Mango Slaw

This is my favorite slaw to use for shrimp or fish tacos, especially when mangoes are good.  I buy a bag of Rainbow Salad instead of shredding the cabbage myself.  I like the Rainbow Salad (brand name is Mann's) because it's cabbage, carrots, and broccoli.  Really makes for a beautiful slaw.

1 large mango, peeled and diced (about 1-1/4 cups)

3 cups+ grated cabbage, carrots, and broccoli*

1 red pepper (1 cup), cut into thin strips

¼ cup red onion, finely diced

½ cup cilantro, chopped

1 T. pickled jalapeno (or more according to taste; less if you're one of my relatives.  LOL!)
1 T. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 T. fresh orange juice

2 T. fresh lime juice

2 T. rice vinegar

1 T. toasted sesame oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate for a few hours to let flavors blend.  Remove from fridge and let sit about 30 minutes before serving.  Stir well before serving.

The fish/shrimp marinade is really simple.  I just coat with oil and sprinkle generously with Jerk seasoning.  I love the sweet/hot flavor of Jerk seasoning.  To cook, just saute on a non-stick pan.  There's already oil on the fish so no need to add more.

*You may need more slaw since it will start releasing water as it sits.  The bag is 12 oz. so you'll have plenty to work with if you buy the Rainbow Salad.

Beef Stroganoff

So, I was really happy to snag some ground beef at work that BeeJay had just marked down.  A pound and a quarter of Angus ground chuck for just $1.  The only reason I managed to snag the bargain is because Libby wasn't there yet!  Libby will understand that comment.

Then I had to figure out what to do with the ground meat.  We had burgers about a week ago and that is, honestly, the only thing I ever do with ground meat.  I wandered the store trying to get ideas.  Then I talked to Roxy and she saved the day by suggesting I make Beef Stroganoff.  I was like, "With ground chuck?"  Yup.  Went upstairs and found a basic Stroganoff recipe that Roxy had used before.  Tweaked the recipe a bit and it was surprisingly good, especially since I'm not a big fan of ground meat.

Instead of using regular beef broth, I sprang for the More Than Gourmet concentrated stock.  That pretty much made up for the $5 I saved on the meat, but what the heck, that stuff is good!

 

1-1/4 lbs. ground beef or Italian sausage (used sausage another night and it was good!)

1 medium sweet yellow onion, peeled, cut in half and then sliced thin

8-10 ounces white mushrooms, wiped clean* and sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried)

2 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

1 T. tomato paste

3 T. Marsala wine

1/4 cup flour

3 cups beef broth, heated (used CM beef broth the second time around and it was just as good as the concentrated stock, but that might be cause I used Italian sausages instead of chuck)

1 t. Dijon mustard

4 oz. low fat sour cream or 0% Greek yogurt (I like Fage)

½ cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Egg noodles (12 oz. package) or mashed potatoes

In a large pan, brown the meat.  Drain well and set aside.  Wipe the pan clean and add the olive oil and butter.  Add the mushrooms and sauté until moisture has evaporated, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the onion slices and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the garlic, thyme, and tomato paste.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Add the Marsala wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. 

Sprinkle mixture with the flour and stir until combined.  Add the heated broth, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.  When your noodles are cooked (or your mashed potatoes are ready), add the cooked meat, Dijon and sour cream.  Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.  I don't normally season at this point since the broth has plenty of salt.

*To clean mushrooms, wet a few paper towels and squeeze dry.  Use the paper towels to wipe the mushrooms clean.  Never rinse mushrooms in water as they will just soak the water up and become more water logged than they already are!

We had plenty leftover for another dinner, so I combined the Stroganoff and noodles in the pan and refrigerated it.  To reheat, I added a cup of heated broth and then slowly brought the dish to a boil.



Shrimp and Grits

This is pure comfort food!  I use hominy grits that I buy in the Bulk section at Central Market.  They only take about 10 minutes to cook.  Use whatever grits you like and follow the package directions.  I add a very small amount of cooked bacon to the grits when they are done cooking.  This just gives the grits a little bite.  I buy the Applewood smoked bacon from our Meat department at work and freeze it for when I need it.  Then I cut off the amount I need and dice it while it's still partially frozen.  Such an easy way to cut up bacon.  I've made it without the bacon too and it's still really good.  Here's the bacon after cooking:

I have cooked the shrimp in the bacon grease but decided I like it better cooked in olive oil and butter.  Here's the recipe:

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper

1 T. olive oil + 1 T. butter

½ cup hominy grits (white)

2 cups water

Salt

2-3 slices bacon, small diced (optional)

½ cup lightly smoked cheese (I used Applewood smoked Fontina that I buy at HEB)

1 T. butter

2 cloves (about 1 T.) garlic, minced

Juice from ½ lemon

2 T. fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, minced

Place the diced bacon in a non-stick skillet.  Turn the heat on and then cook until bacon is crispy and brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined bowl.   Let bacon grease cool and then discard or save for future use.

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil.  Add a little salt and ½ cup grits.  Note that all grits cook differently so just follow the directions on your grits.  Stir the grits big time at first (this prevents lumps) and then turn the heat down and simmer (stirring occasionally) about 10 minutes.  When the grits are cooked and thick, add 1 T. butter, the cheese, and the bacon bits.

Heat 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. butter in a skillet.  Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper.  Cook about 2 minutes and then flip with tongs.  Add the minced garlic, lower the heat, and continue cooking another minute or two, swishing the pan back and forth to keep the garlic from burning.  Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and parsley.

Spoon the grits onto a plate and top with the shrimp mixture. 

Mojo Marinated Chicken

I've been using a lot of citrus lately, probably because we have so much beautiful citrus at Central Market right now.  The CM air-chilled boneless chicken breasts were on sale last week so I decided to make a Mojo marinade.  Mojo is a Cuban citrus based marinade usually made with sour Seville oranges.  I used regular oranges (the Heirloom Navels were on sale) and added fresh lemon and lime.  I reserved about a third of the marinade, strained it, heated it, and then poured that over the cooked chicken.  Turned out really good!

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T. honey

3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Habanero, seeded and cut into pieces

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves*

Combine marinade ingredients (reserve 1/3 for sauce if you want) and marinade breasts for 30 minutes on each side.  Discard marinade.  Grill until chicken is done, about 7 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the breasts.  Transfer chicken to a serving dish.  Heat reserved, strained marinade (you don't want to eat the halapeno!) and pour over the breasts.  Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

I served this with my Quinoa with Mandarins, Fennel and Pistachios.  Citrus Fest! 

*The breasts will cook better if you flatten them slightly so that they are a more even thickness.  Don't flatten completely; just the thickest part.