#108 :: Baked Tilapia

This is a good, quick fix (only 12 minutes!) when you want something light and healthy! We had brown rice on the side. A little plain, even though the fish has good flavor....but perfect when you need dinner PDQ and are avoiding the fast food like we are!

Ingredients

• Butter cooking spray
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 lime, finely grated zest and juice
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a large cast iron pan with a nonstick butter spray.

Rinse fish and pat dry; place on the prepared baking sheet. Season each fillet with salt, cracked pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Add fish to the pan. Place a pat of butter on each fillet and cook in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Paula's Best Dishes on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#107 :: Red Potato Salad with Bacon

This is another recipe that I created myself. I looked at so many potato salad recipes, and none of them had everything I was looking for. So again, I chose the things I wanted and created my own. It turned out like a cross between a southern potato salad and a German potato salad.....and it was very good!

Ingredients

• 6 cups cubed red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• Salt
• 2 ounces bacon (2 or 3 strips)
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper (any color, we used green)
• 1 ear of grilled sweet corn
  
• 1/4 cup minced sweet onion
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Put the potatoes in a large pot; add water just to cover and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels and finely chop. Add the bacon back to the pan with the onion and cook until the onion is soft. (You can omit this step if you like crunchy raw onions instead - I don't!)

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and bell pepper. Toss in the onions and bacon. Cut the grilled corn off the cob and add the kernels to the potatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the potato mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate or serve at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings

Recipe from Amy

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

#106 :: Memphis Dry Rub Ribs

Jamie works tomorrow, so we had our 4th of July celebration today. We made ribs, Red Potato Salad with Bacon and grilled corn, and as soon as it gets dark we're heading out to see some fireworks. What a delicious meal for the 4th of July! At first I was looking to make a BBQ sauce, but we didn't have any molasses or brown sugar (and several other several key ingredients) so I went for a dry rub instead. Jamie actually said these were the best ribs he ever ate!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds pork ribs

For the Rub:

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (*we chose to add this, it wasn't in the original recipe)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion salt (*we chose to add this, it wasn't in the original recipe)
• 25 grinds fresh black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat over to 300 degrees F.

Mix the rub ingredients together well in a small bowl.

Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs, then rub the vegetable oil onto the ribs. Pour the rub over the ribs and work the rub fully and evenly into the ribs. Spread the ribs out evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Makes about 13-15 ribs

Recipe from Good Deal with Dave Lieberman on Food Network

Star Rating: 5+ out of 5 stars

#105 :: Steak & Chicken Fajitas with Poblano Peppers

Tonight was experimental dinner night! I'm beginning to try my hand at selecting my own spices and ingredients, rather than follow a recipe. I'm sure it will end up in disaster eventually, but tonight it was perfect! I read so many recipes about what to marinate fajita meat in, and I didn't like any one in particular. So, I chose my own ingredients that I knew I liked and created my own marinade. The steak was amazing! The chicken was good, but I think it needed to marinate longer to pickup more of the flavors. I let them all marinate for about 2 hours.



Ingredients

For Fajitas:

1 lb. flank steak
2 small chicken breasts
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Poblano Pepper
1 Large Onion, sliced
1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
1 Tbsp. Oil
Sour Cream
Quesadilla Cheese, grated

For Marinade:

Make your marinade in two separate freezer bags. In each bag, add:

1 garlic clove, smashed
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. Oil (Olive, Vegetable, your choice...)
1 Tbsp. Coarsely Chopped Cilantro
1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste


Directions

Mix marinade ingredients in two freezer bags. Add the chicken to one and the steak to the other. Let them marinate for at least one hour.



Using tongs, broil (or roast over an open flame) all of the peppers until charred on all sides. Seal the peppers in a ziploc bag for about 15 minutes so they can steam and soften the skin. Remove the charred skin, using a paper towel if necessary. Remove the veins and seeds, then slice into strips. Slice the onion into strips as well. Remove the seeds and veins from the jalapeno and dice.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a pan. When hot, add the onions and peppers. Cook until the onions are caramelized and remove from heat.



Remove the chicken and steak from the marinade and grill them. The steak only takes a few minutes on each side, and the chicken should take a few minutes longer on each side than the steak. Our steak took 5 minutes, the chicken took 15. Let the meat sit for a few minutes before slicing into fajita strips.



Pile your meat, peppers & onions, jalapeno, sour cream and cheese into a flour tortilla. Roll it up and enjoy.



Makes 2-3 servings

Recipe from Amy :)

Star Rating: -- Steak: 5 out of 5 stars -- Chicken: 4 out of 5 stars

#104 :: Mexi-Burgers

This was just a "throw it all together and throw it on the grill" recipe. We had some red bell peppers and onions, plus some leftover Avocado Aioli from another meal, so we decided to create some Mexi-Burgers. They were definitely good... and no recipe was required!



Ingredients

1/2 lb. hamburger beef
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced (small)
1/2 small yellow onion, diced (small)
Salt, Pepper & Chili Powder to season
Quesadilla Cheese
Lettuce and Tomato Slices
Avocado Aioli


Directions

Saute the diced red bell pepper and onion just until the onions are translucent. Allow them to cool. Season the beef patties with salt, pepper and chili powder (to your own taste).

Add the peppers and onions to the beef and mix in with your hands. Separate the meat into two patties. Grill until done (8-10 minutes) or longer if you like yours well done.

Tip: Add the quesadilla cheese to the burger just a few minutes before it's done grilling, so it will begin to melt.


Makes 2 servings

Recipe by Amy :)

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#103 :: Lime Cilantro Marinade

This was an O.K. marinade. We both agreed yesterday's was better, but this was good for a change from the regular plain grilled chicken breast. They didn't get to marinate as long as they did yesterday (today we left them in the marinade for an hour, yesterday was 3 hours) so that might have a little to do with it. The recipe mentions using the chicken for fajitas, which we didn't do but I think would make even better use of the flavor of this marinade. It would have been great for fajitas!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive or other oil

Directions

Place the chicken in a shallow bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the chicken, turning the breasts to coat both sides. Let set about 30 minutes. Heat a grill to high heat. Grill the breasts until just cooked through, turning to brown both sides. (The amount of time depends on the thickness of the breasts and the heat of the grill.) Remove from grill, tent with foil, and let rest about 5 minutes before serving. If using in the fajitas, carve into thin slices.

Note: Breasts can also be cooked in a grill pan, skillet or under a hot broiler.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Teri's Kitchen

Star Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

#102 :: Lemon Dijon Marinade

I noticed that we hadn't really done any marinades since we started this blog, so I decided to try some different varieties of marinades this week. This lemon Dijon marinade was the first, and Jamie loved it! He all but licked the plate clean when he was done! :) We served it with one of our new favorites, roasted broccoli.

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup good olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts, bone-in and skin-on

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Set aside.

Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Pour half the marinade over the chicken, reserving the other half to use later. Allow the chicken to marinade for at least two hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the remaining marinade over the top of the chicken. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Makes 2 servings

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#101 :: Mexican Rice

This rice was definitely good, but it just felt like it was missing a little something. I'm used to Mexican rice in Texas, and maybe they use a certain spice that's not in this recipe. I'm going to keep trying rice recipes until I find something that tastes like what I remember from home! But for now, this rice is good enough to serve with my Mexican meals!

Ingredients

• 3 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 large finely diced carrot
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups medium-grain rice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 whole serrano chile
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed

Directions

Cut the tomatoes in half, and remove the seeds. Add the tomatoes and 2 cups of broth to a blender and puree. Strain into a bowl and reserve the liquid. Add enough extra broth to make 4 cups of liquid.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and saute for 4 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the rice and cook until slightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato broth mixture, stir and bring to boil. Add the salt, bay leaf, and the serrano chile. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from heat. Scatter the peas over the top of the rice, cover, and let the rice stand 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings

Recipe from Mexican Made Easy on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#100 :: Mexican Shrimp Burgers with Avocado Aioli

Our 100th recipe! When I started this blog, I wasn't sure we'd make it this far!

I'm so glad the new season of Mexican Made Easy has started. I don't think I've ever made anything from this show on Food Network that I didn't like! These burgers were amazing, and putting them together was surprisingly easy. At first it seemed like a lot of ingredients, but the prep is easy; just toss everything in a food processor, shape into patties and toss on the grill. Done! Same for the avocado aioli; throw the ingredients in the food processor, give it a whiz, and you're done. Couldn't be easier!



Ingredients

Burgers:

• 1 pound medium uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs, plus more as needed
• 1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Avocado Aioli:

• 1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed, halved and seeded (we omitted the serrano)
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 hamburger buns, split in half
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 6 lettuce leaves or a mixture of baby lettuce leaves

Directions

Burgers:

In a food processor, combine the shrimp, egg, cilantro, garlic, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, poblano chile, salt, and pepper. Process until the mixture is a coarse puree. Form the mixture into 6 patties and set aside (if the mixture is too wet, add additional bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture can be molded easily).

Put a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the patties with vegetable oil and grill until golden, about 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness.

Avocado Aioli:

Scoop the avocado pulp into the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic cloves, serrano chile and cilantro. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To assemble:

Serve the shrimp burgers on buns, topped with a dollop of avocado aioli, sliced tomato, and lettuce.

Makes 6 servings

Recipe from Mexican Made Easy on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#99 :: Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca

Cool and refreshing...perfect for hot summer days!

Ingredients

• 4 cups watermelon, seeded and cubed (about 3 pounds)
• 1/2 cup water
• 24 mint leaves, divided
• 8 tablespoons super-fine sugar (adjust if too sweet when using a naturally sweeter watermelon), divided
• 4 very thin lime slices, halved into half moons, divided

Directions

Add the watermelon and the water to a blender, and puree until smooth. Divide the mint leaves, sugar and lime slices among 8 glasses and muddle the ingredients. Add ice to each glass and pour in the watermelon agua fresco. Stir and serve.

Makes 8 servings

Recipe from Mexican Made Easy on Food Network

Star Rating: 5 out of 5