Roasted Mango Chipotle Shrimp w/Rice & Chilled Blackbean Salad

Second entry in my “Chipotle Theme” week. I can't rightly remember how I got the idea for this one, surely a rift off of something but I made it my own. Roasting the mangoes added a sweet complexity to the sauce in this dish, exactly what I was aiming for.

I really would have rather used raw fresh shrimp for this dish, and certainly will the next chance I get but.. the only shrimp I had available was pre-cooked frozen or arabian gulf shrimps. And if you've heard anything about Kuwait's recent-ish leaky sewage issues, you'll understand why I bolted for the frozen. But I believe the sauce would have penetrated the raw shrimp much better, making for a more comprehensively flavored dish.

Roasted Mango & Chipotle Shrimp

2 dz. Jumbo Shrimp – peeled & deveined
2 med. Mangoes – cut into strips
4 canned Chipotle Peppers + 2 T. Adobo sauce
1 Lime – juiced
¼ c. Olive oil
Salt – large pinch

~ Roast mangoes under a broiler for 10-15 minutes or until they just begin to char – Combine these in a blender with the chipotle + adobo, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Puree til smooth & let cool to room temp.

~ In a shallow dish, coat shrimps with mango/chipotle puree, cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. In the meantime, soak 8 bamboo skewers in water.

~ Skewer 3 shrimps to a bamboo skewer & grill shrimps for 2-4 minutes on either side or until the flesh turns milky white. Serve with Garlicky White Rice Pilaf.

Serves 4

Garlicky White Rice Pilaf (per Rick Bayless)

1 ½ c. med. White Rice
1 small White Onion - diced
Olive Oil
2 Garlic cloves – minced
1 ¾ c. Chicken Stock
1 Lime – juiced
Salt TT

~ Preheat oven to 350*F

~ Heat an oven proof 3qt saucepan over the stovetop - saute rice and onion in a swirl of olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pot and saute another minute. Add in stock & cover with lid. Place the pot in the oven and cook for 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before seasoning with lime juice and salt. Fluff with fork.


In addition to this I made a chilled blackbean salad. It's got a few things going on in it but for simplicity sake, I'm just going to call it a blackbean salad.

Chilled Blackbean Salad w/Lime Cilantro Dressing

2 cans Blackbeans – drained & rinsed
1 c. fresh Corn off the cobb
2 vine ripe Tomatoes – diced
1 med. Chayote – diced
1 small Red Onion – thinly sliced
1 Bell Pepper (yellow, orange or red) – diced
2 lg Limes – juiced & zested
1 lg Jalapeno – seeds & membranes cut out & diced
½ c. Cilantro
¾ c. Olive Oil
Salt TT

~ In a large bowl combine blackbeans, corn, tomato, chayote, onion & bell pepper.

~ In a blender, process the lime, jalapeno, cilantro and olive oil til smooth. Toss with the diced vegetables and blackbeans and season with salt. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.


Mise – I love these indian alfonso mangoes. They have a certain creamy quality to them that I think make them stand out from other varieties. However, do with what you have. Any mango is a good mango in my book! Look for mangos that give a little when you squeeze them, to denote their ripeness. And generally when they begin to yellow and/or redden a bit like the ones pictured, that's another indicator of ripening (though not true for every type of mango).



Roasted mango slices


Sittin' happy – drinking up that spicy mango-ey goodness


Let ch'ya see my grill..


What you need for Garlicky Rice – tres simple


Mise for Blackbean Salad



Not a bad meal at all if I do say so.. This meal was made only for adults so I didn't skimp when it came to the spiciness of the chipotles. Went full strength on that. Admittedly though, the heat punch of a chipotle/jalapeno is not that hot. And funnily enough, I am one of those kinds of people who don't enjoy a very high level of heat in their food but I looove chili peppers and their flavors. So much so that they're the theme of my home kitchen.

But back to what I was saying about chilies and their heat, and I was talking with a friend about this a bit today.. Most chilies hold the hardest-hitting part of their heat in the seeds AND the white membrane/ribbing that anchors the seeds to the flesh of the chili. Some level of heat IS present in the flesh but for the most part, you can really cut down on the heat by discarding the innards of the chili.

And that “heat” I keep mentioning has a proper chemical name – Capsaicin. This was discovered by Christian Friedrich Bucholz in 1816 - and almost a hundred years later, in 1912, a man named Wilbur Scoville created a “scale” by which we could measure the spiciness of every variety of capsicum (pepper) family member known to man.

Mr. Scoville's test's accuracy however, is subject to the human palate as this is the medium by which his test registers heat. Some found this to be in error – not illogical since as humans we are apt to inaccuracy. Another unit of measurement was created by the American Spice Trade Association, using something called “High-Performance Liquid Chromatology”. Basically science science science and hey, I majored in food not chemistry so you're on your own figuring out the rest.. But essentially, Scoville's unit of heat measurement is still used in conjunction with the ASTAHU – they multiply their findings by 15 and come up with a number very close to what would be found on that pepper according to the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU).



Just how I was saying I'm not a fan of spicy heat, some people are actually hardwired to enjoy the pain that is inflicted by capsaicin via consuming hot peppers/sauces. It is thought that the pain induces release of the euphoria-inducing hormones called endorphins. These neurotransmitters, oddly enough, help reduce pain so it's like this chemical paradox – consume, cause pain, release hormone that dulls pain, repeat. Ahh the human body..

Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin
http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-nature/emotions/happiness/science/endorphins.html

Mexican Potato Salad

Months ago, I'd made a “mexican” potato salad to bring to a friend's BBQ. My husband, who likes to share my blog with his co-workers, told me that someone who had attended that BBQ had asked if I'd put the recipe up on my blog. I was so pleased that someone had remembered my cooking so well that I thought the occasion deserved an entry :)

I thought I was so slick, dreaming up a “mexican” rift of potato salad. I googled it as soon as I'd thought it up and not surprisingly, I was not the first person to ever stumble upon the notion (I get that alot). However, I had something punchier in mind. Most recipes I saw included use of pickled jalepenos (blech!), carrots, peas (wtf over?). I wanted big mexican flavors but still wanted cool tangy creaminess. Behold!

Mexican Potato Salad

3# Red Bliss Potatoes (or any other thin skinned potato you prefer, yukon golds are always a favorite alternative)
1 c. Sour Cream
½ c. Mayonaise
2 Chipotle Peppers - seeds scraped out & minced + 1 T. of the canned adobo sauce
1 Lime – zested & juiced
1/2 of a Chayote – small dice (cut out & discard the pit/seed)
1 small Red Onion – small dice
2 ribs Celery – small dice
Sea Salt – To Taste
½ c. Cilantro - chopped
Apple Cider Vinegar (for taste adjustment)

~ Pick potatoes of the same general size. Scrub clean. Place in a large pot and fill with water to cover. Bring water to a boil, then bring to a simmer and cook potatoes for 15 minutes or until barely fork tender. Drain potatoes in a colander, then cover with a clean kitchen towel so the potatoes continue to steam and cook (for 20-30 more minutes)

~ Meanwhile, dice the celery, onion and chayote

~ After the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into 1 in. cubes. In a large bowl, combine potatoes with the sourcream, mayo, chipotle + adobo, lime, diced vegetables and large pinch of salt. Mix til combined. Taste and add more salt and acid accordingly. Cover and place in the fridge at least 3-4 hours.

~ Just before you plan on serving, toss in chopped cilantro and mix


Ta da! Wasn't that fast?? Haha, how exciting is the process of potato salad making?


What would take this potato salad up to another level would be some diced dried chorizo! I sorely wish I had some on hand and am pretty sure I had put it in my original concoction when I had some in my pantry stores. If you can't seem to find any good quality chorizo in any of the markets in your area, I highly suggest a special order from tienda.com. These people KNOW their chorizo and have umpteen varieties to choose from, including different kinds of fresh.

Now comes the section where I research the most obscure ingredient in my recipe list, should there be one that is not too common. I suppose in this instance, that would be the chayote.. FUN! 

Chayote is the Spanish version of a Nahuatl [Aztec] word “chayotli”. It is a green, pear shaped plant belonging to the gourd family. It is often labeled “Chayote Squash” in supermarkets but I see there is some debate as to whether that is botanically correct. I searched for a good hour to differentiate between gourd and squash and basically what it seems to boil down to is that all squash are gourds but gourds are not always squash.. or some such bullshit.. 

Moving along.. Chayotes are a rather bland, yet still nutritionally lucrative fruit that was first cultivated in Mexico and Central America. The entire plant is edible; from it’s roots to its leaves and shoots. It is rich in amino acids and Vitamin C and can be eaten both raw and cooked (boiled, sautéed, mashed) although is best prepared heavy on the seasonings.

Personally, I rather like it raw and enjoy mine in salads. It has the firm starchy texture of a potato or water chestnut and tastes much like cucumber or aloe. The seed in the middle IS edible but most people cut it out and discard it, as it’s a bit tough. Look it up on youtube for some preparations and try it! 

Source(s):
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Produce-638/chayote.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/vegetables/a/squash.htm

Birthday Party BBQ Buffet! *Recipes*

As promised, here are the recipes:

BBQ/Baked Beans (the recipe I *should have used – only by these suggestions did I get mine to taste somewhat similar to the traditional)

* 1 large onion, diced
* 2 (16-ounce) cans pork and beans
* 3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
* 1/4 cup maple syrup
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons ketchup
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 pound bacon strips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

~ In a Dutch oven, mix onion, pork and beans, mustard, maple syrup, light brown sugar, ketchup, and lemon juice. Top with the bacon pieces. Bake, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes.

Serves 4 (definitely double this recipe!)


Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) bag artichoke hearts,
thawed & drained
1 bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed
& drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.

~ In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.

~ Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Serves 12



Baked Potato Salad (by Pampered Chef)

6 medium baking potatoes (about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Thinly sliced green onions with tops (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

~ Preheat oven to 425°F. Scrub potatoes thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Brush potatoes with vegetable oil. Prick potatoes all over with a fork. Bake 50-60 minutes or until tender.

~ Meanwhile combine sour cream and mayonnaise in small bowl. Add bacon, red onion and celery to sour cream mixture. Stir in salt and black pepper and cover tightly with cling wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

~ Remove potatoes from oven; cool completely. Coarsely chop potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl; fold in sour cream mixture. Cover & refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight. Garnish with sliced green onions and cheddar cheese, if desired.

Yield: 12 servings


7 Layer Dip

1 can Refried Beans
2 Avocadoes – mashed
1 Lime – juiced & zested
Salt TT
1 jar medium Salsa
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper – diced
1 lg bunch Cilantro – chopped
1 16oz. tub Sourcream
1 bag shredded cheese (Mexican style, Colby jack or Monterrey Jack)

Just add the lime juice and salt to the mashed avocados and then layer ingredients, in order, into a small-medium pyrex dish. You can make this the day before, it will be fine.

Also, it would be prudent to add any desired spices to the refried beans before layering them. Next time, I’m going to add some southwestern seasoning to mine!

Serves 8-10



Fruit Skewers with Yogurt Honey Dip

Simply assemble your favorite fruits onto wooden skewers. I used globe grapes, strawberry, pineapple and banana (although you’ll want to assemble this as close to serving time as possible if you don’t want your banana to brown).

The dip simply consists of an 8oz tub of yogurt (preferably greek) with as much honey drizzled in to fit your tatstes.

I made enough for 40 skewers in my picture.



“Chopped”/Mixed Green Salad

Romaine Lettuce
Red Onions – thinly sliced
Cherry Tomatoes
Bell Peppers – julienned or diced
Cucumbers – sliced or diced

Serve with any desired cheese, crumbled bacon and/or croutons


Buttermilk Dressing

I short-cutted here by using Hidden Valley’s Buttermilk mix with real buttermilk and mayo. /shamed face. Lol


Avocado Dressing

See this entry.


Cupcakes:

For the Chocolate, I used a Paula Deen recipe for “Chocolate Dirt Cups” but omitted the frosting and topping. I also used DECAF coffee knowing it would be served to kids, haha. It worked perfectly, SO moist!

Chocolate Cupcakes

* 8 ounces sour cream
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup strong brewed coffee
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 large eggs

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

~ In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.



My daughter asked me to make “pink” cupcakes so I wanted to try out a strawberry kind to have a good reason for the “pink” (which I did have to add a few drops of FC to, to make the color vibrant). I got this recipe from the Sprinkles bakery. I found them to be a bit dry, or drier than I expected. I’d say you can up the strawberry puree in these to a full cup and be able to get away with it. I will try them again and work on that.

Strawberry Cupcakes

* 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 large egg, room temperature
* 2 large egg whites, room temperature

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

~ Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

~ In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

~ In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

~ With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

~ Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Makes 1 dozen. I haven’t tried their frosting recipe but plan to on my next try.


For the Pineapple Cupcakes, I couldn’t find a decent recipe completely from scratch and I didn’t want to do them upside down so, I just modified a cake-mix recipe commonly known as “7-up” Cake.

Pineapple Mix Cupcakes

* 1 pk Yellow cake mix
* 1 pk Instant pudding mix;
* 3/4 c Cooking oil
* 4 Eggs
* 1 Bottle Seven-Up (10-oz.)
* 1 medium can of crushed Pineapple, drained

~ Preheat oven to 350F.
~ Mix everything together with a mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes.
~ Prep a cupcake tin and fill 2/3 full.
~ Bake 20-25 minutes til golden and done.

Voila! I will be working on a from-scratch version in the near future. I just didn’t feel like fiddling with one last week.

And the creamcheese recipe I used, I also modified as I always do because I feel most creamcheese recipes don’t call for enough 10x sugar (I always use double whats called for). So mine is simply..

Creamcheese Frosting

1 8oz tub Creamcheese – room temp
1 stick unsalted Butter – room temp
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (or any other extract you may have or like – get creative!)
4 c. Powdered Sugar – sifted

~ Cream together creamcheese and butter for 2 minutes until fluffy and well combined. Add in extract.
~ Add in sugar in 2 batches or keep going until you reach a consistency you like.

Bing Bang Boom! And that’s all I got for now folks! Enjoy!

Birthday Party BBQ Buffet! *Pix*

I’ve neglected my blog all week, but it was for really good reason. I was busy prepping for my newly minted 7 and 5 year old's joint Birthday Party (a perk, I must say, of having children with birthdays that fall w/in a week of each other ☺). When I plan a party, no matter how small, I tend to get a little meticulous and I really threw myself into it being that it was for my children.

I so wished I had time to document all of my prep, but alas, I was spread thin on time per usual. I did manage to get pictures of the finished product and that’s as good as anything! I figured I’d also include the recipes I used so look out for those after this entry should you be interested.

The party was at noon and was going to be aimed at a family crowd so I decided on a BBQ buffet and tried to stick with kid friendly foods.


It was a Spongebob/Tinkerbell themed party so I tried to parlay the theme in when and where I could – hence the little place cards describing what food item was before it. Here are “Squidward Dogs” and obviously “Krabby Patties”. I really wanted to make my own mince mix and press my own burgers but my dear husband talked me down from it. And true, I had a lot to do so I conceded to using Bubba Burgers (which are mighty tasty in their own right, and it’s awesome that they go from freezer to grill. My 3 already-packed refrigerators were thankful for that, seeing as I really had no room to properly defrost them even if I wanted to ☺).



I tried to do a vegetarian BBQ Bean dish from scratch scratch (most recipes will use canned beans). It turned out in the end but I swear I cooked those beans for a good 12 hours. That and I added and added and added things to it to try and get it to taste like traditional baked beans. I fancy calling this my “evolution beans”, haha. But I am convinced now that canned may just be best and next time will opt to use Ms. Paula Deen’s recipe. Oh, and next time I will also use bacon. BBQ beans aren’t meant to be vegetarian :p.


Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip


A Chopped Salad served with buttermilk ranch dressing, avocado dressing, croutons and feta.


A “The Works” Baked Potato Salad


7 Layer Dip (vegetarian)


Fruit Skewers with Yogurt Honey Dip


The only picture I was able to get of prep was of this awesome strawberry!
(I usually use gloves when handling ready to consume foods – I use a non-latex variety that I order off amazon.com)


Instead of doing up party favor bags, I created a candy buffet to color-coordinate with the party themes. Kids (and adults) were able to custom fill their own baggies at the end of the party. Only problem is, there was plenty left over and I find myself to be gorging on it /shamed face. Today I found that sixlets left in a hot car are much like a candy-version of caviar in that the filling is liquid once the shell bursts on your tongue /more shamed face. Haha..

I got all these candies from OhNuts! , a NY based candy store online


And in lieu of serving cake, I opted for a cupcake station where kids could choose their cupcake flavor, color of frosting and pick from 20 different kinds of cupcake sprinkles (which I procured from www.shopbakersnook.com - they sell most sprinkles by either 2 cup or 1 oz tubs. I got different colors of dragees, non-pareils, jimmies and sugar sprinkles for between $0.79 and 0.99 each)
I did 3 flavors for the cupcakes, chocolate, pineapple and strawberry. And for functionality, I made a large batch of Creamcheese Frosting and tinted it three different colors.





So that was that! I think I am well within my lane to say that a good-time was had by all. And if anyone was like me, they crashed right when they got home from the sugar high :D.

Recipes to follow in the above post.