Shrimp with Key Lime Dipping Sauce

Key Lime Dipping Sauce

• 3/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise (or plain yogurt)
• 1/8 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Table Blend
• 1/2 stick butter (melted)
• 4-5 cloves minced garlic

Shrimp

• 1-3/4 lbs unpeeled large raw shrimp
• 3 (12 ounce) cans beer (actually 4 cans, one for the cook)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning or crab boil seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy

Directions

Melt butter in sauce pan. Remove from heat as soon as it is melted and add the remaining ingredients. Stir completely and set aside.

Pour beer into a large pot and add seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp and cook approx 5 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink.  Remove from heat, but do not pour off water until ready to server to keep shrimp hot.

Serve the shrimp while hot, with the Key Lime dipping sauce and corn on the cob.

Pork Sirloin and Herbs

• 2-4 lbs Pork Sirloin
• 6-8 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Crush rosemary, sage, salt, chili powder and pepper using a mortar and pestle.  Add minced garlic and mash into a paste.  Add the butter and heat in microwave for about 10 seconds to melt the butter.  Mix the paste.

Rub the paste on all sides of the pork sirloin and place in plastic bag and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.

Pre-heat grill on high heat.

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and place the sirloin in the hot oil.  Watch for splatters.  Cover to reduce splattering.  Cook over medium heat, turning regularly, for about 20 minutes.  Add more oil as necessary so that the herbs do not burn.  Save the oil and herbs.

Place the sirloin on the grill and turn after 2 minutes to put the grill marks on the meat.  Lower the grill temperature to low and cook for about 20 minutes, turning regularly.  Cut the sirloin in half and grill the inside cut portion for about 10 minutes over medium heat.  Slice the sirloin into 1/2 inch slices and grill until thoroughly cooked.  Spoon the oil and herbs on top of each slice of meat, cook for 5 minutes, turn and put the oil mixture on the other side.  Watch for flare up in the grill from the dripping oil.

Serve with Apple sauce or Apple Chutney and white rice.

Café Cubano

No Cuban meal is complete without a café cubano (Cuban coffee). A well-made café cubano has a thick layer of sweet crema (cream) floating over strong espresso. To get the crema right, whisk about 1 tablespoon of the espresso with sugar until it turns foamy, then pour the pot of espresso over it. Lourdes Castro says you can't overbeat a crema, so stir it energetically.

Finally! Good Fried Chicken

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup half and half
• seasoning salt to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup crush corn flakes
• 1 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1+ teaspoon Mrs Dash Extra Spicy seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Red Pepper
• oil for frying

Directions

• In a resealable plastic bag mix together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, Mrs Dash seasoning, crushed corn flakes, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• In a shallow dish or bowl combine the soup, eggs, half and half, and more Mrs. Dash seasoning and whisk together. Place chicken in mixture and turn to coat completely and let sit for 10 minutes in mixture.
• Place chicken pieces in bag, seal and shake to coat. Add more flour, breadcrumbs and cornstarch as necessary, but add them in equal parts. 
• IMPORTANT!!! Place coated chicken on a platter and allow to sit until it becomes doughy (this is critical, to ensure crispiness when fried). Allow to sit fo a good 5-10 minutes.  Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat; be sure to use enough oil to cover chicken pieces.
• Once chicken is doughy, test oil by dropping a piece of the 'dough' into it; the oil is ready when it starts to fry immediately.
• Fry chicken pieces in oil for about 7 to 10 minutes each, or until cooked through. Only fry a few chicken pieces at a time so the oil does not cool down when placing the chicken in it.  Drain on paper towels.
• Make sure the chicken is cooked in the middle!

Honey-Mustard Chicken with Roasted Red Potatoes

• 4 each (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 minced shallot
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 pound small red potatoes, cut in half
• Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper and Mrs Dash seasoning.  Place in 13x9-in baking dish. Combine homey, mustard, garlic, thyme and shallots to form a paste.  Spread over chicken.
3. Add potatoes to pan and brush on olive oil.  Sprinkle potatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
4. Bake for about 50 minutes, stirring potatoes once, until tender and chicken is fully cooked.

Pink Diamond Bellini

• Champagne
• Peach Mignon (Peach liqueur)
• splash of Chambord liqueur

Mix and taste Champagne, Peach Mignon and Chambord to taste or until you pass out, whichever comes first.

Scallops with Mushrooms and Spinach

• 20 sea scallops (2#)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 cup finely ground walnuts
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 1 cup shallots
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced (3 cups)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 8 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon Mrs Dash Original Seasoning
• Shaved Parmesan cheese\Lemon slices for garnish

Preheat oven to 275 F.

Pat scallops dry with paper towel. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  In a medium bowl, mix together walnuts, Mrs Dash Original Seasoning and flour. Add scallops a few at a time and toss to coat.  Shake to remove excess flour.

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in large skillet.  Add the garlic and saute without burning them for about 1 minute. Add 1/2 half of the scallops and saute without moving them until browned (about 3 minutes). Turn scallops and cook about 2 minutes more.  Transfer to heat-proof platter and keep them warm in the oven.  Saute the remaining scallops and add them to the platter.  Continue to bake for 5-8 minutes or until the scallops are opaque.

Meanwhile, melt butter in same skillet and add shallots and mushrooms.  Cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until tender.  Remove from heat.  Add white wine and return to heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and boil gently for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen brown bits on bottom of skillet.

Gradually add spinach, toss to wilt each handful before adding more.  When all the spinach is wilted, season to taste.  Serve spinach as a base for the scallops and top each serving with Parmesan cheese.  Garnish with lemon slices.

Adapted from traditionalhome.com

Roasted Halibut with Vegetables en Papillote

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium carrots, cut into straws
• 3/4 pound thin asparagus, cut into 3-inch lengths
• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound white mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
• 2 1/2 pounds skinless halibut fillet (about 1 1/2 inches thick), cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 1/4 cup dry sherry

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375°. In a saucepan of boiling water, cook the carrots for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and sugar snaps and cook until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Drain and spread on a plate to cool.


In a nonstick skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until softened, 7 minutes. 


Transfer to the plate; let cool slightly.


Heat 2 large, sturdy baking sheets in the oven. Lay out eight 14-inch-long sheets of parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Mound some of the vegetables on half of each sheet. Set the fillets on the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Fold each packet in half, then fold up 2 sides to seal, leaving 1 side open. In a small bowl, combine the stock and sherry; spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons into each packet. Fold up the last side, sealing tightly.


Transfer the packets to the preheated baking sheets. Bake for 9 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Open the packets and transfer the fish, vegetables and broth to plates. Serve at once.


NOTES
One Serving 298 cal, 15 gm fat, 1.9 gm saturated fat, 8 gm carb, 3 gm fiber.


Adapted from: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-halibut-with-vegetables-en-papillote