Everyday Southwest

One-Bite Shrimp Cocktail Tacos Recipe with a Zesty Vegetable Juice Shot

Witten by Donna on January 5, 2010 in First Courses, Light and Healthy, Party Food and Snacks

Looking for a low-cost way to serve shrimp appetizers on Superbowl Sunday or your next party? I saw something similar served once at a fancy wedding reception, and have always wanted to try my own version. This is a great way to serve shrimp because, each guest only eats one shrimp! It’s fun and festive, and looks fabulous on a buffet table.

The trick is to set the shrimp on top of a little shot glass and fill the glass with a little drink to “chase” the shrimp. I like V-8 juice mixed with a little cocktail sauce. I used some votive candle holders that I had left over from my daughters’ weddings a few years ago, and they worked perfectly. The bonus: this is one of those dishes that will make you seem like a fabulous chef who has slaved for hours, but in reality this is one of the easiest appetizers I have ever made!

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Southwest Tilapia recipe is light, healthy and full of flavor

Witten by sandy on January 3, 2010 in Light and Healthy, Main Dishes, Uncategorized

It’s the start of a great new year and, for me, that always means the start of a brand new diet!  Southwest cooking?  Diet food?  You bet!  Who said Southwest cooking can’t be light and healthy.  The zesty spices are a perfect way to add flavor to any dish without adding fat or calories.

Tilapia is one of the best fishes you can eat – it is sustainable and is fairly low on the food chain, so it has less harmful residual stuff like mercury – we should all eat more tilapia! To learn more, check out this great post on the Chocolate and Zucchini food blog.

This Southwest Tilapia recipe is one that Donna and I cooked up together. We paired it with calabacitas (a traditional zucchini dish), Green Chile Rice and a terrific Avocado Citrus Salad with Chile Lime Vinaigrette to make a complete meal.  The vinaigrette recipe is from our trip to the Santa Fe School of  Cooking. It was served on a citrus and diced jicama salad, but it is so versatile that it has become one of my favorite dressings for just about anything that needs a vinaigrette.  Try it on a diced fruit salad or even sliced apples for a little snack.

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