Jalapeño Shrimp with Grapefruit Salad

Well, the warm weather is finally here and it's perfect for salad and, maybe, a cold beer.

I've wanted to blog about this shrimp salad, a combination of many I've had in restaurants, for a while. A few attempts have been good but today I think I hit pay dirt!

When I tasted Ninkasi's Spring Reign Ale this year, I was pretty sure it I found the ale that would work best in this recipe. And get this --  the shrimp only need about 1/2 cup. The rest is up for grabs! If you've read the blog you know that I like to cook with beer, but I generally drink wine with a meal. If you have guests that like wine, I would try a dry rosé with this one.

The jalapeño, lime juice and beer make a tangy cooking sauce (or a baste if you're using the grill) and serve as a nice dressing for the salad as well.
Choose your favorite organic greens and veggies but don't forget the ripest pink grapefruit you can get your hands on!

Oh. So. Refreshing.




Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Level: Easy

Light and Easy Enchiladas

Looking for a quick and healthy dinner after a busy day? Try this. I've cut out the frying and a lot of the messy work.
Also, I just discovered Sweet Creek Farms organic enchilada sauce and it's so good that even I don't feel bad about not making it from scratch! I realize that site visitors drop by from all over the world and this company is based in the Willamette Valley of Oregon (USA). If you can't find this product in your part of the world, I encourage you to look for a local company where you are. I hope you'll still make it yourself from time to time, though. It keeps it real when a cook makes the sauce from scratch. 

As promised in the name, this easy dinner will be on the table in an hour. If you already have leftover chicken, or if you're going meatless, it'll take half that time!

You can make them to suit almost all tastes and it takes very little extra effort. Just remember to mark them somehow so you'll know which is which when you take them out of the oven. They aren't nearly as pretty when you have to pick through each enchilada to find the one for the kid who absolutely, positively HATES OLIVES!  For me it was easy,  "Two without meat, please." Notice the meatless ones pictured below are sprinkled with cheddar cheese. 



Time: 1 hour (or less)
Yield: 6 enchiladas
Level: Easy

The Cinnamon Latte Martini

In case the sound of a vanilla cinnamon latte isn't enough, make this with a shot of espresso. It's great for dessert and not too sweet. I garnished it with a dash of Red Ape Cinnamon but you can get really fancy and sugar the rim of the glass.



Ingredients:
    1 shot espresso
    1/2 oz coffee liqueur
    1/2 oz vodka
    1 drop vanilla extract
    1 oz half and half
    1 pinch ground cinnamon

Directions:
Combine the liquid ingredients and cinnamon in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake well.
Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon.

Recipe makes 1 drink.

Slow-cooker Mongolian Beef Salad

Before you put the slow cooker away for the season, here's one to try. The beef is so tender and flavorful you won't believe it. I found a slow- cooked Mongolian beef recipe on allrecipes.com and was able to make some changes that were more suited to the blog and my kitchen.

Aside from the beef and veggies being sourced locally and organic where possible, I decided make the hoisin sauce myself. This article from cooks.com gave me the confidence to jump in and customize it. Of course, if you have a favorite brand and want to use that, I'm sure it will work. I like to adjust the flavors (and I'm all over experimenting in the kitchen) so I made my own.

I was preparing for company coming to town and an uncertain schedule so I needed a meal that would be ready to go whenever the mood struck. I decided to make it a salad for two reasons; it seemed more convenient and I try to avoid cooking rice whenever possible (I assure you my friends are grateful)! As it turns out there were no left-overs (I love it when there are no left-overs).


Yield: Serves 8
Time: 1 hour prep, 6 hours in the crock pot
Level: Average

Beef Stroganoff

Here it is, late May, Memorial Day weekend is approaching,  and it's barely 50 degrees outside! It's too warm to start a pot of stew on the stove, but cool enough to want something that warms you from the inside out.

This recipe is a combination of one I saw years ago on America's Test Kitchen and some advice from my mother-in-law who was an old pro at feeding hungry, growing boys and how to make a small amount of steak go a long way.

It's slightly more time consuming than the old cream of mushroom soup stand-by but, once you try it, you'll never go back. The vegetables far outweigh the meat in this dish so, if you enjoy savory meals and want to cut down on the amount of red meat you eat, this is a great recipe to try.

The extras, like sherry and a bit of tomato sauce, make this a meal fit for company. Serve it in individual bowls, over fancy cut egg noodles and garnish it with snipped parsley. Of course it's also great served family style on a large platter over the noodles.  Add a salad and you're done!


Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Yield: Serves 4 (or maybe 2 hungry dudes)