Shrimp Scampi Pasta

I forgot to post another recipe Corinne & I tried on our last visit. We didn't use olives because she doesn't like them. I liked this recipe because it didn't have pounds of butter like traditional shrimp scampi recipes.

Shrimp Scampi With Pasta, Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes And Olives

Self Magazine, don't remember the issue

Ingredients:
2 ounces Whole-Grain Angel-Hair Pasta
2 tsp Extra Light Olive Oil
¾ pound Medium Shrimp, shelled
½ tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Black Olives
1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Parsley
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 cup Fresh Baby Spinach
4 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
¼ cup Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp White Wine (or use extra broth)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Reduced-Fat Grated Parmesan

Directions:
For pasta
Cook pasta 1 minute less than directed on package; set aside.
For shrimp
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt. Cook shrimp until pink, 5 to 6 minutes; transfer to a plate.
For vegetables
Reduce heat to medium; add olives, parsley and garlic. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant but does not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spinach, tomatoes, broth, wine and lemon juice. Cover and cook until tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

468 calories per serving, 15.8 g fat (2.9 g saturated), 35.6 g carbs, 2.6 g fiber, 42.7 g protein

Maple-Glazed Salmon

My friend Corinne made this recipe for me this weekend and I've been dreaming about having it again since! It's that perfect delicious combo of a little spice and a little sweet, and you can adjust it to being less or more spicy to taste too. Also, the spice rub is delicious to keep around for seasoning other items or to have on hand to make this a seriously quick and healthy dish. Of note, Corinne usually used honey instead of maple syrup since maple syrup is a little pricey. I'm not a honey fan but she says you can't really tell the honey taste. We tried the real deal this weekend and she does admit it is better with the maple syrup so up to you! It's only a couple of tablespoons so the bottle will last a while though!

(recipe from here)

Maple-Glazed Salmon

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 (6-ounce) Alaskan salmon fillets
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preparation

Preheat broiler. Combine first 6 ingredients; rub spice mixture evenly over flesh side of fillets. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Brush fillets evenly with maple syrup; broil 1-2 more minutes.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

352

Fat:

20g (sat 3.2g,mono 7g,poly 2.7g)

Protein:

34.6g

Carbohydrate:

8.6g

Fiber:

0.2g

Cholesterol:

104mg

Iron:

1.6mg

Sodium:

574mg

Calcium:

80mg

Tuna Salad

Tuna Salad

-6 oz Albacore tuna

-2 green onions, sliced

-2 Tbsp kalamata olives, sliced/minced

-2 Tbsp flat leaf/Italian parsley, chopped

-zest & juice of 1 lemon

-2-3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

-dash of pepper

Mix tuna, green onions, olives, and parsley. In a seperate bowl wisk the olive oil into the lemon juice & zest until all mixed. Sprinkle pepper to taste (the olives should be salty enough that you don't need salt). Add to tuna and mix. Eat on a sandwhich, wrap, crackers, or plain like I did for lunch today (pic). As with all my recipes, change the proportions as desired! Easy, quick, healthy, light, yummy!

Fish in Papillote

I must admit I'm pretty happy with my meal planning this week, another good meal last night. I've been seeing in recipes and on the food network the idea for "Fish in Papillote" (or fish in parchment paper) so I finally decided to try it out. As with all my stuff use whatever combo of herbs, veggies, fish you'd like. Mine came out yummy but I'd love to try other combinations too.

Lemon Rosemary Fish in Papillote
-1 fillet tilapia per packet
-Rub with a light layer of olive oil on both sides of the fish
-Season with salt/pepper
-Place in a large piece of parchment paper
-Spread minced garlic on top of fish
-Place some sliced lemon and a spring of rosemary on both the top and underneath the fish
-Place some veggies on top and tuck some under the fish if you desire (I used sliced shallot, squash, artichoke quarters, and crimini mushrooms)

Close the parchment paper and roll the edges to create a tight seal to steam the fish in. Bake at 425 for 25min. Careful of steam when opening the packet.

Mojito Lime Shrimp

Have to share another yummy dinner from last night! I know these aren't "recipes" and I've never thought to post these before but then I realized that quick meal ideas are great to share as well. I marinated this while I was at the gym and I literally had dinner 10 minutes after I was home...it was so fast, easy, & delicious!

Mojito Lime Shrimp
-Make packet of McCormick Gill Mates Mojito Lime marinade (I used a little less oil then it called for. Also I used balsamic vinager instead of white/apple cider because that's what I had and it turned out great)
-Marinate shrimp (It says to marinate seafood no longer then 30 minutes, mine was closer to 2 hours and it was fine)
-Cook as desired (I used my Foreman grill, took 5 minutes to cook)

This marinade was soo yummy! It was a delicious mix of a touch of spice, a touch of sweet, and a touch of tang. I highly recommend! I also think this marinade would taste great in fish/shrimp tacos.

Parmesan Tilapia & Squash Veggie Packets

Dinner tonight was SO yummy (& easy), I had to share!

Parmesan Tilapia
-baste the tilapia fillet w/ a light coating of olive oil
-sprinkle Grill Mates Garlic Herb & Wine marinade seasoning on the top, pat the powder down so it sticks to the fish
-sprinkle w/ a light coating of shredded parmesan cheese (I use the Kraft shredded parmesan, romano, & asiago - my favorite!)

That's it! Bake as desired...I did 400 degrees until the fish was firm & flaky (~12 min)

Squash Veggie Packets
This recipe is my best friend's husband's recipe and these veggies are my favorite!! He does these on the grill but I do the oven version for my apartment and they came out great. Add any veggies you want! He usually uses onions also but I didn't have any on hand. The amount below is enough for 2 servings.

My veggie packet tonight consisted of:
1 zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
handful of crimini mushrooms, sliced
-place veggies in tin foil
-cover with Italian dressing (highly recommend Ken's Italian w/ Aged Romano, also don't use zesty Italian because it is too strong)
-close tin foil so the dressing will not leak and the veggies will steam (you might need to do 2 sheets in different directions)

-Grill if able or bake at 500 degrees for 20-30 min

Salmon Florentine

The following recipe I got from the Self November 2009 issue. I served it with the Quinoa Pilaf from the same issue/recipe. Nutritional facts for one 6oz fillet and 1/2 cup quinoa = 470 calories, 20g fat (only 4g saturated), 27g carbs, 6g fiber, 48g protein

The salmon looked beautiful but I totally forgot to take a picture but you can see what it should look like here. The only thing different I did was use fresh spinach that I cooked rather than using frozen spinach. It turned out pretty, yummy, and healthy.

Salmon Florentine
2 packages (10oz each) frozen spinach, thawed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tsp minced garlic
5 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
4 skinless salmon fillets (6oz each)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Squeeze spinach of all excess liquid. Set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, cook, stirring, until soft (about 3 minutes). Add garlic, cook 1 minute more. Add spinach, tomatoes, salt, pepper flakes, and pepper; cook, stirring 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, let cool about 15 minutes. Add ricotta, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pack about 1/2 cup spinach mixture on top of each fillet, matching the shape of the fillet. Place fillets on unrimmed baking sheet or glass baking dish, bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Fusilli with Shrimp, Orange, and Arugula

This is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe from the Food Network that my Dad made last night. I LOVED how light the vinaigrette was. It was a perfect summer dish! He made it with white pasta but I'd love to try it with wheat pasta. We ate it as a main dish but it could easily be served as a side pasta salad as well. I didn't think it needed the green olives for flavor but I like green olives so I didn't mind them.

Fusilli with Shrimp, Orange, and Arugula
Serves 4-6

1 pound fusili pasta
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
Freshly ground salt & pepper
2 Tbsp white wine (or pasta water)

1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice from lemon (~1 lemon)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground salt & pepper
2 large oranges
5 ounces arugula (or spinich)
15 (5 ounces) large pitted green olives, halved

For the pasta:
Cook pasta as directed until desired tenderness, drain pasta.
In a large saute pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and white wine (or pasta water) to the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

In a seperate large bowl combine the lemon zest and lemon juice. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth. Use paring knife, remove the peel and white pith from oranges. Over the bowl, cut between the membranes of the oranges to form segments. Allow the juice to drip into serving bowl and squeeze out excess juice from membrane portion of orange into the bowl before discarding. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the arugula and olive to the serving bowl. Toss lightly to combine.

Add the hot pasta and shrimp to the vinaigrette and toss until the arugula is wilted and all the ingredients are combined and lightly coated with vinaigrette.

Savory Tomato Shabu Shabu with Seafood Dippers - Posted by Michelle Davis

I originally wanted to cook this recipe because I was looking for a new recipe to incorporate seafood. I love seafood and am always trying new ways to spice it up. Then as I was looking over it, I saw that it had a lot of ginger in it. I know that ginger is a very healthy ingredient to use so that was a double bonus! The only thing I am not sure of is how exactly is ginger good for you? Maybe you could help me with that!
When I actually ended up cooking this meal my whole family loved it! We all thought it was a very light, refreshing dish that wasn’t too filling. The dipping sauces really added a lot to it too! (The lemon mayonnaise was my favoriteJ) We all agree that it would make a really good dish to entertain with, kind of like a fondu party! All in all I think this dish is the perfect weeknight meal for one, or a weekend meal with friends. Hope you try it!

Savory Tomato Shabu Shabu with Seafood Dippers

Ingredients
4 large tomatoes, seeds removed
4 cups vegetable stock
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound salmon tail, sliced thinly
1/2 pound scallops, sliced in 1/2
Lemon Mayonnaise, for serving, recipe follows
Ginger Cream, for serving, recipe follows

Directions
Place a blender onto the counter and add all 4 of the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock. Cover and blend altogether until the tomatoes are completely pureed. Add the remaining vegetable stock and pulse for a few more seconds to combine.
Place mixture into a saucepan or stove-top safe fondue pot, add the sliced ginger and roughly chopped cilantro, cover and place on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
While the sauce is heating, take the seafood out of the refrigerator and begin to arrange the fish on a plate.


As soon as the sauce has come to the boil, transfer the pot onto the heat station on the table (or keep on stove), and continue to keep the mixture at boiling point. If the liquid seems to have reduced just add more vegetable stock.
Take a skewer and a piece of seafood, skewer the seafood and set it into the sauce. Wait just a few seconds to allow the seafood to cook and taste with dipping sauces.
Serve the seafood dippers with Lemon Mayonnaise and Ginger Cream

Lemon Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
In a mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice.

Ginger Cream:
2 hands fresh ginger, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, skin on
1/2 cup mayonnaise
In a food processor place both heads of the ginger, pulse the ginger until it has become a pulp. Place the mayonnaise into a mixing bowl.
Place a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth over a bowl; transfer the pulp onto the towel. Pick up the towel by all 4 corners.
Twist the kitchen towel very tightly over the mixing bowl, and let the ginger juice pour into the bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, mix well and serve

Sesame Tuna with Cucumber Salad - Posted by Eileen D.

I got some nice fresh Tuna fillets at Costco last week. Probably 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. I rubbed each side with a small amount of sesame oil, a tsp. of Hoisin sauce, then sprinkled it fairly heavily with a mix of light and black sesame seeds (so it covers the entire surface). I then grilled it on my outdoor grill. Restaurants serve tuna rare - but that's not my preference so I probably did about 4 minutes each side.

I served it with another favorite of mine - that I adapted from a sushi restaurant that I like.

I mandolin small cucumbers into very thin slices (don't peel of course) - two per person. I mix the cucumbers with a dash of sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, and a dash of low-sodium soy sauce. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the top and serve immediately.

I like this meal because it's light, satisfying, and as far as I know - pretty darn healthy. (I know Hoisin sauce isn't very good - but I use a very small amount.) The more I read about how much fish we should eat, I try more ways to prepare it so that everyone likes it. Both Case and Carson will eat fresh tuna - so it works.