Blog Posts by Food Republic

Looking for a party dish that's tasty, surprising and healthier than a meat-based alternative? Here's an idea: Sub out the usual calorie-bomb of ground beef in your nachos with a lightly fried white fish, like tilapia or flounder.

Related: The Best Grilled Fish Tacos. Period.

What you get is a variation on Baja fish tacos, but on a platter that's more easily shared. That makes it perfect for a game-day snack or as a clever, crunchy, cheesy addition to a potluck spread. And if you want to spice things up, just add a few dashes of hot sauce.

Pro tip: Wait 'til the fried fish cools down to room temperature before adding it to the nachos - all that heat escaping will steam the chips and make them soggy.

Servings: 4

IngredientsSorry, coconut shrimp, Baja fish nachos are everyone's new favorite party food of the sea.
For the fried fish
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne powder
Kosher salt and pper
1 bottle Mexican beer of your choice
canola oil, for frying
1 pound white fish fillets, like tilapia, flounder or haddock

For the nachos
1/2 large bag tortilla

By Jesse Griffiths

Reprinted with permission from Afield: A Chef's Guide To Preparing And Cooking Wild Game And Fish

This dish plays off of the natural sweetness of flounder, carrots and parsnips. It is truly a dish of its ingredients, so choose the carrots and parsnips well, because they carry the recipe. Serve this dish as its own course, with no sides, possibly preceded by something with different flavors, like a game terrine or something acidic and pickled. Sole can be substituted for flounder, and the recipe can also work with halibut or haddock. If you choose to pair, drink a sweet white wine with this dish.

Related: Friday Fish Recipes To Start Your Weekend RightWhat's in that healthy nest of roasted carrots and parsnips? Dinner.

Servings: 4

Ingredients
4 fillets flounder (or other whitefish)
kosher salt
4 medium carrots
4 medium parsnips, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus 4 sprigs fresh thyme
zest of one small lemon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.

By Marc Murphy

We thought we'd kick off tailgating season with the least intimidating and most user-friendly food, easy to make in massive batches: popcorn chicken. This recipe hails from Marc Murphy's Upper West Side restaurant Ditch Plains, where there's always a surfing video playlist going full-force.

Marinating the chicken in buttermilk overnight ensures juicy, flavorful meat under the crunchy, tangy-spicy interior. Adding chopped cilantro makes it look even less like you microwaved frozen popcorn chicken, as does serving the bites with any of our homemade dipping sauces. MVP: this guy.

Related: The NFL Season Is Here! Try Out Our 25 Easy Tailgating Recipes

Servings: 4Making popcorn chicken is almost as easy as yelling at the TV from the couch. You can do that, right?

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned chipotles in adobo sauce, pureed
2 cups flour
salt and pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place in mixing bowl and cover with buttermilk and pureed chipotle chilies.
2. Cover and

Just cause it's salad season doesn't mean you're confined to a bowl of greens with extra stuff on top. I like making different plays on the classic summer tomato, mozzarella, and basil caprese by switching up the fruit, cheese and herb. In this instance, I had a whole juicy watermelon, nutty Spanish manchego and an abundance of fresh, peppery farmers market arugula straight from New Jersey.
Feel like converting the salad to hors d'oeuvres? Just skewer alternating cubes of watermelon and manchego and plate on a smear of arugula pesto. Try your own ingredient combinations for easy variation.

Related: What Is Pesto? Recipes Beyond Basil Sauce »

Fruit and cheese pairings have never looked as fresh as this watermelon and manchego cheese stack. I recommend buying a sizable wedge of manchego and cutting your own slices - then you can cut them to your particular specifications and have all this extra manchego to use on grilled summer corn.

Servings: 2

Ingredients
For the pesto
2 bunches fresh arugula (not pre-washed from a bag), rinsed very well and patted dry
1 clove garlic, peeled

Developed at Brennan's Restaurant for a favored customer, Mr. Foster, fresh bananas sautéed in butter and brown sugar, gently spiced with cinnamon, doused with run and flamed dramatically, and served with vanilla ice cream is a classic dessert from New Orleans. Since ice cream is part of the program already, we figured it was just one blender away from a shake.This milkshake is the drink version of the popular New Orleans dessert, bananas foster.

Related: Toasted Oatmeal And Brown Sugar Shake Recipe

Since the bananas end up in a puree, it doesn't matter if they are a little overripe when you start. Steer clear of green-tinted underripe bananas, though, because they won't be quite as sweet as they should be. If you'd like, reserve a slice or two of the cooked banana to garnish the shakes, and a dollop of whipped cream couldn't hurt, either.

Related: Mexican Chocolate Shake With Chipotle

To make a Pineapple Foster Shake, substitute 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks (about 16 ounces/454 grams), well drained, for the banana and increase the cooking time to 5 minutes (the

These paprika lamb meatballs are a simple dish made from just a few ingredients that come together for a great meal. The sourdough bread adds a tangy flavor and the paprika imparts a smoky richness that will make this meatball recipe your new go-to. Hearty and tender like a great meatball should be, they make a great sandwich the next day and freeze perfectly, so you may want to make a double batch.

Related: Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs Recipe »

Switch up your meatball routine and serve these over pasta or steamed potatoes with your favorite tomato sauce for an easy, filling dinner.

Try a little smoked paprika in your lamb meatballs to freshen up your pasta (Brussels sprouts, pictured, are optional).Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
4 slices sourdough bread, soaked in 1 cup of milk for 4-5 minutes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the ground lamb in a bowl. Add parsley, paprika, salt, ground pepper,

Grilling avocados is something people don't usually think of, but it's a great addition to your avocado cooking repertoire. The smooth texture and smoky flavor of grilled avocado is the ideal background for toothsome quinoa salad with lots of vegetables and fresh herbs.

Related: Easy Avocado Fries Recipe »

This salad is perfect to offer on a buffet as an appetizer or vegetarian option, or as a simple healthy meal at home. The acid from the citrus, tomatoes and vinaigrette combined with nutty quinoa and the creamy grilled avocado is a perfect balance for a warm summer meal.

The grilled avocado with quinoa salad is perfect either as a vegetarian side or as a healthy meal on its own.Servings: 6

Ingredients
3 ripe California avocados, split with seeds removed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup quinoa
1/3 cup diced tomatoes or sliced cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
1/4 cup orange segments
1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves, washed
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn with fingers
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon