who doesn’t love mexican food?  the ultimate comfort food.  the food we americans miss when we’re in europe (am i right or am i right).  it’s delicious when it’s high-brow and fusion-y, and it’s delicious when it’s down and dirty tex-mex straight from a food truck.

but, i hate how i feel after i eat it.  it’s almost impossible to make healthy choices at a mexican restaurant ~ i usually order fajita vegetables, soupy beans and avocado slices from the sides menu.  but i can’t, and won’t, say no to the chips and salsa.

homemade mexican is the WAY TO GO.  i did just that last night and now i have yummy leftovers for the rest of the week ~ if they even last that long.

here’s what i made:

fish tacos

fajita vegetables

red salsa

salsa verde

guacamole

slow cooker black beans

i just want to share two recipes with you ~ the fish tacos, which turned out so flavorful and amazing.  i’ll definitely be making these again.  and the salsa verde.  it started out as a mistake and turned into a fabulous recipe!

FISH TACOS

do you have a grocery store in your town that sells dried ancho chiles?  you might have to ask someone to help you find them, but they are so incredible.  and they last forever in your cupboard, or freezer.

• take two dried ancho chiles and cover them with boiling water.  let sit for about 30 minutes until nice and soft, then cut the tops off and scrape out the seeds.
• drop in a blender with about 1/2 cup of the boiling water.  add two garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, a handful of fresh cilantro, and the juice of two limes, and blend.  add more water if needed.
• marinate your fish (swai, tilapia, shrimp) for 30 minutes in a ziplock back with that awesome sauce.
• pull the fish out of the sauce and cook in a pan with just a teaspoon of coconut oil.
• cut the fish up into bite sized pieces and enjoy in your homemade, healthy fish tacos!

i also used greek yogurt to make a creamy cole slaw to go with the fish.  it was a nice addition, but not a good enough recipe to put on here.  (i only share my favorites with you)  just make your favorite cole slaw and substitute mayo for greek yogurt…

wasn’t that easy?  sorry, the fish did not sign a release to have any pictures taken.  ha ha

and now for my new favorite salsa!!!  it’s my old, tried and true recipe, but it came out spicy for some reason.  so i added fresh pineapple and OH MAN IT IS SOOOOO GOOD!  you gotta try this!

SALSA VERDE (OR TOMATILLO SALSA)

• preheat your oven to 400 and roughly cut one white onion.  place on a sheet pan and add three garlic cloves and four poblano peppers (if you like things super mild, cut the peppers in half and scrape out the seeds.  cut the tops off too.
• drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes.
• meanwhile, cut 12-15 tomatillos in half (the husks are easy to remove if you place the tomatillos in a bowl of water for a few minutes.  you can clean them that way as well.)
• drop the roasted veggies in a blender, the tomatillos, one chopped green apple, skin and all, a handful of cilantro, the juice of a lime or two, some salt, pepper and cumin (to taste), and the best addition to salsa verde ~ fresh pineapple!  you have got to try this!  it is sensational, especially if you like sweet salsas.
• blend until creamy and enjoy!

here’s a picture of the beautiful green salsa atop my huevos rancheros i had for breakfast this morning!

i hope this tempts you to make your own clean mexican food at home.  you’ll love it!