Spicy Shrimp & Avocado Lettuce Cups

Well hello there! I have missed this here blogosphere over the past week. But in all honesty, I just couldn't pull myself away from watching the Olympics, that blogging took a back seat. And you know what? It felt really good! I got my hubby to watch some sports (that's a feat in itself), and he LIKED it!! We have had so much fun cheering on the red, white, and blue, and there is nothing more motivating to get our butts in the gym than looking at the most insanely fit humans on the planet for hours a day. So needless to say we have been hitting the weights and trimming our plates if you will! Case in point, these spicy shrimp lettuce cups. This recipe is perfect to serve 2 people, but easily doubled for a family of 4. Green, clean, and lean, this is a simple dinner that can be thrown together in under 10 minutes, giving you more time to cheer on this weeks track and fields stars, volleyball, and more swimming (our fave!). 

Spicy Shrimp & Avocado Lettuce Cups
Makes 8 Cups

Slaw:

• 1 cup slaw mix
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp. honey
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Spicy Shrimp:

• 1/2 lb. wild caught peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. olive oil

Lettuce Cups:

• 8 leaves of butter lettuce
• 1 avocado, halved and very thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• freshly chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a medium mixing bowl, toss together all of the ingredients for the slaw. Place in the fridge to let the flavors merry until ready to serve. 

In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Sprinkle the mixture over the shrimp, covering both sides of the shrimp. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until just cooked through and an opaque pink color.

To assemble the cups, place a spoonful of slaw in the middle of each butter lettuce leaf. Top with 2-3 slices of avocado, and 2-3 pieces of spiced shrimp. Top with sliced jalapeno and more cilantro if you prefer. Serve immediately. 

Thai Shrimp Ramen for 2

I'm keeping this 'Recipes for 2' train cruisin', and today I am sharing with you my spiced-up version of ramen. On a recent Costco run, we discovered these organic millet and brown rice ramen noodles and decided that we just had to try them out. I have been loving using red curry paste in recipes lately, so this time was no different. Today's ramen recipe is pad thai-coconut curry soup hybrid love child. Peanut butter and coconut milk make for a creamy base and the curry and paprika give it a real kick. Top it off with some chopped peanuts for a bit of a crunch and you are in business my friends! Perfect for date night in with your honey. 

Thai Shrimp Ramen

Ingredients:

• 2 packages ramen (discard or keep seasoning packets for another use)
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, halved then thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. thai red curry paste
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 2 cups broth
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 lb. raw wild caught shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped in half or thirds if extra large
• chopped peanuts for garnish
• chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic, bell pepper, and onions. Saute until softened about 5 minutes. Add in the curry paste, paprika, and ginger. Stir to coat the veggies. In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and half of the broth until well incorporated.

Increase heat to high and add in the coconut milk, broth mixture, remaining broth, sesame oil, coconut aminos, and lime juice. Bring the soup to a boil and then add in the ramen noodles. Cook for about 6 minutes before adding in the shrimp. 

Cook for another 2 minutes until the noodles are soft and the shrimp is cooked through. Serve hot and garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Cheesy Shrimp & Tortellini Bake

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am. I am a wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-Type-A-planner-to-the-extreme-girl, and there are times when I just get so caught up in my emotions, and the fact that I cannot be in control 100% of the time, that I forget to stop and just enjoy life. Luckily I am surrounded by some pretty incredibly supportive people; that includes my co-workers, family and friends both near and far, and my boyfriend who tries with all of his might to keep me grounded, but sometimes there's just no stopping this 110 mph brain of mine. I know New Year's resolutions are usually done in January, but I've decided to make a Christmas in July resolution and try to let go of even just a fraction of control and just...be. Be happy. Be content. Be me. And being me means being in the kitchen. With such a hectic schedule lately I've been going for simple dinners that I can get to the table in under 30 minutes, and this one takes the cake. 

Cheesy Shrimp & Tortellini Bake

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry with paper towels
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 20 oz. package four cheese tortellini
• 2 cups tomato basil marinara sauce
• 3 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the tortellini and cook according to the packaged directions. Drain the tortellini and set aside. Heat up the marinara sauce in the same pot for 3 minutes, or until heated through. 

Meanwhile preheat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Cook in the hot oil on both sides until the shrimp is pink all the way through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set the shrimp aside on a plate. 

Add the tortellini in the marinara sauce into the cast iron skillet and spread into an even layer. Top with the cooked shrimp. Sprinkle the parmesan on top, then finish with the shredded mozzarella.

Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and starting to turn slightly golden brown.

Remove from the broiler and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve hot. 

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

A girlfriend of mine recently introduced me to a local traveling farmer's market that let's you take home up to 60 pounds of produce for only $10. I almost felt guilty walking away with dozens of cucumbers, zucchinis, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, tomatoes, green beens, eggplants, and more. Almost. My next goal, after taking home nearly the entire farmer's market, was to figure out what to to with all those veggies. I took to the internet to find any and all recipes that would turn these veggies into some amazing dinners. First on the list? This spaghetti squash pad thai. The squash shreds into what may look like a pasta noodle, but they are a bit more crunchy and take on the flavor of the sauce so perfectly. But feel free to make this pad thai your own by adding different veggies or meat. But just be sure to do one thing. Make it. Now.

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (2-3 lbs.)
• 4 tbsp. oil (canola or vegetable)
• 1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced, then quartered
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 bunch green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. minced jalapeno
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, for topping

Pad Thai Sauce

• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar (or white distilled vinegar)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tbsp. agave nectar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes

To prepare the pad thai sauce, whisk together all of the listed ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside. 

Prepare the spaghetti squash by piercing it all over with a sharp knife or fork. Cook in the microwave on high for about 5 minutes, turning half way through. Once it is cool enough to handle, cut it in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and scrape out all of the flesh with a fork. 

In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the shrimp. Add the shrimp to the hot oil and cook on both sides until pink and cooked through. Remove and set aside. 

Add in the remaining oil to the hot pan. Add in the onion, carrots, green onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Saute for 3-5 minutes until they just begin to soften. 

Move cooking veggies to the side of the pan and add in the egg, allowing it to scramble in the hot oil. 

Once cooked through, combine with the vegetables. Add back in the shrimp as well as the cooked spaghetti squash. Mix well.

Lastly, add in the pad thai sauce that you prepared earlier and combine. 

To serve; add large spoonfuls into each bowl and top with chopped peanuts and remaining lime. 

Kale Caesar Salad with Shrimp

Last August my boyfriend and I took a trip to his hometown of Madison, Connecticut to see his family. His mom, being the sweet woman that she is, welcomed me with open arms and a little goodie bag of gift cards to some of the local shops. Once I saw that there was a card to the local book store I was begging to go, even if I was in my bathing suit and it was pouring rain out. It may or may not have happened just like this. Anyways I picked up a cook book called Every Day Food: Light by the one and only Martha Stewart and spent the whole flight home obsessing over each and every recipe. Then the craziest thing happened. I put it up on my shelf with all of my other cookbooks and forgot about it. Weird. Like that has never happened before. After 6 months of collecting dust, I glanced up at my neglected book, I pulled it down, and got inspired all over again. Literally the first recipe I turned to was a shrimp caesar salad with grilled romaine and homemade caesar dressing. Doing what I do best, I made my own version and now I'm sharing with you!

Kale Caesar Salad with Shrimp
Makes 2 salads

Garlic Caesar Dressing

• 1 head of garlic
• olive oil for drizzling
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 1/4 cup good quality olive oil

Shrimp Kale Salad

• 1 head of kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
• 2 corn tortillas
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1 tsp. chili powder for sprinkling
• 1lb. large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 3 tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel off all of the outside covering from the garlic head. Chop up the top 1/4 inch of the garlic head so you can start to see the garlic cloves.

Place the prepared garlic head on some tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil, then wrap the foil tightly around the garlic. Bake on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to an hour until the garlic cloves are softened. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can handle with your bare hands. Then squeeze the garlic cloves out of the "shell".

In a food processor, blend the roasted garlic cloves, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Blend until completely smooth.

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees F. Spray both sides of the corn tortillas with the cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle one side with chili powder and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until crisp.

Toss the shrimp with the teaspoon oil and remaining chili powder. Bake in the oven with the tortillas during the last 4 minutes, until opaque.

Toss the chopped kale with some of the garlic dressing. Top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and shrimp. Garnish with your baked tortilla chip (great substitution for croutons). Serve immediately. Reserve remaining garlic dressing in the fridge for up to one week.

Chipotle Beer Shrimp Quesadillas

So, I started a challenge a couple of weeks ago, and set myself a goal of 100 miles by Halloween. Run, walk, bike, swim, crawl, whatever. Just need to get to 100 miles. I have been mostly 50/50ing it between running and biking. And though I have been slaving away at the gym every day after work, it just makes me think about food (more than I usually do, which is probably 90% of what consumes my brain). You can  probably bet that before I have even eaten breakfast, I am planning my lunch...and, well, you can guess the rest of my day. I e-mailed this recipe to my boyfriend around 9 in the morning, knowing I had all of the ingredients, but the cheese and guac. Simple stop to the store after 3ish miles of sprint intervals and we were ready to inhale the dinner I had been dreaming about for 10 hours. BTW. 54 miles down. 45 to go. Go me!

Chipotle Beer Shrimp Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 8 oz. + 2 tbsp. of your favorite beer (I used pumpkin Blue Moon)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lime, juiced and zested
• 1 tbsp. adobo sauce (from canned chipotle in adobo)
• 1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 8-inch tortillas
• 6 oz. freshly grated monterey jack cheese
• 4 greens onion, chopped
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup of your favorite guac, or use homemade

In a large ziplock bag, add shrimp, 8 oz. beer, garlic, lime juice and zest, adobo sauce, chipotle pepper, salt, and pepper. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the shrimp is done marinating, heat a skillet over medium heat and add in the shrimp as well as the remaining 2 tbsp. of beer. Cook shrimp until opaque, about 3-4 minutes.

Meanhwile, heat up a large griddle, skillet, or quesadilla maker. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place a tortilla down, then sprinkle a bit of cheese onto the tortilla. Top with cooked shrimp, sliced green onions, and quartered tomatoes.

Top with more cheese and a second tortilla. Cook until the tortilla turns golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted. Repeat for the remaining 3 quesadillas. Serve warm and top with a healthy dollop of guacamole.

Super Shrimp Salad

I seem to be on quite the seafood kick lately. In the past week I have dined on scallops, fish and chips, ahi tuna steaks, sushi, and this here shrimp bowl. Tossed with a spicy sauce and veggies, this is quite filling! If you're not a fish easter, feel free to try it with some chicken!

Shrimp Bowl

Ingredients:

• 10 thawed shrimps,  tails peeled off
• 1/3 cup black beans
• 1/3 cup corn
• 1/3 cup shelled edamame
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sriracha
• salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat up the soy sauce and sriracha. Add the shrimp and cook for a minute or two on each side, until pink and cooked through. Add in the beans, corn, and edamame. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy while warm!