Weeknight Kung Pao Shrimp

What I've been up to lately:

Sharing an experience of a lifetime with the most wonderful group of six year olds I know,

Hunting for my first "new" car,

 Cutting out a metric crap-ton of lamination,

Feverishly essay-writing,

 And painting my fingernails.  Poorly.  Very poorly.

Anyway, with everything going on, I've been doing well to get dinner on the table, much less neatly photographed and accompanied by a semi-witty intro.  In fact, I haven't been inspired to blog at all lately.  Until this happened:

It may not look like much right there, but this Kung Pao Shrimp is officially my favorite weeknight meal.  It's a true 30-minute dish from start to finish.  (Don't you hate when a recipe is rated as a 30-minute meal, but they expect you to have already chopped 19 million different veggies and pre-cooked the protein?!)  Anyway, the ingredient list was so skimpy that I wasn't expecting fireworks, but the final product was amazing.  Garlicky, spicy, and flavorful, it beats my favorite take out hands-down. 

Very slightly adapted from Cook's Country, October/November 2007 issue

INGREDIENTS
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (I used chili paste from my local Asian grocer, & Sriracha would be fine.)
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 lb extra-large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced

1.  Whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, hot sauce, and cornstarch in a bowl.  Set aside.

2.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering.  Add shrimp and peanuts and cook until shrimp are speckled with brown, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate. 

3.  Add remaining oil and bell pepper to empty skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in sauce mixture and bring to a boil.  Add shrimp and peanuts and simmer until sauce has thickened and shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute.  Serve over rice.

Spicy Crawfish Pasta

I first had this dish many, many years ago at a family gathering deep in the heart of Cajun country.  My mom wrote down the recipe and I always looked forward to its spicy, cheesy goodness when it was on the menu.

Last week, I set out to make crawfish etouffee but found myself fresh out of rice.  The wheels started turning when I spotted an unopened box of spaghetti hiding behind the flour.  I tweaked the original recipe to suit my cooking style, namely swapping a block of Velveeta for my favorite jack cheese.  It was as delicious as I remembered and tasted just as good for lunch the next day.  (Gotta love those dishes!)

Adapted from a family recipe

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
1 green or red bell pepper, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 lb peeled crawfish tails (I buy the frozen packages and thaw them in cold water)
8 oz Monterrey jack or jalapeno jack cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 tsp Cajun seasoning blend
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1 lb dry pasta (I typically use fettuccine or spaghetti)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
 1.  Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in butter until onions are tender. Stir in flour, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add crawfish tails. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.

2.  Reduce heat to low. Stir in the half-and-half, Cajun seasonings, and cayenne pepper. Cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shredded cheese a handful at a time, stirring well after each addition. After all cheese is added, continue to stir until melted.

3.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stir noodles into crawfish mixture; pour into prepared dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

5.  Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Sizzling Hot Shrimp

I tell you, I have been one busy lady lately.  I wrote eight essays last week, I've got seven due this week, and I'm taking my ESL certification exam on Saturday.  (Aaaah!)  I've been reaching for fix-it-fast favorites like pan-seared tilapia and Mongolian beef, but was longing to try something new.  Oishii came through again with this Shrimp Pil-Pil, more aptly described as Sizzling Hot Shrimp.

This dish was ready in a snap and went well over savory polenta.  It definitely had a kick to it, so it isn't for the faint of heart.  Next time, I plan to cook it in a nonstick skillet with only a tablespoon or two of oil so that I don't have to deal with any spattering.

Adapted from Oishii, originally from Liz Pearson
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS 
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or 1-2 tbsp in a nonstick skillet)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
1 teaspoon paprika 
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, sliced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley 
1 loaf crusty bread, sliced


DIRECTIONS
1.  In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, paprika, and chipotle and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until opaque, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.

2.  Transfer the shrimp mixture to a bowl and serve with the bread.

Pan-seared Tilapia with Jalapeno-Lime Butter

A friend of mine gave me a goodie-bag full of home grown cherry tomatoes and jalapenos yesterday.  Score!  The tomatoes didn't last long around me.  (If you have never eaten a home grown tomato, you are missing out!)  I concocted this jalapeno-lime butter to dress up seared tilapia, and it was a big hit. 

I've got 3 jalapenos left- any ideas?

Seared Tilapia

*  Gluten-free diners should double-check their seasoning for gluten sources.

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tilapia fillets
Salt and pepper (or Cajun seasoning if you're feeling spicy!)

DIRECTIONS
1.  Pat fillets dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt and pepper.
2.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the tilapia and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Jalapeno-Lime Butter
An Ommy Noms Original

INGREDIENTS
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
Juice of 1/2 a lime

DIRECTIONS
1.  Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Dollop onto seared tilapia fillets.

Scallion and Garlic Shrimp

My husband and I are big fans of Asian cuisine.  But let me tell you what I am NOT a big fan of- ginger.  As a kid, my family frequented a local restaurant that served the most delicious Cantonese chow mein.  It was chock full of meats, veggies, and crunchy pan-fried noodles, doused in a rich brown sauce.  Mmm!  Unfortunately, the cooks at this restaurant were very fond of ginger.  And I'm not talking about finely diced ginger, either.  The dish was riddled with chunks of ginger root the size of your thumb.  Shudder.

The lovely brown sauce did a bang-up job of disguising the offending spice as, say, an innocent mushroom.  So eating the dish was kind of like playing a game of Minesweeper with your food- you had to clear the good stuff off your plate without accidentally chomping a ginger-bomb.  (Guess who always managed to find the bomb?  Yep- yours truly.) 

That brings me to tonight's entree.  Try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to buy the ingredient that caused me so much dinnertime strife as a kid.  But with an ingredient list so simple, I didn't want to leave the ginger out without replacing it with another flavor.  A splash of soy sauce fit the bill.  The resulting dish was light and really hit the spot.  The best part was that it only took 25 minutes from start to finish.  It would make a great after-work entree, although I would probably prepare the scallions the night before.

Adapted from Rachael Ray

INGREDIENTS

1 large egg white
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
Vegetable oil to coat pan
4 scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise, cut into 1 inch pieces, dark green parts set aside
Steamed rice

DIRECTIONS

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk egg white, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and black pepper until a paste forms.  Add shrimp and toss to coat.  Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine garlic, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside.

2.  Drain marinade from shrimp.  Coat bottom of a large skillet with oil.  Heat over medium-high until shimmering.  Add shrimp, along with the light green and white scallion pieces, and stir to coat with oil.  Cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the shrimp are almost cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic mixture and dark green scallion pieces.  Continue to cook until shrimp are cooked through, about one minute.

3.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve over steamed rice.

Springtime Shrimp Linguine

There's only one thing more awesome about this dish than its tastiness, and that's its speed of preparation.  This recipe took about 25 minutes from first chop to first bite, making it the perfect after work dish. I altered the recipe to suit our tastes by adding chopped tomato and green onions.

Quick tip:  We're not wine drinkers.  I always keep mini bottles of white wine on-hand for cooking so that it's always available but won't go to waste.

Adapted from Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS

4 oz linguine
1 tsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 lb shrimp
2 tbs butter
1 small greenhouse or roma tomato, squeezed to remove seeds and juice, diced
1 bunch green onions, cut finely
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
Dash red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil and drain linguine.

2. Saute garlic and mushrooms in oil over medium heat for about a minute. Mix in broth, lemon juice, and spices. Simmer until reduced by 1/2.

3. Add shrimp and butter. Cook until shrimp is done. Add tomato and green onions; stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve over the linguine.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Armed with a pot of leftover rice, I tried my hand at shrimp fried rice tonight.  The results were impressive!  It was loaded with veggies and didn't leave a greasy film in your mouth.  (Yuck!)  Mr. Ommy Noms even declared tonight's dish the best fried rice he's ever eaten.  (And he's eaten a LOT of takeout!)

Disclaimer:  The sesame oil adds really great flavor to the dish.  If you're not familiar with sesame oil, be advised that it is quite strong and a little goes a long way.  The 1/2 teaspoon was perfect for us, but you may want to use a little less if it's your first time cooking with sesame oil.

Fun fact:  My former roommate once cooked a stir-fry entirely in sesame oil.  We ate at Pizza Hut that night.

Heavily adapted from Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb shrimp
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/2 medium onion, very finely diced
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups cold, cooked rice
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 green onions, finely sliced

DIRECTIONS

1.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, or until shrimp are almost cooked through.  Remove from heat and drain.  Rinse shrimp with cold water to stop the cooking process.*  Peel and cut into small chunks. 

2.  Add 1 tbsp oil to a wok or skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is shimmering but not smoking.  Add onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently.  Add peas and carrots and stir-fry until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Add shrimp and stir-fry 1 minute.  Add eggs and stir-fry until cooked through.  Remove mixture to a plate and set aside.

3.  Wipe out wok or skillet with a paper towel.  Add remaining oil.  Heat oil until shimmering.  Add rice.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Return shrimp mixture to the skillet, stirring to combine with the rice.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and minced garlic and stir to combine.

4.  Garnish each serving with sliced green onion.

*Instead of boiling the shrimp, you can choose to stir-fry it along with the onion.

Crawfish Etouffee

This etouffee is fool-proof and delicious. I made a double-batch and froze the leftovers.  It's just as good out of the freezer as it is fresh!  From the detailed recipe website.

Veggies and butter- how can you go wrong?

The finished product:  not pretty, but VERY tasty!

From Detailed-Recipe
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg frozen crawfish, thawed
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup onions
3/4 cup bell pepper
1/3 cup celery
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock
Salt & pepper
Cayenne
Hot Sauce

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter over medium heat. Add celery, bell pepper, onion, tomato, garlic, and bay leaf. Increase temperature to medium high. Sautee about 5-7 minutes, until veggies are soft.

Add flour, stir constantly. Cook one minute. Add crawfish and tomato paste, stirring constantly. Cook about 5 minutes.

Add 3 cups of stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, adding extra stock as needed. Season to taste, add green onions. Cook about 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Parmesan Tilapia

This dish is called Broiled Tilapia Parmesan on Allrecipes. It is the tastiest tilapia dish I've made yet, and it's very quick to throw together.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Shrimp Creole

In honor of my Cajun heritage, I dug up a shrimp creole recipe. It was delicious. The hubs doesn't like tomatoes, but he loved this dish. You can tweak the spices to your liking. This is Louisiana Shrimp Creole II from Allrecipes.

I added quite a bit of cayenne and Cajun seasoning.

INGRENDIENTS
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined

DIRECTIONS
1. In a 2 quart saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic; cook until tender.

2. Mix in cornstarch. Stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and red pepper sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes.

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

This was a tasty, light meal, scaled down from Allrecipes.

INGREDIENTS
2 tilapia fillets
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a glass baking dish.

2. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, butter and garlic. Place tilapia fillets in baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice mixture. Sprinkle with spices. Bake 30 minutes.

Maple Salmon

Mmmmm!!! This recipe was absolutely delicious! It's maple salmon from Allrecipes. We actually ended up doubling the marinade recipe, then making another double batch to baste with halfway through baking. We served it with garlic mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon fillet

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Salmon Cakes

I based this salmon cake recipe off the one on the back of Chicken of the Sea pink salmon pouch. It's super tasty- it tastes a lot like crabcakes- and was quick and easy. I served mine w/ lemon & herb tartar sauce.

Salmon Cakes

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp dill weed
dash garlic powder
Tabasco to taste
1 med egg, beaten
1 6 oz pouch boneless, skinless salmon
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup oil
Additional breadcrumbs for rolling

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine green onions, mayo, and seasoning in medium bowl.
2. Add egg, salmon, and breadcrumbs.
3. Form mixture into 4 balls. Roll in breadcrumbs and flatten into cakes about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Place platter with cakes in freezer for 5-10 minutes. (This helps keep the cakes from falling apart in the skillet.)
5. Heat oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, place cakes in skillet. Fry 3-4 minuets on each side or until golden brown.

Disclaimer: I have a VERY crappy gas stove that burns everything. It took about 1.5 min per side to get mine golden brown. (Well actually, I'm glad I did this in two batches because the first batch got "golden" black after 2 minutes on one side.)