honey

Mango-Shrimp Tacos with Honey-Lime Slaw by Amy Cantu

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Sometimes, I close my eyes and try to imagine that I'm stretched out in the sand somewhere warm and tropical with waves lapping at my feet. This is when I'm usually painfully interrupted by, "MOM! Mommmmmm!" and my reverie comes to an abrupt halt. So, I shove a giant bite of Mango-Shrimp Tacos in my mouth, squeeze my eyes closed tight, and suddenly for a few more seconds that vacay is a reality. (I suspect that this island dream might also be why I love coconut so much too.) Oh yeah, and those kiddos yelling for my attention? They just want a bite too. Plump, juicy shrimp tangled together with bits of sweet mango, all heaped over a warm tortilla and topped with mildly spicy and smoky chipotle sour cream and crunchy honey-lime slaw. Excuse me, I need to close my eyes again and take another bite. See you in paradise!

Notes: I heart mangos so much! I usually try to get the smaller manila or Ataulfo mangos if possible, since they are so much sweeter, but I found that even the larger (and more common) Kent mangos work well in this recipe. I removed the seeds from all the peppers to keep this dish mild enough for my kids. (I could barely detect any heat.) Feel free to leave the seeds in or swap the jalapenos for spicier serrano peppers, if you like things spicy! The honey-lime slaw is delicious heaped over the tacos or on the side as a salad. It has enough going on to be it's own side dish without the tacos too!



Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4-6

1 cup sour cream
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Kosher salt
2 mangos, small-diced
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
2 limes, juiced

Sliced avocados
Corn tortillas
Honey-Lime Slaw (recipe below)

Mince 1 or 2 chipotle peppers, removing the seeds if you don't want it spicy. Stir peppers into the sour cream and set aside.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground cumin and stir frequently for one minute or until it smells fragrant and toasty. Add shrimp, sliced garlic, and about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, stirring and flipping the shrimp frequently, until shrimp are mostly pink and opaque (about 4-5 minutes). Add mango, jalapeno, and cilantro to the pan and continue to cook for 1 minute or until the shrimp are just cooked through. Turn off the heat and stir in lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. 

To serve, spoon mango and shrimp over warm tortillas with a couple slices of avocado and a big dollop of chipotle sour cream. Top with Honey-Lime Slaw or serve the slaw on the side. Open up wide and devour!

Recipe adapted from Martha Rose Shulman at NYT Cooking.

Honey-Lime Slaw

2 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
1-2 tablespoons honey (to taste)
1/2 cup grape seed oil (or vegetable oil)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 head red cabbage, cored and sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 jalapeno, seeded, and sliced thin
2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, oil, about 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, jalapeno, green onions, and cilantro. Drizzle dressing over the vegetables and toss well. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve heaped over Mango Shrimp Tacos or on the side.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Smoked Paprika, Blood Orange, and Honey by Amy Cantu

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I really can’t get enough of roasted chicken in its very many forms. The skin gets so tantalizingly golden, and meat comes out so juicy! This one is already conveniently in pieces, and using dark meat keeps it moist, even if you happen to forget about it in the oven for a bit. I love the lightly sweet honey glaze matched with the punchy tart orange, spicy jalapeño, and smokey paprika. The blood oranges speak to winter, but the fresh herb garnish bridges the gap to spring. This chicken goes perfectly with the herbaceous farro salad that Cynthia put together!

Notes: Consider your spiciness level when choosing how much jalapeño to add and whether to seed it. For the kids, I used half of a small, seeded jalapeño - the marinade seemed mildly spicy, but once cooked, I could hardly tell it was there. Keeping the seeds will dramatically increase the spiciness.

The recipe calls for blood oranges, which have a more pronounced flavor and adds pretty color for the garnish. Regular oranges work just fine too!



Inspired by Melissa Clark’s recipe in her cookbook, Cook This Now.

Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4

⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, preferably blood orange
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, plus additional for garnish
½ - 1 small jalapeño, seeded if desired, and chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (¾ teaspoon table salt)
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon honey
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, patted dry
Sliced scallions, for serving
Orange wedges, for serving

In a blender, combine the orange juice, oil, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, ginger, salt, orange zest, and paprika and blend until garlic and jalapeño are pureed.

Reserve ¼ cup of marinade and stir in honey to make a glaze. Set aside.

Combine the chicken and remaining marinade in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour (or overnight if you can plan that far ahead).

When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through. Brush glaze over chicken pieces and roast for 10 minutes more or until the chicken skin is golden and the meat juices are no longer pink.

Serve sprinkled with scallions and cilantro, with orange wedges for squeezing over the meat.