RECIPE: Shrimp Fajitas and Bean Dip

I commonly have stomach upset when eating a lot of foods, so I've been experimenting with different dishes to figure out what foods I don't do well with. The other night I decided to try some recipes from the cookbook Eating for IBS. I made shrimp fajitas with Mango-Tomato Salsa and Smoky Black Bean Dip.

Sizzling Shrimp Fajitas with Baja Orange Marinade
Makes 6 servings.


1 1/2 lbs shelled and deveined raw shrimp (or red snapper, catfish or rock cod)

Make a marinade by stirring together in a glass pie plate:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbs olive oil
4 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
2 tbs minced fresh cilantro

Fresh flour tortillas

Add shrimp (or fish) and marinate for 20 minutes.




Remove shrimp from marinade and grill or broil (I sauteed them) just until cooked (I overcooked the shrimp, as usual), turning once. Shrimp will cook more quickly than fish, approximately 2 minutes per side. Exact time for fish will depend on the thickness of the fillets-- typically, 10 minutes per inch, total.


Serve on fresh tortillas, and allow each person to customize their fajitas with the following:

Shredded cabbage
Diced onion
Fresh chopped cilantro
Smoky Black Bean Dip (see recipe below)
Guacamole
Sweet Mango and Roasted Tomato Salsa (see recipe below)

Serve with baked tortilla chips.


I put salsa on one, and not the other. I think I prefer it without the salsa.




Sweet Mango and Roasted Tomato Salsa
Makes 6 servings

5 ripe plum tomatoes
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbs honey
2 small ripe mangoes, peeled and diced

Baked corn chips for dipping

Roast or broil tomatoes until skin blisters and blackens, turning to cook evenly on all sides. Add tomatoes, chipotle, lime, and honey to a blender and puree until smooth.


Pour into serving bowl and stir in diced mango. (If you are unsure how to dice a mango, I have found the best way is to peel it, and then make slits in the top to make squares, and then slice down the mango to slice off the squares into pieces.)




Adjust ratio of lime juice or honey to taste. Serve with baked corn chips.


This was "okay", but I probably wouldn't make it again. I didn't find it worth all of the hard work of roasting the tomatoes. Interesting flavor, though.



Smoky Black Bean Dip
Serves 4, but can be easily doubled.

1 15-oz can of drained, rinsed black beans
4 large garlic cloves, minced to a paste with a dash of salt
1/4-1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper (adjust to taste for heat)*
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbs white vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground chili powder
2 tbs soy cream cheese (I used regular light cream cheese)

Baked corn chips for dipping

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.


Fill a glass bowl with dip, cover, and microwave until hot, about 3-5 minutes. Serve with generous amount of baked corn chips.


This was by far my favorite dish. Loved it! It was a little spicy, a little smokey. Delicious!