Pesto Shrimp Kabobs

The classic shrimp kabob is one of my favorite dinners.  We usually like to throw pineapple, bell peppers, mangos, and red onions onto the skewer.  However, I was making Matt a pesto pasta salad and decided to create a different kind of kabob.  I used the leftover pesto on some shrimp and onions.  The kabobs turned out great and were a nice alternative to the regular shrimp kabobs that we usually have.  Enjoy!

Pesto Shrimp Kabobs

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

              ¾ cup packed basil leaves

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1 garlic clove

¾ teaspoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. shrimp

½ cup onion, cut in wedges   

Directions:

Lightly toast the nuts in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes on the stove.  Place basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic clove, and lemon juice in a food processor.  Slowly add the oil while the machine is running, until a smooth paste has formed.  Blend for about 15 more seconds until the sauce is smooth and thin. 

Preheat the grill to medium heat.  Place the shrimp and onions onto skewers.  Brush the pesto onto the shrimp and onion kabobs.  Add shrimp kabobs to grill. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp turns pink.  

Don't forget your steamed veggies!

 

Grilled Salmon with Spinach and Carrots

It’s still warm in the valley so we haven’t given up the summer grilling just yet!  We love to use the grill because the high heat seals in the moisture and keeps food tender so you don’t need to use butter or other condiments.  I’ve found that the easiest way to grill fish is by using foil.  The foil prevents the fish from sticking to the grill and seals in the flavors.  This recipe is easy and delicious.  You can also throw more vegetables into the foil with the fish.  Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with Spinach and Carrots

Total Time: 35 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

            2- ½ pound filets of salmon, skin on

            Ground pepper

            1 teaspoon garlic, minced

            1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

            1 lemon, sliced

            Aluminum foil

            2 cups spinach

            1 cup carrots, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Pour extra virgin olive oil on to a paper towel and pat it onto the skin of the salmon.  Lay salmon skin down onto foil.  Put ground pepper and garlic onto the top of the salmon.  Then, lay the lemon slices on the top of the filets.  Fold aluminum foil over the salmon so that it is completely enclosed in the foil.  Place the salmon on the grill in foil, skin down for 25 minutes.

Steam spinach and carrots on stove top for ten minutes.  Place spinach and carrots on plate and top with salmon.

 

Shrimp and Snow Pea Salad

I love the holiday season but I'm not quite ready to put on sweaters and eat soups.  So, I put together some of my favorite summer ingredients for a light dinner that is delicious and filling.  This recipe is easy to make and healthy, too.  Shrimp are low in calories and fat but high in protein, so they're ideal for a light yet satisfying meal. 

Shrimp and Snow Pea Salad

Total Time: 22 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

            ¼ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

            Ground pepper

            1 ½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

            ½ teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

            2 scallions, chopped

            ¾ cup snow peas, trimmed

            ½ cup water chestnuts, chopped

            ½ cup quinoa

           

Directions:

On the stovetop, steam snow peas for seven minutes.  In a large bowl, toss shrimp with pepper.  Heat a large skillet on high.  Add oil and ginger to skillet and cook for about thirty seconds.  Add shrimp, scallions, carrots, water chestnuts, and snow peas.  Stir occasionally for about five minutes, until the shrimp are opaque throughout.

Serve with quinoa or brown rice.  If you want to make it spicy, top it off with sriracha (my fav!).  

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If I had it my way, I would have grilled chicken and steamed vegetables for dinner every night.  However, I’d like to keep Matt around for a little bit longer, so I decided to spice things up a bit… keep it interesting!  He also said that if he had that same meal again, he would boycott the grill… Well,  I can’t have that, he’s the grill master (he has an apron to prove it)!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Total Time: 25 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken (Whole Foods has the best quality)

¼ cup reduced-sodium gluten free soy sauce

            ½ cup onion, chopped

            1 celery stalk, diced

            ½ cup carrots, chopped

            ½ cup scallions, chopped

1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

            Pepper to taste

1 large head butter lettuce, wash, dried and leaves separated

Directions:

In a large pan, brown the ground chicken over medium-high heat, breaking up the pieces.  Pour into a colander, in the sink and drain fat.  Return chicken to pan.  When cool enough to handle, break up the chicken pieces until minced.

Add the soy sauce, onion, celery, carrots, scallions, water chestnuts, red bell pepper, ginger, water and extra virgin olive oil to pan.  Cook for a few minutes until the scallions and red pepper are soft.  Keep warm.

To assemble each chicken wrap, spoon chicken and vegetable filling onto one lettuce leaf and roll it up.  If you want to make it spicy, top it off with chili garlic paste or sriracha.  I personally love the wraps without a dipping sauce and just add sriracha.

Optional Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients:

¼ cup reduced-sodium gluten free soy sauce

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

½ tablespoon fresh minced ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon fresh minced garlic

Directions:

Mix ingredients well.

Tilapia Tacos

Tilapia has become one of my favorite fish to eat.  Matt and I buy the frozen bag at Costco and have it almost every week.  The filets are easy to cook in the oven or on the stovetop with cilantro and jalapeno. 

I also love fish tacos but don’t like to get them at restaurants because they are usually fried or have some type of sauce on them.  I came up with this recipe to satisfy my taco craving and prove to Matt that the taco truck isn’t the only place he can get delicious tacos!

Tilapia Tacos

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tilapia fillets (1 lb), rinsed and pat dried

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

2 cups diced tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Pepper to taste

2 brown rice tortillas, cut in half for smaller tacos

1 medium haas avocado, sliced

2 cups red cabbage, sliced into narrow strips

Lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Sauté onions until translucent, then add garlic.

Place tilapia on the skillet and cook until the flesh starts to flake.  Add jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice.  Sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, breaking up the fish with the spoon to get everything mixed well.  Season to taste with pepper.

On another skillet, heat the tortillas for a few minutes on each side until they are warm.  Spoon about a little over 1/4 cup of fish on each warmed tortilla.  Add the cabbage and a slice or 2 of avocado. Enjoy!

Zesty Salmon with Quinoa and Carrots

My guilty pleasure is rice.  I could eat it with every meal, but do not like to because it really does not do anything good for me.  That’s why I have replaced it in my diet with quinoa.  Both grains are still fairly high in calories, but quinoa is high in fiber, protein and iron. It is a carb that is full of nutrients and tasty, too!  I prefer fish and meats to be served without any kind of sauce but it’s nice to add a different kind of spice every once in a while.  I put this recipe together, because I love cilantro and wanted to add a zesty flavor to salmon without adding dairy or salt.  Enjoy!

Zesty Salmon with Quinoa and Carrots

Total Time: 40 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup carrots, finely diced

2 5-oz. wild salmon fillets

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse quinoa under cold water. In a small saucepan, bring water to boil. Add quinoa and carrots and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Let quinoa rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and place on dinner plates.

Season salmon with pepper.  Place salmon, skin side down, in a pan.  Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Combine cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, cumin, red chili flakes in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Remove salmon from oven, and remove the skin.  Place salmon over quinoa.  Spoon cilantro sauce on top and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Sautéed Shrimp Salad

I’m back!  After six months of wedding planning, I am now done and excited to be sharing my recipes again.  The wedding was the best day of our lives but it sure is nice to have time to cook.  Matt is pretty excited about it, too… he was getting tired of picking up chicken from the market. 

This summer, my favorite food has been shrimp.  It’s light, refreshing and there are so many ways to prepare it.  The art of compromise was the inspiration for this recipe.  I love shrimp and Matt loves chopped salads.  So, I threw in some our favorite items and made this delicious dish.  Hopefully, I can remember the art of compromise when it comes to bigger issues than dinner.  Enjoy!

Sautéed Shrimp Salad

Total Time: 25 min
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 5 min
Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup kale, chopped

1 ½ cup mixed greens, chopped

1 cup bean sprouts

1 ½ cup tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 ½ cup carrots, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

½ cup onion, diced

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix kale, mixed greens, bean sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, onion and cilantro.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat.  Cook shrimp 3 to 4 minutes, until just pink.  Add garlic and lime juice and cook 30 more seconds.  Season with pepper.

Add shrimp to salad mix and place salad on plate.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice on salad or top with ginger dressing.

I prefer to use lemon juice as a dressing but if you want something more zesty, this ginger dressing is great!

Optional Ginger Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cilantro

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon pickled ginger

1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chili oil

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend for 45 seconds.