Grilled Creole Shrimp with Mixed Greens

Aren't these shrimp beautiful, succulent and colorful? I love making these as an appetizer or a last minute dinner.  My boy, the grill and a girl are the perfect cooking trifecta. We believe in deveining and gutting both sides of the shrimp because it really grosses us out.  

ingredients

4-6 or 1 pound wild caught raw shrimp

1-2 tablespoons of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

1-2 freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

2 cups of mixed greens or mache, washed and dried 

preparation

preheat the grill to medium high. 

For the shrimp:

Peel the shrimp, devein and wash the shrimp.  Add shrimp in a bowl. Season by sprinkling 

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning on both sides of the shrimp and squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice. Let it marinate for about 10-15 minutes. 

Grill the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Shrimp cooks very quickly and easily can become overcooked and chewy. 

Arrange the salad on a plate. Place the grilled shrimp on top of the salad and squeeze the fresh lime or lemon juice over shrimp and salad. Serve and enjoy! 

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Chicken Enchiladas Verde is a restaurant inspired recipe that allows you to enjoy the dining out experience at home. It's super easy and quick. I also included a vegetarian option for enchiladas. 
I love eating it from the baking dish!!!! 

ingredients
1 skinless chicken breast ( Empire Kosher Organic)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon of Mexican spices/seasoning (Pilsen Latino Seasoning from The Spice House)
1 10oz can of green chile enchilada sauce (La Preferida Green Chile Enchilada Sauce Medium)
4 flour tortillas (I used 'el popocatepetl'- locally made in Chicago)

1/2 cup of shredded Supremo Queso Chihuahua
Garnish: chopped green onions and a dab of  Supremo's Crema Rancherito
you can also garnish with chopped tomatoes and cilantro


preparation


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Heat saute pan with olive olive over medium heat. Season chicken with Mexican spices. Cook chicken over medium heat for about 6 minutes per side or until the center is no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside to cool.


In same pan, if needed drizzle more olive oil, saute onion over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for about one minute. Remove and set aside.


Shred the chicken into a bowl and mix in the onion and garlic.


In a baking dish coat the bottom with a layer of enchilada sauce.  
Make sure your tortillas are fresh because they are softer and easier to work with. To soften tortillas, place in microwave for about 20 seconds. Take tortillas in hand and spoon the chicken, onion and garlic mixture about 1-2 tablespoon per tortilla. Add a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Fold over the filled tortilla placing the seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat for each enchilada. When you finish filling the tortillas, top with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Depending on your taste, feel free to use more sauce or cheese.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts.


To make this a vegetarian dish:


Add a can of refried beans, spread bean onto tortillas adding onion and garlic mixture. 
Or cook a can of black beans (drained and rinsed) and mix in the onion and garlic mixture.
Or saute veggies


Let it cool or serve immediately. Enjoy! 

Hummus Crusted Chicken with Rosemary & Lemon

Spring is here! It's time to spring clean my home, garden and cleanse my body.

For years I swear by the 21-day cleanse by Clean Program, it changed my life. Here is a recipe from the Clean Program that you will love, make this ASAP and do your body some good! 

ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts (a girl used organic and kosher chicken from Empire Kosher) 

2 lemons, 1 sliced in rounds and the other juiced

1/2 cup of homemade hummus 

4 fresh sprigs of rosemary 

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (a girl used O&CO Balsamic Vinegar of Modena)

Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 

preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees 

Place chicken in a baking pan or sheet. Cover the top of the chicken with a thick layer of hummus, about 1/4".  Arrange lemon slices and rosemary sprigs on top of the hummus covered chicken. Drizzle the chicken lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Make sure to set aside some lemon juice before serving.  Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes or until hummus is golden brown and chicken is cooked all the way through. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with salt & pepper. Serve immediately. 

We served it with a side of tabbouleh and salat tahini. Delicious! 

{Skinny} Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

A girl supports Meat Free Mondays and is eating healthy this week because of two big events this upcoming weekend.  These stuffed peppers are easy to make and delicious.  Trader Joe’s is the best place to get the ingredients and is very budget friendly.  A girl didn’t add rice because it’s her least favorite ingredient and not so healthy for you.  However, feel free to add rice and ground turkey or beef to this recipe.

ingredients

3-5 organic bell peppers, halved and seeds removed

½ cup onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can of organic black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of frozen corn (Trader Joe’s roasted corn is the best!)

½ teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning or Pilsen Latino Seasoning from THE SPICE HOUSE.

½ teaspoon cilantro, roughly chopped

Lightly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

½ avocado, sliced

¼ sliced lime

1-2 teaspoons of Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the bell peppers on a baking sheet or baking dish.  Lightly coat the bell peppers with olive oil.  Roast the bell pepper for about 20 minutes.

While peppers are roasting, prep all other ingredients. In a bowl add onions, garlic, black beans, corn and seasoning.  Mix ingredients evenly in bowl.

Remove peppers and let them cool down to handle or use your oven mitt to stuff them.  Spoon the mixture into the cored middle of the bell peppers. Place stuffed peppers back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  Remove and lightly shred a little cheddar cheese and place back into oven until cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes.

Remove the stuffed peppers from oven and place your favorite toppings.  A girl topped her pepper with cilantro, avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime.   You can also add your favorite southwestern toppings like sour cream, hot sauce or salsa.

Spicy Okra (Bhindi)

A girl loves Indian food.  Have you ever shied away from cooking or eating Indian cuisine because of the mile-long ingredients list?  The spices used in cooking have health benefits; they add nutrients and an exotic kaleidoscope of flavor to dishes witnhout packing on fat or calories. Spicy Okra (bhinidi) is a great dish for Meatless Monday or add as a side dish to spice up a grilled chicken.

ingredients

½ lb of okra bhindi washed, trimmed ends and sliced

1 tablespoon of Ghee (you can use olive oil or coconut oil)

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper lal mirch

1 tablespoon coriander powder dhania

½ teaspoon cumin seeds jeera

½ teaspoon turmeric haldi

½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

preparation

Make sure to completely pat dry the okra before cutting.

preparation 

Heat ghee or oil in a pan on medium high heat.  Test the temperature by adding a cumin seed to ghee or oil, if it cracks and pops you can proceed to add the rest of the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds crack, you can add the okra. Reduce the heat and stir the okra for about 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and cook for about 2 minutes. Enjoy!