Shrimp Tacos with Corn Relish

Chris and I were trying to figure out what to cook last Sunday when he came up with the excellent idea of making shrimp tacos. I looked up a recipe and we had the stuff on hand so we tried it out and I thought it was delicious. I loved the flavor but Chris thought it needed more kick and less lime. I recommend you try this out and then tweak the marinade to suit your collective palate. Also, I think our shrimp may have been more limey because we lost track of time and let them sit in the marinade for two hours instead of one.

Marinade

• 1 1/2 tbsp minced red onion
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk or Cajun seasoning
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 16 shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails removed- we just defrosted some of the shrimp we got in a bag at Costco then removed the tails
  

Corn relish

• 2 ears corn (or 1 cup canned or frozen and thawed)
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 6 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Lime- or lemon-pepper seasoning

Tacos

• Tortillas
  
• 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 green onion, chopped- we added Avocado chunks instead of more green onion.

Combine marinade ingredients with 1/4 cup water and season with salt. Add shrimp; refrigerate 1 hour. To make relish, cut corn kernels off cob. Lightly spray a sturdy skillet with cooking spray and heat over moderately high heat. (Avoid Teflon pans, which should not be used when cooking at such high temperatures.) Stir-fry corn until golden brown. Pour corn into a bowl and add remaining relish ingredients; season with salt. Remove shrimp and reserve marinade. Lightly spray the same skillet with cooking spray and heat on high until very hot. Toss in a few shrimp at a time and cook until just opaque; remove shrimp. Pour marinade into pan, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes; lower heat and simmer until thick. Put 4 shrimp on each tortilla; top with corn relish and marinade sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion.

Also, I highly recommend getting the uncooked Tortillaland tortillas. These things are delicious- I can't go back to eating the already cooked kind from the grocery store. We buy these at Costco and if your Costco carries them you have to try them. I think Sam's club also carries them but I have not seen them anywhere else.

Vegetable Enchiladas

For those of you out there who think I have not been cooking lately, think again. I simply have not been posting much for various reasons, but today is a posting extravaganza of delicious food.

I really liked these enchiladas as is, but you can also add chicken to the mix if you want some extra protein. I served ours with some rice and then some avocado and tomato chunks mixed with the greens of the scallions as a garnish. As I think more about it- I may add a little more cheese on the top next time because I really like cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 16 corn tortillas (6-inch)

Directions:

1. Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
2. Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes or one large baking dish; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.
4. Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve garnished with scallion greens.

recipe from Everyday Food