Spiced Shrimp with Green Beans and Lime

I haven't been making dinner much lately, simply because I'm just not home in time. So Jim's been doing a lot of the cooking. Well Friday he said it was my turn to make dinner and to figure out something to do with the shrimp and green beans we had. OK, easy enough. And it was. I found this recipe and had all the ingredients but the jalapeno. I just added some crushed red pepper flakes instead to give it a bit of a kick. I also added parsley to the rice as well as the called for cilantro. I did this because I accidentally grabbed the wrong bunch of herbs out of the fridge lol. Anyway, I think I'll be adding this dish to the "quick and easy" category.

1 cup long-grain white rice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (I added parsley as well)
2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 lb. green beans, halved crosswise

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 red jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced (I used crushed red pepper flakes instead)

kosher salt and black pepper

1-1/2 lbs. peeled and deveined large shrimp

1-1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Fluff with a fork and fold in the cilantro and parsley.

Place the shrimp in a bowl and mix with the chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and garlic and cook, tossing frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and serve over the rice. Enjoy!

Cafe Manna's Root Vegetable Stir-Fry

Yet another recipe that Jim found in the local paper. This one was interesting. I think it would have been better had some shrimp or chicken been added to it, but the sauce was quite tasty!

1 tbsp. diced ginger

1 green onion

1/4 bunch cilantro

juice of 1/2 orange

1-2 tbsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1-1/2 tbsp. sesame oil

1/4 cup mirin wine

1 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup julienned carrots

3/4 cup julienned parsnips

3.4 cup julienned Daikon radish

3/4 cup julienned yellow beet (couldn't find this so left it out)

3/4 cup julienned celery root

3/4 cup julienned turnip

hot cooked jasmine or basmati rice (we just used regular old white rice)

To prepare the sauce, in a blender (food processor), place the ginger, green onion, cilantro, orange juice, parsley, garlic, sesame oil and mirin and puree until smooth.

In a saute pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the carrots, parsnips, Daikon radish, yellow beet, celery root and turnip and quickly saute a minute or two, keeping vegetables moving so they don't burn. Add sauce, toss and cook another 2 minutes, keepeing vegetables moving, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve with rice.

Grilled Flank Steak Soft Tacos with Avocado-Lime Salsa

Jim finally found some flank stead, so I decided to give this recipe a try. I can't tell you how many cooking shows and recipes I see that call for flank steak, yet I can never seem to find that cut at the store. Is there another name for it? Anyone know? I would greatly appreciate any info on that. Anyway, I had cut this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine awhile back and decided to give it a try. Nothing fancy and was pretty good.

STEAK:
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. grated lime rind
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray

SALSA:
1 cup diced peeled avocado
3/4 cup finely chopped tomato
1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. grated lime rind
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4tsp. hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas - I used flour tortillas
2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage

To prepare steak, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Score a diamond pattern on both sides of steak. Rub chili powder mixture evenly over steak. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

To prepare salsa, combine avocado and next 7 ingredients (through pepper sauce) in a medium bowl. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon steak mixture evenly over each of 8 tortillas. Top each taco with 1/4 cup salsa and 1/4 cup cabbage.

Seared Tuna with Wasabi-Butter Sauce

I know, I know. It's been FOREVER since I've posted anything over here. I seriously don't know where the time goes. But anyway, let's get back into it. Jim made this dinner and O.M.G. So good!! He also brought me flowers...it was a good day.

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar - we didn't have any so used rice wine vinegar instead

10 oz. white wine

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 tbsp. wasabi paste, or to taste (Jim ended up adding a little more)

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 cup unsalted butter, cubed

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil, or as needed

1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

6 (6 oz.) fresh tuna steaks, 1 inch thick - we only had two steaks

Combine the white wine vinegar, white wine and shallots in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain out shallot and discard, return liquid to the pan.

Stir the wasabi and soy sauce into the reduction in the pan. Over low heat, gradually whisk in butter one cube at a time allowing the mixture to emulsify. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. When all of the butter has been incorporated, stir in cilantro, and remove from heat. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot skillet, and sear for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook, this fish should be served still a little pink in the center. Serve with sauce.

Mediterranean Salmon

Another fab find from All Recipes. We actually planned dinner this time, so there was no "workin' with what ya got" for this meal. It was really good!

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 (3 ounce) fillets salmon
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Mix together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Arrange the salmon fillets in a shallow baking dish. Rub garlic onto the fillets, then pour the vinegar and oil over them, turning once to coat. Season with cilantro, basil, and garlic salt. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven's broiler. Place the salmon about 6 inches from the heat source, and broil for 15 minutes, turning once, or until browned on both sides and easily flaked with a fork. Brush occasionally with the sauce from the pan.

We served it with some Mediterranean couscous and it was delicious!