We are a brown rice family. I make it pretty much every week because it is one side dish I know everyone loves and will eat. I try to make a big batch of it ahead of time for meal prep to make it easier to make recipes like this 5 Ingredient Vegetable Fried Brown Rice or to include in these Turkey and Black Bean Burritos. It is my go-to base for when I make stir fry so having it made ahead and ready to go definitely helps on nights when all I have time for is to stir fry. 🙂

I found this recipe for Cilantro Lime Brown Rice on the side of the bag of brown rice I purchased from my grocery store, Publix. (I {heart} Publix so much.) Since I was making rice for burritos, I decided to give it a try because, well, cilantro and lime. Doesn’t cilantro and lime pretty much make everything better?

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It’s hard to believe that I was actually sailing along the California Coast just a little over a month ago. Oh what I would give to be back on the Ruby Princess enjoying food, friends and adult beverages like one of these Pomegranate Rum Cocktails inspired by the Love Boat’s famous bartender, Isaac. With Florida weather still creeping into the 90s (um…yea, it’s November), my husband and I were able to enjoy these cocktails on our back patio over the weekend – not exactly the same as cruising but definitely helped us feel like we were escaping for about 10 minutes.

A fun fact I learned while cruising with Princess Cruises is that one of my favorite childhood shows, Love Boat, was actually filmed on their cruise line. Any other Love Boat fans out there? (I realized quickly while on our cruise that age played a big part in even knowing what the Love Boat was!)

One of the many things that made our Princess Cruise extra special was that Jill Whelan, who played the Captain’s daughter Vicki, was on board as their Celebrations Ambassador. She mingled with cruise guests, hosted special events and joined our group on excursions – talk about fun! Jill was so personable and it was a treat to get to know her as well as hear about her personal Love Boat experience (she was just a young girl when she was on the show).

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The post Pomegranate Rum Cocktail plus 5 Pomegranate Cocktails To Try appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Not only was this salad totally amazing, but let’s just say I was able to clean out most of my produce drawer with it too.  I love it when that happens!

I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I had a piece of frozen mahi defrosting in my fridge..and didn’t know what to do with it.  The suggestions came pouring in.  A few people mentioned fish tacos and that sounded great to me…however to be honest, I was really trying to keep it on the lighter side, and avoiding any unnecessary carbs (good or not…I had had my share already that day).  So why not turn fish tacos into an actual taco-less salad instead, right?

This is my favorite kind of evening meal…how can you not feel great after eating this.  So many flavors, textures and levels of heat from the fish and veggies…it was perfect.  The homemade dressing totally sealed the deal too.  Can’t wait to make this again.

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Blackened Fish Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Fish
• Method: Stovetop

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Ingredients

• any firm white fish (mahi, tilapia, grouper)
• Chef Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic seasoning
• romaine, torn
• tomatoes, chopped
• red onion, sliced or chopped
• jalapeno, sliced
• avocado, chopped
• corn

Cilantro Lime Dressing

• 1/4 cup of lime juice and white vinegar combined (1–2 limes, juiced plus white vinegar)
• 1/2 –3/4 cup light oil (I use grapeseed oil, but light olive oil, vegetable oil or canola oil would be great)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Pat fish fillet with dry paper towel, then season liberally with seasoning. Add a teaspoon or two of light oil to skillet (or nonstick spray), then gently add fish to pan. Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes, until bottom layer of fish is cooked and looks “white”. Gently turn fish and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until fish is completely cooked through and flaky. Assemble salad, top with fish and Cilantro Lime Dressing and enjoy.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

1. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Store in airtight container or jar in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Join Dine & Dish and Cookin’ Canuck for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast, sponsored by the California Avocado Commission

Now, I almost forgot to mention the winner of my last giveaway from Scarlet Threads…it was Miss Candace from Candace’s Calling…congrats girl!

Like I promised I have another great Scarlet Threads apron to give away to a lucky reader…it’s the Anna…it’s funky and retro and I just love it.

Leave a comment on this post to enter.  Each comment on this post will count as an entry.  And like last time you can earn additional entries by:

1. Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter or on your own blog (earn an entry for each!)

2. Become a fan of Aggie’s Kitchen and/or Scarlet Threads on Facebook

3. Express interest in hosting your own apron party (I will email you info).

(Giveaway is open to US residents only…sorry!)

Giveaway ends Friday, September 10 at 10pm EST.   Winner will be chosen randomly by Random.org.  Good luck! 🙂

The post Blackened Fish Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

So what if it’s Monday and I am thinking about sipping on one of these.  Nothing wrong with that!

I discovered this perfect summer drink on Dara’s site not long ago.  I met Dara at evo ’10, and shared a few laughs with her during our Food & Photography Workshop that we attended.  I connected with her right away and it’s a shame that we live across the country from each other…I wouldn’t mind making another trip out west to visit Dara, Maria and Jyl!

(Dara is one talented chickie…awesome cook, takes gorgeous photographs and is not afraid to take on this lobster!!)

If you’ve got some serious mint growing like I do, then go get yourself a watermelon right now while they’re sweet and treat yourself to one – or a couple – of these amazing drinks.  Enjoy!

Watermelon Mojitos

Ingredients:

• 3 cups 1/2-inch cubes watermelon
• 12 medium to large fresh mint sprigs
• 6 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 6 oz. light rum
• 4 lime slices
• 4 mint sprigs

Directions:

1. Place watermelon cubes in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. In a small pitcher, combine fresh mint leaves, sugar, and fresh lime juice. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the ingredients to release the oils from the mint. Take care not to muddle to the point where the leaves fall apart. Pour rum and the watermelon puree into the pitcher and stir gently.

Recipe courtesy of Cookin' Canuck

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I’ll have to admit, when I first saw this recipe as a pick for our Craving Ellie in my Belly group, I was a little hesitant about making it. As much as I love to cook, I have hangups about cooking certain types of food (for example…roasts and anything with yeast!). Curry is not something I am very familiar with, though I know I’ve had a few curry dishes in the past that I absolutely loved. After a little self talking, I convinced myself that this was another great opportunity to cook out of my comfort zone. I get in my share of cooking ruts and know how important it is to for me keep things interesting in the kitchen.

The ingredient list of this recipe is fairly simple, you can most likely find red curry paste in the Asian aisle of your grocery store or easily find curry powder with the spices. I went for the red curry paste. I also used some frozen mahi-mahi that I had on hand.

What a delight!
This dish was so light and tasty, my husband and I really enjoyed it. The flavor combination was perfect, I’m always happy cooking with cilantro and lime!
I will definitely be making it again…
next time will be trying this recipe with some shrimp and a little extra heat!

A big thank you to Liz over at The Not So Skinny Kitchen for choosing a recipe that I might have normally skipped over. Visit her blog along with the other members of CEimB to see their versions and variations of this great recipe!

Thai-Style Mahi with Coconut-Curry Broth

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste, or 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
• 4 (6-ounce) pieces mahi-mahi
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups cooked whole wheat orzo or brown rice, for serving
• Steamed spinach, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.
2. Season the mahi with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.
3. Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with orzo or rice.

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave or Food Network

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Cooking Light week continues! See Day 4 here!

The post Thai-Style Mahi with Coconut-Curry Broth {CEimB} appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I didn’t feel the need to use as much butter as noted in the recipe. But other than that I pretty much followed it exactly. I served the shrimp with some Maryland Style Crab Cakes and a simple salad of thinly sliced cucumber, celery and red onion dressed in vinegar and chopped cilantro.

(For a classic Maryland Style Crab Cake recipe, click here.)

Green Lightning Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp
• 1 bunch cilantro, rinsed, stemmed, and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 4 to 8 jalapeno peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (for hotter shrimp, leave the seeds in)
• 1 bunch scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic (3 cloves coarsely chopped, 2 cloves minced)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

About 12 long (10- to12-inch) metal or bamboo skewers

1. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and then drain and blot them dry with paper towels. Peel and devein the shrimp. Thread the shrimp onto 2 parallel skewers, using 2 skewers for each kebab. Arrange the kebabs in a nonreactive baking dish.

2. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the cilantro for the garlic cilantro butter. Place the remaining cilantro, the jalapenos, scallions, chopped garlic, salt, black pepper, and cumin in a food processor and finely chop. With the machine running, add the olive oil and lime juice through the feed tube and puree to a bright green paste. Pour this marinade over the shrimp and let them marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes, turning the kebabs several times so they marinate evenly.

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and the 3 tablespoons of reserved cilantro and cook until the garlic is fragrant and sizzling, but not browned, about 2 minutes. Keep the garlic cilantro butter warm until ready to use.

4. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

5. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Drain the marinade from the shrimp kebabs and discard the marinade. Place the shrimp kebabs on the hot grate and grill until just cooked through, 1 to 3 minutes per side, basting with the garlic cilantro butter. When done, the shrimp will turn pinkish white and feel firm to the touch. Transfer the grilled shrimp to a platter or plates, pour any of the remaining butter sauce over them, and serve with the lime wedges.

Recipe from Barbeque University

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I wish you all a healthy and happy 2009!!

The post Starting the new year off right… Green Lightning Shrimp appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.