Spicy Shrimp Wraps

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 cup salsa
1 medium ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 flour tortillas (10 inches), warmed
1-1/2 cups coleslaw mix
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the salsa, mango and ketchup; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine taco seasoning and oil; add shrimp. Seal bag and shake to coat.

In a nonstick skillet or wok, cook shrimp over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Top tortillas with coleslaw mix, salsa mixture and shrimp. Fold bottom third of tortilla up over filling; fold sides over. Serve with sour cream.

Comments:
Adam liked the shrimp but didn't think much of the salsa/mango mixture. Prep was pretty easy, although putting taco seasoning on the shrimp made it kind of hard to tell when it was done using color alone. I managed. :)

Nuevo Cubano

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
4 (3-ounce) whole-wheat sub rolls, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 pound thinly sliced reduced-sodium deli ham
1 peeled mango or 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Directions:
1. Hollow out top and bottom halves of bread, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell; reserve torn bread for another use.

2. Combine cilantro, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, and black beans in a food processor; process until almost smooth and spreadable, adding a few drops of water, if necessary. Spread bean mixture evenly on bottom halves of the prepared rolls. Layer rolls evenly with ham, mango or tomatoes, and provolone cheese; replace top halves of rolls.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 sandwiches to pan; place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until sandwiches are golden brown (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Remove sandwiches from pan; repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 2 sandwiches.

Comments:
Left out the cilantro and used the panini press instead of cooking them in a skillet. Other than that, kept to the plan. I used the mango option rather than the tomato and I think that was definitely the right choice. Added just the right touch of sweetness. Overall, pretty good. Go easy on the garlic though - it was really overpowering.

Mango Shrimp Kebabs

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds large peeled and deveined shrimp
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 mangoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions:
Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Thread shrimp, bell pepper pieces, mango cubes, and onion pieces alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Squeeze juice from lime wedges over kebabs.

Comments:
These were very simple, quick, and good. I didn't eat the shrimp, just the veggies, and I made some rice to round the meal out. The mango I had was very ripe and kind of mushy so it made it a bit of a challenge to get the chunks off the skewers without completely smushing them all. We'd probably make this again.

Penne Pasta with Black Beans & Mango

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 small onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces penne pasta, cooked
1 mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup fresh basil leaf, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Simmer tomatoes, onion and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add beans and oil. Cook for one additional minute.

3. Place pasta in a serving bowl, and spoon bean sauce over the top.

4. Add mango, basil and salt & pepper to taste.

5. Toss and serve.

Comments:
Once again Adam saw the beans and complained. And then ate it and determined it wasn't horrible. And he'd probably eat it again. *sigh*

Anywho. Picky, complaining husbands aside, this was a total breeze to prepare. Nothing tricky, I skipped the oil, but kept the rest of the recipe the same... for the most part. I almost never cook with garlic - it makes Adam's stomach unhappy - so I usually throw some garlic powder in toward the end instead. I was also feeling lazy and on onion overload so I gave a few shakes of the dried, minced stuff and called it good.

I liked the texture contrast of the tomatoes, beans, and mango. Flavor was good too. We ended up with some leftover sauce so I'll see how it reheats tomorrow.

Coconut Mango Chicken with Black Beans

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 mango, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
Two 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped mint

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to a plate. Add the coconut milk to the skillet, increase the heat and boil to reduce by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mango and cook until warmed through. Return the chicken to the skillet, toss and remove from the heat; season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, simmer the black beans over low heat. Stir in the lime juice and 3 tablespoons mint.

3. Divide the beans among 4 plates. Top with the chicken and remaining mint.

Comments:
Generally a quick and easy meal. I despise peeling mangoes though. There has to be an easier way... Nothing much else to say about this one. Adam ate it but seemed unimpressed. He doesn't like beans so perhaps that turned him off to it. Who knows. I'm keeping it in the files though.

Grilled Chicken with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Salsa:
2/3 cup diced peeled ripe mango (1 medium)
2/3 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chicken:
4 (6-ounce)skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Dash of crushed red pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. To prepare chicken, place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine pineapple juice and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done.

5. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Drizzle over chicken. Serve salsa with chicken.

Comments:
I altered this recipe a bit to our tastes, so the "salsa" ended up not being so much a salsa as some fruit on top of the chicken. I also didn't grill the chicken - I baked it. It all turned out pretty well. I'm sure it's a different dish completely if you prepare it the way the recipe tells you to. But this was good for my tastes.