Southwest Grilled Shrimp Salad

Last Year's Post:  Chicken with Fresh Cherry Salsa
Two Years Ago:   Farro, Kale and Smoked Mozzarella Salad

I found a bag of seriously gigantic frozen shrimp at Costco the other day and have been amusing myself with finding recipes worthy of their magnificence ever since. This particular recipe is a study in contrasting colors, textures, and flavors that shows off the beautiful grilled shrimp while simultaneously being very light and healthy - a perfect summer meal.

You can vary the heat level by the type of spice blend you choose and also by whether you add the spice to the corn and zucchini in addition to the shrimp.  Living in Arizona, I have a jar of hatch chile spice blend that's pretty potent so I went easy on the corn and zucchini but a little bit heavier on the shrimp.

I could just eat everything on this plate and call it a meal, couldn't you?

If you really like heat, you could always add some sliced jalapenos to the salad as well.  The sweetness of the corn and creaminess of the avocado are a good balance for the heat.

All you do is make a light lime-cumin dressing, quickly grill the veggies and shrimp, then toss everything together.  Easy, quick, healthy and delicious.

printable recipe

Southwest Grilled Shrimp Salad

Serves 4

1 ear corn, husked

2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise

10 colossal or 14 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Southwest seasoning blend

1 small head of butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized bits

1 avocado

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Juice of ½ lemon

Dressing:

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Combine all dressing ingredients by whisking in a small bowl or shaking in a jar; set aside. 

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill.  Brush the corn, zucchini and shrimp with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Season with southwest seasoning to taste.  Grill the corn and zucchini for 2 minutes on all sides until grill-marked and crisp-tender.  Grill the shrimp until the meat is opaque and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Let cool slightly.

Cut the corn kernels from the cob, and chop the zucchini into ½” pieces.  Chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces, discarding the tails.

Halve and pit the avocado, then score each half with a small knife into a cross-hatch pattern.  Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh into a small bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning.  (It should be in chunks.)

Place the lettuce in a large serving bowl or individual salad bowls.  Top with corn, zucchini, tomatoes, avocado, and shrimp.  Drizzle with dressing and toss before serving.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Last Year's Post: Char Siu Chicken with Chinese Long Beans

I realize it's nearly the end of summer, but it's still hot and it feels like the middle of summer so why not keep the summer theme going?  It's way too early to switch to heavier fall foods anyway.  In that spirit, I was motivated to make a Watermelon Gazpacho after a recent trip to Washington State with our Gourmet Club buddies.  At one dinner, half of the 6 people ordered watermelon gazpacho as a starter.  To a person, their first reaction was "whoa!" after one spoonful because it was quite spicy which had not been mentioned on the menu (sneaky chef trick).  Everyone really liked it, especially The Lawyer, so one of my first projects after coming home was to replicate the soup.

I initially thought this recipe looked really fast and easy because how hard can it be to cut up a few things and throw them in a blender?  The reality turned out to be slightly different.  First I had to figure out how to cut up a whole watermelon.  I finally decided to cut it in half, cut each half into slices, cut the rind off each slice, and then cut the flesh into cubes.  I discovered that a smallish watermelon is more than adequate to make 8 cups of watermelon cubes.

The second issue was that I decided to use my blender (instead of a food processor) and it took four different batches to get all the ingredients pureed.  Again not a big deal, but I hadn't really thought that part through.  I would suggest using whatever appliance you have with the largest capacity, but don't fill it completely full or it won't work properly.

The final decision requiring extra time was that I decided to strain the soup to make it clear and pretty like the restaurant version.  You certainly don't have to do this - you'll actually have more soup if you leave the pureed flesh in - but I was going for pretty.  In addition, I wanted to illustrate the idea that if you strain the soup you can actually use it as a very tasty cocktail with the addition of a little vodka.  To strain it, you pour it through a fine mesh strainer and push on the pulp with a spatula or spoon to work it through faster.  Again, I used a fairly small strainer so this had to be repeated quite a few times to get it all through.

I don't want to make this sound like a really huge deal - it probably took maybe half an hour - but it was hot in the kitchen and I had expected it was going to take maybe 5 minutes. (After re-reading that last part it really sounds like whining.  I'll stop.) It's all about managing expectations.  The good news is that you can prepare it early in the day since it needs to chill before serving.

The gazpacho makes an excellent cold starter for dinner, a great lunch with a sandwich or salad on the side, or a really outstanding and different cocktail as I mentioned. This recipe is not sweet, but if you want to make it sweeter you could add a little honey in addition to or in place of the vinegar.  You can also vary the amount of heat by adding more or less jalapeno, or none at all.  The version we had in the restaurant was somewhat sweet and quite spicy, which was a really interesting combination.  However you adjust the recipe, the watermelon and cucumber combination will be very refreshing.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Watermelon Gazpacho

Serves 4-6

Note: I used one jalapeno without seeds and it had a very low spice level.

8 cups watermelon, seeds removed
1 ½ cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime

Lime slices, for garnish (optional)

Mint for garnish (optional)

  

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor in batches (no more than half full) and puree.  If desired, pour the soup through a fine strainer, pressing on the solids with a spatula or spoon to extract the maximum amount of liquid (again, you’ll need to do this in several batches).  Serve chilled or at room temperature, garnished with lime or mint (optional).

*Add as much jalapeno as you like, depending on your spice preference and the spiciness of your pepper. If you want extra spice, you can also add the seeds, which are more potent than the green flesh of the pepper.

Sloppy Joes for Grownups

Last year's post:Lasagna Techniques

Until I found this recipe a few years ago, I hadn't had Sloppy Joes probably since grade school although I understand they're one of the most popular sandwiches around.  I've never been a fan of ground beef with a "can of something" stirred in, but this recipe is entirely different and so good. It has southwestern influences from green chiles, ancho and chipotle powders plus (a trick borrowed from pulled pork BBQ sandwiches) coleslaw right in the sandwich.  Having grown up in the Midwest, when I heard about BBQ sandwiches with coleslaw served on top rather than on the side I thought that was the strangest thing I had ever heard.  A couple of BBQ-loving southern co-workers persuaded me to try it at lunch one day on a road trip, and I've been hooked ever since.  Like many great dishes, it's the contrast of textures, temperatures and flavors that makes it work.  In this case, the cool and crunchy coleslaw contrasts with the rich, warm meat mixture, oozy cheese and toasty bun perfectly. And if that's not enough, it fits in a healthy diet because it's made with lean turkey.

I thought it was particularly interesting that the coleslaw doesn't have any mayonnaise in the dressing - just honey, cilantro, seasoning and lime juice.  It gives the coleslaw a clean taste that's very appealing.  (If you're a cilantro-hater, just substitute parsley instead.) 

If you're not familiar with ancho and chipotle, they're types of chile powders. (Whole chipotle peppers - actually smoke-dried jalapenos - can also be found canned in adobo sauce in the grocery aisle, or dried in the produce section.) Ancho has a rich warm flavor without being hot, and chipotle is very smoky and slightly hot.  If you can't find them in your grocery store you could order them at www.penzeys.com (my favorite spice resource) or you could substitute regular chile powder, but it won't be quite the same.  As written, the recipe is what I would consider to be slightly spicy but it's tamed by the coleslaw.  You can adjust the chile amounts (particularly the chipotle) up or down to your taste.

You want to use sturdy, over-sized buns for this sandwich such as kaiser rolls or ciabatta buns (not soft squishy hamburger buns) for two reasons.  First, a soft hamburger bun can quickly become soggy.  And second, using an over-sized bun allows you to hollow out the top and bottom to securely enclose the filling without it spilling all over.  The Neat Freak in me likes that part. 

While I was reading the recipe and came to ketchup as an ingredient I had to smile because it brings back a great childhood memory of my brother.  When he was around 2 years old he put ketchup on just about everything he ate.  I was watching him eat one time and he stuck a pickle spear in his ketchup and took a bite.  I was appalled on several levels and told him with all the superiority a 7 year old can muster that "we (meaning any sane child) do not eat pickles, much less pickles with ketchup".  Without any change in expression, he calmly stuck his pickle in the ketchup again and took another bite, never taking his eyes off me.  He was a difficult child.  At that point his only redeeming feature in my eyes was that he was the same approximate size as one of my dolls.  My sister and I would dress him up in doll clothes when our mom wasn't looking and then fall on the floor laughing. Good thing he doesn't read my blog or I'd be in big trouble for telling that story.  I know for a fact that he doesn't read my blog because I don't think he's ever cooked anything that didn't come out of a microwave in his entire life.  If he had been born 100 years earlier he probably would have starved to death.

Anyway, try the Sloppy Joes........if for no other reason than that they're a great excuse to eat potato chips.  :-)

click here for a printable recipe

Sloppy Joes for Grown Ups

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb ground turkey

½ cup onion, chopped

½ cup ketchup

1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chiles

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tsp Dijon or yellow mustard

1 tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp ancho chile powder

¼ tsp chipotle chile powder

salt to taste

4 slices cheddar cheese

4 kaiser rolls or ciabatta buns

For the honey lime coleslaw:

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

salt and cayenne pepper to taste

4 cups coleslaw mix

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To make the coleslaw, combine all ingredients and set aside.

Preheat broiler to high; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the turkey and onion and sauté for about five minutes, until the turkey is cooked through.  Drain.  Stir in ketchup, green chiles, brown sugar, mustard and spices; simmer five minutes.

Meanwhile, split the rolls and hollow out the tops and bottoms by removing some of the bread crumbs.  

Place the tops and bottoms on the baking sheet and divide the turkey mixture between the bottoms.  Top the turkey mixture with the cheese slices and place the baking sheet under the broiler.  Broil, watching carefully, until the cheese is melted and the bun tops are toasted.  To serve, spoon coleslaw onto each sandwich, replace the bun tops and press gently to close.