Easy Mexican Shrimp Rice Bowls with Street Corn

 

Okay, okay... I know a lot of recipes have the word "easy" in the title and turn out to be anything but. 

But... hear me out... this one IS easy. I used premade ingredients, and I think it took me about 15 - 20 minutes to put everything together. 

Of course, you can make everything from scratch; it will just take more effort and time. You probably won't notice too much difference in the end result though... just sayin'

Looking for a fancier meal that is full of flavor but doesn't take forever to make? We've got you. 

Easy Mexican Shrimp Rice Bowls with Street Corn

Ingredients

Rice

2 (250 gr) packages of Ben's Original Basmati Rice (or similar) (LINK HERE)

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp red onion, very finely diced

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Corn

2 cups canned corn (LINK HERE), drained well

2 Tbsp mayo

1 Tbsp lime juice

1/4 tsp chili powder (LINK HERE)

1/8 tsp smoked paprika (LINK HERE)

1/4 tsp salt & pepper

1/4 cup cotija cheese (or feta)

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Slaw

2 cups bagged coleslaw mix

2 tbsp mayo

1 Tbsp lime juice

1/4 tsp salt & pepper

Shrimp

1 1b (about ~20ish) large shrimp/prawns

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp chili powder 

1/4 tsp salt & pepper

Garnish

extra cotija (feta)

extra cilantro 

lime slices

Directions

Prepare rice - heat rice in the microwave according to package directions. Remove from heat, place in a bowl, add lime juice, onion, and cilantro and stir well to combine. 

Prepare corn - mix together drained corn, mayo, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt & pepper, cotija (or feta), and cilantro. 

Prepare slaw - mix together coleslaw mix with the mayo, lime juice, and salt & pepper. 

Prepare shrimp - toss shrimp with smoked paprika, garlic, chili powder, and salt & pepper. 

I prepped the 4 individual components of this meal and then refrigerated them because I wanted to be able to make the bowls later for dinner. This can be prepped several hours ahead of time. 

When ready to eat - I microwaved the corn and rice while I quickly tossed the shrimp in a frying pan and heated it through. FYI - you can use raw or cooked shrimp. Raw shrimp will simply need to cook a little longer. If your shrimp is already cooked, then it will just need to be heated through. 

To serve - divide rice between 4 bowls, top with slaw, then corn, then shrimp. Garnish with a sprinkle of cheese and cilantro, and a wedge of lime. 

If you prep ahead of time, it takes less than 10 minutes to reheat and plate. If you are making it to serve immediately, it will take less than half an hour. 

So much flavor and the textures go together well. My samplers all agreed it should be added to the weekly rotation. If you like it spicier, feel free to add more chili powder. I would say leave out the cilantro if you don't like it, but unfortunately it would change the entire flavour profile of this dish, and I don't think it would be nearly as good. 

You can make each component from scratch, if you prefer, but it will add a considerable amount of time and effort to this dish. Totally worth it, IMO, but unnecessary. 

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Looking for a pretty dish to serve this meal? Try these gorgeous plates - LINK HERE

Reuben Sandwich

 

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here - Reubens have been around for a long time - I'm just sharing how I make it. For those of you out there who have never had a Reuben, this is your sign to try one! 

I've included a recipe for a homemade Russian-style spread, but you can use 1,000 Island or Russian dressing. 

Reuben Sandwich

Ingredients

marbled rye bread

Swiss cheese

sauerkraut, well-drained

corned beef

Russian or 1,000 Island dressing - or recipe below

Russian spread

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp prepared horseradish

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp hot sauce (or vinegar)

2 Tbsp finely chopped onion

Butter or margarine for toasting

Directions

Make Russian spread - whisk together mayo, ketchup, horseradish, paprika, hot sauce (vinegar), and onion. 

Assemble sandwich - Place two slices of the marble rye on a flat surface. Spread a generous amount of dressing/spread on each slice of bread. 

Place a slice of Swiss cheese on each slice of bread. 

Pile corned beef on one slice of the bread.

Top with a generous amount of well-drained sauerkraut. 

Close up the sandwich. 

NOTE - you can fill the Reuben as full as you like it. Stuff it with more corned beef, more sauerkraut, or more cheese. It's up to you how much you put in there!

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. 

Spread butter on the top of the sandwich and then place that side down in the skillet. 

Spread a little more butter on top of the sandwiches. 

Cover the pan with a lid and let cook for about 3 - 4 minutes. Watch that your heat isn't too high or the bread will burn before the cheese has time to get melty. 

After 3 - 4 minutes, carefully flip the Reuben over and continue cooking until cheese is melty and sandwich is heated through. (Note - this will take longer if you have a ton of meat and sauerkraut inside. You can lower the heat and let it sit a bit longer)

When it reaches your desired level of doneness (I like mine a golden brown and the cheese melted). You can remove them from the pan, cut in half, and serve hot.

I am not a big sauerkraut fan, but I love the tanginess it adds to this sandwich. 

I did not include measurements as the amount of filling you want to put into the Reuben is completely up to you. Some people like to pile it mile-high; others just a pinch of sauerkraut. 

You can make a dirty Reuben by adding pickles, onions, a fried egg, or tons of extra sauce. 

Traditionally, a Reuben is made with rye bread, but ciabatta is a good substitute as well.

Let us know what other delicious sandwiches we should make!

Need an amazing electric skillet like the one pictured here? 

Try this one - Elite Gourmet Skillet - LINK HERE

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Elote Corn Ribs

 

My love and I went out to dinner in Fort St John with his mom. She took us to this lovely Mexican restaurant called Broken Spanish. One of the things on the menu was elote - something I have been dying to try FOREVER. 

The above photo is from the restaurant. Sooooooo good!

 I knew I had to try and recreate it when I got home. 

My version isn't nearly as good as the one from the restaurant BUT I'm still happy with it. I was expecting it to be harder to make. It's pretty easy AND can be prepped ahead of time, which is perfect for dinner parties or family gatherings. 

I'm also going to try it as a corn salad next. :) 

Elote Corn Ribs

Ingredients

3 ears of corn

2 Tbsp mayo

2 Tbsp sour cream

1 Tbsp jalapeño, diced fine

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika (or smoked paprika)

1/4 tsp chili powder

salt & pepper

2 - 3 Tbsp oil

1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (or feta)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

Mix together mayo, sour cream, and jalapeño. Set aside. 

Mix spices together in a small bowl. 

Cut corn in half diagonally. Then cut each half in half again, vertically. Place the flat sides down and cut in half again. If your corn is large, cut into thirds instead of halves. (You can do a quick Google search for videos on how to do this safely. It can be a bit tricky if your corn cobs are large!) Each cob should yield 4 - 6 ribs. 

Place each "rib" onto the prepared cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle with about half of the seasonings. 

Bake at 400 for about 20 - 30 minutes, flipping the ribs halfway. 

When they have reached your desired level of doneness, remove from heat and slather the sauce on them. 

Sprinkle the remaining spices on top, then sprinkle generously with the crumbled cheese and cilantro. 

Serve immediately. 

Cotija cheese is the cheese traditionally used for elote. I was unable to find any near me, so I used plain feta. It is a good substitute in a pinch. 

If you don't like cilantro, then you can skip it, but it will change the flavour of the corn. 

Next time I make this, I will definitely add more spices. That was the biggest difference between my version and the restaurant version. Of course, you can adjust the spices to how you like them! Use my recipe as a jumping-off point. 

I am going to try this on a full cob of corn AND as a salad. I love the flavours so I am pretty sure I will like any combo of them. 

Also - you can, of course, cook this on a grill/BBQ. I don't have one otherwise I would have tried it. :)

Jalapeno Popper Soft Pretzels

 

I have to give credit where it's due - Sue was the one who had the genius idea for these. 

We have several jalapeno popper-related posts already on the blog - check out our Jalapeno Popper Garlic Pickle Rolls (HERE), or our Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers (HERE), or even our Jalapeno Popper Mummies for Halloween (HERE). 

Needless to say... we enjoy jalapeno poppers. 

We were making up some of our delicious soft pretzels and were discussing how to top them. The original version can be found HERE - Cheesy Soft Pretzels. 

Originally, we just topped them the "normal" pretzel way - with coarse salt. We have also done them with cinnamon sugar, with pizza toppings, and with extra cheese. Sue suggested trying a jalapeño popper filling with a little extra cheese, and it turned out SO GOOD. 

Any other ideas for how to top a pretzel? We'd love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

Jalapeño Popper Soft Pretzels 

Ingredients

Topping

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 jalapeño, finely diced

2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup aged cheddar, shredded

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Pretzels

1 recipe Cheesy Soft Pretzels found HERE  (makes 8 large)

Extra shredded cheese for sprinkling on top

Extra diced jalapeno, if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. 

Mix together the softened cream cheese, finely diced jalapeño, garlic, cheddar, and bacon until combined. Spread the mixture evenly on 6 to 8 cooked pretzels (depending on how thick you want it).

Place pretzels on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 

Sprinkle with extra jalapeño and cheese, if desired. 

Place into 350 oven and cook about 5 - 8 minutes. Just long enough to heat through and melt the cheese on top. 

Serve warm.

If you have extra bacon bits, you can sprinkle those on top too. You can never have too much bacon!

The filling should be enough for 6 - 8 pretzels that our recipe makes. 

I can't remember exactly but I am pretty sure we did 6 pretzels so it would be a little thicker on top. You don't want to skimp on the topping. 

You could use store-bought pretzels for this recipe. Any cooked, soft pretzel will work!

Giant Pizza Rolls

 

I just realized I've never shared our pizza roll recipe. We've shared our Samosa Roll Ups (Recipe HERE), which are delicious BUT these pizza rolls might be even more tasty. 

You could fill the dough with pretty much anything you like AND make them any size you like. 

We recommend your favorite pizza toppings and making them giant. 

Because, what's better than pizza rolls? 

GIANT pizza rolls. 

Perfect for after school snacks, lazy dinners, and everything in between.

Giant Pizza Rolls

Ingredients

Dough

Dough Recipe - HERE - leave out vanilla

Toppings
1 - 2 cups Pizza Sauce (link HERE)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1 - 2 cups mozza cheese, shredded (or pizza blend)

pepperoni slices

salami slices

1/2 cup (or more) diced onion

1/2 cup (or more) diced peppers

Optional Garnish

pizza sauce

parmesan

parsley

Directions

Prepare dough as per original link above. Remember to LEAVE OUT THE VANILLA.

Follow instructions up to the point where you roll out the dough to a 12 X17 rectangle.

Instead of topping with a sweet filling you will now top with pizza toppings. 

Spread the pizza sauce on first. Thick enough to cover the dough but not so thick that it will all leak out when you roll it up. Then layer on toppings, then cheese. Leave about 1/2 an inch border clear so it is easier to roll up and seal.

NOTE - You can use the ingredients in our list or use your own favorites. 

Roll up, jelly roll style, and pinch edges firmly to seal. Cut into 6 rolls, 2 inches wide. 

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a tea towel, and let rise somewhere warm for an hour. 

When they have completed their second rise, preheat oven to 350. Remove tea towel and bake for 15 minutes, rotate pan, and bake for 15 minutes more. 

Buns are done with tops are golden brown and internal temperature is 190F.

I then top with a little more pizza sauce and a sprinkle of cheese and parsley to serve. 

Don't worry if your buns get a little gooey because sauce leaked out. They will still taste amazing. TIP - Don't over fill the dough before rolling it as it will be difficult to work with and your buns may not roll properly. 

These freeze very well and can just be popped in the microwave to warm up. If you are not freezing them they are best eaten the day they are made (maybe the next day for breakfast but do keep them in the fridge!). 

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Keto Garlic Gnocchi

 

I have been following keto off and on for over 5 years now. I find one of the things I end up missing the most is pasta and pasta adjacent foods. Gnocchi is one of those foods. 

Original gnocchi is pretty distinctive in texture and taste and is hard to replicate while keeping keto friendly. I would say this version is very tasty and very similar looking but still isn't as "chewy" as the original. That being said - I really enjoyed it. 

You get to have a fairly large serving and the macros are reasonable. As per Myfitnesspal - one serving (recipe, as written makes 4) is: 217 calories, 10.5 carbs, 4 fiber, 17.4 protein, for a total of 6.5 net carbs. 

It is far more fragile than original gnocchi so takes a bit of time to make BUT, in my opinion, it is worth the effort to get to eat something that fills a craving I am having. 

Keto Gnocchi

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup ricotta

2/3 cup grated parmesan

1 tsp minced, fresh garlic

4 Tbsp coconut flour

2 tsp xanthan gum

Directions

Whisk eggs for about 1 minute. Whisk in ricotta, parmesan, and garlic until well combined. Whisk in coconut flour. 

Sprinkle xanthan gum over surface and let sit for a few seconds. Whisk in well. 

Cover and place in freezer for 15 minutes OR in fridge for an hour OR in fridge overnight. 

Pat into ball and divide into 8 pieces. 

Working with one piece at a time - oil hands and roll or press into a log about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1 inch pieces. 

Press each piece firmly between your fingers so it is not crumbly. Then press lightly with a fork.

Repeat with all 8 pieces of the dough. You should have approx 60 - 65 pieces. 

Freeze dough for approx 20 minutes. You want the pieces to be firm but not completely frozen. 

Heat butter (or oil) in a pan and fry gnocchi until golden brown. I did about 1 - 2 minutes on 2 sides. (So about 4 minutes total). Watch closely as it will burn quickly. Do NOT crowd the pan. 

Serve hot with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan and dried parsley. 

You can also serve in a keto friendly sauce (such as Raos). 

A serving is approx 15 - 16 gnocchi. 

Of course, you can use your favorite sauce with this recipe. You can also fry up onion and garlic and add the gnocchi to it. (Just watch how much as onion will up the carbs quite a bit)

In the photos, after I fried the gnocchi in butter, I added 1/4 cup of Raos, 1 Tbsp parmesan, and 1 serving of the gnocchi and it was 316 calories, 14 carbs, 21 fat, 20 protein, and 5 fiber. 

Net carbs: 9. 

Once you make the gnocchi it can be frozen up to 3 months. When you go to cook it thaw it but make sure it is still very cold and firm. Recipe, as written, makes 4 servings. 

I ate one serving as a complete meal. If I were going to use it as a side with a steak or chicken breast and greens, I would probably only need half a serving. It is filling. I'm thinking I'd like to try it with gravy instead of pasta sauce - I think it would be like a hashbrown/roasted potato. 

Also - you can leave out the minced garlic. I add it because I find the coconut flour is a strong flavor and the garlic helps to drown it out a bit. 

#keto #glutenfree #lowcarb #vegetarian

Keto Fathead Lasagna

 

We have a few recipes for healthier lasagna recipes on the blog. You can find them by searching "lasagna" in the little search box at the top left of the screen. This particular recipe is keto friendly, gluten free, and very VERY filling. Fathead dough mimics regular lasagna noodles so you get the taste AND texture of lasagna. Fathead dough is a popular keto friendly substitute for quite a few other doughs. Again, search "fathead" in the search box at the top of the page for more ideas on how to use it.

According to MyFitnessPal, this lasagna is: 518 calories, 40 fat, 8 carbs, 0.5 fiber, 35 protein, so 7.5 net carbs per serving. Recipe, as written, makes 8 servings. 

NOTE - you can make this in a 9 X 13 pan or in 8 individual 4 x 5 containers. 

Keto Fathead Lasagna

Ingredients

"Noodles"

 8 oz cream cheese, room temp

2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan, shredded

salt & pepper

3 eggs, beaten

Meat Layer

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 lb ground beef

salt & pepper

3/4 cup low/no sugar tomato sauce (I use Raos)

Cheese Layer

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup mozzarella, shredded

Topping

1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan, shredded

parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside. 

Prepare noodles - Place cream cheese, mozza and parmesan, salt & pepper in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well in between, until melted and mixed well. Add in beaten eggs and beat until well incorporated. Batter will be lumpy. 

Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly. 

Bake at 350 until firm and lightly browned on top, about 15 - 20 minutes. 

Let cool before cutting into pieces. 

If using a 9 X 13 - cut into 3 equal pieces. If using the 8 individual containers, cut into 24 pieces. 

While "noodles" are cooking, prepare the meat sauce.

Heat oil in a pan, add in onion and garlic until softened. Add in tomato paste, beef, and salt & pepper. Cook until beef is browned. *If there is a lot of grease, drain it off.

Add in the tomato sauce and stir well. Remove from heat.

Assemble lasagna:

Layer 1: 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of ricotta, 1/3 of meat sauce, 1/2 of mozza

Layer 2: 1/3 of the noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta, 1/3 of the meat sauce, 1/2 of the mozza

Layer 3: last of the noodles, last of the ricotta, last of the meat sauce, and then the toppings of mozza, parmesan, and parsley. 

Cook at 250 until bubbly and cheese on top is melted, about 30 or so minutes. Time differs depending on if you use one pan or individual pans. You just want it to be bubbly and melty. 

Serve hot.

I make this in individual pans because it makes it easier to share with family and easier to freeze. If you make it in a 9 x 13, cut into 8 pieces. Of course, you can cut it into however many pieces you want, but the nutritional info is for 8 servings. I usually serve it with cucumbers or salad or tomato slices for a delicious keto friendly/low carb dinner. The serving sizes may seem smallish but with how rich it is... they are just the right size, IMO.