Verde Snakey

After attempting to save the injured gartered snakes... I got that itching to get another reptile. I love my iguana but I have a certain place in my heart for snakes. Checked Petco and instead of getting garters/ribbons in today they had a green snake. Meh - boring. Brushed it off.

Went to look at bamboo shrimp - must have one when out of quarantine. They have 6? fan-like hands they pick up sludge from bottom of fish tank and nom it. Let me know when I can buy 4 for my house cleaning, please.

Moving on - found reptile lady (Jenn - who is amazing) and started talking to her about different snakes, what I was looking for, def. couldn't have them eating mice/rats etc etc.

Asked her to show me the green snake JUST FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES.

Well if you could pour a green highlighter into a beaker and mix some snake extract in - you would get this snake.

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Immediately fell in love. Very vibrant. Full of energy. Extremely long and skinny. Cute teenie little head. Not sure what I'm going to name him/her yet but I am open to suggestions.

O.O

Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula

Ingredients:

Wonton cups:

• 12 (3 1/4 by 3 1/4-inch square) wonton wrappers*
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Filling:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 tilapia fillets (about 8 ounces total), cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 mango, peeled and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 cups coarsely chopped baby arugula

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
• Kosher salt

Creme fraiche:

• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• 1 tablespoon wasabi powder*
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

*Can be found in Asian markets

Directions:

Special equipment: a 12-count nonstick muffin pan

For the wonton cups: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a pastry brush, brush each side of the wonton wrappers with canola oil. Gently press the wonton wrappers into the bottom and sides of a 12-count muffin pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently lift the wonton cups out of the pan and cool completely, about 10 minutes.

For the filling: In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Drizzle the tilapia fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the fish in a single layer in the pan and cook until the flesh is flaky and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool slightly.

For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice. Season with salt, to taste. Add the avocado, mango, green onions, and arugula. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

For the creme fraiche: In a small bowl, mix together the creme fraiche, wasabi powder and salt until smooth.

To assemble the tacos: Put the wonton cups on a platter and divide the avocado mixture into the cups. Top each with 3 to 4 pieces of fish. Spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons of the creme fraiche mixture on top of the fish and serve.

Cook's Note: The wonton wrappers can burn very quickly in the oven so check them after 5 minutes.


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/tilapia-fish-tacos-with-arugula-recipe/index.html