Blackened Mahi-Mahi

I have been on a quest to make fish tacos ever since I fell in love with them on the Hana Highway in Maui where Bret and I stopped to have lunch one rainy afternoon at a fish stand where a local was smoking mahi-mahi and serving fish tacos. I have found many appealing recipes for Beer Battered Fish, all of which explain non-alcoholic beer works just fine, but when I stood in front of the beer aisle at the grocery store I have to admit I felt utterly wicked and chose to find a fish taco recipe that wasn't battered. This Blackened Mahi-Mahi was such a healthy and flavorful alternative my kids ate it! Okay, so I did tell them it was chicken, and I have no regrets about it considering I did not hear whining and complaining, or by last resort give into bribery (last time we had fish I lost $25 in bribery to get Ethan to eat it). So there you have it folks, I will never be tempted to drink or cook with alcohol, but I am a dishonest liar!

Blackened Mahi-Mahi

1 lb. Mahi-Mahi, cut in chunks

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Juice of 1 lime

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp minced garlic

Marinade fish in oil and spices. Add a little olive oil to a skillet and heat the pan until very hot. Add fish, cook a couple minutes on each side until blackened on the outside and tender white on the inside.

Serve on small taco shells - I like flour shells opposed to corn. Top with cheese, mango salsa, and coleslaw drizzled with creamy cilantro dressing.

Hot Corn Dip

This hot corn dip was a huge hit with a few friends I had over for lunch. I served it with TOSTITOS® Artisan Roasted Garlic and Black Bean Tortilla Chips. Creamy, chuncky dip with crispy chips - Delish!!

1 (15oz) can white corn, drained - I used frozen
1 (15oz) can yellow corn, drained - I used frozen
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, diced and softened
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium baking dish mix ingredients together. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I adopted this recipe from http://www.thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/ and can't say enough about it!! If you like Cafe Rio, or can down a bag of Lime Tostitos like I can you'll love these enchiladas! It's the way I like mexican - sweet, savory, and mild (but could be made spicier depending on the chili sauce you use). Ethan gave it a 8 out of 10!!

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used boneless chicken thighs for a little darker tender meat)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce (I used a jar of 505 Green Chili sauce)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the honey (their tip: spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray before measuring out the honey), lime juice, chili powder and garlic together and toss with the shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (or toss together in a Ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours).

Spray a 9X13 pan and a 9X9 pan with cooking spray. Pour enough enchilada sauce on the bottom of each baking pan to create a thin layer on the bottom. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.

Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade (you might not need to use all of the enchilada sauce depending on how saucy you like yours). Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Mushroom Jack Fajitas

Fajitas are not something you have to follow a recipe for. This is just the combination I like best:

• Flank Steak thinly sliced and marinated in a fajita marinade mix like McCormick's or Lawry's
• Sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms
• Monterey Jack Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Pico de Gallo
• uncooked tortilla shells warmed on griddle

Shrimp Tacos with citrus cabbage slaw

If you subscribe to the magazine, Real Simple, this recipe may look familiar. I gave it a try and really liked it. I might use less of the jalepeno pepper next time, just because I don't like too much heat.

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp sour cream
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 small cabbage (8 oz), shredded
1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen and thawed)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
8 small flour tortillas, warmed

• In a large bowl, whisk the orange and lime juices, sour cream, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add the cabbage, corn, and jalapeno and toss to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve the shrimp with the tortillas and the slaw. I also added a little shredded cheese to my taco.
  
  
  

Navajo Tacos

Scones

Dissolve:

2 Tbsp. Yeast

1 1/4 cup warm water

Add:

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup melted shortening or oil

Beat all together. Sift in about 5 cups of flour and let dough rise until double in bulk. Roll out and cut into desired shape then let rise a little longer (I put them on a cookie sheet in a warm, open oven for about 30 minutes). Fry scones in hot oil until golden brown.

Navajo Taco topping suggestions:

• Chicken Chili (I really liked this brand found at Costco)
• Sour Cream
• Corn
• Cheese
• Lettuce

Alternative

For dessert you can top scones with a variety of yummy toppings. I like this recipe for Honey Butter:

1 cup margarine

1 cup honey

7 oz. marshmallow cream

1 1/2 Tbsp powder sugar

Mix ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth. Refrigerate.