No Skimp Shrimp Tacos

 Got my creative juices flowing again, thinking of different dishes to make for dinner. I get tired of the same old thing all the time.  Summer is almost here, so I am starting to plan new things to cook outside on the grill.

Cooking outside is one of my favorite things to do.  No messes inside, no hot kitchen, very little cleanup, everything tastes better on the grill, and weather permitting we always eat outside on the deck. It's the best!  I put together these Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple-Mango Salsa the other day, unfortunately it rained outside so I had to cook them inside.  They were very tasty, the hubby gave a thumbs up, that means I will be making them again, hopefully outside!

Recipe Below.

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To make my salsa I used fresh pineapple, mango, red pepper, onion, lime zest and fresh cilantro.  Everything tastes better when it's fresh.  I always try to use fresh, and now is the season for it.  There is an abundance of fruits and vegetables out there to try, explore them and the possibilities of new dishes to use them in. 

 The colors are so appetizing, looks pretty too!

 Mix a little honey and lime juice into it. If you want the salsa spicy, add a minced jalapeno.

 I used raw, peeled, deveined shrimp tossed with taco seasoning and extra cumin for added smokiness. 

 Toss those tortillas on an open flame to warm them up and blacken them a little, just a little for color.

 Stuff them with the shrimp, top with salsa....

.........and drizzle a little Lime Crema and serve.  Awesome and tasty!

TASTY SHRIMP TACO'S

Ingredients

2 limes zested and juiced, set aside

For the Salsa:

1 diced ripe mango
1/2 fresh pineapple, remove core and dice
1/2 diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced sweet or red onion
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 diced Jalapeno Pepper, optional

For The Crema
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest

For the Shrimp

1 1/2 lbs peeled, deveined salad shrimp (tiny shrimp)

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1 packet of taco season

1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss diced mango, pineapple, red pepper, onion, cilantro, honey, lime juice and lime zest.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a small bowl mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, lime juice and lime zest.  Place the mix in a resealable plastic bag.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Rinse shrimp under cold water and drain.  Heat canola oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.  Add drained shrimp to the pan, taco seasoning, cumin and lime juice.  Cook until shrimp are pink, remove from heat.

Over open burner flame, hold tortillas over the flame for a few seconds on each side to brown/blacken them up a little.

Fill tortillas with shrimp.  Stir the salsa up and top each tortilla of shrimp with salsa.  Knead crema bag, snip off a corner of the bag and drizzle on top of each tortilla and serve.  Makes 4-6 tacos.

I'm Salsa Dancing!

Trying out some new recipes for when Summer's bounty of fresh grown veggies are in abundance.  To me, fresh is always better, but when you don't have fresh, frozen it is.  I did find some fresh corn on the cob in the market this past week and used it as a side dish for a meal.  I cooked all the ears, but had 4 left over.  I didn't want to waste them, so I made some Fresh Tomato Corn Salsa. I had everything else I needed to make it, so my corn was put to good use.  This salsa was dancin' in my mouth, with a tangy lime flavor of some added lime zest and a little bit of jalapeno pepper, what can I say, it just made me want to celebrate......

FELIZ Cinco De Mayo!

Recipe below.

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I started with a few ingredients, that's all it took for this awesome fresh salsa.

 Cored my plum tomatoes. I use plum tomatoes because they are meatier.

 Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, and an easy way to scoop the seeds out, use a spoon.

Tomatoes are ready to be chopped.

I used fresh corn, but you can certainly use frozen.  I ran a sharp knife down the side of the cob to cut off the kernels, be careful with the knife!

 I tossed everything in a mixing bowl, zested one of the limes, squeezed on the lime juice from the two limes, tossed it all together, and look how pretty these colors are!  That's a party in a bowl right there.

 Serve with your favorite tortilla chips! Yum.........

 Fresh Tomato Corn Salsa

Ingredients

5 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

4 ears corn, cut corn off the cob, or use 2 cups of thawed frozen corn

1/2 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 red onion, small dice

1 jalapeno pepper, small dice

1 small can sliced black olives

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 limes, zest from one of the limes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Prepare all vegetables and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the black olives, cilantro, lime zest, juice from both limes, salt and pepper.  Toss everything together, serve with your favorite chips.  Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes about 4 cups.

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

This dish is called "Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa", but with 26 inches of snow covering the ground I couldn't get to the grill.  So I improvised and used my panini/grill pan inside, no difference, I cook on propane inside the house too!  This is a stove top version that any cook can make no matter what kind of stove you have.  The sauce is fruity and sweet, the tilapia is light an fluffy, and it still gets a nice browned outer layer to it even though it's grilled inside.  I felt like I was on a tropical island eating this, as I was hunkered down in the house, gotta get through these cold and snowy winter months somehow.
Recipe below.
To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.
To view photos in a larger format, click on them.

I love using fresh herbs, they are inexpensive and give dishes that "fresh taste".  Mixed up a marinade for the fish.

 Put the fish and marinade in a resealable bag and let it work it's magic.

While the fish is hanging out with the marinade, start the salsa.

 Mango, red pepper, red onion, a little brown sugar and cilantro.  You can add jalapeno or crushed red pepper if you like heat.

 A little olive oil in the pan, heat it, and place the fish in the grill pan.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

 Top with the salsa and it's done.  This dish is fast, easy and full of fresh flavor!

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tilapia fillets

For the Salsa:

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon red onion, minced

2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

juice from a 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  Place the tilapia in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the fish.  Press the air out of the bag, seal it, turn a few times so the marinade coats the fish.  Put the bag in the refrigerator and let marinade for 1/2 hour.

In a medium bowl, toss the diced mango, red  pepper, onion, cilantro, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a grill pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.  Remove fish from marinade and place in the grill pan. Discard any leftover marinade.  Grill the fish on each side for 3 - 4 minutes or until the flesh in the middle is no longer translucent, it's flaky and there is a nice lightly browned crust on each side. Top with fresh mango salsa and serve. Makes 2 servings.

Citrusy Flank Steak

I never usually buy things like this, but couldn't resist something different.  I was doing some shopping in Costco the other day and they had a few of these marinated meats in their fresh meat case.  There were ribs, chicken and this flank steak, so I thought I  would give them all a try.  Tonight we are having the lime - cilantro marinated flank steak on the grill.  It smelled so good, I couldn't wait to eat it.  Lots of herbs, spices, garlic, lime and cilantro, and they give you an extra container of the marinade in the tray.  All I had to do was toss this baby on a fired up grill, and what an awesome steak!  

Off the grill and resting.

 Sliced up and ready to serve the hungry mouths I have to feed.  It was so flavorful, tender and juicy.

 Here is another good recipe for garlic bread - Ciabatta rolls, garlic and herb spread (Wegman's) and pesto (Costco's is the bomb!). Spread bread with garlic and herb spread, spread pesto over that and broil under the broiler until bubbly, crispy and golden brown, yuuuuumy!  It could be a meal all in itself.

 My meal plated up.  I served my steak with orzo tossed with butter, lemon and parsley.

Quinoa Chili

Trying to cook for a person who does not eat meat can be challenging.  I shop in the markets until I can find things to make a meal out of.  My two favorite markets are Trader Joe's and Wegman's, and in  my area they are right down the road from each other, perfect for me.  I checked out Trader Joe's first, they have a lot of really good things in their freezer department.  I found this Quinoa mix with zucchini and sweet potatoes, perfect for making chili.  This is how I made it, recipe below.

I started with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauteed garlic, diced onion and fresh colorful peppers.

Some of my other ingredients, and the spices that give it the great flavor.

 Put it all together, pour in the Quinoa.

  Serve it up with diced avocado, fat free Mexican cheese, a dollop of fat free sour cream, and you got a vegetarian chili that's not only awesome, but light in the calorie department!

Quinoa Chili

INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 big cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

4 mini orange, red or yellow peppers, seeded and chopped

1 15.5 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste

1 1/2 cups of water

1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of paprika

1/4 teaspoon of coriander

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, more if you like heat

2 teaspoons of dried cilantro

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon of cane sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

1 16 oz bag of Trader Joe's Frozen Quinoa with Vegetable Melange

For garnish - Mexican cheese blend or Daiya vegan cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro and tortilla chips.

DIRECTIONS

To a large Dutch oven type pan, add olive oil and heat over medium high heat.  Add the garlic, onions and peppers, and cook until tender.  Open the beans, drain and rinse them, set aside.  Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, dried cilantro, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir.  Cook for 30 minutes, then add the bag of Quinoa and stir it in. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for another 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish your chili and serve. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator or in containers in the freezer.

OH SALAD, I LOVE YOU

One of my favorite quick meals is a salad.  You can do alot with lettuce.  Mix anything into it and it's a meal.  This is my very own concoction.  I call it the Southwestern Chicken Salad with BBQ Ranch Dressing, its filling and tasty.  The recipe is below the pictures.  ENJOY!

So, chop 1/2 head of romaine lettuce put into a bowl.  I always use white because it looks so pretty 

Now add the 1/2 bag of mixed baby lettuces.  Looks good, right

Now add the black olives, avocado, onion and corn. Looks better, right

Now add the cabbage, carrots, cucumber, radishes and jalepeno. Yummy!

 Now, finish it off with the tomatoes, cheese, chicken and the cilantro.  This is looking good!

Now it's always nice to share.  Put the dressing on, can't let the salad go naked

Top with the crunchy tortilla strips. And OLE! You have dinner tonight all in one bowl.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD

6 oz grilled chicken - I use Tyson grilled chicken strips then warm them up in a little olive oil in a frying pan.

1/2 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 bag of mixed baby lettuces

1 - small can of sliced black olives

1 - lime, juiced

1 - avocado, seeded and scooped

1/2 red onion, sliced

1/2 cup of frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage - I use bagged

1/2 cup of carrots - I use bagged shredded or baby carrots sliced

1/2 cup of cucumber - I use English cukes they have barely any seeds

2 radishes, sliced

1/2 jalepeno pepper, minced - if you don't like a little heat don't put it in

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

2 tsp - chopped cilantro

Cook the chicken if you like. I do just to get it a little brown.  Start building the salad with the lettuces.  Dice up the avocado and sprinkle with the lime juice (then discard the juice). This keeps it green and from turning brown . Start layering the rest of your ingredients ending with the cilantro. Serve with the dressing.  Recipe is below.  I recommend not putting the dressing on the whole salad just in case you have leftovers (you won't), it's just a suggestion.

BBQ RANCH DRESSING

1 cup of ranch dressing -I use Hidden Valley Ranch

3 TBLS. bbq sauce - I use Sweet Baby Ray's - because is sweet baby!

3/4 cup cruncy tortilla strips, I use Fresh Express

Put ranch dressing and bbq sauce into a container or jar with a lid and shake, shake , shake your booty until it's all combined! Serve with the salad then top the salad with tortilla strips.