Showing posts with label salsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salsa. Show all posts

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Sweet & Spicy Glazed Shrimp with Pineapple Ginger Salsa


Did the title hook you? If not the title, how about the photo?

I came across this recipe while watching the Food Network. Are you guilty of turning it on and watching show after show, mesmerized by all of the great ideas? I am. This was actually a planned show though. If you get the chance, check out Spice & Easy... a show by the owners of Denver-based Savory Spice Shop.

A few weeks ago, as my parents were cleaning out their freezer from last year's myriad shrimping expeditions, my dad brought us several bags of Prince William Sound spot shrimp. I also happened to have a pineapple in the fridge leftover from our pizza making party (which I still haven't posted about).

A match made in heaven? I thought so!

I've been planning for several nights now, but finally made these last night. Wonderful.

Sweet & Spicy Chile Glazed Shrimp with Pineapple Ginger Salsa
(as seen on Spice and Easy and here)

Ingredients for the shrimp:
5 to 6 whole dehydrated red Thai chiles (I used Chinese)
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large orange, zested (no oranges to be found in the house, so I skipped this)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Pineapple Ginger Salsa (below)

Pineapple Ginger Salsa
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced (I used a whole one)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (I love cilantro and went overboard here)
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start soaking your chili peppers in hot water; also soak your bamboo sticks in a casserole type dish. Both peppers and bamboo sticks should soak for about an hour.


Make your Pineapple Ginger Salsa by tossing all of the ingredients together.

Shell and skewer shrimp. Place in bottom of a casserole dish

Place your chili peppers and red pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Mix all ingredients for marinade together and brush over the shrimp. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes; meanwhile pre-heat the grill at medium-high heat.

Grill the shrimp for 1-2 minutes on each side, brushing any excess marinade on the side that it didn't get brushed onto initially.


Serve over the salsa.

K really liked using Tostitos scoop chips to combine a shrimp with salsa and consume in nice bites. The salt and crunch of the chips was a fantastic add-on!

The verdict? This recipe is as beautiful and tasty as the title is eye-catching.

I'm pleased to be sharing this recipe with





Thursday, May 19, 2011

Adobo Lime Chicken Tacos

Back in December, I won a spice giveaway by Spices Inc. We had the spices shipped to my parents' house to await our journey to Alaska since I learned about winning less than a week before we left.

This is the spice set, dubbed "The World Kitchen Connection." If you want to purchase, you can do so on the Spices Inc. website.

I was really excited to try the Adobo Lime Rub and was very pleased with the results. The rub creates a very flavorful chicken and leaves a delicious little kick, perfect for tacos!

Adobo Lime Chicken Tacos

Chicken
2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp Adobo Lime Rub

Cut chicken breasts in half and cover each side with the adobo lime rub. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes to allow the flavor to soak into the chicken. Grill and cook thoroughly.

Shred the chicken.


The Tacos
lettuce
tomatoes
grated cheese
sour cream
mango salsa, or your favorite salsa
taco sauce (optional)

Build your tacos. We were proud to set up our taco bar on our new patio table and eat our first meal outside - of the year, and at our new house! This was so tasty and amazing. We highly recommend.

Proudly linking this post to:




Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Grilled Halibut w/ Mango Citrus Salsa

There exists in Anchorage a fabulous supermarket called New Sagaya. They have two equally fabulous locations, both serving the also fabulous local roasted Kaladi Bros coffee and aaaaaaaamazing food!

Locally owned, Sagaya specializes in yummy specialty ingredients and foods, and are locally and possibly universally renowned for amazing seafood.

Yesterday, as I was making a pilgrimage to the Midtown location for some local Matanuska Creamery cheese curds for my cheese-country-raised husband as a treat since he's been working crazy hours of late, I heard the radio announce fresh halibut at New Sagaya.

What a happy happy happy camper that made me. I love halibut. Though a large part of me cringes at paying for fish that I could catch, the other 50% of me is starving for fresh halibut, which I haven't had in 3 years. As I perused the aisles, getting my favorite Sagaya staples and sodium free canned veggies, I kept passing by the fish market area, daring myself to go in. Then the second half of me, the half that craves fresh halibut, won.

At the entrance were whole fresh halibut... which I bypassed because I wanted some K help in fileting them. However, sitting there in the display case, in all their beautiful glory, were fresh fresh fresh halibut filets. I couldn't say no. 

I also picked up a mango to go with the dish, thinking surely I had enough great ingredients for a fabulously amazing meal... sure to please hubby and just about any other person with an inquiring mind. 

Grilled Halibut with Mango Citrus Salsa
fresh halibut filet (ours was 1 1/4 pounds)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Look at this BEAUTIFUL halibut filet. I bet you couldn't have said no either.

Rub olive oil into the filet. Season with salt and pepper.

Grill for 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish is white and flaky throughout.

Mango Citrus Salsa
You may remember this Orange-Avocado salsa from January. This salsa is based on that salsa. I think it's even better.

3 small oranges, peeled, sectioned and chopped
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1 ripe tomato, diced
1 kiwi, diced
1 large mango, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, minced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 small garlic cloves, crushed and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice 
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp your favorite fiery hot sauce (sriracha is good)

Mix fruits, jalapeno, onion and cilantro together. 


In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Then drizzle the mixture over the salsa mix.

When both halibut and salsa are ready, serve salsa over halibut. Enjoy this ode to fresh foods!

This post is linked to








Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Easy Caribbean Shrimp Fajitas with Orange-Avocado Salsa

Hello BlogLand.

I've missed you.

Actually, I've been really busy, but I've missed blogging all the same. Though the 45 minute commute down a winding two lane highway into Anchorage morning and evening is a little longer than I remembered, it's been nice to stay with my parents. It's been nice to see them and visit, and it's been nice to have four people trading off cooking.

That said, I can't wait to get into our new house next week. NEXT WEEK! Yup -- all signs point to yes. And YES, I will post pictures! There will be lots of homey-type projects inside and out, and I can't wait.

Though cooking has been shared, Dad and I discovered a fantastic dish in the a Taste of the Caribbean cookbook by Angela Spenceley. We've made it twice in the last week, with a few variations, of course. I highly recommend it.... and yes, if you guessed correctly from the title, it's fajitas - with an island twist. MMMMMM. Makes you forget a little of the 5 inches of snow that fell today. HA!


Fajitas with Orange-Avocado Salsa - Chicken or Shrimp
modified from a Taste of the Caribbean cookbook by Angela Spenceley

*note* though the original recipe calls for pork, we've used chicken and shrimp and both are FANTASTIC. It is best to have all of your prep work done first, except for the avocado, which should be done last. This recipe goes fast once you start.

Fajitas
1 pound chicken or shrimp tails, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil (if using shrimp, you'll need an additional 1-2 tbsp)
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 small yellow onion, sliced in strips
zest of one lime (reserve lime to juice for salsa)
1 bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 tsp chili powder
4 tbsp hot water
8 (7-inch) flour tortillas
1 recipe Orange Avocado salsa (recipe below)
sour cream

For chicken or pork, broil meat at 500 degrees until 160 degrees in center. Remove from oven and set aside

For shrimp, saute shrimp in 1-2 tbsp olive oil and a dash of ground black pepper until cooked and tender.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil, adding the garlic, onion, lime zest, and bell pepper. Mix the bouillon and chili powder into the hot water and add to the skillet with vegetables. Once almost done, add the shrimp to coat with the chili mixtures.

Heat tortillas using a small amount of cooking spray and a cast iron pan until warm.

Serve.


We set this up at the table as a build-your-own deal, and in addition to the sour cream and Orange-Avocado salsa, filled ramekins with homemade guacamole and salsa. I made a special salsa and will post the recipe soon, but in the meantime, here's another great salsa recipe.


Tortillas should be topped with your protein, then the Orange-Avocado salsa and whichever additional toppings you like.

Orange-Avocado Salsa
also modified from a Taste of the Caribbean

2 medium oranges, peeled, sectioned and chopped
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup ripe tomato, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (use the lime you reserved for the fajitas
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp your favorite fiery hot sauce


Toss all ingredients together and mix well.

I'm taking this for lunch tomorrow with some chicken breast and chips. MMM.

I'm linking this to:
Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday
Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum
Friday Potluck, right here at EKat's Kitchen

Monday, August 16, 2010

salsa, and creative jalapenos!

small changes are being made to ekat's kitchen. For one, you can now access by going directly to ekatskitchen.com; this very simple step took far too long to accomplish. I was worried I'd gotten in over my head. Then, like magic, the switch flipped. If you've bookmarked the blogspot site, never fear, you can still use that link to get to the blog. There's also a new look; as time progresses and I have more time, I may get a more custom look and feel, but, in the meantime, you get orange swirly awesomeness.

So what's new in the kitchen? We didn't make it to Farmer's Market this week, but that's fine because we're still working our way through the jalapenos, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes from last week's excursion. I blended up cilantro, jalapenos, onions and tomatoes... basically all my go-to salsa making goodies... and the result about burned off the roof of my mouth! I continued adding tomatoes and bell peppers, until I had about a quart of salsa. A salsa blessing? Or, a salsa curse? Yet to be determined. We've still got a ton of jalapenos, and my estimate of a dozen - a dozen and a half may have been off, since I reviewed the contents of my jalapeno bag, AND discovered that there were another handful from a previous grocery excursion. Whoops. With all the tomatoes the salsa is looking a smidge like gazpacho or even a creamy tomato soup, but it tastes like yummy salsa.

Last night I made sweet potato fries from 4 sweet potatoes that varied in size from large to gigantic. The best ever turn out, not just in quantity but in taste! Perhaps because I gave up on my quest to make them low sodium. So simple and easy -- peel, slice into long strips, place into ziploc bag with a few tablespoons olive oil, and toss with about a tablespoon and a half of the Melting Pot's Garlic & Wine seasoning. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 and voila! The best sweet potato fries.

Ever.

I'd have shared, but we ate them all. All four potatoes worth.

My stomach regretted it later, but my taste buds were oh! so happy. Even better? We were able to use up about 1/4 cup of the salsa as a dipping sauce. So only slightly less than a quart of salsa to be eaten this week. Progress!

coming tomorrow... fish tacos -- with ahi. And salsa! Yum.


In beer news, after experimenting with vinyl tubing i.d.'s we finally got the right size from Home Depot and got the auto-siphon going to switch the beer to the secondary fermentation carboy. Next week, bottling. I got a taste, and, let me tell you, this is going to be one knock-out Irish Red... cannot wait to try it with carbonation!! I'll have my wine sometime next week, though it won't be ready to bottle for almost two months - I've got a lot more time to get wine bottles emptied and for my friends to get them emptied than Klark has time for the beer bottles. Help us! ;)

Friday, August 13, 2010

Jalapenos! (and beer update)

I still adore the Farmer's Market. We loaded up again last week, but didn't do as much cooking this week; we've both just been exhausted lately... and some sad news from Alaska left us craving comfort food. M&C fit the bill a few nights - once out of the box and last night from scratch. I can't believe how much M&C we've been eating lately!!! So we've been trying lots of add-ins to our favorite white cheddar recipe; current favorites are bacon and diced, seeded jalapenos. Still we only used three jalapenos... and we've got at least a dozen more. We made salsa again, and I'm planning to make pico soon... but I am running low on time, and high on ingredients --- tomatoes, onions, cilantro, bell peppers, jalapenos... and more!

I'm not sure what possessed me to buy a basket of jalapenos, except that it was $2.50 for the basket, and they're usually about that much each at Safeway... which left me with a big giant hole -- I don't know what to do with that many. A friend sent me to Jalapeno Madness, a site filled with jalapeno tips, recipes, history, and general adulation. Most importantly, ideas for preserving them -- I plan to freeze some, saving them for future experimentation and yummy meals, and then buy more... for more of the same.

Jalapeño Pepper on FoodistaJalapeño Pepper


I'm open to any new idea from anyone on jalapeno recipes -- email me at [email protected], I'll be sure to give credit where credit's due! Would love to create a jalapeno chicken sandwich, and will soon start experimenting to perfect.

In other news, I reported on Klark's brewing experiment -- this weekend is step #2 in the process, and then next week we bottle! We also learned after checking out Rocky Mountain Brewery (the home brew store and bar!) that we can make wine with Klark's brewing set. I've ordered Rioja and Amarone kits and will begin as soon as I can. More on that, coming soon!

Monday, August 2, 2010

homemade smooth salsa

More than a year ago, before in fact, Klark even left for Afghanistan, he bought me a new blender. High rolling, I know, but I get really excited about new appliances -- a fondue pot, a slow cooker, a KitchenAid mixer, and of course a new blender. Blenders make some of my favorite soups smoother, but this one came with an added bonus -- a salsa function.

It took me more than a year and many trips to the farmer's market to make it, but this week I finally - A. made it to the farmer's market and B. ended up with all the good ingredients I need to make a killer salsa. We bought a salsa that looked great from Costco, but were so disappointed in it, so with a giant bag of tortilla chips and all the right ingredients, what better to do with my Monday night. Armed with 2 bunches of cilantro at $.50 each, a giant bag of fresh tomatoes for $5 from the farmer's market and many other ingredients, I set to creating, tasting, and adding ingredients.

This is delicious, easy, healthy, and ... delicious! Just enough kick, and has a good bite -- next time might leave the whole jalapeno unseeded.

5 medium tomatoes
1 jalapeno, halved with one half seeded
1 t garlic
1/4 onion
2 T apple cider vinegar
juice from 1/2 lime
1 yellow pepper
3/4 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Roughly chop all ingredients and combine in a blender and serve. Garnish with cilantro if you like. Soooo good - really healthy and almost no salt -- just 45 mg for the entire recipe. Fun to do the chopping, fun to do the blending (just push the button and the blender does all the work!), fun and easy to eat. I can't believe it took me this long to use the blender.

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