Vietnamese Style Stir-fried Shrimp with Green Beans

I love Vietnamese food, although around here the selection is very limited.  We have a number of good places to choose from, but it's mostly Pho and grilled shrimp or chicken or whatever over rice or vermicelli.  Oh and don't forget the spring and summer rolls!  The first time I decided to make a bun dish at home I was amazed at the ingredients in the sauce that is used widely in Vietnamese food.  It's a combo of fish sauce, garlic, lime juice, and sugar, depending on the recipe there may be chilis or carrots added to it.  Thus I purchased my first of many bottles of fish sauce, something that on it's own still seems quite, well yucky.

This dish and many other fabulous dishes rely on this yucky fish sauce, which when incorporated gives a flavoring that cannot be duplicated. I do a lot of stir-fry in our house.  Basically it's a great way to make a fast flavorful dish with good veggies incorporated.  The problem is, I do same basic stir-fry over and over.  Oh yes, I change the meat the selection of veggies, but I basically use the same seasonings.  What I like about this dish is the flavor that the fish sauce and oyster sauce give to it.  It's not my regular stir fry.

Vietnamese Style Stir-fried Shrimp with Green Beans

1 cup jasmine rice
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 lbs extra large shrimp, peeled and deveinded
3 tablespoon avocado oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 jalapenos, chopped (keep seeds for more heat, discard for less heat)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 cup basil leaves cut into ribbons
juice of 1 lime

Put the jasmine rice and 2 cups water in rice cooker, set to cook.

Combine the corn starch and water and and stir until the corn starch is dissolved.  Pour over the shrimp, toss and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat.  Add the onions and jalapeno, stir fry for about 30 seconds then add the garlic for another 10 seconds.   Add the shrimp and green beans, stir fry until the shrimp begin to turn pink about 4-5 minutes.  Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce and broth, cook and stir until the shrimp is cooked.  Add the bell pepper, basil and lime juice stir and then remove from heat.

Serve over jasmine rice.

Parchment Roasted Salmon

Sometimes the simplest cooking ideas are the best. That's how I feel about this Salmon recipe. Nothing about it is earth shattering, except how fabulous it tastes.  

The trick to this recipe is the parchment paper. Parchment paper is one of my new favorite things. It seems to have made my mediocre cookies into great cookies, so I wondered would it do the same for my salmon recipe?  I know could cook this dish without it, and it would be quite tasty and good.  I also know clean up would be a bit of a pain. But besides the clean up, what would the parchment do for me?  Cooking fish using parchment isn't a new concept, but mostly it seems that folks like to wrap fish inside the parchment and basically steam it.  This is not what I was looking for. I wanted something more crispy and brown, something with a roasted rustic taste.  I got it. 

Parchment Roasted Salmon

1 1/2 lbs salmon about an inch thick

Marinade:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of one lemon

1 clove garlic pressed

3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1 sheet of parchment paper

Combine the marinade ingredients.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Set wire rack in boiler pan and then lay the parchment paper on top.  Place the fish on the parchment paper.  Pour the marinade over the fish and let is set for 10-15 minutes.

Put the pan in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes, then turn the heat on broil and brown for about 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked to your liking.  

Seafood Stew

I have an oldie but goodie on my menu plan this week, and even though I posted it before on my old site, many of you have never seen it.  

This dish is a hearty favorite, it's one of those catch all dishes that you can throw anything into.  My version has evolved from a basic tomato base stew with fish in it, to a heartier, creamy version utilizing corn, potatoes and coconut milk. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it mostly from items in your pantry or freezer, plus throw in a few items from the fridge that need to be used and you have a great meal.

Seafood Stew

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion -- chopped

3 cloves garlic -- pressed

1 each jalapeno pepper -- minced

2 medium potatoes -- 1/2" cubes

1 ear corn

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

15 ounces chicken broth

1/4 cup red wine

1 cup water

2 tablespoons fresh parsley -- chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons basil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

12 ounces cod

1 pound shrimp -- shells removed

10 ounces clams, canned -- undrained

13.5 ounces coconut milk

·         In large pot, sauté onions in oil until they begin to soften, add the garlic and jalapeno and sauté 1 to 2 minutes longer.

·         Cut the corn off the cob and add it to pot with the potatoes. Add the tomatoes thru the black pepper and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender.

·         Cut the fish into large pieces and add to the pot, cook until it begins to break apart.

·         Add shrimp and clams and cook 5-6 minutes.

·         Add coconut milk and cook until heated through.

·         Serve with salad and crusty bread.

As calculated By Mastercook. Per Serving: 376 Calories; 18g Fat (41.6% calories from fat); 33g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 128mg Cholesterol; 864mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 3 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Nothing beats a great chowder when it's cold outside.  So when I was working on this week's menu and came across this fabulous recipe, I knew it was going to make onto the plan.  Pair this chowder with some fresh baked bread and you've got some serious comfort food.  The combination of creamy corn and potato goodness with shrimp and bacon can not be beat! The best part is how quick it is.

This is a mid-guilt recipe, I use a combination of half and half and 2% percent milk.  You can up the creaminess and calorie count by using some heavy cream, or you can go the opposite way and use skim milk and puree more of the veggies to get the right consistency.  Make it work for you.  If you don't do the dairy, I am sure coconut milk would make a great substitute.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

2 slices bacon cut into slivers
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic mince
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Pinch of saffron
Few pinches of cayenne pepper and cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
3 teaspoons flour
8 oz clam juice
1 cup half and half
2 cups 2 % milk
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 bag frozen corn
1 can creamed corn
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives or parsley

Fry bacon in heavy large Dutch oven.  Remove bacon to drain and reserve for serving. Add onions and bell pepper and seasonings to saute.  Add the garlic and saute a minute longer. Add the flour and cook another 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes, clam juice, half and half and milk bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. If the chowder seems a little thin use an immersion blender to break down some of potatoes, but make sure to leave a good amount chunky. Add shrimp, creamed corn and corn and cook until the potatoes are tender and the shrimp and corn are heated through. Stir in bacon and chives or parsley.

Israeli Couscous with Shrimp and Summer Vegetables

Tomatoes, zucchini and corn. Tomatoes, Zucchini and Corn. TOMATOES, ZUCCHINI, and CORN! Yes, it's that time of year and whether you are a gardener, a CSA recipient or just an average shopper who loves seasonal goods, you are swimming in them. That's fine, in a few weeks you'll start to miss them and by mid-winter you'll be dreaming of them.  That's because there is nothing like the taste of these veggies (and fruit) in the heart of summer.  Today's recipe makes the most of these fresh flavors.

One of my favorite parts of this dish is the use of fresh corn. It's a method used in another recipe here on my blog, Pappardelle with Corn and Tomatoes.  Parboil the corn, slice it off the cob and mix it into the recipe.  It also utilizes a bit of the water used to boil the corn, so don't dump it out.  I love how the sweetness of the fresh corn permeates the entire dish.

You could make this dish with regular couscous or even any type of pasta you like, but if you haven't gotten into Israeli couscous, you've got to give it a try.  The small pearl sized balls of pasta are a favorite in our household.

Israeli Couscous with Shrimp and Summer Vegetables
Serves 3

3 ears corn
olive oil
1 lb extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup reserved corn water
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 1/2 cup Israeli couscous
3 Roma tomatoes (or 2 regular), chopped
Kosher salt and pepper

Boil corn in a large of water for 5 minutes. Remove corn and set aside to cool.  Once cool, cut the corn off the cob. Reserve some of the water for use in the recipe.

In a large saute pan, in 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, cook onion until slightly soft. Add 2 cloves pressed garlic and saute 1 minute longer.  Add the wine, broth and 1/4 cup reserved corn water. Bring to a boil and add the zucchini and corn, make sure to bring the liquid back to boil and then add the couscous.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cover and simmer another 3 minutes.

Once the couscous is simmering, in a separate pan heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium high.  Add the shrimp and 1 pressed clove of garlic then quickly saute until the shrimp begins to curl. Empty the contents of the shrimp saute pan into the couscous mixture, add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to mix, add a few teaspoons of reserved corn water if needed.  Cover simmer a minute or so longer, remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Fettuccini with Shrimp and Fresh Tomatoes

Ah, it's nice to be back!  It's been vacation time for our household, and I have been out so much I haven't had time to have fun in the kitchen.  Last week we were at the beach for 9 days.  Yes I cooked there, but I hate cooking in the vacation rental kitchens, it's absolutely no fun. There are weird pots and none of my handy kitchen gadgets. On vacation I revert to a method cooking that I rarely employ at home.  I try to use as few ingredients as possible, do very little chopping and creating, and even rely on processed foods.  Yes, that includes jar pasta sauce, oh how far we can sink for convenience. I did bring a few things like a zip lock bag with my homemade oven fried chicken coating and some fresh corn from my CSA box. That was a good easy meal; I'll need to think about more home pre-prep, next time.

Anyway, we are back and just in time because it's Tomato season!  Nothing says summer like a fresh tomato and this week's CSA box had tons.  There were gorgeous large red slicing tomatoes, cute multicolored cherry tomatoes, and a huge batch of yellow plum tomatoes.  For this recipe you could any of them, but I decided on a mix of the red and yellow tomatoes. There were also onions, basil and zucchini in the box so I added them to the party.

This recipe, in some ways is a take off of Pappardelle with Corn and Tomatoes, I like how the wine and veggie broth are added to make the sauce. I do this often, I find a method or mix that works then I change it around to fit different ingredients, no need to recreate the wheel every time I cook something new.

 Fettuccini with Shrimp and Fresh Tomatoes

2 teaspoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
12 ounces Fettuccini
1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced thin
¼ Vidalia onion, sliced thin
4-5 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
kosher salt
black pepper

In large wok or skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Add the shrimp and sauté until the shrimp turn pink.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Cook the pasta as the package directs. Meanwhile

Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and the rest of the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion begins to soften.  Add the zucchini and cook 3-4 minutes longer.  Add the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 pepper, cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the wine and reduce for 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and the broth to the skillet and allow it to simmer for 1 minute.  Add the pasta, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining butter to the skillet.  Stir and add more broth if needed to help combine the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the basil.

Herbed Salmon with Peruvian Inspired Lettuce Sauce

The more I cook, the more I realize that many times with a good dish it's all about the sauce.  Certainly the food needs to well seasoned and properly cooked, but an exquisite sauce really makes the dish extraordinary.  In fact, a fabulous sauce can save a mediocre dish.  It's all about the sauce.  That's how I feel about today's dish. It's not that the herbed salmon is mediocre, it can certainly stand on it's own, but it's the sauce turns this dish into something special.

What's funny is that I wasn't planning on making a sauce, but this time of year the CSA bombards us with greens, greens and more greens.  I'm pretty good with using up the tougher greens such as kale, collards, chard, spinach in various recipes, or in the case of use it before it spoils, my go to recipe is winter greens pesto.  Make it, freeze it, move on and use something else before next week's box comes.  The problem for me is lettuce.  I love salad, but not every night.  I had some romaine and the outside leaves were losing it, so I knew that I needed to act.  I went online and looked for lettuce sauces and found a nice variety of ideas.  One that caught my eye was a Peruvian sauce with mayo in it. I used that concept as my base and threw this sauce together with items that I had on hand, including some garlic scapes that I needed to use up.  As I get the hang of sauces like this, I realize it's not always in the exact ingredients, just use whatever you have. So as you read this and find that you have no garlic scapes use garlic (a little less) or scallions (a little more) to make the sauce.

Herbed Salmon with Peruvian Inspired Lettuce Sauce

Lettuce Sauce

1/2 head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon capers

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 jalapenos, seeds removed and chopped

2 garlic scapes chopped

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Herbed Salmon

1 lb salmon fillet

2 garlic scapes, minced

1/8 cup garlic chives, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

juice of one lime

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 sup olive oil

romaine lettuce chopped

Puree the lettuce sauce ingredients in a food processor and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Prepare a broiler pan with foil underneath the rack to protect the pan and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the salmon on the rack.  Mix the remaining ingredients and pour on top of the salmon.  Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes and then turn up the heat up to broil to caramelize the honey during the last few minutes of cooking.  If the fish browns before it is cooked to the desired degree, turn the oven back to 450 degrees to complete cooking.

Serve the fish on a bed of lettuce with the lettuce sauce drizzled on top.

Herb Marinated Shrimp

Have I mentioned my favorite kitchen gadget yet?  Probably not since I am behind on my posts, so I'll take a moment to fill you in, it's the Cuisinart Immersion Blender.  This little magic wand mixes up smoothies and sauces super fast without having to pull out the food processor or blender, which makes clean up a breeze. I've used it several times a day since I got it on Mother's Day. I've wanted one for years and had I known exactly how wonderful it is, I would have gotten one much sooner.

Today's recipe is a product of the new immersion blender.  The marinade has a number of fresh herbs from the garden, which were blended down into yummy goodness. I used rosemary, basil and oregano, but use whatever you have. Dried herbs could be used in place of fresh if that's all you have on hand. Another note, I use a grill pan for this recipe because it makes life easy, but if you don't have one you could put the shrimp on skewers.  Either way this dish is fast, so make sure you have everything else ready before you put the shrimp on the grill.


Herb Marinated Shrimp

1 part red wine vinegar
1 part water
3 parts olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Two sprigs fresh rosemary, removed from the stem
several leaves fresh basil
several leaves fresh oregano
1 1/2 lbs jumbo tiger shrimp, shelled and deveined

Mix the marinade ingredients in a beaker or large measuring cup with an immersion blender, or mix in a blender. Pour over shrimp and marinate for several hours.

Preheat grill.  Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and set it on the grill for 2-3 minutes to heat it up.  Spoon the shrimp into the pan with a slotted spoon and discard the remaining marinade. Cook quickly over medium high heat, stirring frequently.  Once the shrimp are pink and begin to curl, they are cooked.

Fish in Foil Packets

The other night I was making dinner and taking the usual pictures in case I wanted to include any of the dishes on the blog.  Well as I clicked, I ran out of space on the disk.  You know that means?  It means I've been cooking and taking pictures, but I have not been getting the recipes up on the Witchery page. I downloaded the pics yesterday, and I can tell you there is some good stuff coming your way.

Like today's recipe, which is an oldie but a goodie.  I have to admit I am not a fish fan.  It's just not my thing, but I know it's a good lean source of protein so I keep working it in.  This particular recipe is one of my favorites, and it is also a big hit with my picky eater.  I think what I like about it is how it is cooked in moist heat, plus the lemon juice and veggies give it great flavor.  Okay, it's also super easy.

This recipe uses turbot fillets and a selection of herbs and veggies.  You can use any fish and veggies you like.  Also fresh herbs are not required, but they are a nice addition.

Fish in Foil Packets
3-4 servings

1.25 lbs turbot fillet

olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt

black pepper

15 asparagus spears

1 small red onion, sliced

handful of snow peas

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

fresh herbs such as parsley and thyme

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut a foil piece large enough to encase one serving of fish and veggies for each serving and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil onto each sheet.  Place the fish on the sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Place the veggies on top of the fish and then top with the herbs.  Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and the juice of the lemon.  Season with a little more salt and pepper and seal the packets completely.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Check the fish for after 15 minutes.  Fish should be opaque and flake when it is done, be careful not to overcook.

Shrimp Spring Rolls

I have a thing for food that comes in its own little package. I know it's why I love ravioli, it's also why I love spring rolls.  They are little bundles of fresh and crunchy yumminess.  Fresh spring rolls, sometimes referred to as summer rolls are not fried, they are made with rice paper wrappers and filled with fresh and mostly, if not all, raw ingredients.  Add a little dipping sauce or two to accommodate different preferences and you've got what could be thought of as a handheld salad.

Some people may be intimidated by the thought of making spring rolls at home, I know I was at first, but

they are really pretty easy.  It's a matter of getting all your ingredients ready to roll in a little assembly line and then start soaking your wrappers.  I made this batch for my family of three and I have to say, if you are going to make them you want to make a good sized batch, so for us I think this will be party food. Unlike many foods, the leftovers aren't as good as freshly made.

Shrimp Spring Rolls

24 spring roll wrappers

8 oz rice stick noodles

1 lb shrimp, deveined

1/2 teapoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed

small bunch thai basil

small bunch cilantro

6-7 romaine lettuce leaves

1 cucumber, cut into thin strips

3 carrots, shredded

hoisin sauce

peanut sauce

sriracha sauce

Steam the shrimp. Peel and slice each shrimp in half lengthwise to make a thin slice and set aside

Prepare noodles according to instructions.  Drain.

Briefly sauté noodles in olive and sesame oils with garlic until garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.

Fill a wide, shallow bowl with very warm water. Dip 1 rice paper round into the water for a few seconds to soften, shake off excess water and then lay it flat on a plate. Dip a second round into the water and lay it directly on top of the first one. 

Center a lettuce leaf on top of the stacked rice papers. Top the lettuce with a few pieces of basil and cilantro, then top the herbs with a few pieces of the cucumber and a bit of the carrots. Next put a small bunch of noodles (about 2-3 tablespoons worth) on top. Lastly top the noodles with 4 slices of shrimp. Be careful not to over stuff the roll. Lift the bottom edge of the rice paper up and over the filling and then roll once to encase the filling. Then fold each of the sides up to close the ends and then continue to roll the the spring roll up sort of like a burrito. Sit the completed roll on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling ingredients to make 12 rolls.

I like to provide a number of dipping sauces such as hoisin, sriracha and peanut sauce.

Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry over Dressed Noodles

I love stir frying foods. It's a great way to cook a variety of ingredients together quickly, while being able to control the cook time of each item. By controlling the order of what goes in, you get your onions very soft but keep the broccoli nice and crisp.  I never make the same stir fry twice, but I do tend to use some staple items such as mushroom and onions.

The other thing about doing a stir fry is deciding what to serve it over.  I like brown rice, jasmine rice and farro, but one of my favorites is noodles.  With grains I keep the grains plain and rely on the stir fry for all the flavor. But when I do noodles, or more specifically linguine,  I like to dress the noodles first.  It's an extra layer of flavor and texture to make the dish a bit different.  Plus it guarantees that my picky eater will dig in.

As with all stir fries this dish cooks fast, so cook the noodles first and have all your other ingredients chopped and ready to go.

Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry over Dressed Noodles

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined

Shrimp marinade:
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

1 lb linguine

Dressing:
1/4 t sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
3 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/2 large red pepper, sliced
1 crown of broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup of snow peas

Combine the shrimp marinade ingredients and pour over the shrimp. refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cook the linguine according to the directions on the package. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss the cooked pasta with the dressing.  Additional olive oil and soy sauce may be needed for moisture and flavor.


Meanwhile heat the coconut oil in a wok, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the shrimp, reserving the marinade. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add the mushrooms.  After 1-2 minutes, pour in the reserved marinade and add the red peppers. Stir-fry for a minute then add remaining veggies and stir fry a few minutes longer.  Remove from heat, then toss with dressed noodles.

Laylita's Shrimp Rice

So you may have figured out by now that I am a food geek. I am constantly thinking about recipes, cooking and trying new things.  This is partly because I make sure I keep great food ideas coming my way.  One way I manage this is to subscribe to my favorite recipe blogs, so that recipes just feed into my inbox.  This is the best way to make sure I don't miss anything, especially since facebook loves to arbitrarily filter things these days. 

One of my favorite recipe blogs is Laylita's Recipes. The other day Laylita's Arroz con Camerones ended up in my in box.  This is an Ecuadorian recipe for shrimp and rice cooked in shrimp broth. The picture sold me, and later as I was making it, the wafting scents sealed the deal. This dish smells heavenly.  Maybe one of the reasons I found the scent of this dish so tantalizing was that I got to use a new seasoning to make it.  The seasoning is annatto which is derived form the seeds of the achiote tree.  The taste is described as nutty and peppery. This new seasoning, plus the shrimp broth and wine are wondrous together.

Just to be clear, my posting here is not my recipe, I haven't really even changed it except for a few small changes due to what I had one hand. Therefore, I can take no credit for it; it is here almost word for word as Laylita posted it. But it is so good, I feel the need to share it with you. Plus I put my own twist on it by serving it with some of my favorites: Cuban black beans (that I had frozen and thawed), oven fried plantains (recipe below) and of course homemade salsa.

BTW, Just as I subscribe to Laylitas recipes, you can do the same with mine, just enter your email in the box on the right.

Arroz Con Camarones

(this is almost word for word from Laylita's recipes)

Ingredients:

1 lb raw shrimp, shells on

1 tsp cumin

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs olive oil

2 cups uncooked rice

3 tbs butter

1 red onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, diced

3 tbs parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish

1 tsp ground achiote or annatto

½ cup of white wine

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Marinate the shrimp with salt, pepper, 1 tsp of cumin, and the crushed garlic, let rest for an hour.

Bring water to boil in a large pot, add the shrimp and boil for about 2 minutes.

Remove the shrimp from the water and reserve 2 ½ cups of the water they cooked in to prepare the rice.

Remove the shells and tails from the shrimp. Chop about half of the shrimp in half and leave the other half whole.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or pot, add the minced garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

Add the rice to the garlic and oil, mix well until the rice is coated with oil.

Add the 2 ½ cups of water that was used to boil the shrimp. Bring to boil, cover  and reduce heat to low.

In the meantime, melt the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan; add the onions, peppers, tomatoes, parsley, ground achiote, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tsp of cumin. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add the white wine to the vegetable mix and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers are tender.

Mix in the sautéed vegetables and chopped shrimp with the rice, which should still be cooking, and cook on low heat until the rice is tender.

Add the remaining shrimp during the last minutes and mix well.

Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Oven Fried Plantains

2 ripe plantains
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Peel the plantains and slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces.  Coat with olive oil and spread evenly onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Cook for about 20 minutes, turning once halfway through.

Shrimp and White Beans over Israeli Couscous

Sometimes I wonder why I am doing a food blog, I mean really, there are about ten billion of them out there.  Maybe I aspire to write a cookbook one day, but I also think cookbooks may be coming obsolete.  I like to look through a good cookbook, but mostly these days if I want to make something I rarely hit the cookbooks first, I am more likely to go to the internet and compare a number of recipes.  So why am writing this? I am realizing as it is starting to come together that maybe I am just trying a new method of organizing my recipes. 

I have the recipe card file, I have a folder of old favorites, I have a few three ring notebooks that are forever getting out of order.  When I need to find a recipe, I need to remember what form it is in and then search for it.  That's what happened with today's recipe.  I knew I wanted to make it and had to go through a number of places to find it.  I knew I could look it up on the internet, but I also knew that I had notations on my paper copy.

I guess that's the other thing, I make notations.  This happens as I cook and sometimes the notes are a bit illegible.  Sometimes I throw something together knowing I'll remember it, but of course a few weeks later I have the gist of it but not all nuances.  This process of cooking, making notes, taking pictures and then documenting it online so I can just pull my tablet out in the kitchen and look it up is really working for me, and if my friends discover a few new recipes in the process, well that's just a bonus.

Today's recipe is adapted from a recipe posted on Real Simple, called Lemony Shrimp with White Beans and Couscous.  It sounded great, so I made it.  I thought it was bland, made a few changes and now it is a favorite.  I kept the essence of the dish, but I upped the flavor by adding in veggie broth, veggies, and more garlic and onions.  I also upped the texture by using Israeli couscous; I love this stuff!  Wonderful little balls of pasta.  The other thing that I did which I know most of you won't, is I used dry beans instead of canned.  I made them the day before so they were ready and waiting in the refrigerator.  This recipe is quick and easy and if you want to use canned beans, it will be wonderful, the dry beans just up the texture and flavor one more step.

Shrimp and White Beans over Israeli Couscous

1 can vegetable broth plus enough water to equal 2 cups

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

1 small zucchini, chopped (asparagus is good also)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 1/2 cups white beans or 1 15.5-ounce can white beans beans, rinsed

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons butter

Bring the vegetable broth and water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and zucchini. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes to soften a bit. Add the shrimp and garlic and cook, stirring, until the shrimp begin to turn pink. Stir in the beans, parsley, lemon juice, butter, salt, and pepper. Cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve over the couscous and veggies.

Winter Greens Pesto Topped with Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Like many of my foodie friends, one of my guilty pleasures is Pinterest.  I could surf the site all day long looking for new food ideas. One that recently caught my eye was for winter greens pesto.  The picture of the green coated noodles just looked super yummy.  Once I explored the recipe on a web site called theKitchn and found that the green used was kale, a hard won new favorite of mine, I decided it was worth a try.

First, I guess I should explain hard won.  I know it's crazy but up until recently, I never even considered buying kale.  It just wasn't on my list of commonly used veggies.  My sister-in-law made kale chips for us once, and although they were quite tasty, I still didn't get into kale exploration.  It wasn't until I signed up for a weekly delivery of veggies from our local CSA that I got into kale.  This is surprising because our first try was rough.  I sauteed/steamed it with olive oil and garlic the way I sometimes do with spinach, and due to its strong flavor and tougher texture it was not a hit at the dinner table.  A few tries and a few varieties later I learned how to finesse kale and get my family to not only eat it, but to enjoy it.

Hence, my thrill when learning this pesto recipe was wrapped around using kale.  I immediately put it on the menu plan and even though on its own this is a great vegetarian dish, we already had several vegetarian nights planned so I decided to utilize some shrimp that I had in my freezer. 

I followed the Kitchn's recipe very closely, which is actually a bit unusual for me.  I was loosey-goosey with the measurements because I have no idea how much my batch of kale weighed, so I used the whole thing.  By the way I used lacinato kale (I've also heard it called dinosaur kale) which is a more textured variety (sort of like dinosaur skin,) than the ruffly stuff you usually see in the grocery store.

I was thrilled when I scraped it out of the food processor to find this lovely green potion for pasta.  What I liked even better was that I made it early in day, making the night's dinner preparation much easier. 

The shrimp piece was just as simple.  I peeled the already deveined shrimp and threw it in a zip lock bag with the marinade ingredients and let it sit in the refrigerator until the pasta was boiling.  A quick stir-fry and dinner was ready. 

My child who hates tomato based sauces, go figure my Italian genes must have gotten lost in her DNA, loved this dish. Plus, this recipe made a ton so I have plenty to save. Maybe I'll put some on tonight's pizza!  The rest I will freeze for another time.  We'll keep this one in the rotation.

Since I have not made any changes to the winter greens pesto recipe I am going to direct you to the original posting at theKitchn.

Winter Greens Pesto Topped with Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Winter greens pesto
1 lb Linguine
2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Marinade:
Juice from 2 limes
2 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup oil oil
2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper to taste

Make the Pesto and store it in the refrigerator until needed.

Combine the marinade ingredients.  Pour the marinade over the shrimp and refrigerate for several hours.

Boil the water for the pasta, salting generously. Meanwhile, heat a wok or large pan to stir fry the shrimp. Once the pasta is boiling, add the shrimp to the wok (discarding the excess marinade,) and quickly stir fry until the shrimp turns pink.  Drain the pasta (leaving a few tablespoons of the water) and toss in the desired amount of pesto, transfer to a serving bowl and top with the shrimp.