Garlic Shrimp Tacos

Looking for an easy, quick dinner?  This one takes less than 15 minutes, start to finish.  It features shrimp, which cook in mere minutes.  That being said, make sure all your prep is ready before you put them in the pan.

Here's what you'll need:
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
2 TBSP minced garlic, about 6 cloves
juice of 2 limes
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
flour tortillas, to serve
salsa, sour cream and minced jalapenos, to serve

Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the shrimp to the hot skillet.  Turn when they begin to turn pink, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the lime juice and garlic.  Cook until shrimp are completely pink, about 2 minutes more.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Serve immediately on flour tortillas with sour cream, salsa and jalapenos.  Makes 4 tacos.

Enjoy!

Mojo

I recently spent a week down at my daughter's while she had and recovered from surgery.  Her boyfriend is a bit of a foodie (Major understatement!) and cooks things I've never tasted before.  One night, he was making us Cuban sandwiches and I was tasked with making the mojo.  Mojo is a condiment Cubans use like we use ketchup.

We trolled the recipe sites looking for a suitable mojo, and settled on one that had only 4 ingredients.  I was garlicky and delicious!  But I felt it was missing a little something, so when I re-created it here at home, I added a bunch of cilantro, fresh from the garden.  Not only did it give the mojo a more pleasing color, it really added a flavor boost.

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 c olive oil
10 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 c sour orange juice (or equal parts lime and orange juice)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small bunch cilantro

Combine the oil and the garlic in a small saucepan.  Over low heat, simmer the garlic just until fragrant.  DO NOT allow it to brown, or it can become bitter very quickly.

Add the juice to the pot.  It may splatter a bit, so stand back.  Bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute.

Remove from heat.  Stir in the cumin and cilantro.

Allow to sit, at room temp, until completely cooled.

Pour the cooled sauce into a blender and pulse until smooth.

Pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer up to one month.

Enjoy!

Garlic-Lime Shrimp Tacos

After a very busy week full of either the hubby or me being gone over dinner, it was nice to sit down and eat together.  I didn't feel like going "all out", but definitely wanted it to show I put some thought into it.  Then I remembered this dish, so simple, quick and delicious.  Just keep in mind how quickly shrimp cooks (2-3 minutes), so make sure you have all the items ready before you even put the shrimp in the skillet.

Here's what you'll need:
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen)
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP olive oil
juice and zest of 1 lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
tortillas, for serving

Combine butter and oil in medium-sized skillet.  Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper.

Add lime juice, zest and garlic.

When the shrimp turn pink, they're cooked.

Toss with cilantro and serve, immediately, in small tortillas with salsa or green taco sauce.  Serves 2.

Enjoy!

Black Beans

Any one who knows me can tell you how much Mexican food I eat.  It's just one of those things that I could eat every day.  A typical side dish is black beans.  People find cooking beans to be a little overwhelming.  If you start out with dry beans, it can be a long process.  I see no problem with using canned beans.  It cuts out the LONG step of soaking and slowly cooking the beans, and lets me get right to the flavoring part.  They can be high in sodium, however, so I buy the reduced sodium variety, and I always rinse them before I use them.  Put them in a colander in the the sink and run them under water until most of the thick stuff is gone, and the water is pretty clear.  Let drain.

For my beans you'll need:
1 TBSP bacon grease or oil
3 cans black beans
1 small onion, chopped
1 can diced green chiles
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c chicken stock or water
3 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp mesquite chipotle powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Warm the bacon grease in a large pot.  Add the onions, green chiles and garlic.  Cook until the onion begins to soften.

Add the drained, rinsed beans and the water to the pot.

Stir in the seasonings, then bring to a boil.

Chop the cilantro.  You don't need to worry about picking each of the leaves from the stems.  Just cut it off where the leaves stop growing from the bulk of the stem, and chop it up.  The little bits of stem that remain are full of flavor and will be undetectable in the beans.

Once the beans boil, reduce to low and cover with a lid.  Allow the beans to simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  They will thicken, and the sauce will reduce.  Remove from heat.

I like my beans to be more mashed, like a refried bean.  I use a potato peeler to smash about half the beans. This gives it a thicker texture.

Just before serving, add the lemon juice and chopped cilantro.

Stir well to allow the flavors to blend.  This recipe makes enough beans for 4 people to eats about 4 times.  So, I freeze the left-overs in 2-cup plastic containers.  Just thaw it in the microwave hen you want it.

Enjoy!