Te Quiero Tequila Shrimp with Chili Veggie Fries

Because I was so impressed with Hungry Girl's Caribbean Shrimp Packets, I decided to try out another one of her shrimp recipes. I chose this particular recipe for one reason only: I have never cooked with fresh tomatoes. Crazy, I know. I have spent my entire life hating tomatoes, even though I like other things made with them (salsa, pasta sauce, etc.). I starting cooking with canned tomatoes, and I realized that I actually kind of enjoy them. I'm slowly growing a taste for them, so it's time I at least TRY to make something with fresh tomatoes. If I hate it, I can pick around them. If I don't hate it, then branching out will have been a success! I also paired this with some chili veggie fries. I just kind of came up with that recipe as I went, so I included that for you as well.

Recipe Notes: Even though it says to use 2 tablespoons of cilantro, I'm pretty sure I used something around 3/4 cup. Maybe it's my love of cilantro or maybe 2 tablespoons just isn't enough to get the flavor of the cilantro in every bite. I also used probably a whole teaspoon of chili powder.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons (1 shot) tequila
8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Carefully add tequila to the skillet and stir (It is unlikely it will flare up, but be cautious, just in case). Cover the skillet and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes, until shrimp are nearly opaque. Add tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, chili powder, and salt, and mix well. Stirring occasionally, cook until tomatoes have softened and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Enjoy!


Chili Veggie Fries

1 zucchini cut into thin strips
1 yellow squash cut into thin strips
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Place the strips of squash and zucchini on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes until veggies are soft.

Taste Rating: 8
I liked it! I decided after chopping the tomatoes that I am NOT ready to try raw ones. The smell alone just made me kinda grossed out. But once they were cooked with everything else...delicious! The tequila was a really mild undertone that really went well with all of the other flavors. It was one of those flavors that you're like "mmm something tastes different" but you can't really pinpoint what it is. Also, I love cilantro and lime, so this was awesome.

Easy Rating: 7
I would do all of the cutting before you start anything. The shrimp cooks REALLY quickly, so have your tomatoes and cilantro ready to go before you put in the shrimp. It was nice that this took like zero time to cook, but it got a little stressful when I was having to chop really fast to keep up.

Overall Rating: 7.5