So, Meg has a new job and she eagerly handed out our new
business cards. Last week a list appeared to sign up for a Cinco de Mayo
potluck and comments were made anticipating her participation . . . . no pressure.
We kicked around several options for her and finally decided we needed
to do our own celebration. (Have you noticed yet that we readily celebrate any
available occasion?) This recipe was one she saw on the Mexican Made Easy show.
We had planned on having one of those very nice white
wines that we have featured previously, but Sue determined upon awakening this
morning that what we really needed was margaritas! Go, Sue!! So being a Food
Network junkie, she immediately researched margaritas, and found Alton Brown’s.
This concoction is so fresh, tart and yet smooth that you can count on seeing
it in upcoming summer postings.
The salad is Sue’s idea. Grilling peppers and corn on a
Panini grill harkened back to hand grinding the Tandoori chicken spices from
our first posting. We quickly perceived the error of our ways and threw
everything under the broiler. (This time, we are proud to note, it didn’t take
us two hours to figure out the better way.)
For those of you who are tired of our fascination with
lemon desserts, we picked a bigger yellow fruit this week, and found another
opportunity to use tequila!!
Our unsolicited and biased opinions:
Loved, loved, loved the crab cakes. They are practically
all crabmeat, and the flavor is rich and delicate. The guacamole gives the cakes a Mexican flair
without diminishing their delicacy. We
chose to use corn oil to sauté the crab cakes, reasoning that it had a milder
flavor, and the results were as we expected.
The roasted peppers, corn and bean salad could also be
used as a salsa. We added some blue corn
chips midway through the meal for some extra crunch; they were perfect with
this salad, and we both enjoyed the smokiness from grilling the veggies. Leftover possibilities could include serving
over grilled fish, and if we both didn’t have a busy week ahead of us, another
leftover throw down might have happened.
Meg had a pineapple, and a fruit dessert seemed
fitting. The rest of the ingredients
kind of fell into place while we were assembling the meal. If we do this again, we will probably leave out
the tequila (put it in another margarita) and roll the pineapple in turbinado
sugar for a bit more sweetness and crust.
If this isn’t part of a Mexican spread, you might want to leave out the
chipotle as well. Don’t leave out the coconut, ‘cause it is really good.
Margarita
Recipe courtesy Alton
Brown, 2009
Prep Time: 5 min
Inactive Prep Time: --
Cook Time: --
Level: Easy
Serves: 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces 100 percent agave silver/blanco tequila,
divided
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 4 limes, divided
- 1/2 small Hamlin or Valencia orange
- 2 tablespoons light agave nectar
- 3/4 cup ice cubes, about 3 to 4
Pour 1/2-ounce of the
tequila into a small saucer. Spread the kosher salt in a separate small saucer.
Dip the rim of a martini or other wide rimmed glass into the tequila. Lift out
of the tequila and hold upside down for 10 seconds to allow for slight
evaporation. Next, dip the glass into the salt to coat the rim. Set aside.
Halve 2 of the limes,
cut a thin slice for garnish from 1, and set aside. Juice the halved limes into
the bottom of a Boston-style cocktail shaker. Cut the remaining 2 limes and the
orange into quarters and add them to the juice in the shaker. Add the agave
nectar to and muddle for 2 minutes until the juices are release. Strain the
juice mixture through a cocktail strainer into the top of the shaker and
discard the solids.
Return the juice to the
bottom of the shaker, add the remaining 1 1/2 ounces of tequila and any
remaining on the saucer. Add the ice to the shaker, cover and shake for 30
seconds. Strain the mixture through a cocktail strainer into the prepared
glass, garnish with reserved lime slice, and serve immediately.
Our changes:
We did not use the salt and we made a pitcher of
margaritas by using the amounts below. We juiced all the fruit and stirred the
juice with all remaining ingredients together in a medium pitcher. Chill until
ready to serve. Serve over ice.
3 large navel oranges
3 limes
3 Tbsp.
agave nectar
18
ounces silver 100 % agave tequila
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spicy Crab Cakes
Topped with Guacamole
Recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid
Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
Crab cakes:
- 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell,
broken into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions (white and pale green parts
only)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon habanero hot sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Breading:
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Guacamole:
- 2 firm, ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Crab cakes: Mix the
crabmeat, mayonnaise, egg, bread crumbs, scallions, the lime juice, 1/4 cup
cilantro, and the hot sauce together in a small bowl. Season, to taste, with
salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 8 (3/4-inch-thick) patties and
refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Breading: Mix the bread
crumbs and 1/4 cup of cilantro on a plate. Carefully turn the patties in the
bread crumb mixture until coated on both sides.
In a large nonstick
skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. In batches, fry the crab
cakes until golden, about 3 minutes each side.
Guacamole: Coarsely mash
the avocados in a medium bowl. Lightly mix in the onion, cilantro, and lime
juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Transfer the crab cakes
to a serving platter, top each cake with a tablespoon of guacamole, and serve.
Weight Watchers: 8 points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grilled Corn, Peppers and Black Bean Salad
4 servings
Salad:
·
I
can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed.
·
½
c red onion chopped
·
2
medium corn on the cob, husks and silk removed
·
1
large pobalno chile
·
1
large red pepper
·
1
small jalapeno pepper
·
2
Tbsp. olive oil
·
1
½ Tbsp. fresh lime juice
·
1
clove garlic, finely minced or grated
·
½
tsp. cumin
·
Salt
and pepper
Combine dressing ingredients in a measuring cup. Whisk and
taste for seasonings. Pour dressing over salad and marinate uncovered on a
counter until ready to serve. Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Allow to come
to room temperature before serving.
Weight Watchers: 7 points per serving
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Grilled Tequila Pineapple
2 servings
·
2
c pineapple cut into 1 ½ inch wedges, ½ inch thick
·
1
T lime juice
·
1
½ T agave nectar
·
Pinch
of chipotle powder
·
1
shot of tequila (1 ½ ounces)
·
2/3
c coconut
Toast the coconut in a 250’ oven on a cookie sheet for 10
minutes. Watch it closely, as it burns
quickly. Set aside in a bowl.
Marinate the pineapple in the remaining ingredients for
at least 1 hour. Depending on your
grill, cook until grill marks appear, flipping if necessary. Sprinkle generously with coconut and
serve.
**See our comments.
Weight Watchers: 8 points (it’s the coconut that bumps up
the points)
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