Taco Night! Baja Fish Tacos the Healthy Way (52 New Foods, Around the World Week 14) April 15 2013, 0 Comments

Build your own taco night is a surefire hit in our house. And it is for others too! Taco Night consistently ranked in the top five favorite meals to cook with kids in a recent informal poll I conducted with Crunch a Color families. Why? It’s a dinner where everyone can get in the act – chopping, sizzling and slicing fresh ingredients to serve up family style. It’s also an easy opportunity to sample a few new foods.

With a big batch of mango salsa and some deliciously fresh Halibut from Whole Foods on our hands, we decided to make Baja fish tacos the healthy way! It’s week two in our Whole Foods Challenge (we’re celebrating the launch of our games in their stores).

What we Liked: Hardcore Baja fish taco fans will tell you to bread and fry the fish for your tacos, but I couldn’t disagree more! Baking the fish with a little salt and pepper, and finishing it off with a squeeze of lemon or lime, is the best way to bring out its naturally delicious flavor. Plus, it’s healthier!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 to 12 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Crunch a Color points: 10 Protein plus additional colors for the veggies you add. 2x points for each new food you try.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb Alaskan halibut*
6 whole wheat tortillas
1 batch mango salsa
1 cucumber
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 red pepper
1 red onion
1 Meyer lemon
1 lime
Cilantro for garnish
Salt and pepper

*Note: Choose your fish wisely. Check Seafood Watch for a list of fish to buy and avoid.

Let your kids add a few veggies to the list. Head to the local market together and encourage them to pick a few favorites, along with something new to try. This week my daughter added fava beans – one of her favorites. Peppers and red onions made another appearance this week as a new food to try (again) in our mango salsa recipe.

A trip to Whole Foods made even more fun by spotting Crunch a Color in store!

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel, chop and dice your fresh ingredients. Let each family member get in the act! Washing and tearing the iceberg lettuce is perfect for beginners, peeling and chopping the cucumber works for intermediate kid chefs, and full on dicing is great fun for kids who are ready to be more independent in the kitchen.

3. Squeeze a little meyer lemon on top of your fish, add salt and pepper, wrap it up in parchment paper or aluminum foil and place on a bake sheet (I had aluminum foil on hand this week, so that’s what I used, but I tend to prefer parchment). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Be careful not to over bake the fish, which will dry it out.

4. Serve up your ingredients family style, so everyone can add their favorite fixings to their taco.

5. Cut a few extra tortillas into small wedges and encourage everyone to try a taster of the new foods on the table that they may have been shy about adding to their taco. This makes it easy for them to give new foods a try, without having to pitch their whole taco if they don’t like the taste of something.

* Have you tried Baja fish tacos? What’s your favorite Taco Night recipe? Share your ideas!

Craving more easy recipes to try? Catch up on last week’s new food: Mango Salsa.

About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two children and the creator of Crunch a Color® -- award-winning nutrition games that make healthy eating fun. Like most parents, she struggled to get her kids to eat healthy, balanced meals, so she decided to make it into a healthy eating game and she’s giving back to support non-profit kids’ nutrition programs. Winner of the Dr. Toy and Parent Tested, Parent Approved awards, Crunch a Color® has been featured by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, Rachael Ray's Yum-O!, Laurie David’s Family Dinner, Kiwi Magazine, Dr. Greene, and Yum Food & Fun For Kids, among many others, as a simple, fun and playful way to get kids to eat healthy and try new foods. Jennifer’s passion is making mealtime fun and healthy for busy families. Her easy recipes, quick tips, and new food adventures are regularly featured at Pottery Barn Kids, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, The Huffington Post, and on her weekly recipe blog at crunchacolor.com.