Catching Up

Here's what I've been working on lately:

Fruit tarts for a friend

Madeleines as a gift

Antipasta Platter for a birthday party

And a special dinner for my hubby: Lobster Ravioli in a Corn Cream Sauce, served with Cheese Toasts and a light salad.

Have a great weekend!!

Grilled Shrimp with Feta

It seems as if I've been posting nothing but shrimp dishes lately. Well, here's another one! I love shrimp for a few reasons: (a) it's cheap (b) it cooks quickly (c) I grill it as to avoid standing over the stove during the crazy heat of South Florida's summer. And of course I mean that hubbs grills the shrimp :)

This was another quick weeknight dinner. This recipe makes enough for 4 servings, allowing us to have shrimp over a salad for lunch the next day. I served the shrimp with whole wheat couscous and steamed asparagus.

Grilled Shrimp with Feta Topping

24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tbsp. oregano

1/4 c. fat free crumbled Feta

zest of one lemon

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

In a bowl, combine 1 Tbsp oregano with 1 Tbsp lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Allow shrimp to marinate in mixture for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, and oregano with the feta cheese. Mix well and set aside.

Grill the shrimp, spraying cooking spray (Pam) on the grill before cooking. Top with cheese and serve!

Thai Red Curry Chicken

I LOVE Thai curry. But I haven't been able to find a good curry in quite some time. I used to find it at my old favorite haunt, but after a TERRIBLE experience, I decided to part ways. Since then, I've found a few awesome places for Pad Thai, but no decent curries. Time to take matters into my own hands! After a quick stop at the grocery store for supplies, I was ready to tackle Red Curry Chicken.

*Note- This recipe is actually figure friendly (a first for this blog!). I'm sure that more authentic Curry dishes use full fat coconut milk, and all sorts of other goodness. But, I've chosen to go with a lighter dish. Not only will I be more likely to make it again in the future, but I won't gain a few pounds eating it!

Thai Red Curry Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
2 tsp olive oil
1 c. onion, chopped
1 c. green pepper chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
3/4 tsp salt
13 1/2 can light coconut milk
1 tsp. Red Curry Paste (available at most grocery stores in the Asian aisle)
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp. basil
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp water
cooked Jasmine Rice

Heat oil over medium high and cook chicken. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic to pan. Sautee for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent.

In a bowl, combine coconut milk with curry paste and whisk until smooth. Add coconut mixture to the pan, along with the chicken, lime juice, basil, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow curry to cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine water with cornstarch in a bowl. Once curry is finished cooking, add cornstarch mixture to the curry and bring to a boil. Cook the curry for another minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Serve over Jasmine Rice.

Eggy Deliciousness

That's what I'm calling this. Sooo. good.

Home sick the other day, I caught an episode of At Home Italian with Giada De Laurentiis. She made a super easy recipe that would be good any time of the day: Lemon and Basil Eggs over Foccacia. It looked so delicious that I asked the hubby to pick up a loaf of bread on the way home. I needed to make this recipe!

I didn't really pay attention to the exact measurements she used (again, I was home sick) so I just went with it. I used a loaf of Italian Bread as that was what Joe brought home and it worked out fine. We had major trouble NOT eating the whole loaf! Very easy and tasty!

Lemon and Basil Eggs over Foccacia

1 loaf of bread (Italian works fine)
3 eggs
5 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil mixed with 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. milk
basil leaves, chopped

Using a serrated knife, cut into the loaf of bread, removing the "top". Pull out some of the middle of the loaf to create a bowl. Chop and set aside the removed bread parts.

Brush the olive oil around the inside of the bread bowl and bake for 5 minutes at 350. Set aside the bread to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, cheese, milk, and basil together. Add bread bits and mix well. Put the egg mixture into the bread bowl and bake for 50 minutes at 350.

Eat immediately!

Manhattan Clam Chowder

The hubby is a big Manhattan Clam Chowder fan. He loves the stuff. So, it was about time for me to give it a try. The thick cut bacon was clearly the key to this soup. Normally, I use regular bacon- whatever I have in the freezer. However, this recipe is not the one to go cheap on. You can find thick cut bacon with all of the other varieties in your grocery store, or you can go to a butcher. Either way, do it. Trust me- it's delicious! The bacon gave the soup an earthy smokiness that played well with the clams and lemon juice. Then again, when have you known me to NOT love something with bacon in it???

Manhattan Clam Chowder

4 strips of thick cut bacon, diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts chopped finely
2 Russet potatoes, diced
2 stalks of Celery, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes drained, juices reserved
2 cans minced clams drained, juices reserved
3 cups of water
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon over medium high for 4 minutes, or until brown. Add the leeks, potatoes, celery, and tomatoes. Cook for minutes, adding the garlic during the last minute. Add tomato juice, clam juice, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the soup has boiled, cover and cook on medium low for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes, check to see if the potatoes are cooked. If not, cook for another 3 minutes, then check again. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend the soup a bit, making sure to leave it a bit chunky. Return soup to the heat and add clams, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, then taste to adjust seasonings if needed. Stir in the fresh parsley and serve with crackers.

Adapted from William-Sonoma Soups and Stews

Pasta with Tomato Wine Sauce

Quick post today. We are back from our week long trip to Las Vegas! We had a blast, but now back to real life. I made this pasta last night and it was delicious.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Tomato Wine Sauce
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
3 Tbsp butter
2 tsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. capers
1/4 c. mushrooms, chopped
1/2 c. artichokes, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
1/2 c. dry white wine (or you could use chicken stock)
angel hair pasta (as much as you would like)
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Set aside, reserving the water.

Over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter into the olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper then cook in oil/butter mixture. When chicken is cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

Add garlic, capers, mushrooms, lemons, and artichokes to the pan. Sautee for a minute then add tomato paste and wine. Allow the vegetables to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. to the pan and stir. If the sauce is too thick, add pasta cooking water. Mix in the chicken and pasta, making sure to fully coat the pasta, until the entire dish is warm.

Serve.

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Joe is out of town this week to take the Bar (good luck P!) so I thought I would make something quick and easy for dinner the other night. I was a bit under the weather and didn't feel like grocery shopping. I had some frozen veggies and some shrimp in the fridge. Time for lettuce wraps!

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
about 10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 baby carrots, roughly chopped
1/2 c. green peppers, diced (I use frozen because they are waaayyy cheaper)
1 c. bean sprouts (I used canned)
1 package snow peas (again, frozen)
1/2 head of Boston lettuce, washed and dried
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Teryaki Sauce
Pepper to taste

Sautee the vegetables in the canola oil for about 5 minutes, or until the peppers are defrosted and crispy.





I then put the veggies into the mini food prep and chopped them up. They went back into the pan while I chopped up the raw shrimp. I added the shrimp to the veggies and allowed them to cook.








Add soy and teriyaki sauces and cook until shrimp is pink. Serve with a side of soy sauce. Enjoy!
Serves two.