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.
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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.