Recipe

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp with Homemade Chili Sauce {CBL April}

~ Girlmom ~ 4 Comments

When this recipe came across my Feedly the other week I sent the link to a few people and said “look at this bowl of heavenly goodness”. Then  I drooled on my keyboard as I bookmarked the recipe to make for my culinary bucket list this month.

I must admit this was almost too effortless for me to use as my recipe of the month…almost. Also it  was pretty  easy on the pocketbook as I already had every ingredient besides the shrimp.

Homemade sweet chili sauce is ridiculously good. I can’t believe I have been buying the stuff all these years. Sure a bottle in the pantry is good to have on hand. Perfect those nights when you just need a small amount for your Thai noodle dish or to dip an egg roll in but if you are really going use it, please make it. I made mine a tad spicier and added a touch more garlic. I was super impressed when it was done and I wished I had an egg roll to dunk in it but my fingers worked just fine.

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This entire dish takes only minutes to prepare so in no time you get to sink your teeth in to these sweet, spicy and luscious shrimp.

It tasted just as I had imagined, amazing.

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Broccoli with Sausage

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

What? A recipe? Did I surprise you? It’s been months since I have posted anything food related on here. This must mean the morning sickness is easing up, right?

This dish or I should say this recipe has been on a steady rotation  for dinner since I ripped it out of my magazine last Spring. Broccoli rabe or rapini has slowly disappeared from Sprouts so in place I use broccoli, just as good I swear.

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It’s Paleo friendly, easy to make and good for any meal of the day. Try topped with an egg for breakfast.

The only thing I do different than the original recipe is use less oil . If you are using pork sausage it doesn’t need too much extra grease, you know what I am saying?. You might find you need more oil if using chicken sausage but I doubt it.

*For Paleo substitute olive oil for coconut oil.

1 pound broccoli rabe, rapini or broccoli

2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces hot Italian sausage—casings removed, meat crumbled

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the broccoli  until nearly tender, 4 minutes. Drain and let cool. Squeeze and pat dry, then chop.

Heat skillet to medium high and add  the sausage and cook over moderately high heat, breaking it up into small pieces, until browned. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, the garlic and red pepper to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the broccoli {rabe} and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the lemon juice and toss. Serve with pecorino or parmesan.

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Weekend Things

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

I have my first appointment with the perinatologist scheduled, I got a load of blood drawn Friday, a flu shot on the calendar for Kaili and I picked up my Harmony prenatal test, once our insurance updates I can go get it taken care of.

We spent the weekend watching football of course but looking through my photos it also revolved around food.

I actually bought strawberries at Costco to make fruit roll ups but this ended up happening. Sorry, not sorry.

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Does she look 2 here? I’d say more like 2 1/2 right?

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We woke up Saturday morning and made banana bread. She quit on me early.

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Fresh squeezed orange juice, it tasted as good as I hoped.

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Hummus is one of K’s favorite things to eat so instead of buying stock in it I decided to make some. I used this recipe, recipe approved.

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Sunday morning we hit Miramar resevoir for a glimpse of the ducks and a short walk.

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I managed to stay off all social media last night so that I can enjoy the Golden Globes all alone this morning. A few of our shows started back up and I can say I really missed Shameless and I think True Detective is going to be some good T.V. You should watch it.

 

Dark Chocolate, Coconut and Macadamia Nut Tart

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When I first saw this recipe I knew there was NO WAY this would be bad. Really easy to make, really easy to eat. Paleo and vegan friendly, gluten and dairy free..low fat? No, but all you need is a little slice, oh and it goes good with wine.

*See here for recipe*

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Simple Roast Chicken

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Ridiculously simple. I don’t even truss the bird, you can if you want.

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2-3 lb chicken

1/4 cup softened butter

2 garlic cloves minced

Fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary, sage- whatev’s

Preheat oven to 450.

Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Mix the garlic and herbs into the butter and slather the goodness all over and under the skin of the bird.

Season generously with salt.

Cook at 450 for 20 minutes then lower the temp to 400 and continue to cook for 45 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

See, simple.

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Bahia-Style Shrimp in Coconut Sauce

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

Remember when I used to cook? Like really cook, every night? Ya, me too. Now I slack off and make something simple for myself during the week, it usually involves a rotisserie chicken and lettuce or something to throw on the grill. K will get a super gourmet meal of pasta or quesadillas.

I do get a chance to make a few real meals on the weekends when Shane is home. To get motivated I need the extra hands to keep K busy and the extra mouth to help eat it.

That is why our dinner theme parties are so fun. It gives me a chance to make a dish or two that I probably wouldn’t make on a day that ends in Y.

This months theme was South American cuisine and I went with Brazil. I made a popular candy that they eat called Brigadeiros {recipe to come} and some shrimp in a coconut sauce. This dish was pretty easy and I will make it again, it was muito bom!

I followed the recipe exact but before adding the shrimp I decided the sauce was a little bland. I added more coconut milk, the rest of the tomato sauce  and a tad more salt. I was impressed with the heat the habanero let off, but I would throw in 2 next time.

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Bahia-Style Shrimp in Coconut Sauce

Recipe from Food and Wine

2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails left on { I took them off}

3 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt to taste

2 tablespoons  corn oil { I used EEVO }

1 small onion, minced

6 scallions, white and light green parts, minced

1/2 medium red bell pepper, mince

1/2 medium green bell pepper, minced

6 plum tomatoes, minced

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, halved and seeded

1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves and stems

Lime wedges, for serving

In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the garlic, lime juice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the Annatto Oil until shimmering. Add the onion, scallions and red and green bell peppers and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the minced tomatoes and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the tomato sauce, coconut milk, chile and 1 teaspoon of salt. Simmer until the sauce is reduced by one-fourth, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they’re pink and opaque, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and discard the chile. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Serve with white rice.

Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps with Jalapenos

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

I took advantage of Shane being home when I made this recipe. It’s not a difficult recipe but there are a lot of components and I wouldn’t have gotten much done on my own with a sick baby. I saw this recipe on {where else} Pinterest and it’s from Good Housekeeping. If you know me and my husband, we like things spicy so when I saw that these were topped off with cooked jalapenos I thought that these would be a nice twist to the classic beef lettuce wraps. Now I don’t know about you but it seems like every time I buy jalapenos for salsa or guacamole they are never hot, never. So when I was at the store I stood in front of the peppers for what seemed like forever trying to decide if I should buy a Serrano too but I opted to stick with the jalapenos and told myself that I would also use Sambal {an asian chili paste} to kick up the heat. Well it turns there is a such thing as a hot jalapeno and I was the lucky winner who picked  the two spiciest. Lets just say this turned out to be a “hot” dinner.

I also made this Korean cucumber salad to serve alongside the wraps. It went really well and it was perfect for cooling the palate.

       Beef

10 cloves garlic

2  jalapeño chiles

1 1/4 pounds beef top round steak or beef tenderloin

1/4 cups sugar

1/2  low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup

sesame oil

Coarsely ground black pepper

Wrap Ingredients

1 head Boston lettuce, separated into leaves

1 1/2 cup cooked rice noodles

1/2 cup Sambal Oelek

Prepare  Beef:

 Cut 6 cloves garlic into thin slices and mince remaining 4 cloves. Thinly slice jalapeños crosswise. Place the jalapenos and sliced garlic aside. Holding knife almost parallel to cutting surface, slice beef, against the grain, into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

In large bowl, place minced garlic and sugar; mash together with back of wooden spoon. Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add beef to marinade; cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile prepare the dipping Sauce

Dipping Sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs sugar

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup water

Coarsely ground black pepper

In small bowl, place minced garlic and sugar; mash together with back of wooden spoon. Stir in soy sauce, water, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and set aside.

When Beef is done marinating prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over high heat. Place lightly greased grilling grid on grill rack to preheat. In 2 to 3 batches, remove beef from marinade and place on grilling grid; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side for medium doneness. Transfer cooked beef to serving bowl.

Heat saute pan over medium hight heat, when hot spray pan with cooking spray and add sliced jalapenos and garlic. Cook, stirring often until lightly browned, transfer to small bowl.

To serve, arrange all ingredients in small bowls on a large tray.

To assemble spread a little Sambal on a lettuce leaf, then top with some rice noodles, grilled beef, garlic, jalapeño, . Fold sides of lettuce leaf over to make a package to eat by hand. Dip wrap in dipping sauce.

Serve Korean cucumber salad on the side as a delicious cooling side dish.

Smoked Salmon Salad

~ Girlmom ~ Leave a comment

Last week I had the most amazing salad at a local restaurant. It was just that good and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

I decided to re-create it with the exception of one ingredient, dried sweet corn. I looked around to see if I could find some nearby but I was out of luck. { I did find some on Amazon }

The flavors compliment each other in ways I would have never imagined. I mean who would have thought to put dried cranberries and smoked salmon together? But it works so well.

Ingredients

Smoked salmon, sliced

Israeli couscous [I used whole wheat]

Dried cranberries

Pepitas

Roasted red peppers, chopped

Butter lettuce or green leaf lettuce, chopped

Combine all ingredients, as much or as little as you please.

For the dressing, I used a Jalapeno ranch then added a little chopped Italian parsley and lemon juice. Combine until smooth and drizzle over your salad, a little goes a long way.

Enjoy!

Coconut Shrimp

~ Girlmom ~ Leave a comment

I love shrimp and I love coconut and when you combine the two, I really am a happy person.

The best Coconut shrimp I have ever had is at Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach. I have been there a lot of times and I always order the same thing, however if you go and it’s time for breakfast their Huevos Rancheros and French Toast are also very good. One time while I was dining on their amazing coconut shrimp with a friend of mine, we were introduced to the drummer of the Foo Fighters {Taylor Hawkins} although he was the drummer for Alanis Morissette at the time. Just sayin.

I have had this recipe “pinned” for awhile and the urge finally hit me to make it. I didn’t have to change a thing and I found the cooking time and temperature to be perfect. I love when that happens!

For the dipping sauce, I made my own. I had a jar of Papaya Orange Habenero Preserves in the fridge and I thought that would mix nicely with a Thai Chili Sauce, I was right. The Thai Chili sauce will work great alone if that is what you desire ore you can mix it with any flavor preserves.

Ingredients {Shrimp}

1 lb (24) large shrimp, peeled and deviened (weight after peeled)

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp panko crumbs

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 large egg

pinch salt

non-stick spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs and salt in a bowl. Place the flour on a small dish. Whisk egg in another bowl.

Lightly  season the shrimp with salt.  Dredge the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

Place shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with more cooking spray; Place sheet in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 6-7 minutes or until cooked though. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.