Mango, Black Bean and Cauliflower “Rice” Salad

 

Since I have so much Cauliflower Rice on hand I was looking for recipes…and low and behold a frind comes by and brings me 2 mango’s!! Why?? I haven’t a clue. So I found this easy recipe at tastefulventure and had everything g on hand, so I made it !! It was quite good !! The sweetness of the mangos and then the squeeze of a full lime, for the dressing !! And it is sooo easy…well except for cutting the mango !! That is  for in itself!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower chopped and put in food processor to rice consistency and THEN PUT IN MICROWAVE for about 4 mins and stir, and put in fridge to cool.
• 4-5 green onions chopped on an angle to look pretty
• a bunch of cilantro chopped (about 1/2 c or more depending on how much you like cilantro !!
• 1 TBS minced garlic
• kosher salt to taste..don’t be shy
• 1 large lime, juiced..(that means, squeezed)
• 1can Block beans drained & rinsed
• 1/4 c of red, OR orange OR whatever color pepper you have…I even used jalapeño…( or mix, it’s up to you !!)
• 1 mango peeled, cored and chopped !! And that, my friends requires that maybe you should google how to do it because it is a slippery son of a gun !!
• 12 grape tomatoes cut in half.

DIRECTIONS

Here is the Cauliflower cooked and cooled. I then added the green onions and the cilantro and jalapeño and stirred it up.

I then took the mangos, beans, orange peppers& tomatoes and arranged the ever so pretty so you would get the idea!!

Then I added the garlic and squeezed the lime all over it, added salt and stirred !! And this is how it ended up. Now mind you, this is half the recipe, seeing that it was only me, eating it!

I hope you enjoy it..!!

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Shrimp Tacos with Lime-Cilantro-Chipolte Sauce

Shrimp Tacos with Lime-Cilantro-Chipolte Sauce

4 servings (2 tacos each)

INGREDIENTS for SAUCE:

• ¼ c thinly sliced green onions
• ¼ c chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 TBS mayonnaise
• 3 TBS sour cream
• 1 TBS grated lime zest (Hell, I used the whole lime!!)
• 2 TBS lime juice
• Salt  to taste
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1-2 whole chipotle in adobo minced (start with one and taste then add. This gives a GREAT kick!)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside

INGREDIENTS for SHRIMP:

1. 8 Jumbo shrimp peeled, deveined grossly chopped (I used frozen Jumbos, thawed)
2. 1 TBS butter
3. 1 TBS olive oil
4. 1TBS minced garlic
5. 1/8 c minced red onion
6. 1 tsp Mexican seasoning  or make your own with cumin, coriander, smoked paprika etc)
7. 1 Avacado chopped
8. 7-8 grape tomatoes chopped
9. 2 c shredded cabbage in a bag
10. 4-5 (6-inch) corn tortillas or flour tortillas heated in microwave or oven

Sauté  butter, oil & garlic in large pan.  Then add minced red onion followed by chopped shrimp and cook for 5-6 minutes until shrimp is pink.  Add Mexican seasoning, continue stirring.  Take heated tortillas, put shrimp, followed by cabbage, then avocado, tomatoes and top with chipotle sauce and have plenty of napkins and some nice cold Negra Modelo Beers!!!!!!! You can even add green onions, more cilantro…whatever you have…the choice is all yours!!!!! ENJOY!!!

Bacon Grease Uses by Sister D2

Don’t throw away that bacon grease…there are many differnt ways to reuse it…and the taste…it never leaves!!! YUM!!!

Bacon, Wild Mushroom & Spinach Risotto

Bacon, Wild Mushroom & Spinach Risotto

BACON, WILD MUSHROOM & SPINACH RISOTTO

 

Before you start any recipe that I have on my blog it is IMPERATIVE…get that??..that you read the recipe over first,………… S L O W L Y…and then go get all the ingredients below and put them on the counter. NEXT..you open cans, measure ingredients, chop what needs to be chopped, reconstitute whatever needs to be reconstituted..and have everything READY TO GO so that all you need to do is just take the ingredient and put it in according to the recipe.  BLOGGERS, this is sooooo important.  It prevents you from going nuts and makes you realize how much time you waste running back and forth all over the damn place!

Your new mantra “MEASURED, CHOPPED & READY TO GO”!!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 5- 14oz cans chicken broth, opened
• 7 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion (that’s ½ of med onion)..now chop it or use a food processor to do it for you!
• 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 TBS minced garlic from jar
• 4oz cremini mushrooms sliced OR 1 pkg of dried, reconstitute & chop..yup, chop now
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced OR 1 pkg of dried, reconstitute & chop, yup..now!!!
• 4 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 c uncooked Arborio rice..measured and ready to go!
• 1/3 c dry sherry OR Madeira wine..measured and ready to go
• 4 cups baby spinach..measured, put in a bowl and ready when called!
• 1 c grated 3 cheeses (parmesan, asiago, romano) or whichever you want…you know it..measured & ready!
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Open cans of broth and put into a pan and heat over med heat.  Put aside
2. Cook bacon in pan, put aside and take drippings and add to dutch oven or large soup pot.
3. Now to the pot, with the bacon drippings, add the onion, oil, thyme and garlic until onion is tender..about 2 mins.
4. Next add mushrooms to onion mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 8 mins.
5. Now add the rice and cook 1 min stirring constantly and coating all the rice.
6. Add the dry sherry and stir until liquid is absorbed…and then…the fun part begins!!!
7. Stir 1 ladle at a time into this mixture and stir until liquid is gone and continue doing this until ALL your broth is gone. This should take you about 25 minutes (thus the labor of love) and PLEASE do not rush the process.  You will see the rice get plumper…which is exactly what you want!  Hell, have an adult libation next to you to help you endure the stirring!
8. Once this is done, add the spinach and stir, and cook about 1 minute
9. Next, the cheese, salt & pepper…and continue stirring…(you are now a stirring machine for sure!)
10. And finally, the bacon!!! Stir that in and voila!!!!  All that stirring will have paid off…you will be the BOMB of the kitchen!!!

This recipe will take 20-25 mins to prep and 25 mins to stir…so on the table in under an hour (depending on how much you drank in between!!)

It will feed 6 people with some leftovers…and leftovers are the BEST!!!!

Easy Cornbread on a Rainy Day

You come home on a rainy day and go to get some soup..and then you think “hmmm…wouldn’t cornbread go great with this!!!  So, if you have Marie Callender “all you do is add water” cornbread, your day is made!!! Doctor it up with some Monterey Jack cheese and green chilies and you got yourself a meal!!!!

And all you do is add water….how easy is that?????

The Morning After

Yes, I truly DID clean my refrigerator….do you think it was related to PMS?????????????

“Put the Lime in the Coconut…”

Lime Coconut Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:  ¾ c panko (japanese breadcrumbs)

• 
• ½ c unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 TBS finely grated lime peel
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 18 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined with the tails left intact
• peanut oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Mix panko, coconut and lime peel, salt & pepper in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk eggs in another medium bowl to blend
4. Add shrimp to bowl with eggs and toss to coat. One shrimp at a time, take from egg bowl and roll shimp in bowl with panko mixture and then when coated, place on parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Put enough p’nut oil in pan to have depth of ¼ in and heat over medium heat.
6. Working in batches, add shrimp to skillet and cook until golden brown (about 2 mins per side) or until opaque. Transfer to paper towel to drain.
7. Arrange shrimp on platter and serve warm!!

THIS RECIPE IS GREAT WITH THE CHEDDAR/BACON & CHIVE BISCUITS!!!!



Yukon Potato Leek Soup

Yukon Potato Leek Soup

 

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS butter
• 3 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 3 medium)
• 6 cups “cubed” peeled Yukon potatoes (about 5-6 potatoes or 2/1/4 lbs)
• 2 cups of water
• ½ tsp of kosher salt
• 2 (14-ounce) cans of vegetable broth
• ½ tsp thyme
• ¼ cup of whipping cream (or half & half for those who are counting calories)

Directions:

1. As always, go gather “EVERYTHING” and put on counter.
2. Peel potatoes, open cans, clean and slice leeks

Now, melt butter in Dutch oven and add leeks.  Cook until tender but NOT brown…about 10 mins.

Add potatoes, water, salt and vegetable broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 mins…until potatoes are tender.

Remove from heat and “partially” mash potatoes with a potato masher then stir in the cream.  Sprinkle with black pepper and serve with Cheddar Toasts.

Cheddar Toast

• 8 (1/4 in thick) diagonally sliced baguette French bread
• Cooking spray
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 7 mins or until toasted.  Turn slices over, coat with cooking spray and sprinkle 1TBS of cheese over each slice.  Bake 5 mins until cheese melts then sprinkle with red pepper!!

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Day 4…Thank you God!!!

“Is that the smell of coffee”, I ask while washing at the sink?…
But as I reach to pour it, the “NN” is there with my drink…
That full glass of H2O with the squeeze of a lemon
I down that sucker, for coffee…ah, manna from heaven!

The “NN” is flitting from one thought to the next
“Breakfast”, “Drink your Water”, “Now let’s go walk”…oops, forgot “you need to stretch”!!
So, I stretch..I drink..I am ready for the drill…
“We’ll walk the loop, around the complex…and take on those hills!

“BUT WAIT…what’s this? Could it be a sign I love??
Is that really what I have prayed for..from the heavens up above??
At first, a fine mist but then a hard pour…
I am jumping for Jesus…as I open the door!

My prayers, they have been answered
I’m FINALLY getting my way
A reprieve from the “NN” and boot camp
Ah YES…it’s my lucky day!!!!!!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

It’s quick and easier than you think!

 

 

 

 

Clean the corn and get rid of excess silk

 Completely submerge the corn under water (you may need to find something heavy to keep it submerged)  Why Submerge?? This will add extra moisture for cooking them and because I said so!!!!  DO THIS ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE COOKING!!!

 Remove from water and shake excess moisture from corn.

 Place on a med-high preheated grill and, now this is IMPORTANT….turn about every 3-4 minutes!! So, no going to chat with the guest, or leave the grill for a potty break…you do NOT want these to burn up!!!  (unless of course, you have your fire extinguisher close by!!!)

 The corn will start turning a nice colored brown and yes, maybe a flame or two will erupt, but no problemo…the soaking of them in water lets them steam inside!

 They will look almost burnt when they are done…about 15-20 mins.

 Now, take them from the grill, and don’t be an idiot by using your hands…these are HOT…!! Use tongs and put them on a platter or plate.  Then find either a dish towel or a clean rag and peel them like a banana…pulling off all the husk and making them look all nice and “purdy”!! You could be a real nice host and do it for your guest, or you can have them do it themselves and have a nice messy table…the choice is yours!!!

 Butter, salt and pepper…and you are good to go!!!!