Italian Shrimp Salad

This recipe appealed to me because 1) I love shrimp and 2) I need to eat more salads.

Italian Shrimp Salad
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 3, Issue 2
serves 4

12oz fresh or frozen raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup shelled fava beans (I subbed edamame)
1 6oz jar artichoke hearts, drained, quartered, and rinsed
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow for a splash of different color)
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup red grape tomatoes, halved
3 cups Romaine lettuce, shredded
1 recipe Honey & White Balsamic Vinaigrette (see below)
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp unsalted pine nuts (I subbed walnuts that I toasted lightly)

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, until shrimp turn pink. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and rinse in cold water; set aside.

2. In the same water, add beans and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine shrimp, beans, artichokes, green pepper, fennel, tomatoes, and lettuce. Add vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper, tossing gently to combine. Divide salad between four plates and top each serving with 1/2 tablespoon of nuts.

Honey & White Balsamic Vinaigrette
(from same CEM issue)

2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp raw organic honey
1/4 tsp mustard seeds, ground (double this)
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving or use immediately. Will keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

Even The H appreciated the freshness and crunchy of this salad. When I first read it, I thought it sounded pretty bland and very green. It was a nice alternative to reheated leftovers for lunch on a rainy day, though. I LOVED the toasted walnuts on top!

In the future I'll be sure to squeeze or pat my shrimp dry; my salad was very *wet* between the shrimp, artichokes (even after they were drained), tomatoes, and dressing. Before I packaged my leftovers, I let the leftover shrimp--couldn't mix them together because of The H's allergy--marinate in the extra dressing for more flavor without actually adding more dressing when I go to eat it next.

Shrimp Noodle Salad

If you don't like shrimp, I feel a little bit sad for you right now. This recipe blew past the Asian Noodle Bowls from last week and shot straight to the top of my list of "favorite noodley things in a bowl." I was seriously cramming it into my mouth in a very uncool manner when it was done. My kitchen smelled so good! It kind of surprised me for what little seems to go into this dish.



Shrimp, Edamame, and Cellophane Noodle Salad
from Clean Eating Magazine, Fall 2008

serves 4

2 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (I decreased to 2T as this is not my favorite flavor)
1 Tbsp agave nectar
2 cloves garlic, smashed but not cut
12oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 8oz cooked frozen "salad shrimp")
8oz dried cellophane or mung bean noodles (I couldn't find these and used thin rice ones)
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame (I used 1/2 cup edamame and 1 cup peas)
1 Tbsp refined safflower oil (I used another oil I had)
3 shallots, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup sunflower sprouts (omitted)



1. Fill a large pot with water. Add garlic and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, and agave. Set aside.

2. When water is boiling, remove from heat and add shrimp and noodles. Cover and let stand until shrimp are barely opaque, about 3 minutes (same time if using cooked/frozen shrimp). Stir in edamame. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Remove garlic and discard.

3. In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in noodles, then add vinegar mixture. Toss well to combine.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with sprouts.



OK looking at all my italics after the ingredients, it looks like I made a totally different dish. But I didn't make any changes that I feel compromise the integrity of the original recipe. When I make this again, I will use all peas and skip the edamame altogether. I didn't care for the texture and, really, lack of flavor the soy beans had in this dish, but the peas were great. I added them to the water when I stirred in the shrimp and noodles. Looking forward to leftovers!

Nutrition information per 1-cup serving (when made without substitutions):
Calories - 290
Fat - 7g
Carbs - 30g
Fiber - 3g
Sugars - 7g
Protein - 25mg
Sodium - 455mg
Cholesterol - 129mg

Something from nothing

The other day I needed lunch and there was "nothing to eat." Or so it would seem, to the untrained (read: non-cheapskate) eye.

I knew I had about a cup of brown rice to use, and after that I was winging it. Pulling random things out of the fridge suddenly gave me an idea...

I sauteed a clove of garlic with green onions, then added some thawed shrimp and crushed red pepper flakes.

Then I added 1/2 of a summer squash and a giant handful of Napa cabbage. When all that was wilty, I removed it from the skillet and tossed in my cup of brown rice, which I seasoned with wheat-free tamari.

When it was warm, I stirred in a whisked egg until it was cooked through, then added back the rest of my goodies, plus some Microplaned ginger.

And shrimp fried rice was born.

I was too heavy-handed with the tamari; next time I'd err on the side of not enough, and add more to taste later. The chopsticks are for decoration only--this stuff got shoveled in faster than the 'sticks could handle, so a fork was my weapon of choice. Nice mental pic, huh? What I meant was "It was very good."

Oh look, chicken and rice!

One of our favorite recipes for chicken actually came from a recipe called "Grilled Marinated Shrimp" on allrecipes.com several years ago. The flavor of this marinade rivals that of shrimp skewers from well-known steakhouses, and is equally delicious on chicken or shrimp.

I had intended to eat shrimp and save the chicken for The H and the little guy, but since the shrimp shrunk more than I had intended, I had some chicken as well. Aren't my shrimps cute? The flavor on them was so concentrated.

When we were using this marinade multiple times a week, I'd shake up a big batch in a Mason jar and keep it in the fridge, pouring out what I needed depending on the meal. Our favorite way to enjoy it used to be on shrimp/veggie skewers that were served over--and eventually mixed with--orzo.

Grilled Marinated Shrimp (marinade only)

from allrecipes.com

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp hot pepper sauce (I use Frank's RedHot)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp is more than enough)

1 tsp ground black pepper (I always use less)

2 lbs shrimp, chicken, or a combination

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Place shrimp or chicken in a resealable container or zip-top bag and pour marinade over, reserving some for basting if desired. Marinate 2-8 hours.

Tonight I served it with a brown rice pilaf made with celery, onion, yellow and orange bell peppers, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and vegetable broth.

The veggie broth made up one-third of the 3 cups of cooking liquid. I added too much water, though, considering the rice wasn't *quite* a full 1.5 cups. Boo to smushy rice. But I did use up the ends of two separate bags of brown rice, so yay for that.

At the last minute, I also decided to use up the broccoli in the fridge and quickly sizzled it in my cast iron skillet with grapeseed oil, crushed red pepper, and lemon zest.

The zest was made possible by my endless freezer stash of really cool stuff. :D

I served a dish of strained plain yogurt--which becomes like sour cream--on the side because the spice level was pretty powerful.

We capped the evening with garbanzo bean brownies and some delicious Gevalia creme brulee decaf.

Shrimp pasta

The other day I was home alone for lunch (daycare day!) and craving shrimp with pasta. Since The H wasn't around I could safely use up the last of my non-gluten-free angel hair, and whipped up this super-fast and tasty lunch.

First I thawed the shrimp in a bowl of cold water and chopped the rest of what I'd need--shallots, parsley, garlic.

While the pasta cooked, the shallots and parsley were sauteed in olive oil, followed by the shrimp. I seasoned them with sea salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. When the pasta was done I drained it and added it to the skillet, along with the fresh parsley.

This could have used a saucier sauce--I'll use lemon juice and more olive oil next time--but it sure did hit the spot!

Seriously stunning soup

Today I wanted to use up some of the massive head of cauliflower I bought a while back. The H took our little guy to daycare, so the house was empty and my lunch options were wide open. Perfect time to try something my boys wouldn't appreciate!

A quick recipe search led me to this recipe for Curried Cauliflower Soup. With a few modifications (read the comments and adjust to suit your tastes or spice cupboard) it turned out so well that I literally sat here at my desk exclaiming (yep, out loud) OH. YUM. Ohmygosh this is GOOD! Mmmm, SO GOOD. Mmm...!" I'm totally not ashamed of it, because it really was. And I thought I didn't like curry powder! (Well, aside from my delicious squash creation.)

This had a nice spicy kick to it, which I adore, and that is totally adjustable depending on the proportions of seasoning you use. If I hadn't added the shrimp I might've gotten The H to taste it, but that dumb seafood allergy tends to get in the way. More for me. It would also be fine without the shrimp as a vegetarian soup.

Here is how I made it. You can peek at the link above to see the original.

Curried Cauliflower and Shrimp Soup

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

1 large onion, cut into bite-sized chunks

3 cloves garlic, rough chopped

Olive oil for drizzling

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups vegetable broth

Half of a 12oz can low-fat evaporated milk

10-12 large frozen cooked shrimp, cleaned and de-veined

1 cup frozen green peas

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp curry powder

Coarse salt

1. Preheat oven to 375*

2. Lay the cauliflower, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

(I could have eaten it right after this step, never mind the soup, if I had a tasty protein source to go with it... SO GOOD, I'm telling you. This will probably be the way I prepare the rest of the World's Biggest Cauliflower. The combination of roasted veg with the sweet, soft, roasted garlic and a cube of onion that I had as a sample was so well rounded and flavorful--simply divine.)

3. Meanwhile, thaw the shrimp in a bowl of cold water. Combine milk and broths in a large pot and bring to a boil.

4. When the veggies are roasted and slightly browned, add them to the broth/milk. Add seasonings (to taste--you don't have to follow my measurements) and cover; simmer 15 minutes while you remove the shrimp tails, dice the shrimp, and defrost the peas.

5. Remove one-half to three-quarters of the veggies from the pot and place in a blender with some of the broth; puree to desired consistency. Add back to pot; add shrimp and peas. Stir well to combine and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings.

6. EAT IT!