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
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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
• 
  
• Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork loin with spice mixture.
• 
  
• 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. 
• 
  
• Combine mango and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; toss gently. Serve salsa with pork.

Cheesy Chicken Tacos

This is a variation of a recipe that I learned when I was first married and living in Provo.  The portions I am listing will feed to so expand it as needed to feed your group.

1 large chicken breast, frozen
2 oz cream cheese
1/2 c salsa
Lettuce
Shredded cheese
Chopped tomatoes
Tortillas

Put chicken breast, cream cheese and salsa in crock pot and set to low for 6-7 hours.  Shred chicken.  Layer up the tacos with meat and toppings.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Yet another recipe for chicken enchiladas, but this one might be the winner.  The green chile sauce is a nice change from red enchilada sauce.  Published in Southern Living...meaning not authentic but still delicious!

5 T butter, divided
1 med onion, chopped
1 med-size red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken
3 (4oz) cans diced green chiles, divided
3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese blend, divided
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 T flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk

Toppings:  fresh cilantro, tomatoes, avocados, lettuce

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and bell pepper, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

2. Stir together onion mixture, chicken, 1 can diced green chiles, and 2 cups shredded cheese. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cupful chicken mixture on 1 end of each tortilla, and roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam sides down, in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt remaining 3 Tbsp. butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 2 cans green chiles.

5. Remove enchiladas from oven. Pour green chile mixture over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

6. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with desired toppings.

Peach Raspberry Buckle

I fixed this for Matthew's birthday treat and it was pretty darn good!  The recipe is from The Gourmet Cookbook but originally called for blueberries and nectarines.  Matthew loves blueberries but I despise them and since I wanted to celebrate to we compromised with raspberries.  I used thawed frozen berries from Wal-Mart.  It seems like a lot of fruit to be dumping in but it works well--don't be scared!

For the topping:

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the batter:

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups raspberries, picked over and rinsed
• 2 peaches, pitted and cut into 1-inch wedges

• whipped cream or ice cream as an accompaniment

Make the topping: In a small bowl blend together the butter, the sugar, the flour, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg until the mixture resembles coarse meal and chill the topping while making the batter.

Make the batter: In a small bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and the sugar and beat in the vanilla. In a small bowl stir together the baking powder, the flour, and the salt, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and fold in the raspberries and the peaches.

Spread the batter in a well-buttered 10-by 2-inch round cake pan or 2-quart baking pan, sprinkle the topping evenly over it and bake the buckle in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and the topping is crisp and golden. Serve the buckle with whipped cream.

Game Birds in a Slow Cooker

Matthew enjoys going quail hunting and it's always a challenge how to make these tough little birds come out tasty.  This recipe from slowcookerrecipes.org.uk is pretty tasty and lets the sage flavor of the bird meat come through.  I usually let it cook longer than the recommended 7 hours if I can.


1.4 kg game bird, cut into pieces or 1.4 kg of smaller birds in parts (3lb)
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup of chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons of olive oil
¼ teaspoon of thyme
¼ teaspoon of poultry seasoning
salt and pepper
1 cup of chicken broth, bouillon or homemade stock
2 tablespoons of honey
¼ teaspoon of dried rosemary
½ cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of cream, half and half or milk

Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Peel and chop the yellow onions. Heat a large heavy frying pan to medium high and add the olive oil (use more if needed). Add the chopped garlic and the chopped onions to the frying pan and sauté them until they are limp but not browned or caramelized.

Remove the garlic and the onions from the frying pan leaving behind the oil and set them aside. Add the pieces of game bird to the frying pan and add a little more oil if needed and lightly brown the pieces on all sides. Do them in batches if you don’t have enough room.

While the game bird pieces are browning, start the covered slow cooker on low heat. Once the pieces are browned, place them in the slow cooker. Pour the chicken stock, broth or bouillon over the bird and add the garlic and onions, the thyme and poultry seasoning, the salt and pepper to taste, and the honey. If you like cooking wine or sherry now is a good time to add a splash or two. Mix everything around well then sprinkle the rosemary over the top.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low heat for about 6 hours. Remove the lid and add the sour cream to the mixture and stir it around. Replace the lid and cook on low for another hour. Poke the game birds while your adding the sour cream. If they seem tough, you can add more cooking time or increase the heat to high.

In a blender or shaker, combine the cream, half and half or milk and the flour. Make sure the mixture is smooth. Remove the lid from the slow cooker again and pour the mixture in and stir around. Replace the lid and cook for another hour.

Serve the slow cooker game birds over or with rice or stuffing.