A Grateful Meal

Summer

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Honey-Lime Slaw

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These Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos are everything you want and more. Warm, crunchy, sweet, and a little sour – they’re the perfect way to be transported to a tropical paradise. 

I think I might be a tacotarian. I could celebrate Taco Tuesday just about any day of the week. Tacos are the perfect vehicle for pretty much any food. I have to say these crispy, sweet coconut shrimp topped with crunchy, tangy honey-lime slaw is an ideal combination.

Three air fryer coconut shrimp tacos with a bowl of slaw in the background.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos

  • Purple Cabbage: I really like using purple cabbage for this slaw for a nice bright pop of color on my plate, but regular cabbage works well in this recipe too!
  • Pineapple: A little chopped pineapple adds a sweet tropical flavor to the slaw.
  • Cilantro: Fresh is always best when it comes to cilantro. You can always add a little more at the end for garnish.
  • Lime juice: I squeeze mine fresh. I like to take a few extra wedges if I have any extra limes on hand and squeeze on top of my tacos when it’s all finished.
  • Apple cider vinegar: Like lime juice, it adds a nice sour flavor that will be balanced out by the sweetness in this recipe.
  • Honey: Honey is the sweetness that will balance out the sour in the slaw. If you don’t have any honey on hand, you can use agave nectar or even plain old sugar.
  • Shrimp: I like to get the large EZ peel shrimp since they’re already deveined and a breeze to peel.
  • Flour: I used all-purpose flour in this recipe because that’s what I had on hand. You can certainly use whatever flour you have on hand. Coconut flour would work great and help pump up the coconut flavor!
  • Eggs: Eggs help the breading stick to the shrimp.
  • Panko breadcrumbs: Panko has a larger crumb size than regular breadcrumbs, which gives the shrimp more of a crunch. I like to combine panko with the coconut to make the shrimp extra crunchy.
  • Coconut flakes: You can use the sweet or unsweetened, whichever you prefer. I used the unsweetened because the sweet Thai chili sauce had enough sweetness for me.
  • Cooking spray or melted coconut oil: If you can find spray coconut oil in the grocery store, even better! We use this to help crisp up the shrimp in the air fryer. 
  • Sweet Thai chili sauce: This stuff is one of my absolute favorite condiments. I could put it on everything.
  • Six-inch tortillas: You can use corn or flour, whichever you prefer.
  • Sriracha (optional): Not really optional for me as I love heat, but you do you.
Close up of air fryer coconut shrimp tacos.

How to Make Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos

I like to start by making the slaw. It allows all of the flavors to marinate while you make the shrimp. You’ll need to coat your shrimp with the flour, eggs, and panko/coconut mixture. The breading process can be a little messy, so I try to bread the shrimp only using one hand so I can keep my hand clean. 

After you coat your shrimp, you either brush on your coconut oil or use the cooking spray and then air fry away! Once the shrimp are done, you toss them in the sweet Thai chili sauce and layer with the slaw in the tacos. If you’re using sriracha, you can drizzle a little on top at the end.

Air Fryer vs. Oven Method

If you don’t have an air fryer (I highly recommend you get one!), you can make these Coconut Shrimp Tacos in the oven. You would simply need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You would bake the breaded shrimp on a sheet pan for 5 minutes, flip the shrimp, then bake for an additional 5 minutes. Air frying will get you crispier shrimp, but the oven method works too.  

What to Serve with Tacos

Air fryer coconut shrimp tacos on a white background.
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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Honey-Lime Slaw

Overview of air fryer coconut shrimp tacos with honey-lime slaw on a white background.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Tacos
  • Method: Air Fryer
  • Cuisine: Latin
Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 cups shredded purple cabbage
  • 1 ½ cups pineapple, chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups of panko
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cooking spray or melted coconut oil for brushing
  • 1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
  • 12 six-inch tortilla (corn or flour)
  • Sriracha, to taste (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 360 F.
  2. Place cabbage, pineapple, and cilantro in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together lime juice, apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, and honey. Pour vinegar mixture over slaw and toss. Set aside.
  3. Place flour, eggs, and panko in 3 separate bowls. Add coconut flakes to the bowl with panko. Season the coconut flake/panko bowl with salt and pepper to taste. 
  4. Working in batches, dip shrimp in the flour, then the egg, then the panko/coconut, coating the shrimp all over. Place shrimp in the air fryer basket, evenly spaced apart.
  5. Spray shrimp with cooking spray or brush with coconut oil. Cook in the air fryer for 3 minutes, flip shrimp, brush/spray with more oil, then cook for an additional 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque when pierced with a knife.
  6. Toss shrimp with sweet Thai sauce. Assemble tacos by layering warm tortilla shell with slaw, then coated shrimp. Drizzle on sriracha, if using.

Keywords: Air fryer, tacos, slaw

Limoncello Spritz: The Ultimate Summer Mood

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Move over, Aperol Spritz. There’s a new refreshing summer cocktail on the block, the Limoncello Spritz, made with bubbly prosecco, soda water, and the sweet and tart taste of limoncello. This one will be on repeat all summer long. 

Limoncello spritz with lemon, ice, and basil as garnish on a white countertop.

What is Limoncello?

Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made from soaking lemon rinds in neutral-flavored alcohol. It results in a thick, sweet, and tart liqueur that can be drunk by itself as a digestif – something to sip on after a meal to help “digest.” It really delicious on its own but also makes for a phenomenal cocktail ingredient. 

Limoncello Spritz Ingredients

You’ll need:

  • Limoncello: You can find limoncello at most liquor stores without any issue. Bigger stores like Total Wine carry several brands of limoncello. I have yet to find a limoncello that I haven’t liked.
  • Prosecco: Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine made from the Glera grape. Most proseccos are dry, but brut or extra dry are good options to ensure the cocktail is refreshing and not too sweet.
  • Soda water: Use plain sparkling water/club soda, or you can make some sparkling water with a Soda Stream. 
  • Lemons: Sliced-up lemons are the perfect garnish and add a little extra lemon flavor to the drink. 
  • Basil: Basil is a perfect Italian ingredient for an Italian cocktail. It’s a member of the mint family, so if you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute fresh mint. 

How to Make a Spritz

There aren’t any special techniques for making a spritz, but here are few tips for making a tasty and refreshing spritz. 

  • Avoid shaking the cocktail since so much of it is bubbly – it’ll just make a mess. 
  • It might seem weird to serve a cocktail that contains wine over ice, but it works in the case of spritzes. Fill a large wine glass 2/3 of the way up with ice to make sure the cocktail is ice cold and super refreshing. Add a few wheels of lemon and the basil to the ice before pouring in the cocktail ingredients. 
  • Pour the limoncello, prosecco, and soda water, and stir lightly. Garnish with extra basil. 
Two glasses limoncello spritz with lemon, ice, and basil as garnish on a white countertop.

How to Serve a Limoncello Spritz

While limoncello is a digestif, it can be enjoyed with other parts of a meal in cocktail form. Lemon flavors help cleanse the palate (another reason why Italians love limoncello at the end of the meal), so it’s a great cocktail to serve between different parts of a meal like after appetizers or before dessert, etc. How do I enjoy my Limoncello Spritz? Preferably on an Italian vacation to the Almafi Coast, but floating in a pool comes in second, even if it means a kiddie pool (which I totally did over Memorial Day weekend!) 😉

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Limoncello Spritz

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
  • Category: Cocktail
  • Cuisine: Italian
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. limoncello
  • 3 oz. prosecco
  • 1 oz. soda water
  • Sliced lemons and basil for garnish

Instructions

  1. Fill a large wine glass 2/3 of the way up. Add a sliced lemon and basil to the ice.
  2. Pour limoncello, prosecco, and soda water. Stir gently. Garnish with more lemon and basil. 

Keywords: Limoncello, Cocktail, Summer

Cherry Mango Popsicles

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There is absolutely nothing better than a frozen dessert to cool off in the dead of summer. Homemade popsicles are really easy to make, and in my opinion, much tastier than most grocery store pops. These Cherry Mango Popsicles come together with four ingredients and might be the easiest thing you make all summer. 

Cherry Mango Popsicles laid out in a bowl of ice.

Ingredients for Cherry Mango Popsicles

You’ll need:

  • Mangoes: You can buy fresh mango if you want to, but since it’s just going end up frozen anyway, I would opt for cubed, frozen mango for this recipe. You won’t have to deal with peeling and pitting the mango if you buy it already peeled, cubed, and frozen. 
  • Milk: You can choose any type of milk you’d like – dairy or non-dairy. Coconut milk would add a little extra tropical flavor into the popsicles, but really you could use whatever you prefer or have on hand.
  • Vanilla yogurt: I chose vanilla yogurt to add some extra flavor for the popsicles, but just like the milk, choose whatever you like. I opted for yogurt with a bit of fat in it to give the popsicles a more creamy mouthfeel, but non-fat yogurt would work too.  
  • Cherries: Again, since they’re just going to end up frozen, go ahead and save a few dollars and opt for frozen cherries. Plus, with the frozen ones, you don’t have to pit them, which is the downside to the fresh cherries. I like to slice the cherries and fold them into the mold with the mango puree, which gives the popsicles a layered look. Plus, I think the texture of the pureed fruit alternated with a solid piece of fruit to bite into makes the popsicles more enjoyable to eat. 
Cherry Mango Popsicles in a popsicle mold.

Choosing a Popsicle Mold

My popsicle mold is on the smaller side, almost making mini-popsicles. With this amount of fruit, I could easily make about 18 mini-popsicles. But, there are much larger popsicle molds out there. This recipe would probably make about 6-12 of the larger popsicles, but of course, that depends on the mold. The nice thing is that if you have leftover fruit puree, you can just straight-up drink it like a smoothie. It’s a no-lose situation. And this recipe is so good that you might want to make extra just so that you can do that! Bottom line, you could try a large mold like this one, or try even a silicone push-up mold like this one to make push-up pops, which would make this recipe even more fun.

Tips for Filling the Molds

  • Be careful not to overfill the popsicle molds. Remember when liquids freeze, they expand. Fill to about 3/4 of the way up the mold to be safe. 
  • Once the popsicles are done freezing, running the mold under some warm water will release them evenly and easily. You don’t want to try to pull out the stick without the Cherry Mango Popsicle attached! 

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Cherry Mango Popsicles

Cherry Mango Popsicles laid out in a bowl of ice.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3-4 hours (freezing time)
  • Total Time: 3-4 hours (freezing time)
  • Yield: 6–18 popsicles (depending on mold size) 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of mango
  • ¾ cup milk of your choice (dairy, coconut, soy, or almond)
  • 1 small container of vanilla yogurt (5.3 oz container or a heaping 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup of cherries, sliced

Instructions

  1. Puree mango, milk, and yogurt together. Add cherry slices to popsicle molds and fill with mango puree. 
  2. Freeze for at least 3-4 hours. When ready to serve, run warm water on the sides to release. Serve immediately. 

Notes

Tip: If you have any extra puree leftover, the puree makes a great smoothie!

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

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This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

These mini chicken meatloaves with pineapple BBQ sauce are perfect for meal prep. You can make a batch (or two) for the week ahead or freeze for later. The pineapple, which is a natural meat tenderizer, makes the meatloaves pillowy soft and gives a tropical feel in the BBQ sauce. Clearly, I have a thing for tropical fruit inspired BBQ sauces. 

Close up of Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce on a plate

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce Ingredients

You’ll need:

  • Scallions: You’ll need the white and green parts, but keep them separate. Make sure to chop these fine – especially the white parts, which will go into the meatloaves before cooking. You chop them fine because you don’t want to bite into a huge chunk of scallion. 
  • Ground chicken: Chicken is a natural choice to go with pineapple. You can also choose ground pork, which would work out perfectly. 
  • Ginger: Grate or mince the ginger finely. If you don’t have fresh ginger available, dried ground ginger will work fine as well, but use 1 tsp. of ground ginger in place of the 1 tbsp. of fresh ginger. 
  • Oatmeal: Oatmeal works perfectly to help bind the ground meat. You can use panko bread crumbs instead of oatmeal if you prefer. 
  • Egg: This works with the oatmeal to bind the meatloaves together.
  • Crushed pineapple: As I mentioned before, pineapple is a natural meat tenderizer and keeps the meatloaves from becoming tough. Plus, it adds a sweet Hawaiian/tropical note to the BBQ sauce by using some of the pineapple juice. 
  • Ketchup: The basis of some of the most delicious BBQ sauces – it’s sweet tomato-y flavor can’t be beaten.  
  • Seasonings: Garlic powder, salt, and pepper round out the seasonings for these meatloaves. 
Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce on a plate with sweet potato fries

What to serve on the side

I served these with baked sweet potato fries, but you also can’t go wrong with these Grilled Potato Salad Skewers with Zucchini or my Caramelized Corn and Green Bean Skillet. The corn and green bean skillet recipe is one of my top recipes of all time. They both would go perfectly with these Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce. 

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Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce in a Muffin Tin
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
  • Total Time: 35-45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 mini meatloaves 1x
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped, separated
  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/2 cup of oatmeal
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 small can (8 oz.) of crushed pineapple, drained and keep the juice
  • 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 4 tbsp. ketchup
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 12 cup muffin tin. 
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the white parts of the scallion, ground chicken, fresh ginger, oatmeal, egg, crushed pineapple, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix the contents until just incorporated. Divide evenly amongst the muffin tin.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix ketchup, 1 tbsp. of pineapple juice, 2 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce together. Season with salt and pepper. Brush ketchup mixture on top of mini meatloaves. 
  4. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. 
  5. Top of green part of scallions. Serve. 

Balsamic Strawberry Chia Jam

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Balsamic Strawberry Chia Jam in a chia with a spoon
This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I love making homemade jams. If you ever have fresh fruit starting to turn and don’t think you’ll be able to use it before it’s gone bad, don’t throw it anyway just yet. Make some jam like this Balsamic Strawberry Chia Jam! It as simple as simmering fruit on the stovetop – you’ll be done in no more than 15 minutes flat. One of my favorite flavor combinations is balsamic vinegar and strawberries. Trust me; it’s so good. While it has a nice tang, it does not turn out vinegary at all. With just a dash of added sweetness, along with the sweetness from the strawberries, it balances out the vinegar well. I once went to a balsamic vinegar tasting (I know, strange, right?). While we did dip bread in the vinegar to taste, we also used the vinegar on top of lemon and strawberry ice cream. It was one of the best flavor combinations I’ve ever had. You will need to simmer the vinegar for a few minutes before adding the strawberries to concentrate the flavor. If you have a bottle of expensive, syrupy balsamic vinegar, you can skip that step. 

Strawberry chia jam on a piece of bread with peanut butter

Why Chia Seeds?

Fruit naturally has pectin, which is a thickening agent used to make jellies and jams. And while you can certainly add some pectin or simmer the strawberries until they reach the desired consistency, I like to use chia seeds to help thicken the jam and add a little nutritional punch to the recipe. Chia seeds form a gel-like consistency when immersed in liquid. That gel helps thicken this jam into a perfect, spreadable consistency. Not only do chia seeds add the right texture, but they also add omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to be beneficial to heart health. They also add a dose of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. 

Overview of Balsamic Strawberry Chia Jam spread on a piece of bread with peanut butter and strawberries in the background

Spread it on everything!

The most obvious use for this strawberry chia jam is a PBJ or ABJ, but don’t stop there! Top off your oatmeal or yogurt (or ice cream, like I mentioned above) with this jam. Bake a wheel of brie, pour the jam on top, and serve with crackers for an easy appetizer. Whisk it into a vinegarette for an unexpected punch of flavor. The sky is the limit. 

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Balsamic Strawberry Chia Jam

Balsamic Strawberry Chia Jam in a chia with a spoon
  • Author: Melissa
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
Scale

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Bring vinegar to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer until vinegar reduced by half (5-10 minutes). 
  2. Add strawberries and agave. Use a spoon to help break up berries and release juices. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. 
  3. Stir in chia seeds and remove from heat. Allow to cool. Jam can be served immediately warm but will thicken considerably when completely cooled. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months.  

Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce

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Air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce, cilantro, and limes.

Man, I am on a roll with these air fryer recipes! Last week was my Air Fryer Egg Rolls with Chinese Five Spice, and now this week, I’ve created Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce. Yep, Mango BBQ Sauce. This stuff is my jam. BBQ sauce is the epitome of sweet and savory flavors in one sauce. You can put it on just about everything, and it’s the perfect save when you accidentally overcooked dinner. BBQ sauce can save just about anything, in my opinion. Mangos have the ideal tropical sweetness that lends so well into making this BBQ sauce. 

Jar of finished mango BBQ sauce

You can use flats and/or drummettes for the wings. Drummettes are always my favorite because they’re easier to handle, in my opinion. If you want to make these for a party, such as a Super Bowl or game day party, you can make these in the air fryer in batches and keep them warm in the oven at a low temperature (200 degrees) until they’re ready to be served. This recipe makes quite a bit of BBQ sauce, more than you probably will want just for this recipe. Feel free to save the remaining sauce in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. If I am going to be making a recipe like this where I can use the sauce again elsewhere, I like to work it into my meal plan for the week. For example, you can use this sauce on the wings one day and then again later in the week for glazing salmon. 

Close up of air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce.

You can also customize the recipe by keeping the jalapeno seeds in or out of the sauce. For all the spicy heat lovers out there (like me!), I left all the seeds in the sauce and didn’t find it terribly spicy. Keep in mind, the seeds will continue to marinate the longer the sauce sits, so if don’t be surprised if the spiciness increases as the week goes on. However you decide to serve these wings or sauce, they are bound to be a hit! 

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Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce

Air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce, cilantro, and limes.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds included, if desired)
  • Salt and pepper, as desired
  • 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 ½ cups mango, cubed 
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (juice of two limes) + extra lime slices for serving
  • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 lbs. chicken wings
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno and saute for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add ginger and saute for 1 minute more. Add mango, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Saute for additional 1-2 minutes or until sugar dissolved. Turn off heat and set aside to cool. 
  2. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees. Toss chicken wings with the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add to air fryer. Cook for 25 minutes or until chicken wings are brown and crispy, removing basket and shaking every 5 minutes to cook wings evenly. 
  3. While wings are cooking, finish mango BBQ sauce. Using an immersion or regular blender, puree mango BBQ sauce until smooth and no chunks remain. Once wings are done, toss with BBQ sauce. Leftover BBQ sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.