Tag: Southwestern
A Father’s Day Gift: Chorizo and Ground Beef Burger with Guacamole and Oven Fries
This recipe is a keeper. The burger is extremely flavorful- I mixed some fresh chorizo to it. Chorizo is one of my all time favorite ingredients to use- it is pork sausage mixed with garlic, paprika and lots of other yummy things- depending on where you buy it. Adding chorizo is a great way to make a ordinary burger extremely special- you don’t have to do anything else except shape them up and throw them on the grill. My husband loves southwestern flavors- we had people coming over for a barbeque and he requested the meal to echo those flavors.. I immediately thought of guacamole and monterey jack cheese. I thought both things will be great as toppings for the burgers. I bought pepper jack cheese for the adults and the regular one for the kids. My daughter, of course, being the odd one out- doesn’t eat sandwiches- so she ate the burger on it’s own. I cooked corn on the cob for the kids since the corn salad had a bite to it. I had to make my favorite and staple, oven fries- they are always a hit. I love potatoes and love to cook them in a healthy way so I can eat lots of them! All the kids loved them- guess who doesn’t eat potatoes- yup, you guessed it- Sia!
I think this would be a great menu for fathers day. I will be posting a corn salad recipe tomorrow to round off the menu. I served a trifle for dessert and my husband made a sangria to go with the food. My husband loved it and I am thinking of making the meal again for him this coming Sunday- although knowing myself, I will tweak the recipes somehow so I can blog about them in the future. You can’t give a loved one a better gift than cooking them a delicious meal- I don’t like going out for such occasions- the restaurants are a zoo and serve subpar food. So, stay home, save money and cook a fabulous meal for your loved one.
Mango Tamarind Shrimp with Roasted Corn & Lime Rice with Cotija Cheese
I bought two mangoes last week and wanted to use them in some dish. I love the combination of sweet, savory, sour and spicy. Felt like cooking shrimp and that is how I came up with this concoction. I read some recipes that used blended mango as a glaze but I wanted to use it as a sauce, so I cooked it and then added onions with the shrimp. I had gone to the grocery store to buy medium sized shrimp but then I saw the really tiny shrimp were on sale! They worked quite well in the recipe, very tender.. of course you have to be extremely careful not to over cook them. The rice came right from my head, with the hours of food television I watch coupled with all the magazines I read, it kind of just came to me. I wanted to use a Mexican cheese, and found Cotija in the store. It’s very salty and has a firm texture so it doesn’t melt all the way when you add it to the rice, gives it a nice texture. Overall the recipe was a success! It may look a little tedious but it really isn’t, just has a few more steps than usual. We had the meal with some Pinot Noir and called it a night.
- 2 mangoes, cut into one inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon tamarind concentrate (if using tamarind paste, use one and half teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Up to ½ cup chicken broth
In a small frying pan heat the olive oil and add the five ingredients above. Cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes. Once the mango and garlic are soft, blend to a smooth sauce. Add chicken broth if the sauce is too thick. Keep aside.
- 1 pound shrimp
- 1 big yellow onion but into one inch pieces
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 lime, juiced if needed
Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until they are soft. Then add the shrimp and cook for a minute. Then add the mango sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasoning and add the cilantro and green onion. Taste to see if the limejuice is needed.
Roasted Corn & Lime Rice with Cotija Cheese
- 1 cup rice (basmati or any long grain rice)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup roasted thawed frozen corn (trader joes brand)
- 4 ounces cotija cheese (queso blanco or ricotta salata will do)
- Zest and juice of one lime
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
In a heavy pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the rice and cook on high till it comes to another boil, lower the heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the roasted corn and cover for 5 more minutes. Then add the cheese, limejuice and zest, salt, olive oil, green onions and cilantro. Mix well and taste and adjust seasoning.