Prawn and Bacon Fajitas

Prawns and Bacon sitting in a tree, d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

I know, that didn’t even come close to rhyming, but that’s not what this is about. This is a love story on a plate. In a tortilla. Along with some queso fresco and guacamole (and that guac has a back story of its own, but I’ll tell you all about it another time). And I think there are certain things in this life that are just absolutely perfect when paired together. Cinnamon and chocolate. Shirley Temples and Mexican food. Snow and hot cocoa. Prawns and Bacon. There is something so naughty about combining a juicy prawn and that divine hunk of fatty pork in one bite, and to date this is my favorite dish that does just that. Thus, I give you Prawn and Bacon Fajitas.

Prawn and Bacon Fajitas

Serves 2 (or 4+ for small appies)

Ingredients:

• 15-20 large raw prawn tails, peeled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tablespoon sriracha
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
• ¼ small red onion
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 2 fresh lemons
• ½ cup chopped cilantro, divided
• ½ cup Queso Fresco (or other soft farmer’s cheese)
• 1 large tomato
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• ½ lb bacon (if you can get it as one thick slab, do it. Otherwise, get thick-cut bacon)
• 8 small tortillas

 

Directions:

1.      Mince the garlic and add it to a medium bowl along with the prawns, sriracha, onion powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, and the juice of one lemon. Stir lightly to coat the prawns evenly, cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge.

2.      Finely dice the red onion and add it to a small bowl. Add the juice of the remaining lemon and ¼ cup of the chopped cilantro. Slide your knife around the pit of the avocado, gently grab each half and twist to separate. Discard the pit. Scoop the avocado into the bowl with the red onion and mix together (I like to run my knife crisscross through the flesh while it’s still in the peel so it’s easier to mix once it’s been scooped out). Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

3.      Chop the tomato, toss with a splash of olive oil and the cilantro, season with salt, and set aside.

4.      Chop the bacon into roughly ½ chunks am-sized and place in a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until just crispy stirring minimally, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate and set it aside.

5.      Remove the prawns from the fridge and set them next to the stove (I’m all about organization!). Drain the bacon fat off the pan and place the pan back on the heat.  Add the prawns and let them cook for 2-3 minutes each side. Place the prawns in a bowl, add the bacon and toss together.  

6.      Serve hot with queso fresco, spinach, tortillas, and the prepared toppings. Assemble as you wish!

This is also delicious with other sides and toppings, such as:

·         Corn

·         Chopped black olives

·         Rice

·         Salsa

·         Sour cream

·         Beans

·         Chopped green chiles

Seared Ahi Tuna

The BF and I love fresh tuna - we rarely leave a sushi restaurant without ordering some sort of tuna dish. Basically if we see it on the menu it's going in our bellies. Before now, I'd never tried to make any sort of tuna dish at home because A) I'm lazy, and B) I never noticed it for sale where I shop.

The other day I saw fat steaks of Ahi at my grocery store, and I knew I had to try to make some sort of tuna dish for dinner. I decided to make a simple seared Ahi tuna as an appetizer, and I can't wait to make this again and again because it was delicious and incredibly easy to make. I love when that's the case.

Ingredients:

• 1 Ahi tuna steak
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

 Directions:

1. Whisk the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Place the tuna in a bowl or dish and pour the marinade on top. Cover with plastic wrap and let the fish marinate in the fridge for up to one hour.
2. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon each oil and butter to the pan and place the steak in the pan. Let it cook untouched for 3 minutes. Flip the tuna and sear an additional 3 minutes.
3. Remove the tuna from the pan onto a cutting board. Slice thinly into strips, then serve with soy sauce to dip the fish in. 

Chicken and Salsa Bake

The great thing about chicken is that it is an excellent vessel for flavor. One of the easiest marinades that I go to time and again is salsa. Jarred, fresh, homemade, roasted, fruity, spicy... any salsa will work wonders on your chicken and you won't have to do anything except pouring it on the chicken. See, I told you it was easy!


Serves 2
Ingredients:

• 2 fresh chicken breasts
• 2 cups salsa of your choice, separated

Directions:  

1. 2 hours before you plan to bake the chicken, place it in a large ziploc bag with 1 cup of the salsa (you can do this up to 8 hours ahead of time -- if my chicken is frozen I start marinating overnight so they thaw and marinate simultaneously). Seal the bag with as little air as possible inside, and let the chicken marinate in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking pan with foil and grease it. Place the chicken breasts in the pan, top each with 1/2 cup of salsa. Bake for 45 minutes. 

Sides to serve it with: rice, black olives, shredded lettuce, green chile, beans, diced tomatoes, corn, avocados, and shredded cheese. 

Click here to see some of my Mexican side dish recipes!

Winter Burgers (as in, no grill needed!)

I have a deep love for burgers of all varieties. Buffalo, sausage, chicken, turkey, bean, fake chicken... you name it, I'll try and probably thoroughly enjoy it. But to me, the ultimate burger is a beef burger. I know there are purists out there who only put ground beef in a beef patty, and I'm okay with that. But sometimes I like a little pizazz (blue cheese stuffed inside! eggs and spicy breadcrumbs!), and that's exactly what the following recipe will provide. That's right, pizazz.

I'll tell you exactly how I made it, and I'll also provide you with way too many other options or substitutions so you can get your creative juices going.

I don't have access to a grill where I live, so these babies are made indoors in a pan. So for all those other apartment-dwelling folks with strict barbeque policies, fear not, you too can make burgers at home!


Makes 4 burgers


Ingredients:

•  1 lb ground beef (I prefer lean but if you want the effect of burger juice dripping down your hand in pure glory so you can lick it off later, please feel free to get regular ol' beef)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
•  1 tsp honey
• Salt & pepper -- season as you wish but go light on the salt, you'll see why in a minute. 
• 4 Buns (this is that moment where you can put your own spin on it: cheddar buns, thick slices of sourdough, Portuguese buns, or even lettuce for all you low-carbers)
• Deli sliced cheese (again, go wild: pepperjack, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, or even a smear of goat cheese)
• Butter lettuce or any lettuce you prefer (arugula is really great on burgers, too!)
• Sliced dill pickles, tomatoes, sliced red onion
• Condiments: Mayo, ketchup, mustard, dijon, hummus, roasted red pepper spread, etc.

Directions: 

1.  Add the onion, butter, and honey to a small sauce pan over low heat. Cook for 30 minutes or until onions are golden, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. When you are 15-20 minutes from chow-time you can begin assembling the patties. Place the beef and cooked onions in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Add about 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, or a few healthy dashes of each (whichever makes you feel more in control, ok?). Divide the meat mixture into 4 even parts so you can form 4 same-size patties. Use your hand to form 4 round balls, then roughly press them out into 1/4 inch thick patties. Don't worry -- this is not an exercise in making a perfectly round patty. 
3. Preheat a large skillet to medium heat. When the pan is hot, scatter a teaspoon of salt across the pan. Place your patties in, set the timer for 5 minutes, and let them cook. Flip them over after 5 minutes, please your cheese on each patty, and cook for another 5 minutes. You can start prepping your vessels at this point - smear mayo on the buns, pile on pickles and lettuce. Once the burgers have finished cooking, use a spatula to transfer the patties onto the buns. Pat yourself on the back, you've just made a Winter Burger. Enjoy!

My burger: soft Italian buns, marble cheddar cheese,pickles, mayo, lettuce.


Here are some other combinations I love:
goat cheese, roasted red pepper spread, hummus, pickles
pepperjack cheese, pickles, sliced banana peppers, lettuce
sharp cheddar, dijon mustard, pickles, sliced red onions

Classic Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, the humble oatmeal cookie -- not the most glamorous baked good, but oh so irresistibly delicious and easy to make. They are made up of staple pantry items so they require little to no prep work, and they take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I mean, what else do I need to tell ya? These are dang good and dang easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix the sugars, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add the egg and whisk in until combined.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then slowly incorporate with the wet mix. The add the oats, mix until just combined, and then finally add the chocolate chips.
3. Drop spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cocoa Brownies (recipe from Bon Appetit)

I love trying out new recipes, and while I usually play around with new recipes when I'm cooking, baking is an entirely different story. My rule is that the recipe should be followed precisely the first time when baking, and then after that you can fiddle and fix all you want.

In the December 2012 Bon Appetit issue they had a recipe for Cocoa Brownies that looked divine, and it boasted being easy peasy so of course I had to give it a whirl. Also, I don't know about you but I'm more likely to have cocoa powder in my cupboard than squares of baker's chocolate, so this recipe was enticing because it didn't force me to put on pants on my day off. It's the little things in life that make me happy.

The Verdict: These are chocolate squares of heaven.


This recipe is essentially the same as the original, except I added in my notes about what I did and what I would do next time.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 8x8x2 glass baking dish with foil and grease it (next time I will use parchment paper because that's just my preference for lining dishes for bars). 
2. Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside (I put the full block in a bowl in the microwave for 60 seconds). Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then slowly whisk in the butter. Add the vanilla (I usually triple the amount suggested), then one egg at a time, whisking as you go. Add the flour and fold into batter (I switched from whisk to large spoon at this stage to keep the fuss minimal) -- be careful not to over mix. 
3. Pour the batter and spread evenly into the prepared dish, then bake for 25-30 minutes -- test by inserting a knife - should come out clean or with a few crumbs (I baked mine in the middle of the oven for almost 35 minutes, so keep an eye on your brownies!). Cool on a wire rack before cutting (at this point you could even dust them with cocoa powder or powdered sugar).

Here is the original recipe. Trust me, this is worth the click.

Split Pea and Ham Soup - second version!

My bf's mom makes an incredible split pea and ham soup, and I have used her recipe for a slow cooker version in the past, but today I was feeling adventurous and wild and ambitious and hungry so I decided to use it again, but this time with my secret weapon: Ham Hock. Ok, it's not really my secret weapon since today is the first time I had the guts to actually buy one, but I tell ya, it is going to be my secret weapon from now on. My bf's mom uses ham bones in her soup, and I always knew that my boneless split pea and ham soup was missing something.... ding ding ding! A bone! Well, my local grocery stores don't often have ham bones laying around but they do have ham hocks (which, by the way, are extremely inexpensive so it's hard to come up with enough excuses to skip the hock).

I'll be honest - I was intimidated by the ham hock for a few years, and I'm so glad I got past that fear today because it is so delicious! Plus, this recipe requires a bit of TLC but it's easy so don't be afraid.

Here is my updated recipe for split pea and ham soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb ham hock
• 2 1/2 cups dried split peas
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 8 cups chicken stock

 Directions:

All ingredients together in the pot

1. Place all ingredients in your dutch oven (or a heavy-bottomed pan). Bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid on for 1 hour over low heat, stirring occasionally. 
2. Remove the ham hock and set in the fridge to cool enough to touch (about 1 hour). Continue simmering the soup. 
3. Once the ham is cool enough to handle, peel off the skin (thick outer layer). Then use a knife to cut away the excess fat (I left a a little on the meat just because I can!), and peel off the meat in small chunks and add to the soup. Continue simmering for 30 minutes, then serve hot. 

 Alternatively, if you don't want to use a ham hock you can use a ham bone with meat on it, or even plain old ham without the bone (this is still yummy, but bones lend a special flavor to soup that you don't want to miss!).