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.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

I love trying recipes that turn out better than I expected. We tried this recipe for the first time last night and loved it- the feta tied everything together perfectly. I highly recommend it.

And I love it even more when my meals turns out looking somewhat like the recipe photo. Obviously I will never leave my day job to become a food photographer- but I think you can still get the general idea.



1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.

(Bon Appetit: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crispy-Black-Bean-Tacos-with-Feta-and-Cabbage-Slaw-351271)

We had this along side a salad (romaine, diced avacado and jicama, corn, black beans and red peppers) with a creamy lime dressing- very refreshing. You just put all the ingredients in a blender-

• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper