La Bamba

Last week, we watched La Bamba (1987) and made a Mexican-inspired tequila-and-lime based menu. The movie was a little cheesy, and we couldn't help but think how much better a remake made nowadays would be... mostly because the actors would likely sing their own songs! There were two elements of the movie that reminded me of The Fighter: an older brother who tries to outshine a younger brother's talent and a mother-turned-manager who's in over her head.

Some alternate food ideas appropriate to the movie: apricots, Miller High Life, home-made tortillas, coffee, breakfast, diner burgers, and freshly skinned rattlesnake (for the daring).

For us, to start things off: chips and salsa. We tried Garden of Eatin' everything flavored tortilla chips which were quite tasty, especially for being "healthy". (So good, in fact, that I may or may not have finished off that bag within the next day.)

Next, because neither of us had ever made one for real, we made margaritas without store-bought sour mix. They were very easy and to my surprise, I didn't need any extra sugar to make it taste delicious. Looking forward to making several more of these as the days get warmer--and what a pretty tequila bottle I was able to find!

MARGARITA (makes 1 pint-glass sized drink)

Ingredients:

5 oz 100% agave blanco tequila

2 oz triple sec

1 oz fresh lime juice

lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

Shake all ingredients with ice. Serve with lime wedge, on the rocks with or without a salted rim.

Dinner was a combo of recipes that we modified. Tequila Lime Shrimp was very citrusy, light, and tasty. I might add even more vegetables, in addition to the bell pepper, to the mix next time.

The Mexican Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes were a little dry, we tried it with dried beans that had soaked overnight and were then cooked (probably a bit too long--they started to break down!). The avocado is a MUST in this recipe--totally made the dish. Sour cream or a bit more olive oil/lime juice would probably have amped it up a bit.

TEQUILA LIME SHRIMP (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2 medium)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup tequila

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp cumin

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

12 green onions, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only; about 1 1/2 cups)

1 red bell pepper, diced

lime wedges for serving

Directions:

Make marinade: Whisk first 5 ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Season marinade to taste with salt and pepper.

Place shrimp in large resealable plastic bag with marinade. Chill at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour.

Remove shrimp from marinade and pour marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, set aside. To a hot skillet, add shrimp, green onions, and bell pepper. Sauté until shrimp are almost opaque in center, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add boiled marinade. Simmer until shrimp is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

MEXICAN BLACK BEANS AND SWEET POTATOES (from this recipe)

Ingredients:

For the roasted potatoes:

2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato (about 1 large or 2 small)

2 TB olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper

For the beans:

2 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

3 cups cooked black beans

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 lime

1 avocado, cubed or sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the diced sweet potatoes in 2 TB of olive oil with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have softened.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining 2 TB of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add to it the garlic and cook until it just begins to turn golden brown. Toss in the jalapeño and beans. Cook until the beans are heated through, then turn off the heat.

Once the potatoes are out of the oven, add them to the bean mixture along with the cilantro and gently stir everything together. Squeeze the lime over everything. Serve garnished with avocado or any other topping you wish.