oven. About 15 minutes to prep other parts after soup comes out of the oven.

(c) Marya Doerfel