Category Archives: Mexican

Shrimp Tacos

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Veronica

This is a wonderfully light summer meal that has the feel of gourmet without the fuss.

Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Corn on the Cob
Printable recipe

Salsa
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomato
1 cups seeded, chopped cucumber
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
8 oz green beans, trimmed
1 tsp fajita seasoning, divided
1 lb medium to large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tbsp olive oil

8 6-inch corn tortillas

Corn
4 corn on the cob in the husk
few spritzes of fat-free butter spray
few dashes ancho chile pepper

Directions
1. Combine salsa ingredients & set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Toss rinsed green beans with 1/2 tsp of the fajita seasoning in a bowl and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with the remaining 1/2 tsp seasoning and put the corn on the cob in the microwave with the husks still. Cook them on high for eight minutes.
4. Add to the shrimp to the skillet after the green beans have cooked for 5 minutes and cook another five minutes or until the shrimp are no longer opaque.
5. Shuck the corn, leaving the husk on the end to use as a handle. Spray with butter & sprinkle with a light dusting of ancho chile pepper (adjust to suit your heat preference).
6. Heat the tortillas: Wrap the stack in a fairly damp paper towel and microwave on high for 80 seconds (a good rule of thumb when heating tortillas in the microwave is 10 seconds per tortilla).
7. Assemble the tacos: Divide shrimp-and-bean-mixture between warm tortillas and serve with salsa & an ear of corn on the side.

Serves 4

For those of you without a kitchen scale, this is what 8 ounces of green beans (and me with a hormonal lip zit) looks like.

Raw Swimps

Happy Swimps

I hate cucumbers so I didn’t expect to like this salsa, but it blew me away! I couldn’t believe something so simple could be so good. I plan to use it in many a dish to come!

Recipe source: Adapted from Ladies’ Home Journal May 09

Linked with Life in the Slow Lane for BSI: Salsa.

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Posted in Lighter Fare, Main Dishes, Meats, Mexican, Seafood and tagged diet, diet-friendly, green beans, light, shrimp, tacos. Bookmark the permalink.

Lighter Taco Salad

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Veronica

Have you ever had that wonderful white trash taco salad made with Doritos, taco meat, tons of cheese and an entire bottle of Catalina/French dressing? Oh yeah, I believe there may be some lettuce in there also. I personally love the stuff but DON’T love the calorie count. I prefer to splurge on dessert and tend to choose healthier options for my meals.

Well, I don’t see why I can’t have my cake and eat it too, so I took that atrocity of a “salad” and turned it into something I could feel good about eating on what is now almost a weekly basis. It has become one of my favorite go-to meals b/c it’s easy and so tasty. Plus, I like big portion sizes and the bulk of the lettuce allows you to get quite a big plateful for a fraction of the fat and calories in a teeny serving of the real stuff. That’s what I’m talkin’ bout.

Taco Salad

Serves 4

1 lb. ground bison
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 taco seasoning spice packet (or 3 tablespoons homemade seasoning)
1-2 bags of salad
4 oz. Guiltless Gourmet Mucho Nacho Chips or baked Doritos, crushed
1 cup 2% shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup light French or Catalina dressing
2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes)
salsa & sour cream for garnish, if desired

Brown the bison over medium heat, drain the broth and fat. Add the beans and taco seasoning, plus 3/4 cup water. Simmer on medium until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the meat with everything but the tomatoes and mix well. Divide between large plates and top with the tomato and serve with salsa and sour cream if you wish.

If you’re only cooking for one or two, just use a portion of the meat and halve/quarter the recipe for everything else. Save the meat mixture in the fridge for your next meal. If you make the whole thing and save it, you’ll have soggy chips the next time you dig in so I wouldn’t recommend that method unless you don’t mind soggy chips. Personally, I must have the crunch!

White Bean Enchiladas

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Veronica

A vegetarian friend asked if beans could be used in place of the chicken when I posted my recipe for chicken enchiladas. I recommended using white beans and then liked the idea so much I decided to try it myself. My husband and Dad like them even better than the original, I like them about the same (which is a lot) and my Mom and sister hated them. But the majority vote wins and my oppinion is the only one that really counts, anyway.

White Bean Enchiladas

2 cans Cannellini (white kidney) beans

1 (16-oz) tub sour cream

2 (4-oz) cans green chiles, drained

¾ cup chopped onion

6 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (Cheddar, Monterray Jack, (reserve 2 cups for topping)

2 tsp garlic powder, or to taste

2 tsp salt, or to taste

20 flour tortillas

3 cans enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 9×13 pans with cooking spray and set aside.

For the filling:

Drain and rinse one can of beans. Put in a large bowl and mash them, then drain and rinse the other can and add them to the bowl along with everything else (minus the 2 cups of cheese for topping later). Taste the mixture when you’re adding the salt and garlic powder so you stop before you add too much. Stir until well incorporated.

Assemble the enchiladas:
Warm the first bag of tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds (I leave them in the bag). Put about 1/3 cup filling in each one and roll. Line them up in the pans until both are full. Pour 1 ½ cans of enchilada sauce over each pan and use a spoon or pastry brush to distribute over any dry parts of tortillas that didn’t get any sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle 1 cup of reserved cheese over each pan and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Fully Loaded Buffalo Chili & Sweet Corn Muffins

Posted on October 4, 2008 by Veronica

I made up a batch of chili along with the some sweet corn muffins and thought I’d share my recipes b/c both were fairly easy and were very tasty. Enjoy!

Fully Loaded Buffalo Chili
Makes 4-5 BIG servings

1 lb. ground buffalo (or beef)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 clove minced garlic
2 cans chili-ready beans
2 cans black beans
4 cans chili-ready diced tomatoes (if you only have plain then add some more chili powder to your taste)
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped yellow pepper
1 cup chopped red pepper
2 cups chopped onion
1 can sweet yellow whole kernel corn

Brown the meat in a skillet along with the chili powder over medium heat. Put everything into a stock pot, including the meat, and simmer over low heat for two hours. Or get it hot fast and cook it over medium heat for about 30 minutes so you can eat it with less waiting time. But I like to slow cook it for the flavor development. Serve with Sweet Corn Muffins (below).

Sweet Corn Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Head’s up! This isn’t your typical dry cornbread. It is extremely moist and extremely easy so if you are lazy and like things on the sweet side like me, you’ll love ’em!

2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 (14.5-oz) can creamed corn

Mix the two ingredients and bake according to package directions. Allow to cool slightly before serving.