Southwestern Shrimp Lettuce Cups

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup grape tomatoes

½ medium red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Southwest seasoning (combine 1 tbsp salt, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp chili powde, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp black pepper and ½ tsp unsweetened cocoa)

1 cup canned corn, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

8 Bibb lettuce leaves

½ cup sour cream

Directions:

Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium (300̊F to 350̊F). Alternately thread shrimp, tomatoes and onion onto skewers. Brush with oil and sprinkle with half the Southwest seasoning. 

If using wooden skewers, soak at least 30 minutes before grilling to prevent burning. Place skewers on grill. Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once. Remove skewers from grill.

Remove shrimp and vegetables from skewers and place in a medium bowl. Add corn, beans and cilantro; toss to combine. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and remaining seasoning. Spoon shrimp mixture evenly into each lettuce leaf “cup”, top with a dollop of sour cream, and serve.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Bourbon-glazed Shrimp

Ingredients:
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp. bourbon
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
3 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
24 large shrimp (21 to 30 per lb.), peeled
6 slices bacon, each cut into quarters (halved lengthwise and then crosswise)
24 skewers or toothpicks

Directions:
In a 2-qt. pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add bourbon, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Light contents with a long match and let the flames burn out. Return to low heat and add butter, one piece at the time, stirring to incorporate into sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat broiler. Meanwhile, lay each shrimp on its side, place a piece of bacon along its back (cut bacon to fit lengthwise if necessary), and wrap bacon lengthwise around shrimp. Secure with a skewer. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on a 10 by 15-in. broiler pan. Brush liberally with bourbon sauce. Broil 5 in. from heat 3 to 4 minutes, turn, brush with more sauce, and broil until cooked through, another 2 minutes. Discard any extra sauce.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi is sauteed in butter and oil, with a lot of garlic and parsley. If you buy shrimp at the grocery store, there’s only one way to go: frozen. The important thing is that the shrimp are frozen individually relatively soon after they’re caught, so they are very fresh and you can defrost the amount you need, leaving the rest in the freezer for next time.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ pounds large raw shrimp, peeled and patted dry

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large garlic cloves, sliced

   Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 cup dry white wine

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with the salt and add to the pan; be sure to leave space between the shrimp (you will need to cook them in batches). Cook until the shrimp have tuned pink and just begun to curl, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate, and cover with aluminium foil to keep warm.

Add the butter to skillet with the oil and reduce the heat to medium. When the butter melts, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and tilt the pan so the garlic is submerged. Cook until the garlic has softened but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the white wine to pan, increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, return the shrimps to the pan and bring to a simmer, about 1 minute more. Stir in the parsley. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm with lemon wedges and bread or pasta for mopping up the sauce.

Moroccan Carrots

This is a smart way to fill up on flavorful low-calorie dish before hitting the main meal. To peel carrots efficiently, lay each carrot on a cutting board, start at the center, and peel to the end, turning the carrot until you've peeled one half. Then flip the carrot and peel the other side.

Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices on the bias (about 2 ½ cups)
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 scallion, green and white parts thinly sliced
1 tablespoon thinly sliced mint leaves (optional)
   juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
  big pinch of ground cinnamon
  big pinch of ground cumin
  pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots, return to a boil, and cook until the rawness is gone and the carrots are still firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the carrots.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the parsley, scallion, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, cinnamon, cumin and red pepper flakes. Pour the marinade over the cooked carrots and stir to coat. The carrots will soak up the liquid as they sit. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce

Chicken skewers with dipping sauce are irresistible. When you flatten the chicken with your fist, you make the pieces look bigger. Think about it; you’re turning one big breast into 24 skewers, an appetizer that feeds eight. As a meal, you could probably eat that breast in one sitting, but would you ever sit and eat 24 skewers? Seems like a whole lotta food when at’s reconfigured that way, doesn't it?

Ingredients: 

For chicken:

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1 large)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

For peanut sauce:

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon chopped scallion greens

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

For the chicken: Cut the chicken into 1/4 inch strips across the grain. Lay the strips on a cutting board and gently flatten by pounding with your fist; they will be a variety of shapes and sizes. If some slices are very long (more then three bites), you may need to cut them in two. Place the chicken in a bowl with the oil and soy sauce and turn the chicken in the sauce to coat. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.

For the peanut sauce: Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, scallions, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes in a bowl and whisk together.

Preheat a flat griddle over medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade, pat dry, and thread onto skewers, discard the marinade. Place the chicken on the hot griddle so that the skewers are positioned away from the direct heat and cook the chicken until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve the skewers with peanut sauce for dipping. 

If you want to grill the chicken, soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes before threading the chicken onto them. This will help prevent the skewers from charring when cooking over an open flame.

Peanut sauce will keep for up to week in a refrigerated airtight container. But remember to take the sauce out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to let it come to room temperature.

Phyllo Triangles

Crab Ball & Favorite Clam Dip

When serving both hot and cold appetizers at the same time, plan to have two to three times more hot appetizers than cold for each person.
Most dips taste best if made the day before and chilled. Flavors seem to blend better. For best results serve at room temperature.

Oriental Meatballs

The tangy flavor of the sauce will agree with everyone. Make the meatballs ahead and freeze.

Gibanica

Gibanica is a traditional dish served in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans. A similar dish can be found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Bulgaria but it is commonly called Banica. This is one of the most popular and distinctive pastry dishes in the Balkans. This recipe for Serbian Gibanica is a blend of cream cheese, cottage cheese and feta cheese between layers of filo dough that is baked. It’s not recommended for low-cal dieters. There are a few different ways to make gibanica and this is one of them:

Ingredients:
- 1 lb phyllo dough (thawed) - in Serbia you could buy special dough sold as "gibanica sheets". Regular phyllo dough was sold as "pita sheets".
- 2 lbs feta cheese (broken into pieces)
- 1 lb large-curd cottage cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 lb butter (melted) - in Serbia for a traditional gibanica pork fat is used
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Beat eggs until foamy. Add sifted flour and salt. Beat well.
Add sour cream and mix well.
Add cottage cheese and feta cheese and mix well. Set aside.
Grease a 13x9x2 inch pan (or it can be round in shape). Place 3 sheets in the pan. Instead of lying it flat, crumple the sheets while layering the gibanica. This make it lighter and gives it more air during baking. Save 3 sheets for the top of the gibanica.
Pour about 2 tablespoons melted butter (or pork fat) over dough and brush to edges.
Spread about 6 large spoons of cheese mixture on top.
Repeat the dough and butter and continue to layer with cheese mixture until 3 sheets of phyllo are left.
Cover with last 3 sheets. Brush with oil, or melted butter, or pork fat. Pierce the top of the gibanica. The gibancia will rise during baking just from the eggs. You can use soda water for the gibanica to rise and make it fluffy. But, don’t ever use baking soda, sometimes you can taste the soda when gibanica is done.
Bake uncovered in the oven at 350 degree for one hour. It will get puffy and golden brown, but will reduce down when it cools. Test for doneness by shaking the pan a bit; if the cheese doesn't move; it's done. If it's getting too dark and the cheese is still jiggly, then you have a problem. To save gibanica - cover with foil and continue to bake (to avoid covering gibanica - next time adjust pan position and heat in oven before you start to bake).
Cut into squares and serve warm, but cool enough not to burn your self and enjoy it. It tastes even better the next day. Traditionally can be served upside-down.

Beef Burek (burek s meso')

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
3 medium onions
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 pkg onion soup mix
4 large eggs beaten
1/2 lb Phyllo dough
8 oz cheese

Preparation:

Place 2 tbsp butter in pan and heat. Add onions and saute. Add beef, pork and onions and saute. Add beef, pork and onion soup mix. Cook until brown. Season with salt and pepper. Set mixture aside.
Heat oven to 350.
Place 4 sheets dough in bottom of 13X9 baking pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Cover dough with 1/3 meat and 1/3 cheese. Drizzle some egg over the cheese. Cover the egg with 3 sheets dough, brushed with butter. Repeat previous step 2 more times. Top with 4 sheets dough. Brush with butter. Pour remaining egg on top.
Bake uncovered 45 min to 1 hour.
Let rest.