Tropical Shrimp Tacos

Since the weather has been chilly and snowy, I'm feeling the urge for all things tropical. Dreams of sunshine, beaches, pineapples, little umbrella drinks, and fresh produce keep me going through the seemingly endless winter months. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits and always makes me think tropical, so I decided to make something with a pineapple marinade. A quick check of the freezer showed me I had a bag of shrimp, so shrimp tacos it is. Toppings included my perfect refried beans and the marinade was nearly the same as the perfect pancake syrup, with a few additions.

Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp
Tropical Shrimp Marinade (below)
Toppings of your choice: rice, beans, coleslaw, onions, peppers, fruit compote, avocados, salsa, ranch, go crazy!

Tropical Shrimp Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup honey
4 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 can of pineapple chunks plus juice
Squirt of sriracha

Step 1: Mix all your ingredients in a small bowl.

If you don't have a garlic press (like me) you can just use a fork to smash the garlic.

Give the marinade a whisk to incorporate the honey and Sriracha and mix everything together. (PS, you can save the marinade to use it one more time. I put a pair of pork chops in for the next day, and they were also delightful! Served over some extra rice I made. Efficiency.)

Step 2: Peel off the tails and let the shrimp marinate overnight or during the day, at least 4-6 hours.

Step 3: In a frying pan, cook the shrimp over medium heat on one side until it begins to get brown and crispy. Flip and cook another 5-10 minutes.

You want that gorgeous color and crunchy covering. I stir fried bell peppers, onions, corn, and the rest of the can of pineapple chunks to go with the shrimp. I also made some plain rice, and my Perfect Refried Beans to round out the meal.

Layer all your toppings in, and enjoy! I loved the sweetness of the pineapple, and the shrimp don't have a fishy taste at all. If I had cabbage I would have made coleslaw and a chipotle ranch sauce, but I guess I'll save that for another time.

 

What's your favorite thing to do with shrimp?

Steak & Eggs 2 ways

Men everywhere be jealous... I was moving and had 4 packs of frozen steaks I needed to use, so I had steak at every meal for 3 days straight. =) With baked potatoes and caramelized onions, in fajitas, and for breakfast, it was a very beefy few days and I loved it. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the dinners, but trust me in that they were good enough to repeat sometime, so they may show up at a later date. Here are my 2 favorite breakfasts with marinated cow muscle...

Ingredients:
2 thin steaks
4 eggs
2 slices cheese (or 1/4 cup shredded)
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
(optional: 1 tbsp hot sauce and/or fish sauce)

Day 2: add a tortilla

 Step 1: Marinate the steaks in worchestershire, soy sauce, fish sauce and vinegar overnight.

 Step 2: Place steaks in a sprayed frying pan over medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes, until browned, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes.

 Step 3: Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, and add the cheese. Remove the steaks from the frying pan and add the eggs. Cook the scrambled eggs, stirring often, until the consistency you like.

 Day 1: A steak separate from the eggs to enjoy one bite at a time.

Day 2: Cut the steak into slices before cooking. Wrap the steak and eggs in a tortilla and sprinkle the cheese on top. 

Both ways are delicious, the tortilla has the added benefit of being slightly portable. The marinade is simple yet delicious and compliments steak well. Both a delightful protein-packed ways to make your taste buds feel pampered at breakfast. Or any time of day really. I wouldn't be mad about this at dinner time.

Hearty Mexi-Breakfast Burrito

One day I planned on walking to class in the morning. It was really cold, and I woke up a little later than I planned. But I was starving, and wanted a good breakfast, so I spent the 10 minutes to whip up this filling delight, wrapped it in foil and took it on the road! It was creamy, hot, tangy, and amazing in every way. Totally worth the short amount of time it takes to make.

Ingredients:
1 flour tortilla
1/4 cup black beans
1/2 avocado
3 tbsp salsa
2 tbsp green onion
2 eggs
1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Step 1: Scramble 2 eggs and cook until done. While cooking, heat the beans & tortilla in the microwave for 15 seconds.

 Step 2: Put the egg on the tortilla with the beans, add chopped avocado, onion, salsa and cheddar.Fold up one end, wrap one side and then the other. Make sure it's nice & tight. Then wrap the burrito in foil and you have a hot breakfast to go!