Doce De Julio

Okay, so it's not Cinco De Mayo....but it is about 101 degrees outside, so a margarita sounds pretty good. In case you ever wondered, here's the history of America's favorite tequila cocktail:

Photo Credit: History of the Margarita

"One of the most prevalent stories is that Carlos “Danny” Herrera developed the drink at his Tijuana-area restaurant, Rancho La Gloria, around 1938. As the legend goes, Herrera dreamed up the cocktail for one of his customers, an aspiring actress named Marjorie King who was allergic to all hard alcohol other than tequila. To make the liquor more palatable to his fussy client, he combined the elements of a traditional tequila shot—a lick of salt and a wedge of lime—and turned them into a refreshing drink." (The History of the Margarita) Since 1938, however, there have been more than a few changes made to Herrera's Mexican cocktail-- sweet & sour mix for one. Today's average Margaritas costs you about 540 calories, and most of them don't taste like they're worth that. So when Ryan decided to make his shrimp ceviche tacos for dinner the other night, I decided I'd do my part by whipping up some calorie-friendly mango margaritas...and I think we may have a new favorite margarita recipe at 175 calories. Ryan's shrimp ceviche tacos were fantastic too, and he guarantees they're very easy to make.

Photo Credit: Me

Senushi's Low Cal Mango Margarita

Serves 1

1/2 Cup Ice Cubes

1/2 Cup Fresh Mango slices

3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime juice

1/2 teaspoon Fresh Lime zest

1 teaspoon sugar

1.5 ounces Espolón Tequila (or something equally smooth, but this is my favorite)

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender. (If you feel like adding an extra shot, just remember that it's an extra 100 calories too). I love using the magic bullet for blending this because it's just the right size for making two or three margaritas. Blend until you get the desired consistency.
2. Optional: Salt or Sugar the rims of your margarita glasses.
3. Pour the blended margarita into your favorite margarita glasses.

   

   Photo Credit: Me

Ryan's Shrimp Ceviche Tacos

Serves 5

3 limes

1 cup chopped seeded tomato

1 cup diced, peeled ripe avocado (about 1 avocado)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cooked peeled medium shrimp

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Directions

1. Zest 1/2 Tablespoon of lime zest. Juice 1/4 cup lime juice. Place the zest and juice in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add tomato, cilantro, salt, black pepper, garlic, and shrimp to the bowl. Toss well to combine.
3. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Arrange 4 to 5 tortillas on a microwave-safe plate. Place a damp/wet paper towel on top of the tortillas. Microwave for 20-30 seconds.
5. Spoon about 1/2 cup shrimp mixture down the center of each tortilla; fold in half.
6. Serve immediately.

Photo Credit: Me

Taco Recipe Adapted from: Lorrie Corvin, Cooking Light JULY 2005

p.s. if you try any of the recipes or have ideas/requests for future posts, I'd love it if you left a comment :-)

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