Spicy Grilled Shrimp

     Since my chopping hand has been on the fritz, Hubby has been making most of our meals. I'm down with that, especially since he's a really good cook and has become quite proficient with his newest obsession  preferred method of cooking. 

     He has made these shrimp several times, and they disappear as soon as they come off the grill. They're great for an appetizer, but they'd also be fabulous on a summer salad or with pasta. They have the perfect amount of heat for me just the way they are, but if you're a fan of hot and spicy you may want to "kick it up" with a little extra cayenne!

     I hope to share more of Hubby's grilling adventures with you soon! My cast comes off in three weeks, but I'm sure my hand will need at least a little more time to recover. I know when I've got it good. :)
 

Spicy Grilled Shrimp
Mark Bittman, from Fish, The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking

Ingredients
2 lbs. large shrimp (raw), peeled and de-veined, rinsed and dried
1 large clove garlic
1 Tablespoon coarse salt (I use only about a teaspoon and it's plenty for us)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions
Finely mince garlic and mix with salt. Use the flat blade of your knife  or a mortar and pestle to make a paste with the garlic and salt. Mix in cayenne, paprika, olive oil and lemon juice. Combine with shrimp until  the shrimp is evenly covered with the spice mixture.
Grill or broil shrimp (hot fire) 2-3 minutes per side, or until done. Serve immediately or at room temperature, with lemon wedges if desired.

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

     Need a quick and easy weeknight meal? This baked shrimp dish fits the bill. Looking for a quick dinner using ingredients I already had, I found this recipe in Ellie Kreiger's book The Food You Crave.  The only change I made to the recipe was to use Thai basil in place of parsley, which gave it a little different flavor than the parsley would have. I think the next time I make this I'll add some crushed red pepper to spice it up just a bit. Orzo and a nice salad rounded out this healthful meal quite nicely!

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
Recipe from Ellie Krieger 
(my changes noted)
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced no-salt-added tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup finely minced flat leaf parsley ( I used Thai basil instead)
1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh dill
1 1/4 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (I used frozen shrimp, uncooked.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crumbled feta (about 3 oz.)

Cooking Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet. Saute onion until soft, about three minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute, taking care not to brown the garlic. 
• Add tomatoes with juice. (I thought this was a little too watery, so when I make this again I'll leave out some of the juice.)  Reduce heat and simmer about five minutes, until mixture has thickened a bit.
• Remove from heat and stir in parsley (or basil), dill, shrimp, salt and pepper. 
• Crumble feta on top of all.Bake for about 12 minutes, or until shrimp are done and cheese is melted. Serve with brown rice or orzo.

French Fridays with Dorie- Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

 Today was a lovely, rainy day. A day that was perfect for this soup I've been looking forward to all week. Soup that was Dorie's pick for week three of French Fridays with Dorie. Soup that was probably the best soup I have ever made in my entire life. No kidding!

 

 Dorie describes this spicy soup as a mix-up of two traditional Vietnamese soups- pho ga, a clear chicken broth with noodles, and la sa ga, a curried coconut milk soup. I should probably say that it's a mix up of three different soups, as I added my own twist to the recipe and added shrimp and mushrooms. (My favorite additions to spicy noodle soup!)

 The spices were perfectly balanced and made each spoonful of soup a delight. The mint and basil leaves sprinkled on top- surprising little bursts of flavor- added just the right finishing touch!  I have to admit that I added a bit too much chili oil to my first bowl which caused a bit of momentary distress. That was short-lived though and I was much more prudent with my next one.

The recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan's latest book, Around My French Table.  I've made three recipes from the book so far, and have loved them all! If you'd like to see what others have done with this recipe, follow this link and enjoy!

Shrimp Fried Rice with Asparagus

     Not a totally traditional shrimp fried rice...more of a shrimp fried rice stir fry born from a new goal of mine. I'm trying to use ingredients that I already have in my freezer in an attempt to get a little more control over my grocery spending. Freezer ingredients? 1 pound of raw easy peel shrimp and 1 quart size bag of frozen asparagus pieces. Everything else was in my cupboard or freezer, so I'm happy to say I didn't have to buy anything extra! 

     I usually put frozen peas in my stir fried rice, but with asparagus beginning to come in and several bags of asparagus I froze last season still in my freezer, I thought it would be a delicious (if not traditional) alternative. Use whatever vegetables you have handy. It's a good way to use up the bits and pieces of things you have in your vegetable bin.

Shrimp Fried Rice with Asparagus

Ingredients:

2-3 cups cooked brown rice 

1 Tblsp. peanut or olive oil

dash of sesame oil (optional)

1 lb. raw shrimp (I used frozen "easy peel.")

1 red pepper, diced

5- green onions, sliced (use part of the green along with the white part)

2 carrots, chopped (or a handful of shredded carrots)

1/2 lb. asparagus cut into pieces, (fresh or frozen)

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 Tablespoons Soy sauce

2 Tablespoons Oyster sauce (optional)

2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

• If your shrimp is frozen, thaw under cold running water. Peel.
• Heat the oils in a large nonstick skillet or wok. Stir fry shrimp until cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
• Add carrots, garlic, red pepper and onions to the pan and stir fry until crisp-tender. (4-5 minutes) If you are using fresh asparagus, add it with the rest of the vegetables to stir fry.
• Remove vegetables (or push them aside) and add the eggs to the center of the skillet. Cook eggs until set. Break into small pieces.
• To the eggs add the rice, the vegetables (if you removed them), the soy sauce and the oyster sauce, and mix until the rice is hot.
• Add the reserved shrimp (and semi-thawed asparagus pieces if you're using frozen)
• Stir for a minute or so until everything is heated through.
• Depending on your taste, you may want to add more soy sauce before serving.