UMMMMMM, HI.
Happy (belated) Taco Tuesday, and May the fourth be with you. (Will that ever get old? Probably not.) Figured I should celebrate making it midway through this loooooong week by sharing one of the best and most versatile recipes- TACOS! Plus #tacotuesday had my mouth watering.
To me, you can eat tacos literally any day, any time. Like tacos for breakfast? OBVIOUSLY. Just throw some eggs in the mix and maybe replace with a soft shell and there ya go. Super late night snack? YES PLEASE. Whats a better late night bite than rice, beans, guac, and veggies at 3am? Nothing for sure. It not only is packed with flavor after flavor, but you can be SO creative and basically toss in any scraps and left overs you have floating in the fridge.
I also have to admit- this is my ideal date night meal. I know tacos can be messy and totally unattractive when you're shoving your face, but something about making dinner together and basically eating unlimited tacos (& unlimited guac) in my own kitchen is just so fun to me! Ryan and I like to see who can eat more, who gets that last little piece of shrimp- and comparing who's came out better. At the end of the night, we are completely- but comfortably- STUFFED, plop ourselves on the couch, and dive into movie after movie. The perfect night! (<3)
Anyway, please enjoy and share your own versions with me!!
Enjoy taco lovers xx S.
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- Package of 12 taco shells (you could totally do soft shell if you prefer!)
- 1 cup white rice (measured uncooked)
- 1 large red onion, sliced/diced
- 1 green pepper, sliced/diced
- 1/2 cup corn (frozen works fine)
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans
- 1/2 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lime
- Chili powder
- Chili pepper flakes
- Garlic powder
- Small bunch of cilantro
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Olive oil for sauteing/ grilling
A D D I T I O N A L:
BEGIN & PREPARE: First, dice up your red onion and green pepper. Set aside. Then, clean off and peel your shrimp (I know- kinda gross but totally worth it!). At this step, it's also best to start making your cilantro lime rice since the rice takes the longest to actually cook. Cook rice according to instructions, and while that is cooking, we'll start making the veggies!
COOKIN THE VEGGIES: SO if you follow my blog, you will notice I use this pepper onion stir fry combo for about every 'tex mex' dish I create. It completes every meal! (OK so i'm not that creative, but if its not broken, why fix it? RIGHT?!). Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add peppers, onions, and corn, and top with a dusting of chili powder, a sprinkle of chili pepper flakes, and salt & pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until veggies start to get tender and soften. Turn off heat and set aside.
CHILI LIME SHRIMP: In a separate frying pan over medium heat, add a small amount of olive oil and once hot, add shrimp, juice from half a lime, and a decent amount of chili pepper. The flavors brought out between the lime & pepper are AMAZING. Toss in a little salt & pepper, and cook until shrimp is cooked through and starts to 'curl'. Remove from heat and set aside.
CILANTRO LIME RICE: Rice should be cooked and ready to go! All we're going to do is squeeze the other half of the lime, lime zest, a small bunch of chopped fresh cilantro. Combine well and add a little garlic powder, and some salt & pepper to taste. BAM done just like that!
THE FINISHING TOUCHES: Don't forget the beans. Just dump the can (with all juices undrained) in a small saucepan and cook over medium high until heated through. Now that all of our components are complete, let's serve these babies. First add the rice, then pepper/onion mixture, black beans, and shrimp. Cover with a layer of our homemade taco sauce, and a big scoop of Guacamole! Squeeze a little lime and a dash of hot sauce, and VOILA! The perfect veggie shrimp taco.
*Note: Since the traditional package of taco shells are usually 12 to a box, and coincidentally (wink wink), this recipe makes enough for all shells, you might find it hard to control yourself from devouring all at once. SO, if you are anything like Ryan and I, you will most likely finish them all in one night (yes, that happened. It was amazing, but we were in a serious food coma ALL night.) And if you're a vegetarian, these are just as good without the Shrimp. If you just hate fish in general but love meat (</3), you can totally throw on some chicken or beef instead, and I'm sure you will enjoy just as much. Either way you spin it- this recipe is simply the best. :)