Even though Cinco de Mayo has passed it's always time to have Mexican style food! For me, any time of year is okay. Growing up in Southern California, GOOD Mexican food was the standard and the best establishments were the small "taco stands". Then along came places like Taco Bell, which although turned out to be a great business venture, it still lacks in authenticity, big time!
Next to Italian food, Mexican is a very close second as my favorite meal. What's not to like about shrimp tacos and these are super easy to make. The only way to improve these would have been to make my own fresh warm tortillas! Next time!
For the salsa:
1 avocado, slightly mashed leaving chunks
3/4 cup chopped pineapple
2 Tbsp salsa or pico de gallo
Mix together in a bowl and refrigerate.
For the Fajitas:
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
about a dozen cooked shrimp, tails removed
can of black olives (optional)
sour cream for garnish (optional)
tortillas
In a skillet, cook the peppers and onions in the oil on medium high until they are almost limp, about 10 minutes. Add the cilantro and stir in the shrimp and olives, if using them. As the mixture cooks, lower the heat to medium low and you can add a bit of water or pineapple juice to keep moist.
Fill each tortilla with the shrimp mixture and top with the pineapple/avocado salsa. Garnish with sour cream and sliced cabbage mix if you want more crunch. Ole!
Note: You can use raw shrimp, marinated and grilled on the barbecue. At the time I only had pre-cooked shrimp. The above quantities will serve 2-3 people.
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| Pudding Girl |
Looks like I was exposed to chocolate pudding at a very young age. But, I'm still that girl in many ways! Don't bother me when I'm smearing pudding on my face! Yes, that's one of those pictures that can be used to blackmail you at a much later time in life or propel you into the famous Gerber baby archives. The fact remains, though, this girl loves her chocolate pudding!
This concoction was no different. I even impressed the hubby with it. It has healthy ingredients hidden inside ...avocado, banana and chocolate! Try it, you'll like it....
Adapted from edibleperspective.com
Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
2 ripe medium bananas (The riper the banana, the sweeter this becomes.)
6-8 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa (I used half sweetened and half unsweetened.)
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 tsp cinnamon
In a food processor blend and pulse the avocados and bananas. Then add the cocoa powder, vanilla and cinnamon and pulse until well blended. The original recipe called for 1-2 scoops of protein powder, but I didn't add that this time.
Put into a covered bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Serve with fresh berries and a bit of nuts sprinkled on top. You'll wonder why you've never tried this before!
Dover sole is a fish that frequents my kitchen. Why? Because it's so versatile, inexpensive and just plain good no matter what you do with it. It is very mild in flavor and texture and prepared simply, it melts in your mouth!
The avocado mango salsa was incredible! I'll be making that again for tacos, dip or quesadillas. It was that great!
Avocado Mango Salsa
This is better made ahead and allowed to chill in the refrigerator.
1 mango, peeled, cored and diced
1 avocado (ripe but not mushy), peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tsp or more of jalapeno, minced
1/3 of a lime, juiced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Mix all the above ingredients and it's ready!
Dover Sole
I like to cut the sole into 4 inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge in a bit of flour on both sides. Melt 2 Tbsp butter into a 12 inch non-stick skillet. On medium high heat, place the fish fillets in and cook for about 3-4 minutes on both sides. Other fish can be used, however, if thicker, cook longer. Serve immediately and garnish with the avocado mango salsa.
Note: No quantity given for fish or flour. For 2 people I used 1/2 lb or less of fish and maybe 1/2 cup of flour for coating.
