Shrimp Pad Thai

I've been wanting to make Pad Thai for some time now.  I have a ton of recipes saved and Ron is a big fan of it.  Despite eating Thai food on many occasions, I'd never tried the dish.  But, I figured that Ron deserved it after a number of consecutive meal-less days.  He's patient around finals time.  The least I can do is make him something he'll enjoy.


Honestly, I was overwhelmed.  I have about 18 recipes saved (a habit I need to break!) and each one was different from the next.  Some of the ingredients were completely foreign to me and I was hesitant to substitute anything.  I'm sure you can make healthier versions (using brown rice noodles, preparing your own sauce, etc.) but I decided to stick with the recipe that came on the back of the noodles box and used pre-purchased ingredients.  I'm not a big fan of playing around with ingredients while attempting my first try at a recipe and I was not interested on going on a wild-goose hunt for some of the ingredients.


I really enjoyed this dish.  The only thing I didn't enjoy was waiting for the noodles to soak.  I always make the mistake of waiting until I am completely famished before I start dinner.  Right about that time, I checked the box and read "soak noodles for 25-30 minutes."  Flip! @#@^!#&!!  That's my fault for not reading the recipe earlier in the day (another habit I need to break!).

Shrimp Pad Thai
adapted from A Taste of Thai
Yield:  Serves 2 (but the portions seemed rather large for a 2-person serving, we have plenty of leftovers)
Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Rice Noodles (I used a Taste of Thai)
• 4 tbsp canola oil, divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled & deveined (chicken, pork, or tofu can be used)
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 c coarsely chopped peanuts
• 1/2 c - 2/3 c Pad Thai sauce
• 2 c bean sprouts
• cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

1. Soak noodles according to directions for saute.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add egg; scramble lightly, about 20 seconds.
4. Add shrimp, meat or tofu; stir-fry until cooked through.
5. Add remaining oil.
6. Add noodles; stir-fry 4-7 minutes until firm but tender.
7. Add scallions, peanuts, and Pad Thai sauce; stir-fry about 1 minute.
8. Stir in bean sprouts.
9. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

Shrimp with Spinach and Orzo

We eat a lot of shrimp.  I never made shrimp at home until I started this blog and started browsing the internet for recipes.  There are so many recipes that use shrimp and I'm finding out why.  Shrimp is easy to cook and it's pretty difficult to overcook.  Plus, it can basically be paired with anything and turn out well.  I saw this recipe and knew I wanted to try it.  It looked simple and it looked very good.  I'm a big fan of feta so I knew the cheese part would be right up my alley!


Overall, the dish wasn't bad.  However, I plan to make this again with chicken and no shrimp.  As I ate this meal, I ended up taking all of the shrimp out and just eating the pasta & spinach mixture.  I'm used to eating shrimp with a lighter flavor.  The tomato + shrimp flavor overwhelmed me and I can't say I was a big fan.  For me, the pasta mixture alone would be a very good meal.  Pair with some chicken and it'd please the carnivore in the house.  


I used a 13x9 baking pan and the recipe makes a ton!  In a 2 person household, we'll be eating a lot of leftovers!

Shrimp with Spinach and Orzo
adapted from Cooking on the Side
Yield:  An 13x9 baking dish - divide that amongst the folks eating!
Ingredients

• 2 cups orzo
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease an 11×15-inch pan (or a 13x9-inch pan). 
2. Cook orzo according to package directions; drain and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Stir in spinach and drained diced tomatoes.  Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Cook garlic in remaining oil. Add shrimp; sauté until just pink. 
4. Add crushed tomatoes and oregano; simmer until slightly reduced. 
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon over orzo mixture; top with cheese.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with parsley, if desired.  Serve with bread or a side salad.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Orange Sauce (for Two)

We love stir-fry around here!  I certainly make it often because it's so easy.  Plus, I am a big fan of dinners that you eat from a bowl.  They are always easy and always delicious.


I decided to mix this shrimp up a bit.  Instead of the typical rice, I mixed it with some pasta shells.  I also scaled down the recipe for the shrimp to cook up a 2 serving meal.  I added some carrots and peas to my bowl and omitted them from Ron's.  Perfect!  The carrots and peas can easily be incorporated to the recipe (as reflected below).  We were both very surprised at how flavorful the meal turned out.  The orange shrimp had such a unique flavor and the meal seemed to get better with each bite.  Don't be turned off by the unpleasant color/picture, this dish was very good and very filling!
Note: you can find the original measurements for 4 servings by clicking on the Cooking Light link.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Orange Sauce
adapted from Cooking Light 
Yield:  2 servings
Ingredients

• 1/2 box medium shells
• 3/4 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. chili paste, such as sambal oelek
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. minced ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 3 Tbsp. chopped green onions
• 1/2 c. sliced carrots
• 1/2 c snap peas
• 1/4 c sliced almonds

Directions

1. Cook pasta shells according to package instructions.  Drain and set aside in bowl.
2. Place shrimp in a medium bowl.  Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat.  Set aside.
3. Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and chile paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
4. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant. 
5. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. 
6. Add juice mixture, carrots, peas and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. 
7. Once cooked, pour shrimp and sauce mixture in pasta bowl.  Toss well to coat evenly.
8. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Feta Shrimp w/ Brown Rice (and Chicago)

We're back from a fantastic trip to Chicago.  My gosh, I love that city!  Each visit makes it more and more clear that we need to spend some time as Chicago residents before settling down!  Looks like I might've found the best graduate program for me as well after graduating from WMCL :)


In any event, we're also back to reality and I'm excited to get back to the kitchen.  I love vacationing but I always find that I eventually get sick of eating at restaurants.  Don't get me wrong, we had some amazing dining experiences.  It's not the food that bothers me.  It's the fact that I don't know how the food is being prepared.  I have so many food allergies/issues that it's hard to plan a day when you don't know if you're going to break out in hives or not!  However, this was probably one of the best Chicago food experiences I've ever had.  We kept it consistently on a budget too (no Charlie Trotter's here!) so we didn't look at our bank accounts after the trip and cry.


My birthday weekend began by a side trip to the Bleeding Heart Bakery.  I have pretty much been obsessed with visiting this bakery since I saw the owners, Michelle and Vinny, featured on a few of the cake challenges on the Food Network.  They are seriously awesome and I managed to slightly freak out when I saw Michelle at the Roscoe Village bakery on Sunday.  I think she knew I was stalking her.  I smiled at her, she smiled back and I let her continue on her path without interrupting her busy day.  Their bakery is amazing and their goodies are so delicious!  I picked up one of the infamous 'Take a Hike' scones.  Oh my, this baby was amazing and lasted the duration of our trip!  I couldn't eat the whole thing in one sitting.  Ron had a s'mores cupcake and I had a raspberry cupcake w/ chocolate frosting.  Seriously, amazing.  If you are in Chicago, make a detour and go to this bakery!!

Later on that night, we had my birthday dinner at the Atwood Cafe for the final evening of Chicago's restaurant week.  On my birthday, we had breakfast at the Corner Bakery and Cafe, lunch at Hannah's Bretzels and a late dinner at Harry Caray's.  We stopped in for some amazing Cuban coffee at a fantastic little shop in the heart of the city.  The next day, we had brunch at the Bongo Room and dinner at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder.  Amazing, amazing, AMAZING dining in Chi-town!  We spent a lot of time just walking around the city, running on the lakefront path, browsing the museums and walking through Lincoln Park (where we decided we would live!) and checking out cool bars.  This trip made us both realize how un-suburban we are at this point in our lives.  We need the city, we need those unique coffee shops and fun little restaurants.  I've known this for a long time.  My favorite place in Pittsburgh was this tiny little organic coffee shop on N. Craig Street.  I was happiest when I was sitting in that shop, sippin' on some joe and watching people.  I don't have anything remotely close to that in our new apartment.  I miss that.  I need that.

Ok, enough gabbing.  Although I managed to eat healthy while in Chicago (Ron didn't; he ate pretzel pancakes with white chocolate caramel sauce for breakfast, hehe) I still feel like a giant load.  So, I knew we needed something healthy for dinner.  This dish was inspired by a picture hanging in the elevator of our hotel.  I wanted it so bad but the dish no longer appeared on the restaurant menu.  Plus, the restaurant was not in our food schedule while in town.  So, I took a photo and attempted to recreate it because I couldn't get the image out of my head!  How did I do?

I took a lot of shortcuts with this recipe (used precooked items).  This was in part because I did my grocery shopping late at night and could not get raw shrimp.  Also, the damn store was out of orzo and I wanted orzo!   Plus, we were eating at 9:30 at night.  I did not want to eat cereal but I wanted vegetables.  So, here we go.  Quick and easy in about 10 minutes total.  However, the recipe turned out very good.  I also cooked up some asparagus to eat on the side, but you can also serve with some bread and butter.

Feta Shrimp w/ Brown Rice and Asparagus
created by Me but inspired from a picture (above) hanging in Hotel Allegro's elevator (featuring the 312 restaurant)
Yield:  3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb shrimp, cooked, peeled, deveined and tail-off, drained and pat dry
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• kosher salt
• pepper
• red pepper flakes
• 3 cups pre-cooked brown rice blend (I used a brown rice and quinoa blend)
• 1/4 c pine nuts
• 1/2 c green onion
• 1/4 c fresh dill
• 1/4 c fresh parsley
• 1/2 c chopped roasted red pepper
• 1/2 c feta cheese
• Spinach leaves

Instructions

1. For Shrimp:  Heat pan over medium high heat.  Once heated, add oil.  Add shrimp, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.  Saute until shrimp have shrunk and soaked in flavors, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. Place hot cooked rice in a large bowl.  
3. Mix in pine nuts, green onion, dill, parsley and roasted red pepper.
4. Spread some spinach leaves across plate.
5. Add about 2/3-1 c rice mixture to plate.
6. Add as much shrimp as desired.
7. Sprinkle w/ feta cheese and more pine nuts.  

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

I wanted to make something simple, yet delicious for Valentine's Day.  This garlic shrimp pasta meal was a success.  As mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of pasta with marinara.  However, pasta tossed with olive oil will make me happy on any day.


This entire meal took about 20 minutes to make from start to finish.  Most of the time was spent waiting for the water to boil for the pasta.  Had I been feeling incredibly domestic, I would have prepared my own garlic bread.  However, I chose to use my favorite frozen garlic bread and it worked out just fine.

The original recipe (reflected below) called for green peas and mushrooms.  I omitted these ingredients from my preparation because I did not want to watch Ron pick them out individually.  Instead, I cooked up an individual serving of green beans for myself and mixed green beans in my pasta.  It was great.  This meal is so quick and easy to prepare.  It was delicious and I highly recommend serving with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio!  (I had 3 sips and had a headache.  Wow, can you tell my tolerance is non-existent?) 

For dessert, we had some cupcakes.  They were guilt-free cupcakes and absolutely fabulous!  Ron didn't even balk when I told him the nutritional content.  I will post the recipe tomorrow :) 

Garlic Shrimp Pasta
adapted from My Baking Addiction
Yield:  3-4 servings
Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
• 3/4 pound linguine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 lemon, zest grated
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• the fresh lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1/4 cup canned mushrooms 
• Original recipe reflected that sauteed would taste good.  Agreed!
• 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
2. Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. 
3. Add the garlic; Saute for 1 minute.  
4. Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. 
5. Add wine and cook for about 30 seconds. 
6. Remove from the heat; add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, peas, mushrooms and red pepper flakes.
7. Toss to combine.
8. When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot.
9. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve!

Mango Quinoa Salad w/ Shrimp

In the past couple of months, I have done a completely 180 in terms of my kitchen experiences.  It's a good feeling.  I love planning out weekly menus.  I love browsing blogs, cooking magazines and cookbooks for ideas.  I'm constantly inspired.  The grocery store is one of my favorite places to be.  At the moment, I have so many recipes that I want to make that it's slightly overwhelming.  But, I'm not complaining.

Even better, my meals are satisfying.  Eating is enjoyable and I no longer look at it as "fuel" for my training.  I find myself excited to eat my home made granola protein bars instead of saying "Oh I have to eat this pre-purchased protein bar that tastes like dirt."

I did not eat bad prior to this, but I certainly didn't eat good.  I was constantly buying stuff that could be stored in a freezer or in a pantry.  Or, I would spend a lot of $ on buying pre-made food at the grocery store.  And, I always ate the same thing.  Day, after day, after day.  Now, I shop mainly the perimeters of the grocery store.  If I buy pre-made from a store, I try something new.  And, I'm not afraid to try new ingredients.

This recipe was pleasant to shop for, fun to make and even better to eat.  It is packed full of so many nutritious ingredients and I seriously can't stop grabbing spoonfuls!  Quinoa is one of the best grains for your body.  I looked down at my cart after shopping for some of the ingredients and I felt good about myself.  A jicama, some mango, red quinoa... I'm branching out :)

The list of ingredients may seem a bit long, but this salad is completely worth it.  I'll have some leftovers for a few days and it's so good, extremely flavorful and refreshing.  It can be eaten as a meal, as a wrap or as a side.

Mango Quinoa Salad w/ Shrimp
adapted from The Active Foodie
Ingredients
Quinoa

• 1 c red quinoa
• Slightly less than 2 cups of either vegetable stock or water
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 2 tbs mango nectar
• 1 tbs butter

Salad

• 1 red onion
• 1 small jicama
• 2 mangoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno (I left this out of mine)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing

• 1/4 cup mango nectar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• Salt
• 2 teaspoon red chili paste
• 2 limes, juiced

Shrimp

• 1 lb shrimp
• 2 garlic cloves
• Red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa and add to small saucepan with 1 tbs butter and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. 
2. Add stock, lime juice and mango nectar and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. 
3. Cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Dice onion, jicama, mangoes, bell pepper and jalapeno.  Put in large bowl and add cilantro.
5. Meanwhile sauté shrimp with garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper.
6. Cook until light pink and no longer translucent.
7. Whisk mango nectar, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and chili in a medium bowl. 
8. Add vegetables, cooked quinoa and shrimp. 
9. Toss, serve and enjoy! 

One more thing.  Although I love cooking, I need to learn how to be a clean cook.  I took a photo of my kitchen after preparing this.  I left out the kitchen sink because it was overflowing and embarrassing.  However, from this point on, I vow to clean up after myself as I go.

Red Thai Curry with Cauliflower on Shrimp

This recipe intrigued me.  It has a lot of vegetables that I like and accompanies flavors that I like.  Ron's out of town so I decided it would be a quick and easy recipe to try out for myself.  The original called for tofu, however, I substituted that ingredient for shrimp.  Shrimp sounded much more appealing.

I actually liked this a lot.  It was very quick and easy to prepare.  It only takes about 2.5 hours in the crockpot and the flavors were subtle, but good.  I doubt I'd make this again for dinner, but this is only because Ron wouldn't eat it.  He'd end up picking out all of the shrimp or saying "why don't you add some meat into this?"  It would turn into a fight that I'm just not interested in having.

However, I will remember this one for the next time he goes out of town.

Red Thai Curry with Cauliflower
adapted from askGeorgie.com
Yield:  4 servings
Nutrition:  Per serving (with shrimp): 263 calories, 8 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 218 mg cholesterol, 20 g total carbohydrate, 6 g dietary fiber, 29 g protein, 884 mg sodium.
 
Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower (6” diameter)
• 1 cup frozen cut green beans
• 1 cup frozen peas
• ½ cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• ½ cup regular coconut milk
• If using FF coconut milk, increase to 1 cup.
• ¼ cup fresh basil, shredded
• Salt to taste (or 1 Tablespoon fish sauce)
• 1 pound cooked shrimp

Instructions 

1. Chop cauliflower into large florets and place in slow cooker. Add green beans, peas, onion, and ginger.
2. In a bowl, combine vegetable broth and curry paste, and stir until smooth. Pour over vegetables in slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Stir in the coconut milk and shredded basil, and season to taste with salt or fish sauce.
5. Place shrimp into serving bowls.  
6. Ladle hot curry over shrimp to serve.

Oven Roasted Shrimp & Butternut Squash Fusilli

Tonight was a rare Tuesday night home.  I am in school and most of my classes are in the evenings.  Class was canceled so I was fortunate to eat dinner at a normal time.  For some reason, I was craving shrimp. 

I don't recall that I have ever used shrimp in a recipe.  At some point in my life, I think I might have used a slow-cooker to make jambalaya, but I can't recall if I actually used the shrimp that was included in the ingredients.  In any event, I needed a quick & painless recipe for shrimp.  Honestly, I didn't even know how to cook shrimp.  In fact, tonight was the first time I had ever purchased fresh shrimp.  Sheesh. 

I found a fantastic recipe on the Food Network site for oven roasted shrimp.  It was paired with Thousand Island dressing, but I opted out of that step.  Though, I am sure it is delicious.

Oven Roasted Shrimp

slightly adapted from Food Network 

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• olive oil
• lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Dry shrimp and place in bowl.
3. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over shrimp.
4. Sprinkle salt & pepper over shrimp.
5. Toss to coat.
6. Lay on a flat baking sheet and roast for 6-8 minutes.
   

WOAH!!  It was so simple, so quick and it turned out so good!  My fiancee, the carnivore, ate his up without a single complaint.   YUM!!

I would love to share my recipe for the butternut squash fusilli, but it came from a lovely box that was purchased at Target.  Don't judge - I can't quit my old habits cold turkey.  They are likely to stick around for a while.  :)