Crowd Pleaser (Cilantro-Lime Pepita Dressing/Dip)

We got together with friends last night for a fantastic dinner of InstantPot  pork tacos (cooked with plums and peppers - it was amazing!), great wine and conversation that ranged the gamut from belly laughs to solving the problems of the universe. So much fun.

Ready for dipping...

When I was asked to bring an app, my mind immediately went to a crisp and cool (it's freaking hot here) veggie platter. First I thought bleu cheese dip. Then I thought yogurt ranch. And then - boom!- I thought about my very favorite dressing recipe that I created way back when we lived in Brea, California. Cilantro-Lime-Pepita dressing that is reminiscent of the fantastic Mexican Caesar Salad served at the El Torito restaurant on the hill above the town, by Brea Olinda High School. 

While I often just throw this together, I wanted this batch to be just right. So, I searched the blog and couldn't find it. Thankfully I had a copy on my laptop from when I tested it for Southerly Magazine. 

So here it is, two ways - photographed as a dip and as a dressing with grilled shrimp and garnished with Cojita Cheese. (I used to put 1/8 of a cup of the cheese into the dressing, but lately I've been leaving it out and really like the light and press taste that results. Your call to leave it in or leave it out!

.... and as a salad with grilled shrimp and Cojita cheese

Here's how you can make it: 

Dressing/Dip Ingredients

(makes a little more than 1 cup, plenty for dipping with leftovers)

• 1 large garlic clove, peeled
• 1 7oz  Greek Yogurt (full-fat, 2%, 1% or 0% - it doesn't matter as long as it's Greek Yogurt - I use Fage brand)
• 1 T mayonnaise
• 1/8 cup cider vinegar
• Juice and zest of one lime
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro, washed, dried and stems removed (just twist ‘em off; no need to get crazy about removing every little stem)
• 1/8 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds, found in the nut section)
• 1/8 cup queso fresco (Mexican cheese that you can crumble, available at most grocery stores), plus the same amount for garnish.

Dressing Directions:

In the food processor with steel blade:

• Blitz all of the ingredients except the cilantro until smooth
• Then add the cilantro and pulse until cilantro is finely chopped and incorporated into the mixture
• Check the seasoning and add more salt to taste if needed.

It's Haaaat (Summertime Shrimp & Avocado Lettuce Cups)

Cool and refreshing.... summer captured in a lettuce cup!

It is officially summer. And whenever the tempreatures rise like this, I have to think of the Seinfeild episode what Elaine and Jerry spend the night at Jerry's parents' condo in Florida. If you don't remember it, search for the episode titled, The Pen, and prepare to laugh. But I digress......

The temps are in the 90s now and the humidity is starting to catch up as well. I'm continually surprised at how we've adapted, but as the days get hotter and more humid, a cold dinner can be just the ticket. That’s where this dish comes in. 

I made this today so I could photograph it for the August issue of Southerly. Steve just walked in -- haaaat off the golf course -- and took a taste. Big thumbs up.

So as the temps rise, I hope you give this a try.  

Granted, you have to turn the oven on to roast the shrimp, but the results are so succulent that you’ll get over it!

Ingredients

1 lb. shrimp, (I like 16-20 size), peeled and deveined 

1 clove garlic, finely minced

2 TBS olive oil

2 ripe avocados, cut into large chunks

1/2 red bell pepper,  medium sized dice (save the other half for snacking)

1/2 orange bell pepper, medium sized dice (same as above)

3/4 cup English cucumber (the long ones sold in plastic that you don’t have to peel), medium dice

1/2 cup sweet onion, small dice

1/2 cup whole cilantro leaves

1 TBS finely chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup lime juice (typically 1 large lime if it’s juicy) + the zest from one lime

1/4 tsp ground coriander

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1 head bib lettuce, washed, dried and divided into individual leaves. (You can also use iceberg lettuce, prepping it in a similar manner.)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. )You can use foil, but I prefer parchment.)

• Toss the shrimp, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 10 grinds of black pepper in a medium sized bowl and then tip it all out onto the lined baking sheet. Pop this in the oven and set a timer for 8 minutes. Check them when the timer goes off - if they don’t look done, set the timer for another 2 minutes and you should be good to go.  You don’t want overcooked shrimp! 

• When the shrimp are done, pull the pan from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then pull up the paper on two sides and pour the shrimp and their juices into a glass bowl. Put this into the ‘fridge until chilled (about 15 - 20 minutes)

• While the shrimp is chilling, gently (don’t smush the avocado!) combine the bell pepper, cucumber, onion, cilantro, lime juice, coriander, 1 tsp kosher salt and 10 grinds of black pepper in a large glass bowl. Then add the chilled shrimp to the mixture, stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. 

• To serve, let everyone spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves and eat as you would a taco. (Or skip that whole process and enjoy it as a side salad.)

Enjoy.

Happy Graduation! (Frozen Banana Bites)

It's that time of year! And around here it seems like everywhere you turn there is a freshly minted graduate -- Duke, UNC, NC State, NC Central, Elon,  -- and that doesn't even start to include the high schools. 

One of my dearest friend's daughter Maddie is one of those grads

Bite-Sized Frozen Banana? Yes, ma'am!

and is a proud owner of a fresh new Elon MBA. To celebrate the big day, her folks hosted a party at their home a couple of weekends ago. And what a party it was!

While the event was catered, another friend and I volunteered to bring the desserts.  Those who know me well know that I'm not big on creating desserts. And making something that would be enjoyed (or not) by 50+ people was a bit overwhelming. Thankfully my cohort in dessert crime pointed sent me this recipe 

Reminiscent of a beachside frozen banana on a stick, these frozen treats are cool, tasty and actually not bad for you! They’re also super simple to make and would make a fun rainy day project with the kiddos. While this isn’t an original recipe, it’s such a crowd pleaser that I had to share. 

Here's how you make them:

Ingredients:

Makes 20 to 45 pieces depending upon the size of the bananas. They’ll keep in the freezer for a week or two, if you can keep yourself from eating them!

• 2-4 bananas (select just ripe ones — this is not a great use for super ripe bananas)
• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (I use the kind you’ll find in the baking section; just be sure it is semi-sweet and not unsweetened)
• 2/3 cup chopped almonds

Method

• Line a baking sheet with wax paper and clear a space in the freezer the same size as the sheet.
• Peel and slice the bananas into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices.
• Fill a sauce pan with about 3 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Then place a glass bowl on top of the pan, put the chocolate in the bowl and stir gently until melted. When chocolate is smooth, turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the hot water.
• Now comes the fun part - using a fork, start dunking the banana slices into the chocolate 2 or 3 at a time. Lightly shake and tap the covered slices to remove excess chocolate (if there is such a thing). 
• Use a second fork to slide the slices onto the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle on some nuts and press them lightly to be sure they settle into the chocolate.
• Freeze until firm (abut 20 minutes) and then remove to an airtight container and freeze for up to two weeks.  Serve Frozen. 

Enjoy!

Y'all Come! (Carolina Taquitos with SoCal Slaw)

Carolina Taquitos with SoCal Slaw 

Makes 12 taquitos - 4 entrée servings or appetizers for 6-8 people

We love having folks come to visit. Full stop. It’s like combining the best of two worlds - our wonderful area here in Durham, with friends and family from SoCal, work friends from around the world, our son (who now lives in Florida). You name it. We’ll take it. We love having company.

A taste of home - both SoCal and North Carolina

With this as a backdrop, you’ll understand how happy we were when our SoCal friend Sheryl (and my BFF from Cal State Fullerton) decided to come for a long weekend. This was her fourth trip in the nine years (!) we’ve live here, so she already knows the drill. But as Durham continues to evolve, we continue to have new places to go, areas to explore. It’s a blast.

Her arrival also gave me an excuse to try out a recipe I’ve been writing, which transforms the vinegary and slightly sweet and spicy pork barbecue that is common here into crispy crunch taquitos like the ones we loved in SoCal, served up with a refreshing lime and cilantro coleslaw and guacamole. Oh yeah.

We made the dish last night. It earned a Steve Barnett “Home Run, Honey!” In fact, he said it might just be a grand slam! So here it is for you.  

Here's how you do it.

For the taquitos

12 corn tortillas (try to get fresh corn tortillas from a Mexican market, but packaged tortillas from the store will do.

1 pound of barbecue pulled pork (we get this from the barbecue place up the road) 

1/2 cup Carolina vinegar-based barbecue sauce (if your pork comes unseasoned with sauce)

Corn oil to fill a skillet to 3/4 of an inch

toothpicks for securing the taquitos while frying (2 per taquito)

Garnishes - take your pick, or do them all:

Guacamole - fresh or pre-made (for a quick guac, mash a ripe avocado with the juice of 1/2 a lime, about a TBS each of diced onion, and cilantro, plus a good pinch of salt and a bit of your favorite hot sauce or salsa)

Sour cream

Mexican queso fresco (dry white cheese that crumbles well) or shredded cheddar cheese f

Method:

• Break up the barbecue into thin bite sized pieces and mix in the sauce. Set aside
• For each taquito, 
• Warm a tortilla for about 10-seconds per side over a gas flame or dry frying pan to make them pliable and easy to roll. 
• Put about 2 TBS of the barbecue mixture on a tortilla, towards one side. Then working from that side, roll the tortilla over the barbecue like a cigar. Push two toothpicks through to secure, leaving long on one side.This will come in handy when frying.
• To fry, heat the oil in a heavy skillet until a piece of a tortilla that is placed in the oil begins to bubble. Then use tongs to carefully place 3 taquitos in the oil, seam side down and long end of the toothpick up, into the oil. Fry until golden brown (about 45 seconds) then pull out the toothpicks and flip to fry the other side until done (about 30 seconds). Remove to drain on paper towels. 
• Serve with a small pile of the slaw and garnishes of your choice.

For the slaw

1/4 cup sweet onion, quarter-inch diced

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 lime, juiced (about 2 TBS)

1 1/2 TBS jalepeno, seeded and diced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

15 grinds black pepper

1/4 level tsp coriander 

1/4 level tsp cumin

1 14 oz bag of tricolor coleslaw mix (red and green cabbage with carrots - no dressing)

2/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Method

• Mixture first eight ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. 
• Add the bag of cabbage/carrot slaw mix and the cilantro
• Stir well and chill at least 30 minutes

Enjoy.