Slow Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas (Clean Eating)

Once again... a recipe taken from the 100 Days of Real Food blog that we made our own.

This was my first time to ever make home made tortillas, and let me say--they were a hit! Not always perfectly shaped, though! :) Afterward, we broke up extra tortillas into pieces and baked them at 375 for a few minutes. They made wonderful chips! Keeping that as a note for next time--making chips, pico de gallo, and guacamole would make this dish even better for entertaining.

Find the full recipe for the meat/veggie mixture and the tortillas here:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/19/recipe-slow-cooker-flank-steak-fajitas/

Dorsett Additions: 

1. We used extra tortillas to make chips
2. We used organic sour cream, organic monterrey jack cheese, organic avocados, diced organic tomatoes, and organic cilantro to dress up the fajitas when serving.

Yes, you have to turn your head to see it. I'll get on later and rotate :)

Tortilla Soup (Clean Eating)

Sooooo a recent inspiration to eat cleaner and live healthier led me to the 100 Days of Real Food blog. (http://www.100daysofrealfood.com) The next few posts (or maybe every post from here on out; we shall see!) will be "clean eating" recipes. Although I found these recipes on the 100 Days of Real Food blog, we made some additions and substitutions that kind of made them our own as we tested the waters. I wanted to share these amendments with friends who are also embarking on this challenge (and with you, of course!)

I am excited that most everything we have tried thus far has been delicious and BETTER than previous similar recipes. The husband is still somewhat skeptical, but he has openly admitted that the meat, veggies, spices, and just overall flavor are better when we buy organic/local (you're welcome, honey!) He doesn't love the Whole Foods price tag, though, so there is definitely some budget research to be done with this new pet project of mine. 

Without any further delay--let's talk about this Tortilla Soup. This recipe TRUMPS the previous Taco Soup post. If you're not into clean eating, that recipe will still suffice. I, however, think that we have moved on. (The moment we tasted this soup was similar to the first time we tasted Chipotle and we forever forsook Moe's and Qdoba, if that makes any kind of impact to y'all) 

In order to give credit where credit is due, you may find the recipe here: 

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/03/28/recipe-tortilla-soup/

Dorsett Additions/Amendments: 

1. We added about 1.3 cups shredded chicken (extra we had left over/frozen from another home made soup.) 

2. Mushrooms (just a few we threw in there)
3. One chopped bell pepper 

4. A pinch of cayenne pepper (some like it hot) 

5. We chose to garnish with avocados, organic cilantro, organic sour cream, and organic monterrey jack cheese. 

Let me know how it works out for you, and if you have any other suggestions for additions/amendments! :)

Shrimp Diane

Although we are totally smitten with Birmingham, there are a few things we miss about our coastal hometown. One of the top items on that list is fresh shrimp straight from the Gulf/the Bay. Bradley's aunt made this delicious dish for us recently, and of course I had to get her recipe. Now when we have fresh shrimp on hand (it isn't too often, but hey... it happens), we know just what to do with it!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lb. shrimp (heads and tails still on)
1 medium sized onion
1 rib celery (or more if you like)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
3 T chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
Rice
French Baguette

NOTE: First things first... this recipe IS NOT to be doubled. If you need to make more than this batch will yield, just buy double the ingredients and make TWO pans worth on your stove. Trust me...

Step 1: Start with the shrimp stock.
Take the shrimp, and de-head/tail them. Keep the heads and the tails in a separate dish. Take all heads and tails and put them in a pot with the 1 medium onion and celery. Cover with water. Simmer for 4 to 8 hours, replenishing water as needed to keep about 1 quart in pot. After you take off the heat, strain the stock and throw away shrimp parts. Set aside stock for immediate use. If you made extra, you can easily freeze this so you will not have to do this step next time!

Step 2: In a large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter over high heat. When it's almost melted, add the green onions, garlic, and all the dried seasonings (I like to measure these out ahead of time and put them together in a small container. Makes it easy to just pour the mixture of dried seasonings into the butter). Stir well. Add shrimp and cook just until they turn pink (be careful not to overcook shrimp, as they can easily become hard) Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup of stock. Add remaining 1/2 stick of butter in chunks. Continue cooking, shaking the pan instead of stirring as much as possible. As the 1/2 stick of butter chunks are melting, add 2 tablespoons of stock and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft. (You may add more stock if you feel like you need to. Most of the time I do, but that is a good starting point). Sprinkle the parsley on top as you finish up.

Serve IMMEDIATELY over rice with french bread.

The pictures below were last minute after thoughts. We plan on taking/uploading more step by step photos next time :) Stay tuned....