I have been asked to post some of my recipes.  I should probably make a category for these.  I think I should probably start categorizing my posts in general.

So lets begin with two of my favorites.  A main course and a side dish.  Both are super easy, super cheap, CLEAN (ie no preservatives) and take very little time to make

Fish Tacos

Ingredients

White fish filets.  I typically get the cheapest White fish I can find in the freezer section.  If you can find FRESH, like you live off the coast and its recently dead then go for that, but here in KY that’s hard to find.  1 filet will make 2 tacos, so plan accordingly.

2 tbsp expeller pressed oil.  i usually go for olive oil if i have it.

1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp salt

Head of cabbage

Cheese (I buy a block and shred it myself)

all natural sour cream

Whatever else you like to put on a taco.  I typically do chopped tomato, onion, and avacado, but you can also put corn, beans, the possibilities are endless.

Thaw the filets, heat the oil in a med to large skillet on slightly higher than medium.  Mix flour with salt, you can add other spices in there too if you want.  dill is a nice addition.  Dredge (dip into until completely covered) each filet into the flour mixture.  shake to remover excess flour.  (i know a lot of people who first dredge in egg or egg and milk mixture first, then into the flour, that’s ok too.  it helps the flour stick to the fish, but i find it also makes the crust thicker).  place in skillet for about 5-7 minutes, until the crust is brown and crispy, then flip and cook again for 5-7 minutes.  test the fish to make sure it is done by sticking a fork in it and try to pull it apart.  if it’s flaky inside its done.  if there is resistance it’s not.  once they are done remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.  Cur each filet in half.

remove top 2-3 leaves from the cabbage and discard (in your compost bin).  They are usually wilty and no fun to eat.  remove one cabbage leaf for every taco you are making.

in each shell place a piece of fish, cheese, whatever else you are putting on it, and sour cream.  voila, done!  Most people have almost all these ingredients in your house already except the fish and the cabbage.  buying just a package of fish and a head of cabbage costs about $5 and I usually have 1-2 fillets left over and almost an entire head of cabbage I can then make into cole slaw, or cabbage bake, or some other awesome dish I’ll blog about later.  So this meal MAYBE cost you $2-3

SUPER AWESOME pan fried bacon brussel sprouts

This is OMG one of my most favorite side dishes to make.  We eat this about once a week.  Or at least we eat brussel sprouts once a week.  sometimes we make them other ways, but this one is pretty awesome.

Ingredients

2-3 slices Nitrate free bacon (shop around to get the best price.  whole foods typically charges $8.99/lb, lucky’s charges $5.99/lb)

.5-1lb FRESH brussel sprouts, end cut off. chopped in half.  it is very important to get these FRESH, and not on the vine because you don’t eat the vine, or at least you typically don’t eat the vine so places that sell them on the vine are really just doing it to charge you extra for something you aren’t going to need.  When they are in season (like right now) they are REALLY cheap so I buy in bulk and freeze them in usable portions.

salt. pepper

organic lemon juice (this is where it gets expensive, you can buy a fresh lemon and use it instead, we just go through a TON of lemon juice so it’s better to buy it in a jar)

Chop the bacon into small pieces and pan fry them over medium heat.  When the bacon is close to being done throw in the brussel sprouts.  The grease from the bacon will cook and flavor them.  Cook with the bacon until the sprouts begin to turn a nice dark brown.  before removing from pan add a bit of lemon juice.  cook an addition minute.  Remove from heat, add salt and pepper.  enjoy!  Once again, super easy, inexpensive, and fast!  brussel sprouts usually cost me about $1.30, the bacon can run about $2, and you can get a lemon for about $1.  So you are looking at about $4 for an awesome good for you side dish.

Liked it? Take a second to support 0toHomestead on Patreon!