Tuesday, September 11

I'll Have the Jicama Please....


I have read about it and even have seen it in the market...Jicama, but never picked one up (that I recall) and took one home to actually do something with it.  Although I have heard how great Jicama tastes, I just did not know how good it was until last night.

Thanks to a great recipe from Simply Recipes we enjoyed Jicama Salad for two with seared shrimp (my hubby and I added the shrimp) in order to make this into a full meal and what a great idea that was.  The warm shrimp went really well mixed in with the coolness of the salad, it was a perfect blend and in fact caused of to have a "fork war" over the bites of shrimp.

The first thing is to always start out with fresh ingredients if you can.  No I am not saying that everything needs to be "organic".  I would rather have people buy and eat veggies any way that they can without worrying about paying more for the organic as I know it can get costly.  So fresh always.



Jicama 1 Whole
Red Bell Pepper 1/2
Yellow Pepper 1/2
Green Bell 1/2
Red Onion 1/2
Cucumber  1/2 (we used English cucumber) these are longer and thinner than a regular cucumber, with a thinner skin and a sweeter taste, almost seedless because the seeds are so small.  These cucumbers make great salads for Thai food recipes also.
Orange 1 Whole (cut crosswise and then quarter)
Fresh Cilantro 1/2 cup
Lime Juice (just squeeze)
Cayenne (pinch)
Paprika (pinch)
Kosher salt (pinch)
Cumin
Granulated Garlic Powder



Finely chop everything and add to a bowl with EVOO and mix together.  Set aside and let stand while preparing the shrimp.

Clean and de-vain the shrimp (there is never enough in my opinion)  so go with what you want.  Add shrimp to pan with EVOO, cumin, paprika and granulated garlic powder.  Saute until pink and done.



  
Serve all together and garnish with fresh cilantro and lime. You will want "second" helpings with this.  This with a glass of Cupcake Prosecco and Monday Night Football was perfect.



Wednesday, September 5

Baked Chips...and Yes I Even Burn These...

White Corn Tortillas
EVOO
Granulated Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt
  
 
Cut tortillas into triangles (or whatever shape)
Place in a bowl with EVOO and mix all the chips around to get them covered.
Place tortillas on a baking sheet coated with either a light cooking spray or you can rub the EVOO onto the baking sheet.  Sprinkle the granulated garlic powder and kosher salt over the top of the chips, (I found it easier to actually mix the garlic and salt together and use a finger pinch to spread).

 
Bake at 350 degrees in already pre-heated oven for about 15 mins. (don't do what I do and walk away and forget them) as they will burn or turn out really crunchy.
 


Serve with homemade quacamole and salsa and just put out for a fun, light snack that is great for the entire family and an easy project for the kids.
 


 

Saturday, September 1

Well We Are Not In Hawaii, But We Can Do Mahi Mahi In The Wine Country

The night before my 45th birthday and since my hubby has been surprising me all week with birthday gifts and goodies...I was really pleased to have him come home from work this evening with the the words "don't worry about dinner", "I've got it tonight".  Well you don't have to tell me twice.  It is weeknight and a school night so all I had to do was worry about a quick and easy dinner for the kids and then I was to kick back and hang with my hubby as our kitchen once again turned into some gourmet eating establishment.



Fresh Mahi Mahi, Homemade MangoSalsa and Fried Plantains were the menu this evening. 

Mahi Mahi
5 Ounce piece of Mahi Mahi (keep skin on)
Ground Cumin
Paprika
Old Bay (seafood spice) or poultry
Chili Powder
Sea Salt
EVOO

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together, then put on a plate, take the Mahi Mahi and place it (fish side down) onto the spice mixture and really get the fish covered completely, use pressure and press down on fish.  Sear the fish in a pan until golden brown *SKIN SIDE UP* the pan should have EVOO in it.  Flip the fish over and "finish" cooking in a *ALREADY pre-heated oven at 350 degrees* for about 5-10 more mins.




Mango Salsa
Mango
Fresh Cilantro
Red and Yellow Onion
Red Bell Pepper
Splash of OJ (totally okay for this recipe)

Chop ingredients and place in bowl (this is best to do a day ahead, however hours before is fine also) the longer this sits the better the flavor, but for tonight we did what we could with time.  The leftover salsa makes for a great breakfast in the morning with eggs.




Fried Plantain

1/2 banana per serving, cut into 1/2 inch slices on the bias, fry in light oil, set aside.


 
Another clean and healthy meal made at home, again I am always talking about prepping foods learning to love food enough to get creative with it.  Not only is it better for us since we control what goes into our food, but it is so much more cost effective.  The dinner was amazing.