Now that our tans have faded and our desks have piled up with homework, it’s easy for us to forget about our spring breaks vacays. Yes, we can peruse Facebook albums and reminisce on our days filled with the beach, bikinis and booze. But it’s just not the same. In order to get a taste of these sun filled days, I’ve decided to tackle some of vacation food finds. With a little research and inspiration from various spring break hot spots, I’ve re-created three recipes which I think you’ll love… Enjoy!
The Hot Spot: Mexico
The Dish: Chips & Guac
To set your chips & guac apart from the rest, make your own tortilla chips. It is extremely easy to do and you can customize your chips to fit everyone’s needs. If you’re a health nut like me, choose a whole wheat tortilla. If you want to add a little color to your meal, try using spinach or roasted red pepper tortillas! Considering these chips are baked instead of fried, you get an added bonus of less fat without skimping on the taste.
Quick Fix: Chips
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly drizzle your tortillas with olive oil. Each tortilla makes four chips, so choose the amount of tortillas accordingly. Once you have oiled them, stack your tortillas and cut them like you would a pizza. Scatter the pieces on a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes. To me the crunch factor is essential to a chip, so make sure to flip them halfway through to ensure each side if crispy!
Quick Fix: Guac
Finely dice one garlic clove, one tomato, ¼ white onion & ½ jalapeno. Smash three avocadoes and stir in vegetable mixture. Add the juice of half a lime, salt and pepper to taste. Most guacamole recipes are pretty similar in terms of ingredients. However, the most important part of the guacamole is letting it rest for a while in the fridge. Cover your guac with saran wrap and press down the material until it touches the top of the mixture. Make sure there are no air bubbles, refrigerate for an hour and enjoy!
The Hot Spot: Gulf Coast
The Dish: Sherry Smothered Shrimp with Bread Crumbs & Parmesan Cheese
Quick Fix: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While your oven in preheating, sauté a t of garlic & a ¼ of an onion in olive oil. After five minutes, add 1/3 cup sherry (a sweet dessert wine often used in cooking) and wait for it to reduce into a thick sauce. Add a T of tomato pasta, juice of half a lemon and fresh thyme. Lay six shrimp (buy your shrimp de-veined and de-shelled to save time) on a cookie sheet and spread a ¼ t Dijon mustard on each. Bake the shrimp on one side until they pink. While they are baking, throw the wine mixture in the blender and emulsify while streaming in a few T of olive oil. In the same sauté pan, add bread crumbs and fresh parmesan cheese to make a paste. Flip over your shrimp and add a t of the paste on top of the shrimp. Bake the shrimp for a few more minutes or until they are entirely pink. Drizzle the sherry wine sauce over the shrimp and enjoy!
(Thanks to Old Calypso Restaurant in Delray Beach for the inspiration!)
The Hot Spot: The Caribbean
The Dish: Jerk Chicken
Quick Fix:In a blender, emulsify 1 scallion (green & white long onion), 2 garlic cloves, 1 onion, 2 habanero chilies (use jalapeno if you cannot find these), the juice of one lime, 1 T of soy sauce, ½ T brown sugar, pinch of salt, ½ T thyme, 1 t allspice, 1 t pepper, ¼ t nutmeg, ¼ t cinnamon. I know you are probably thinking … “This is a whole lot of ingredients which means a whole lot of moolah!” But don’t fret! Most of these ingredients can be used in a variety of different dishes. Plus, once you purchase these ingredients most of them will last you way past your college days. Pour the mixture in a Ziploc bag along with two chicken breasts. Marinate the chicken overnight and throw it on the George Foreman the next day for a get a taste of the islands!
(Thanks to Epicurious.com for the great marinade!)