Shrimp Tacos

We are huge Rubio's fans (if you have never been there, go! I always get their Salsa Verde Shrimp Tacos. They are so delightful, but I have had a hard time finding a copy cat recipe. One of my New Years resolutions was to find and perfect more copy recipes so we don't go out to eat as much and this is my first one of the year! They are not spot on but I am really happy with how these turned out.  

Here is their (Rubio's) descricption for their Salsa Verde Shrimp Tacos --- 

"Sustainable pan-seared shrimp topped with a salsa verde sauce made with tomatillos, poblano chiles and fresh herbs, along with buttery Hass Avocado slices, a melted three-cheese blend, our creamy chipotle sauce, a cilantro/onion mix and cabbage. Served on a warm flour tortilla and garnished with a slice of lime" - from the Rubio's site

Ingredients:

2 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined (I just bought cooked shrimp because I'm lazy)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons blackening seasoning 

1 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt 

2 tablespoons chipotle seasoning

shredded cabbage

cilantro

lime juice from fresh lime

small corn or flour tortillas

chopped onion

chopped avocado  

Directions:

Toss shrimp in blackening seasoning to coat.  Heat oil in large frying pan and cook shrimp for 4-5 minutes.

To make the chipotle aioli, mix sour cream or greek yogurt with chipotle seasoning

To assemble, place shredded cabbage on tortilla, top with shrimp, chipotle aioli, chopped cilantro, onion, avocado, Salsa Verde and fresh lime juice. (I forgot to top the tacos with cilantro and onion before eating them, I was too hungry and excited!)

For the salsa verde 

1 1/2 LB tomatillos

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1/2 cup cilantro

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 Jalapeno Pepper or Serrano Peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (optional)

a few garlic cloves (optional)

1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

You can then boil, bake or pan roast your tomatillos. I pan roasted them;

2 Pan Roasting Method Coat the bottom of a skillet with a little vegetable oil. Heat on high heat. Place the tomatillos in the pan and sear on one side, then flip over and brown on the other side. Remove from heat. This takes 3-5 minutes.

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend till combined. Pop it in the fridge to cool off while you continue cooking.

Enjoy! 

Marinated Chicken and Grilled Asparagus

For Easter my Aunt had grilled asparagus as one of her side dishes. I couldn't remember the last time I had asparagus, if ever but it was so yummy, grilled simply with butter, salt and pepper. Whenever I see asparagus I think of some gourmet cooking show or magazine because I feel asparagus is always served with gourmet meals, so it makes me feel fancy.


I had never bought asparagus before, nor have I cooked with it, so I did a little research in regards to the stuff; Asparagus is high in folic acid, a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamins B6, A and C. It has no fat, no cholesterol and is low in sodium. It is in season February - May, so now is prime time to buy some. When shopping for asparagus, look for firm stalks with deep green or purplish tips. Also check the bottom of the spears, if they are dried, they have probably been sitting around for too long. When I found mine, they were standing in water at the grocery store. 


To prepare them, trim off the tough bottom of the spear by grasping each end and bending it gently until it snaps at its natural point of tenderness, usually 2/3 of the way down the spear. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer skin of the lower half. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until coated. 


You can grill or bake them. Grilling will take about 5 mins on a hot grill, turning each spear until brown in spots. Or bake for 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

In my research I found this note rather funny;

eating spears with your fingers enhances the experience

"Oh eating these spears with my fingers really enhances my experience!" 

They turned out very yummy! We had chicken marinated in tomato, basil and balsamic vinegar with a side of asparagus.  Yum Yum! And it was a very easy 30 minute meal!