Gnocchi with Roasted Shrimp & Asparagus

GNOCCHI WITH ROASTED SHRIMP & ASPARAGUS
recipe found at Cooking with Jamie

4 cups (1 inch) sliced asparagus
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 (16 ounce) package vacuum packed gnocchi
2 tablespoons pesto
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; add salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Add shrimp to the baking sheet with asparagus; cook 5 to 8 minutes until shrimp are done.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain gnocchi and return to pot. Add shrimp, asparagus, pesto and shredded cheese. Toss gently.

Yield: 4 servings

Bang Bang Shrimp Copycat

Saturday night date night at home!

Bonefish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp made at home and a gourmet burger.




BANG BANG SHRIMP COPYCAT
recipe adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1/2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
4 tablespoons chopped green onions

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and Sriracha. Set aside.

Divide lettuce between 2 plates. Set aside.

Coat shrimp with cornstarch, mixing well with your hands.

Heat a large skillet on high heat; when hot add oil. When oil is hot add the shrimp to hot pan and cook, tossing constantly for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until shrimp are slightly crispy. Remove from pan and combine with the sauce, coating well.

Place shrimp mixture on lettuce and top with scallions.

Yield: 2 appetizer servings


Hamburger included plain beef patty, crumbled blue cheese, chunky blue cheese salad dressing, bacon, lettuce and tomato. We had sweet potato fries with the burger (frozen crinkle cut from Kroger).

And, here's Sheldon enjoying the outdoors for a while. Just because.

Acapulco Shrimp Cocktail and Fish Tacos

So, I wanted a special side dish to go with my Fish Tacos... I usually serve black beans with them, but wasn't in the mood for that this time. I loooooovvvvvve avocados, so when I ran across this recipe, I knew I would love it. And I did!

ACAPULCO SHRIMP COCKTAIL
recipe found at What's Cookin Chicago?

1 pound cooked shrimp
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado, diced

Place the shrimp in a large bowl and add the lime juice.

In a small bowl, mix the ketchup, hot sauce, Worcestershire, onion and cilantro. Mix well; then pour over shrimp and stir.

Carefully fold in the diced avocado. Divide into 4 to 6 serving dishes.

You can find the recipe for my Fish Tacos here.

By the way, I am back to school tomorrow. That means less cooking and posting here, but I'll give it my best effort.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Such a yummy dinner of Shrimp Fried Rice, served with a cup of Campbell's Wonton Soup on the side.

This is something that I mostly just throw together, so I don't have a good, complete recipe. I use Sun-Bird Fried Rice seasoning mix and mostly follow the directions on the back of the package.

I use Success Boil in Bag brown rice. I cook it ahead of time and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. The cold rice sticks together less, trying to stir-fry warm rice just turns it to mush.

I add chopped onion, frozen mixed vegetables (that have been cooked until warm), 2 eggs scrambled, soy sauce and shrimp.

I started by cooking the onions, then added the shrimp. Moved those to the side and cooked the eggs.

In a separate pan, I stir-fried the rice in a little vegetable oil, added the vegetables, seasoning mix and soy sauce. After cooking that for a short time, I added the onion, shrimp and egg mixture and cooked a little more.

Leftovers from this are really good for lunch the next day!

Chipotle Alfredo with Shrimp

Here's a delicious recipe I found at Kraft Foods. It is so delicous and easy to make. Leftovers were especially good, too. Tastes way better than it looks, it's not bland at all like the picture.

I cut the recipe in half. Follow the link above if you want to serve eight. My version below serves four.

CHIPOTLE ALFREDO WITH SHRIMP

3 tablespoon butter, divided
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo puree (see tip in this post)
8 ounces linguine or fettuccine, cooked and drained

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp from skillet; cover to keep warm. Reduce heat to low.

Add cheeses, milk, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the chipotle peppers to skillet; cook 5 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Gently stir in shrimp.

Toss with the hot pasta.

Chipotle Orange Shrimp

A yummy recipe from the people at KraftFoods. Only 6 ingredients!! Less than 30 minutes to complete!

Mediterranean Shrimp

One of my favorites! And it can be done in less than half an hour.

MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (Italian herb variety)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tablespoon Cavender’s Greek seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup dry orzo

Cook orzo according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes. Add onions, Greek seasoning and pepper. Cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Toss with feta cheese. Mix in cooked orzo and serve.

Yield: 2 servings

Jerk Shrimp & Cuban Black Beans

Nothing new here, just favorites in a new combination.

Follow the link for the Cuban Black Beans recipe. This time served over seasoned yellow rice.

I sauteed the shrimp in McCormick Perfect Pinch Jerk Seasoning.

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

This is a repeat from way back. But it is so good, and I have my own picture now.

CREAMY CAJUN SHRIMP LINGUINE

6 ounces linguine
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon butter
1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; sauté until tender. Add flour, Cajun seasoning and cayenne to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in half-and-half; cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are done. Remove from heat and mix in pasta and parsley.

Yield: 2 or 3 servings

Shrimp and Grits

SHRIMP AND GRITS

3 cups water
1 cup quick grits
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 large clove garlic, minced

Cook grits according to package directions. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Meanwhile, rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy; drain bacon on paper towels and then chop. Remove some bacon grease, if needed, to leave just about one tablespoon in pan. Add shrimp to pan. Cook until shrimp start to turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, green onion and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes until shrimp are completely done.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Top with shrimp mixture.

Yield: 4 servings

Unfortunately, I had some fatty bacon that did not want to get crispy. It looks more like pieces of ham in the picture. You could do some shortcuts with the bacon, like Hormel bacon pieces or microwave the bacon, but the shrimp cooked in bacon grease is really yummy!

Product of the Day - Caribbean Jerk seasoning

Let's pretend we are back in Jamaica.....

Actually this is nothing like the Jerk seasoning that I've had in Jamaica, but I really, really like it! I guess you could say it has been Americanized.

It's a dry seasoning mix that I use mostly on fish and shrimp. It would be great on pork or chicken as well. I just sprinkle it on before sauteing in a little oil.

Label ingredients: Sugar, red pepper, thyme, allspice, salt, onion, turmeric. (I'll have to look that one up.)

It's just spicy enough for me, not too spicy for those that don't like spicy, might not be spicy enough for those who do.

Turmeric:

1 : an Indian perennial herb (Curcuma longa syn. C. domestica) of the ginger family with a large aromatic yellow rhizome
2 : the boiled, dried, and usually ground rhizome of the turmeric plant used as a coloring agent, a flavoring, or a stimulant

Stimulant???!!!

Mediterranean Shrimp with Orzo

This is what I had for dinner tonight.

I guess you can tell which photos I take and which ones I borrow from the professionals. I think you can see all the yumminess anyway.

Remember, keep the raw frozen shrimp on hand for dinners like this. Total prep and cooking time was less than half an hour (includes thawing shrimp under running water).

MEDITERRANEAN SHRIMP

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (garlic, onion, oregano variety)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup dry orzo pasta

Cook orzo according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes. Add green onions, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Toss with feta cheese. Mix in cooked orzo and serve.

Yield: 2 large main dish servings

Shortcut: Instead of fresh oregano, salt and pepper, use 1 teaspoon Cavender's Greek seasoning and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Just sharing one of my favorites. I found this recipe on myrecipes.com.

I like to buy bags of frozen raw shrimp to have on hand. Shrimp can be thawed quickly at the last minute, so not too much planning ahead is required.

Feel free to leave out the fresh parsley, I do. Fresh herbs are great, but I hate to buy them only to use such a small amount and waste the rest.

CREAMY CAJUN SHRIMP LINGUINE

6 ounces linguine
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon butter
1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; sauté until tender. Add flour, Cajun seasoning and cayenne to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in half-and-half; cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are done. Remove from heat and mix in pasta and parsley.

Yield: 2 servings

Pad Thai

I made the best dinner last night! I made Pad Thai with chicken from a recipe that I found on myrecipes.com. It was just like you get in a restaurant. Really, really, just like in a restaurant. I couldn't believe it. And it has ketchup in it, that seemed like a weird ingredient, but must be necessary. Also, has fish sauce, which is an odd ingredient. Maybe you could leave that out, but I think it added to the authentic flavor and it's cheap, so get it. It's in the Asian section of the grocery store.

PAD THAI (pictured with shrimp)

8 ounces linguine or fettuccine pasta
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
OR
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine ketchup, sugar, fish sauce and red pepper in a small bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp or chicken; sauté until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Heat 4 teaspoons of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add eggs; cook 30 seconds or until soft-scrambled, stirring constantly. Add sprouts, green onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add noodles, ketchup mixture, peanuts and meat; cook for about 3 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 6 servings

Scallops....Yum

I have been trying lots of new recipes since I'm doing the Weight Watchers thing. This is part of what I made on Friday night. It was sooooo good. And so easy!

PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Dredge the scallops in breadcrumbs. Add scallops to the pan, cook 4 minutes. Turn scallops and cook 3 minutes or until done.

Another new favorite that is even easier than the scallops:

OLD BAY STEAMED SHRIMP

1/2 cup cider vinegar or beer
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, leaving tails on
cocktail sauce

In a medium saucepan, mix vinegar, water and Old Bay seasoning. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Gently stir in shrimp, get them all coated with seasoning, then cover. Steam for 2 or 3 minutes, just until shrimp turn pink. Drain well. Serve immediately or refrigerate if you want to serve cold. Serve with cocktail sauce.