Chocolate Banana Licuados

I just made this up as a throwback to our 2009 Honduras trip.  There are three things that are memorable about Honduras:

1) Taking a quick dip in the ocean on a hot day only to be horrified by a maxi pad floating by in the water
2) Swine flu
3) Licuados and baleadas  (a quesadilla-type concoction with beans, meat, cheese, avocado...whatever the cook thinks of to throw in...sounds ok but easy to get tired of these babys)

So my favorite take-away from the now "murder capitol of the world" are licuados.  These frozen concoctions are a little piece of heaven when you are beating the pavement looking for a hotel or the next tourist stop.  The basic essence is a blended drink made with milk, ice and fruit.  You will find places that blend cereal in as well but I never tried it because soggy cereal isn't really my thing.  My favorite flavor was chocolate banana.  They use cocoa powder to make it chocolate which at first is a little strange, but actually really grew on me.  The combo is delicious.  So here's my best crack at it here at home and it tastes pretty close to what you get down there.  Oh, and to get the authentic experience, pour the finished product into a clear cellophane bag, insert straw and tie the bag shut around the straw.

2 cups milk
4 heaping tablespoons Nestle Quik (more or less to taste)
14-16 ice cubes
1 banana

Put it all in the blender and process till smooth.  That's it!

Meg's Marinara Sauce

32 cups of Blanched and Peeled Tomatoes

4 large Onions coarsely chopped

3 Tbsp Minced Garlic

¼ Dried Basil

3 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning

½ cup Sugar

10 Chicken Bouillon cubes

5 tsp Salt (add more per taste)

1 tsp Pepper (add more per taste)

Blanch and peel tomatoes.

In a large skillet saute onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil until soft.

While onions cook, puree tomatoes in a blender in small batches.  Run them through a strainer to remove seeds.  When onions are soft, puree them in a blender (add some of tomato puree in so they blend easier).  Add tomatoes and onions to a big stock pot.  Turn on high heat.  

Add the rest of the ingredients.  Once the mixture begins to boil, turn down to a medium heat.  Gently boil for several hours to condense down to desired consistency.  Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Freeze or can.

Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken

• I made this today for lunch and it was great!  I thought it was a little salty so I would reduce the salt slightly.  
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• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 (6-ounce) chicken cutlets
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray 
• Rosemary leaves (optional)
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• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat.
• Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge chicken in panko mixture.
• Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired.

Shrimp Tacos with Lime Slaw

This is from Better Homes and Gardens April 2013.  We tried it this summer when it was too hot to cook inside and it was delish!

1lb fresh or frozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin (I usually cut cumin down to 1/3-1/4 of what the recipe calls for because it is so strong)
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t salt
1 lime
3 c shredded red cabbage (I used green leaf lettuce I had on hand)
1/2 c sour cream
1 t finely chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
12 6"-corn tortillas (I think I used flour tortillas that I had on hand)
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Thaw shrimp, if frozen.  Rinse shrimp; pat dry.  In a resealable plastic bag combine olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder and 1/4 tsp salt; add shrimp.  Seal bag and turn to coat shrimp; chill 30 mins.

Meanwhile, finely shred peel from lime; juice lime.  For lime slaw, in a large bowl combine lime peel, lime juice, cabbage and remaining 1/4 tsp salt; set aside.  In a small bowl combine sour cream and chipotle pepper; set aside.  Wrap tortillas in foil.

Thread shrimp on skewers.  On a covered grill, grill tortilla packed directly over medium heat for 5 mins turning once.  Add shrimp to grill; cook 5-8 mins or until opaque, turning halfway through grilling.  Remove tortilla packet from grill.  Remove shrimp from skewers.

To serve, spread tortillas with sour cream mixture.  Top with lime slaw and shrimp.  Sprinkle with cilantro and pass lime wedges if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Start to finish: 35 mins

Chipotle Bean Burritos

This is another Cooking Light recipe.  I prefer black beans so I only use black beans in this recipe.  The great thing about this is you get the taste of refried beans without the fat.  Topped with lots of fresh ingredients these suckers are tasty!

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons refrigerated fresh salsa 
• 6 (10-inch) reduced-fat flour tortillas 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
• 1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 3)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce 
• 6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 6 tablespoons light sour cream (I like to substitute non-fat plain greek yogurt..Matthew doesn't :)
• Other topping ideas: cilantro, radishes, lime juice, diced mango
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• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with a fork.
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• Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla. Top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon onions, and 1 tablespoon sour cream; roll up.

Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Caribbean Rub and Mango Salsa

This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe for pork chops.  I love it with the pork loin in the slow cooker because it's low prep, smells delicious while cooking and tastes great!  This recipe goes well with a Southern Living recipe for Black Beans and Coconut-Lime Rice -- yum!

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3-4lb pork loin
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup diced peeled mango
• 1/2 cup diced plum tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
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• Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork loin with spice mixture.
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• Heat a saute or sauce pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; brown on each side.  Put pork in slow cooker with 1/2 cup of beef broth.  Cook on low for eight hours or until pork is fork tender. 
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• Combine mango and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; toss gently. Serve salsa with pork.