More Fabulous Recipes

When I got done posting my last post about my new recipes, I was so upset I forgot to write about the fabulous Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1215924) that I made when Anthony was in town. These babies were scrumptious. The filling alone was good enough to make again either as a taco filling or as a really flavorful salsa like dip. They call for red onion, fresh corn, and zucchini all of which have been really inexpensive this summer. All of our votes say this is a recipe to keep in the book and to use a lot!



Since that omission, I have been busy in the kitchen with 3 more new dishes and a new strawberry mango salsa. Again, all 4 recipes have been a hit! I started out with Salmon Burgers, followed by Shrimp Arrabbiatta, Strawberry Mango Salsa, and Spicy Barbecue Shrimp Skewers. Here come the reviews.

Brad and I eat a lot of salmon and I'm always looking for a new way to prepare it. I figured that since I had never eaten a salmon burger, it might be worth trying to make one. I didn't want to use my expensive salmon in case they were a flop, but after using this recipe, I'm confident enough to use even better salmon than Wal Mart's $5 a bag frozen wild kind. These salmon burgers (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1206142) were so moist and a great change from regular summer cheeseburgers. I added about a half cup of bread crumbs to the mixture to try to make them bind better and it worked. While these "burgers" would probably never hold up to the grill, they did amazingly in the frying pan. I served them on fresh rolls with avocado, spinach, and fresh tomatoes. DELISH!



Shrimp Arrabbiatta (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1160664) came next. This super spicy dish did not fall short on flavor at all. If you don't like a little heat, I would definitely cut back on some of the spices, but with so few ingredients that one almost always has on hand, this is a perfect recipe to keep for when you're feeling the need for a little heat.



Summer Saturdays are almost always spent out on the lake. Wanting to make something a little different for a scorcher of a day, I decided to try this recipe for Mango-Strawberry Salsa (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mango-Strawberry-Salsa/Detail.aspx). Although the recipe has almost no components of regular salsa (other than lime juice) this citrusy combination of flavors was a hit served with tortilla chips. We all agreed that it would be wonderful on a salad with chicken or white fish. Mmmm...I'm getting hungry just thinking of it.



The most recent recipe was probably our favorite of all of these four, Emeril's Spicy Barbecued Shrimp Skewers (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/spicy-barbecued-shrimp-skewers-recipe/index.html). This recipe could not have been quicker or easier. The combination of paprika, jalapeno, cayenne, and crushed red pepper really added a lot of kick to this dish, but the cool black bean and corn salsa (which I added red onion to) really balanced it out well. With such hot weather here, it was really nice to have a fancier recipe to make that really kept my kitchen cool and the number of dirty dishes to do at a minimum. Oh yes, and I did take this picture myself!



Up next, Spice Crusted Salmon with Citrus Sauce. I can't wait!