My favorite dinner recipes are ones that are super simple but make the meal feel special. Roasted chicken is a great example. It requires seasoning a chicken and throwing it in the oven for an hour. But when you place that gorgeous chicken on the table everyone feels like you spent all day slaving in the kitchen to make them something special. And that's what the joy of cooking really is... making someone feel loved and taken care of. And if you can do that with minimal effort- everyone wins :)
Last night I decided to make a little Mexican feast for some girlfriends. For the nachos, I made my own cheese sauce which made it feel special but it took the same amount of time as if I had just melted cheese on top. Any salsa and any cheese that you like to eat with tacos will work fabulously in this sauce. For a meaty version, substitute shredded chicken or cooked ground beef for the black beans (or use both!)
Black Bean Nachos
Cheese Sauce Ingredients:
1/4 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup salsa
6-8oz cheddar cheese, shredded
3oz reduced fat cream cheese
Directions:
Heat the milk and salsa together in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir frequently to prevent scorching of the milk. Once it begins to simmer, remove it from the heat and add the cheeses. Mix until melted and creamy.
Nachos Ingredients:
Tortilla chips
1 can Black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup salsa
Cheese Sauce
Toppings: shredded monterrey jack cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa
Directions:
Combine the black beans and salsa in a small saucepan. Heat on medium low until heated through. Place tortilla chips on a serving platter. Pour cheese sauce over chips and top with black bean mixture and any additional toppings. Optional: Place under the broiler to melt any additional cheese.
Grilled Shrimp Fajitas
1lb shrimp, deveined with shells, butterflied
Juice of 1 lime
Olive oil
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp each Salt & pepper
1/4 tsp Chili powder
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
Combine lime juice and an equal volume of olive oil in a large bowl. Add all spices and combine. Cover shrimp with marinade. Marinate for 10min-2hours. Do not leave over night as the lime juice will begin to cook the shrimp. Heat a grill on high. Place the shrimp shell side up on grill and cook until bright pink (depending on the size of the shrimp- 4-8min). Serve with warm tortillas and grilled onions and peppers.
