Seafood with Asian Slaw

I haven't always really been into seafood. Slowly but surely, I've started to come around. This post has two seafood recipes I've made with Asian Slaw. The first is Roasted Shrimp with Asian Slaw. I love Asian Slaw. It's such an easy side dish on a weeknight. I use Broccoli Slaw, which comes prepacked in the produce section. The second is fish tacos. We are big fan of fish tacos, but I don't like that most places fry the fish. Not exactly a healthy option. I made mine with grilled fish, and it was very refreshing. I topped this

with the same Asian Slaw and they turned out very tasty! I would use flour tortillas next time, as we're not the biggest fan of the texture of corn tortillas. Both were very quick and easy to make on weeknights.

Roasted Shrimp with Asian Slaw
1 lb shrimp, deveined
1 bag of Broccoli Slaw
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/8 tsp. Basil
1/8 tsp. Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, mix shrimp with olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Arrange on baking sheet and roast until shrimp is pink. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1/4 c. lemon juice, 1/4 c. olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and add broccoli slaw. Arrange into bowls and top with Roasted Shrimp.

Shrimp Tacos

First, I grilled two fish fillets (I used cod) and set them aside. Then I made the toppings. I made an avocado creme for myself (below), and a chipotle avocado creme for the hubby (above). To make the creme I added the following to my food processor: 2 avocados, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, salt and pepper, 1 clove of garlic, 3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro. When the mixture was smooth, I added a touch of heavy creme. I used this avocado creme on my tacos, then added one full can of chipoltes in adobo sauce to the remaining creme in the food processor. This was the topping for Joe's tacos. I topped them with Asian Slaw. I served these tacos with roasted corn. Yummy!

Lemon Chicken Orzo in Tzatziki

I love me some Greek food. I really do. And, I'm all about Tzatziki sauce! I'm not ashamed to admit that, upon occasion, I but it premade from Costco. I don't remember which brand they carry, but it is tasty! I impulse bought some Tzatziki recently on a Costco trip and wanted to do something different. So, I just combined a bunch of stuff and this is what I got. Pretty yummy if you ask me!

First, I marinated chicken in the Tzatziki for a few hours. To start, I cooked some orzo and steamed some broccoli. (Not a real recipe today, folks- just a play by play!) I heated 2 tsp of oil and 1 tsp of butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. While that was heating, I cut the chicken into bite sized strips. Once the oil/butter was hot, I added 1 tsp of oregano and the chicken, turning the chicken every once in awhile to prevent them from burning. When the chicken was cooked, I deglazed the pan with 1/4 c of white wine and about 3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice. I then added a few Tbsp more of Tzatziki (not the stuff from the marinade- fresh spoon fulls!) along with the orzo and broccoli. I mixed it and added salt and pepper to taste. Greek inspired dinner in 10 minutes flat= Happiness!

Poached Snapper and Sauteed Vegetables with Balsamic Reduction

I've been on a poaching kick lately. It's a super healthy and quick way to cook lean proteins. Last night, I decided to poach snapper. It cooked very quickly and easily. It was an easy fish to start with, because it becomes light and flaky when it is done cooking. I served it with sauteed vegetables in a balsamic reduction and a cucumber salad. The salad was made of sliced cucumbers, lemon juice, oregano, and olive oil. The tartness of the lemon juice helped cut the sweetness of the balsamic reduction. It was a very balanced plate of food. Sorry the pics are not so great- we were hungry and couldn't wait to start eating!



Poached Snapper

water

1 Tbsp whole peppercorns

1/2 c. white wine

1 Tbsp dried oregano

3 garlic cloves, whole

1 bay leaf

2 Snapper fillets

Fill a pan with about an 1 1/2" of water. Add wine, oregano, bay leaf and garlic. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a small simmer. Place fish into pan and cover. Poach fish until it is cooked all the way through, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your fillets. Remove from poaching liquid and dress with fresh lemon or a drizzle of olive oil.

You could also use chicken in the place of fish for this recipe. I often poach chicken this way, let it cool, then use it on salads for lunch. Quite yummy! The poaching liquid is mild so you can add bolder flavors if you'd like.

Sauteed Vegetables in a Balsamic Reduction

1 head of broccoli

1.5 lbs of green beans, trimmed

2 cloves garlic

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 c.balsamic vinegar

water

Fill a pot with 1-2" of water and bring to a boil. Add veggies and steam until mostly cooked. In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Try to use the best balsamic vinegar you have. Reducing the vinegar concentrates the flavor, so be sure it is something you really like! I use a balsamic that has been aged 30 years (birthday present from my friend Lauren-yes we buy each other food items for presents!). You can find good vinegars at most specialty markets. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add onions and cook until they brown. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add steamed veggies. Toss to coat the veggies and the onion mixture. Add balsamic glaze. Yummy!!



Finally

I'm finally getting around to posting!

Here's what my mother and I worked on for Christmas Day dessert:

Huge spread of mini desserts!

Strawberry shortcakes

Apricot Oat Bars

Chocolate Mousse Cups

 For Valentine's Day, I made my hubby and his friend huge filled cupcakes. I actually made them using a mini bundt pan then cut out a hole in the middle. I filled them with Mocha frosting and put the lid back on. The frosting was a yummy suprise!

 I also made mini cupcakes for his office

Aside from baking, most of my cooking has been for Abby. I'm loving making my own baby food! But, I have managed to get a few new meals into our bellies as well :) I guess I've been thinking Asian lately, I have Thai and Indian below!

Red Curry Chicken and Shrimp over Basmati Rice

Vegetable Dal

Adventures in Crock Pot Cooking: Baked Potato Soup

Since I'm still new to the Crockpot world, I decided to use an actual recipe for this soup. After much research, I came across a new (to me) food blog: crockpot365. This site was totally helpful! I made the baked potato soup as directed, and it was really, really good. One note: it made a TON of soup. We ate a few bowls each over dinner and lunches, gave some to my father-in-law, and still have about 1 1/2 quarts left in the freezer. So, before you make this soup, clear out some room in your fridge and/or freezer! We topped ours with crispy bacon pieces, but I'm sure you could get creative with toppings. Enjoy!

Thanks to Stephanie for this tasty recipe!

Baked Potato Soup
from Crockpot365

5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 quarts chicken broth
2- 8oz packages of cream cheese

Put the diced potatoes into the slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, seasonings, and the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. The potatoes should be fork tender. Using an immersion blender (or a potato masher), mash the potatoes until smooth. Crumble in both packages of cream cheese, stir, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted (this took me about 45 minutes). Garnish and serve!

The best damn arroz con pollo ever!!!

...if I do say so myself!


I grew up (and still reside) in South Florida, a melting pot of different cultures and flavors. Out of all of the different ethnic cuisines, Cuban food is my favorite. I make different Cuban recipes at home regularly, and visit local restaurants for the more difficult to prepare dishes. One of my favorite dishes, Arroz con Pollo, is not to be purchased. It is to be made by someone's abuela, who has just the right touch. I am lucky enough to know such a woman, but I don't get to see her too much. Therefore, my arroz con pollo consumption has gone way down.

Last week, I decided that enough was enough. I tackled Arroz con Pollo. And let me just say....oh my gawd, was it good. We could not stop eating it. We ate it out of the pot. We ate it for lunch, dinner, and maybe a midnight snack or two. I made a lot, thinking I would freeze half of it for another night's dinner. How foolish. That stuff was gone before we realized it. And now, we mourn it's absence. I'm not sure, but this may just be the best thing I've made all year. So go and make yourself some Arroz con Pollo. Please. And be sure to save some for me!!

Here is my recipe. I will not say that all of the ingredients are found in authentic recipes. I have no idea. I couldn't find one in English, and my Spanish is a bit rusty these days. But, the outcome was the same as any abuelas' that I've had. So there!

As with almost all Cuban food, Sofrito is the base to this dish. I've seen it frozen at the supermarket before, but never tried it. I just make my own. But, by all means, feel free to purchase some if you wish to do so. Also, I used chicken breast. But, I usually see it being made with a whole chicken. Again- up to you.

Enjoy!

Arroz con Pollo

1 pound of chicken, cut into strips
8 oz of canned tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 c. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin
3 1/2 c. chicken stock
1 12 oz. bottle of beer (use whatever you have on hand, or substitute in more stock)
1/2 c. white wine (or you could substitute in more stock)
1 1/2 c. Valencia rice
5 threads of saffron
Juice of 1 lime
Frozen peas


Soak rice in water for at least an hour. Drain and set aside.

Liberally coat chicken with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Heat olive oil in a large oven safe pot and brown chicken. Do this in batches as to avoid overcrowding the pot. Set chicken aside.

Add onions, peppers and garlic to the pot and sauté. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove and grind up the veggies in a food processor. This is the beginning of the sofrito. Some people leave the veggies chunky, but I like mine pureed. Return the sofrito to the pot and add the tomato sauce, bay leaf, and cumin. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

Return the chicken and any juices to the pot, and add the wine and beer. Cook for 7 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the drained rice and saffron threads. Bring to a boil once again, then cover the pot.

Bake the mixture at 350° for about 20 minutes. Finally, remove the pot from the oven and the frozen peas. My hubby isn't too fond of peas, so I only added about 3/4 of a cup, but feel free to go wild. Fluff the rice and serve.

I wish I had a wonderful picture to share with you, but I didn't take the time. We really couldn't stop eating the stuff, and I barely grabbed this one before the bowl was empty! I know it doesn't look great, but trust me- this recipe is a keeper!!

Roasted Vegetable Puree

I made this soup about a month or two ago and never got around to posting it. It was one of those lovely fall days, where the South Florida weather was actually nice, and my local supermarket had quite a variety of fresh produce. (Those of you that know me know that I really dislike buying supermarket veggies)

I cut up and liberally coated my veggies with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a bit of thyme and rosemary from my garden. I roasted them at 420° until a fork easily went through the vegetable. Since I had different types of vegetables that would take various amounts of time to roast, I made sure to put similar vegetables together in each pan.

The first pan contained:

• about 5 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• about 7 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 of a large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

The second pan contained:

• 1 sweet potato, chopped
• 3 zuchinni, sliced
• 4 yellow squash, sliced

The third pan contained asparagus.

Once all of the vegetables were roasted and cooled, I blended them with a bit of chicken stock in my food processor (a blender would work if you have one- I don't). Once all of the vegetables were blended, I brought the puree to a boil, and adjusted my seasonings. At this point, I added about 2 cups of chicken stock to mine, as I like a thinner consistency, but you could leave yours thicker if you prefer. Once everything was warm, I divided the puree into containers and froze half of the recipe for later.

The soup was very yummy, especially in the colder weather. Also, I gave some to a friend with a baby, and the baby LOVED it. Good way to get in all of those important nutrients! Not the best picture, but you get the idea!

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.

Vegetable Tians

I love tians. They are yummy, easy to prepare, and look beautiful. I also like to make them with very savory dishes, as it provides a light compliment to an otherwise heavy meal. You can switch the vegetables to include your favorites, but make sure to slice every vegetable so that the slices are all the same size. This helps with cooking time and presentation.


Vegetable Tian

2-3 Medium zucchinis, sliced
4 Medium potatoes, sliced (I prefer yukon gold)
8 plum tomatoes, sliced
6 sprigs of thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Medium onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 Tbsp. Olive oil, plus 1 tsp. reserved
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute garlic and onion in 1 Tbsp. olive oil until the onions are translucent. Transfer mixture to the bottom of your baking dish. Spread the mixture so that it evenly coats the dish.

Arrange vegetables in the baking dish, alternating with each slice. Try to stand the vegetables up on a slant, so that they will stay in position while baking. Sprinkle the sprigs of thyme on top of the vegetables and drizzle the remaining 1 tsp. of olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are done. Remove the aluminum foil and the sprigs of thyme. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and return to the oven. Allow the tian to cook for another 20 minutes. Serve.