Want Some Paprika Shrimp??

Well, if you do - and you should - head on over to Jenn's blog and check out my guest post.  In case you need a little more enticement, here's a little food porn.

Paprika Shrimp = sexy!

Thanks Jenn for the guest post opportunity!

Shrimp & Halibut Curry

One of my most favorite meals in a while from my new fav recipe source! We did this a while back after my first Fresh Direct order came in. Thankfully, the seafood was a delicious and fresh as it looked. This dish is a great intro to curries. Perfect for those picky eaters (which sadly includes me). You can read more about my attempt to introduce more healthy ethnic cuisine into our repertoire tomorrow over at Jenn's place. So exciting!

For today though, why not try out a little mild curry. I promise, it's yummy (and good for you too).

Modified from a recipe found in Bon Appetit.

3 limes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
2 1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 13-14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
18 oz halibut, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped basil
salt & pepper, to taste
sriracha, to taste

Finely grate peel of 2 limes.  Juice same 2 limes and set aside.  Cut third lime into wedges.

Heat oil in large saucepan.  Add shallots, bell pepper and ginger.  Saute until shallots are tender and peppers are soft.  Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime peel and juice.  Simmer, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper.  Add to curry sauce.  Stir in a little sriracha at this point if you like.  Return to gentle simmer until fish are opaque in center, about 6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Gently stir in cilantro and basil.  Serve with lime wedges and rice or noodles.

Under and hour, super wonderfully delicious and just over 300 calories?  Yes please.  Tastes even better the next day so make extra.

I Made Pot Stickers!! - Recipe Challenge Week 1

What a way to end the first week of my self-imposed challenge.  Home-made pot stickers.  Yum, yum, yum!  Next to the chili, this was the week's best recipe.

I will say though, what a pain in the butt!  I have a new found respect for those poor guys holed up in the prep areas of dumpling restaurants hand stuffing and sealing these little buggers.  Lots o' work!  But these tasted remarkable so perhaps they will appear in my kitchen again on a day when I have loads of extra prep time.  Maybe.

So, my last Martha Stewart recipe for this week, shrimp pot stickers.

Dipping sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
5 tbsp white vinegar
4 tsp (or more) Sriracha sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Pot stickers:
2 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium carrot, diced
1 large egg white
1 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined & tails removed
36 wonton wrappers
cooking spray

In medium bowl, whisk soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, sugar, ginger and sesame oil.  Set aside.

In food processor, process scallions, carrot, egg white and half the shrimp until a paste forms.  Transfer to medium bowl.  Roughly chop remaining shrimp and combine with paste.  Stir in 3 tbsp dipping sauce.

Place a scant tbsp shrimp mixture in center of one wonton wrapper.  With a wet finger, moisten edges, then fold over filling and press to seal.  Place on a dish covered with toweling while you prep remaining wontons.

Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray.  In batches, cook dumplings until browned on both sides.  About 1 to 2 minutes per side.  Add 1/2 cup water to skillet, cover, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.  Remove cover and continue cooking until almost all water has evaporated.  Transfer to plate.  Wipe skillet clean and start over with remaining stickers.  Serve with dipping sauce.

I had never worked with wonton wrappers before, and filling and sealing each one at a time was time consuming.  I did get better towards the end though, and amazingly, none of them opened during cooking.  Best of all, these are so incredibly good.  The sauce intensified in the fridge too, so my lunch leftovers were extra delish.

What is the most time-consuming recipe you make that you just can't live without?

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Hot saucy shrimp and pasta.  What could be better?  Slapping 'em both together and calling it a meal, that's what!

I think I could eat shrimp seven days a week and not get bored.  There are so many ways to use it.  One of my current favs is shrimp in a red sauce, any red sauce, over pasta.  When I found this easy spicy sauce recipe, I knew I had to try it.

Recipe posted on I'll Have What She's Having and modified slightly to amp up the heat factor.

1 lb. shrimp, deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 red chili pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup pancetta, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups marinara sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti

In a bowl, toss your shrimp with 2 tbsp olive oil, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Let marinate for 20 minutes.

Prepare your spaghetti according to package directions, drain and set aside after stirring in a bit of your olive oil.

Get a large skillet very hot and add shrimp cooking until nearly done.  Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.  Add remaining olive oil to pan and saute the onions, garlic, pancetta and red chili pepper until slightly browned.  Return shrimp to the pan and add marinara.  Simmer until shrimp are cooked through.

Toss with your pasta.  So delicious!  Oh, and don't forget the rustic bread to sop up any extra sauce.

Pizza with an Indian Flair

I have a guilty pleasure.  Food Network television!  If the kids aren't otherwise occupying the tv, food network it is.  My husband and I got into Next Food Network Star again this season even though early on in the show I am so uncomfortable watching these poor contestants try to work in front of the camera.  I was Team Herb (hello, he's cute, personable, cute, buff and did I mention cute), but I knew Aarti would win as her theme was so interesting and very unique from other shows already on the network.

On the episode where the finalists had to film their pilot, I was so taken by Aarti's pizza recipe that I had to give it a go.  I don't care for prosciutto though, so mine uses shrimp.

The pizza tasted so incredibly good.  The spice is not a hot spicy, but a very subtle warm kind of heated flavor (if that makes any sense) which lingers a while after you've eaten, and I cannot begin to tell you how good the paneer tastes with the chutney sauce.  I highly recommend bringing these flavors together.  We will be using this again.

What was so exciting too about this pizza was working with new ingredients!!  I love picking up new stuff at the store to "play" with.  Here's what we have today:

I know, I know, homemade chutney is easy to make.  BUT, I've worked with mangoes before and have vowed never to do it again.  They are a total pain in the butt!  The paneer (which took trips to two supermarkets to find - I totally should've known to go straight to Whole Foods) freaked me out a bit as it does not melt so it resembled tofu.  But it browned nicely and had a wonderful flavor and texture.

Shrimp Pizza with Spicy Mango Chutney Sauce

whole wheat pizza dough
6 tbsp spicy mango chutney (I didn't make this myself)
2 cups tomato sauce (this I did make myself)
1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined and sauteed
1/2 block paneer, in pieces
1/4 tsp cumin
red pepper flakes, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese, optional
cornmeal for stone or baking sheet

Heat oven to 450.  Sprinkle cornmeal on your stone or baking sheet and spread the dough.  Let it rest and come to room temp.

To make your sauce, heat the chutney and tomato sauce over medium heat and stir to combine.  Top dough with your prepared chutney sauce and the sauteed shrimp.  As per a comment on my previous shrimp pizza post by Stephen C, I left them a tad undercooked so they will finish while the pizza cooks without getting rubbery.  Thanks Stephen!  Sprinkle on the paneer pieces and top with red pepper flake, cumin and parm (if desired).

Cook and eat!  Unfortunately my dough decided to stick to the stone today.  Badly.  In all my years of pizza making, this is a first.  I think I went too heavy on the sauce and it soaked through and stuck.  So please, heavily cornmeal your stones people and be careful with the sauce so you don't end up eating shrimp chutney pizza mash like we did.  Thankfully, it tasted good and I did manage to get two nearly perfect slices.

It's an adults only night so when I passed this wine at Whole Foods, I couldn't resist.  The name explains my life!  :)  Since I know nothing of explaining wine flavors, notes, etc., I'll just tell you I liked it.  And it was on sale.  Woohoo!

Also decided to try out a new chocolate.  The chocolate bar display at Whole Foods is so interesting.  So many neat flavors to try (similar to their immense wall o' nutrition bars).  This one is coconut curry in milk chocolate.  It was different.  Seriously, it tasted like the chicken tikka I had for lunch but yet there was a desserty quality to it.  Not sure I like it but I don't hate it.  I could still feel the curry on the back of my throat several minutes after I had a bite.

And there we have it.  I lovely, romantic dinner for two.  Only, the Mr. got stuck at work so I ate alone (and enjoyed every minute of it).

I'm anxious to see what the new Aarti Party has in store.  It is a great idea for a show - a little flavor of India in your everyday dishes and this recipe certainly didn't disappoint.  Guilty tv pleasures anyone?

Garlic Shrimp Pizza with Roasted Pepper "Sauce"

I saw something similar to this in Rachel Ray's magazine and have always wanted to give it a try.  Never met a pizza I didn't like.  This one is a whole wheat crust pizza topped with garlic shrimp and a roasted pepper sauce (or pesto) in place of the usual marinara.  Delicious!

1 whole wheat dough
16oz jar roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
10 basil leaves
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb shrimp, cleaned and tails removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb reduced fat mozzarella, shredded
salt
pepper

Heat oven to 400.  Spread dough over pizza stone or baking sheet.  Meanwhile, pulse peppers, basil and 2 tbsp olive oil in food processor until it forms a sauce.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add minced garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook until done.

Top pizza dough with sauce, shrimp and shredded mozzarella.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Topping with chopped basil is optional.  Don't fret over extra sauce.  This can be thickend up with some walnuts for use as a spread, or you can keep it as is and use as a dip or topping for any other protein/pasta you like.

Cook to desired doneness.

Healthy Kid Tip: I made an extra pizza for the kids.  Just a standard marinara and cheese, but I added 2 tbsp of the pepper sauce in with the marinara.  They didn't have a clue!

Coconut, coconut, coconut - and Shrimp

How much do I love coconut??  Well, I add it to my oatmeal, pancakes, brownies, cookies.  I cook with coconut oil and coconut butter.  I use a coconut scented shampoo, perfume oil and body scrub, and keep a coconut lip balm on my night stand.  When we go out for a drink, I just tell the bartender to give me anything involving coconut rum.  I'm sure there's more, but we'll stop here for now as I'm sure I painted the picture.  That being said, words can not express how thrilled I was to see this coconut shrimp and rice with spicy mango sauce dish on Rachel's wonderful and cleverly named blog, Me, Myself & Pie (also be sure to check out her "Better than Sex Cake" - I'll be trying that one out very soon).  Her photos alone will have you drooling at your desk - food porn at it's best!

I used Rachel's recipe pretty much exactly (see her blog for her step by step photos and instructions):

Sauce:
1 tsp canola oil
2/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
12 oz. mango nectar
1 habanero pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
dash salt

Shrimp:
1 lb. large to jumbo shrimp
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flake
1/2 cup panko (would've liked the whole wheat variety, but my store was out)
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 egg whites, slightly beaten
dash salt
8 tsp canola oil, divided
cooking spray

Rice:
1 cup water
3/4 cup brown basmati rice
3/4 cup light coconut milk
dash salt
chopped cilantro to taste

For sauce heat 1 tsp oil in saucepan and saute onion, ginger and garlic for three minutes.  Add nectar and pepper.  Bring to boil.  Cook until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.  Place in blender and process until smooth.  Stir in lime juice and salt.  Let cool (I liked this chilled).

For shrimp breading, place coconut in blender and pulse until finely chopped.  Add panko and pulse to combine.  Place cornstarch, egg whites and coconut panko in small dishes.  Dredge each shrimp in the cornstarch, then egg whites, then coconut.

Heat a large skillet with 2 tsp canola oil to coat.  Add 6-7 shrimp at a time.  Coat tops of shrimp with cooking spray.  Cook 2-3 minutes each side or to desired doneness.  Repeat with remaining oil and shrimp.  This is a teeny bit of a PIA and I had some trouble getting my breading to stick (probably because I used egg whites from a carton), but it is so worth it in the end, I promise!

For the rice, combine the water, rice, coconut milk and salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Stir in chopped cilantro.

Serve shrimp along side rice with a healthy amount of dipping sauce - this sauce is Da BOMB!!

So this dish is a little higher in cholesterol and carbs than I usually like, but we all need a day off, right?  With the omission of butter, egg yolk and cream, using unsweetened coconut and brown rice, and with my original intention of using whole wheat panko, I still felt this was "healthy cooking blog" worthy.  This was very, VERY much worth the little cheat!  Thank you Me, Myself & Pie!!  I hope you all give it a try.

Oh, and I followed this dinner up with a fabulous carrot cake (a somewhat healthier version).  I'll post that soon.  My husband and I enjoyed a really great dinner and dessert - I highly recommend.  >;-)

A Try at Thai

I LOVE Thai food as does my husband, but it always seemed like such a daunting task to make - so many ingredients, so many steps, just too hard (I feel the same way about Korean food, but will try my hand at that later in the week).  Well, I found a healthy version that didn't seem TOO labor intensive and decided I'd finally give it a try.  The Mr. was very excited when I told him what I was going to make - thai coconut shrimp with rice noodles!

Recipe modified from one found in Clean Eating magazine (shocker, I know - it is just such a GREAT magazine)!

1 pkg brown rice noodles (Asian food aisle)
2 cups broccoli florets
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 tbsp tomato sauce
3 tbsp peanut butter (I used fresh ground)
1 tsp ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like extra heat)
juice of 1 lime
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lb raw shrimp, tails removed

Cook noodles according to directions.  Rinse in hot water, drain, set aside.  Boil broccoli florets for 5 minutes, drain, set aside.

Combine coconut milk, sauce, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and lime juice in a bowl.  Mix to thoroughly combine.

Simmer coconut mixture and bean sprouts for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add shrimp and broccoli and cook until done.  Add noodles to the shrimp mixture and serve it up while hot!  Made just enough for 4 servings.

This was absolutely delicious!!  My husband said he wished he was more hungry just so he could keep eating (he did take the leftovers with him to work today).  The rice noodles did get a little sticky so I'm not sure if I overcooked them a bit or didn't rinse them enough, but it definitely did not affect the flavor.

Kids review:  They were not home, but I KNOW my son would eat this.  My daughter decided she doesn't like shrimp (or anything else for that matter) right now, but she would probably eat the noodles and I would add some cubed chicken.  I will make this again and use this fabulous sauce for other dishes like chicken and peas!

Nutritional info (approximate):  338 calories; 9g total fat; 2g sat fat; 48g carbs; 6g fiber; 20g protein; 55mg cholesterol; 2.5g sugars

Packet Cooking

I have made a kind of shrimp/fish boil in a foil pouch before and loved it (and you can NOT beat the easy clean up).  I was happy to see some recipes for "packet cooking" in Clean Eating Magazine this month.

Early in the week I made Jambalaya.  We had it once for dinner and several times for lunch throughout the week.  It has a great little spicy heat to it.

1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined
cubed chicken breast
sliced turkey sausage
1 white onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic
salt-free creole seasoning (to taste)
2 cups instant brown rice
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
pepper (to taste)
cooking spray for foil

I like to make this on the grill, but if using the oven, preheat to 400.  Prepare foil sheets for three large packets, spray foil with cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients and mix to combine.  Evenly divide among foil sheets and seal packets.

If using oven, place packets on a baking sheet.  Cook for 25 minutes or to desired doneness.  Serve hot and enjoy!

My take - This was really yummy.  I loved the spicyness of the creole seasoning (which I had never used before).  One thing I will do differently next time is I will brown the sauages before putting in the packets.  The way the sausage boils or whatever it does in the packet causes it to come out very, well, boiled looking.  Not appetizing (although it was still delicious)!  I don't have a kid review as they were not home the night I made it for dinner.

Anybody have any other "packet" recipes they use?