Challenge: Pregnancy Food Craving

Happy Mother’s Day! While I’m not technically a mother yet, it seems fitting that Jess recently challenged me to make a dish of a food I’ve been craving while pregnant. Plus, I’m getting really close to this motherhood thing…about six weeks to go! So let’s celebrate motherhood with a look into the strange cravings of pregnancy.

Oh, the cravings I’ve had over the last eight months. I could share many posts about the food I’ve been longing for since I’ve been pregnant: breakfast sandwiches, anything with marshmallows, ice water (yup), citrus fruit, stone fruit, popscicles, Cadbury cream eggs…the list goes on. The most consistent craving I’ve had, however, has been spicy food. I went through a couple months where I wanted fresh jalapenos on everything. I’ve moved past that intense longing, but a nice spicy dish is still always at the top of my list.

To satiate this craving, I recently adapted a favorite recipe for Cheese and Shrimp-Stuffed Poblanos from Cooking Light. Oh, another craving I’ve had just in the last couple of weeks is for tacos. Naturally, a spicy/taco pairing had to happen. So I took what I loved about this Poblano recipe and made it into tacos!

Cheesy Shrimp and Poblano Tacos
Inspired by Cheese and Shrimp-Stuffed Poblanos from Cooking Light
Makes 4 small tacos

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ground red pepper
• 2 tsp flour
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 3 oz. cheese, grated: a blend of monterey jack and cheddar
• 4 oz. small, shelled and deveined pre-cooked shrimp
• 1/3 cup roasted red bell pepper, minced
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 4 small corn tortillas, warmed
• 2 poblano peppers, roasted, skin removed, and sliced

1. Heat olive oil in a medium pan on medium-high heat
2. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds
3. Turn down heat to medium
4. Add ground red pepper and flour, stir to combine
5. Add half and half and cheese, stirring constantly to melt the cheese. Continue until mixture has thickened a bit.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in shrimp, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime.
7. Divide shrimp mixture among four tortillas. Garnish with slices of poblanos.

This recipe is quick, fresh, and cheesy! It’s hard for me to tell if a poblano is going to be spicy or not; if you are going for extra heat, I’d suggest adding some roasted jalapenos, too.

P.S. This topic is a lot more pleasant than the flip-side: foods I’ve detested since being pregnant. While it was short-lived, my first-trimester was hellish due to an aversion to anything squash or pumpkin-related…which of course coincided with fall and Halloween. Even the sight of a decorative squash nauseated me. I’ll be surprised if squash and I are friends again come next fall. Ulgch.