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!

BBQ Tacos with Roasted Pepper Relish

These tacos are an homage to some we had this past weekend at my brother-in-laws house.  Smoky BBQ chicken with sweet grilled pineapple is an amazing combination.  The sweet balances the salty smoke for a taste bud explosion.

Here's what you'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/2 c BBQ sauce (I used mesquite smoked)
1/2 fresh pineapple
1 red bell pepper
1 c corn (I used left-over)
1/2 c chopped tomatoes
1/4 c cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
flour tortillas, to serve
shredded cheddar, to serve
sour cream, to serve

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cook on a hot grill 3-4 minutes, until it easily releases from the grate.  Turn over and spread with half of the BBQ sauce.   Cook 3-4 minutes on opposite side (depending on size) or until juices run clear.  Spread with remaining BBQ sauce.  Flip once more, and cook just long enough to caramelize the BBQ sauce.

Remove to a plate.  Cover with foil and set aside.  Thinly slice the chicken.

Cut the pineapple into 6-8 spears.  Arrange on a medium-high grill.  Cook just until it easily loosens from the grate.

Turn.  Cook 2-3 minutes more.  You still want the pineapple to be firm, but have a smoky taste.

Remove and coarsely chop.  Set aside.

Place the whole bell pepper on the grill.  When it begins to blister, turn it over.  When the whole pepper has blistered, remove to a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 5 minutes.

With hands or a paper towel, remove most of the charred bits and the seeds from the pepper.

Coarsely chop the pepper.

Now, assemble the relish.

Combine the corn, pepper, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir well.

To serve, spread a warm tortilla with sour cream.  Top with cheese, chicken, pineapple and relish.

Serves 3-4.

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!

Taco Belles

Last night I was looking for an appetizer to take to a friend's house, so I was rummaging through the fridge. I found a bag of baby sweet peppers, and I thought they'd taste good stuffed.  What doesn't taste good stuffed?  I combined my love of stuffed things with my love of Mexican flavors, and these little beauties were born.

Here's what you'll need:
1 16-oz bag baby sweet peppers
1 8-oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz ground beef, browned, drained and crumbled
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c shredded Mexican blend cheese
2-3 TBSP panko or bread crumbs

Combine the softened cream cheese with the meat, spices and cheese in a small bowl.  Stir until well blended.

Remove the tops of the peppers; remove the seeds.  Leave the smaller peppers whole; cut the longer ones in half long-wise.

Use a spoon to fill the cavities in the peppers with the meat and cheese mixture.

Place the peppers in a greased casserole dish.  You want it just large enough to hold the peppers, so the whole ones are supported by the larger ones.  Sprinkle with the panko.  This will give it a little bit of crunch after they are baked.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese melts and the peppers begin to soften.

Enjoy!

Salsa Verde

We eat a lot of salsa at our house.  So much so that we usually grow a garden consisting only of salsa ingredients: basically several varieties of peppers and tomatoes.  But I sometimes get bored of the red stuff, and then I make salsa verde.  It's green because it's made from green things:  tomatillos, jalapenos, greens chiles, limes and cilantro.  It's most often served with chicken, but is a versatile sauce that can be used on tacos and enchiladas or with chips.

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb tomatillos, cut in halves
1 onion, chunked
5 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos (if you want less heat, remove the seeds and white ribs)
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1 can diced green chiles
1 tsp salt

Tomatillos may look like green tomatoes, but they aren't.  They're not even related!  They belong to the gooseberry family.  They are wrapped in a paper-like cover.  Inside the wrapper, their skin is sticky.

Remove their papers and run under water to clean them and remove the sticky residue.

Arrange the tomatillos, onions, jalapenos and garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Stir to make sure everything is evenly coated.

Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally.  When they're ready, the tomatillos will look like they are deflated.

Scrape the veggies and their juice into a blender.  Add the cilantro, lime juice, salt and green chiles.

Pulse until smooth.  You may have to scrape down the sides a few times.

The salsa is now ready to be used.  We ate it over shredded beef tacos and with nacho chips.

This salsa will be fine in the fridge for a week or so.  In plastic containers, it will stay fresh in the freezer for several months.

Enjoy!