Shrimp Marinara

My husband and his entire family really love Italian food, so when I asked Matt what he wanted for dinner Sunday night he replied shrimp marinara. I have never actually made shrimp marinara so when I researched it, it didn't seem so difficult or unhealthy! I found my recipe through food networks, Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals show. Let me tell ya, it wasn't only quick but it was DELICIOUS- she totally nailed this recipe! To quote my very picky husband, "Best shrimp I have ever made!" I made a few very small changes but other than that this recipe is pretty much the same as Robin Miller's. My suggestion- use some fresh veggies in your marinara to kick it up a little. I had fresh zucchini in my refrigerator that I wanted to use and instead of all of her dried herbs I just used a simple Italian seasoning. I hope you guys enjoy her recipe as much as we did!

Shrimp Marinara

Recipe by: Robin Miller- Quick Fix Meals

**For the original recipe click on the link above**

1 box dried pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 can no sodium diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 proud large shrimp, already peeled and deveined

optional- Parmesan

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the box. Make sure to add some salt to the boiling water!

2. In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, heat the oil and add the minced shallots and garlic. Let it brown- about one minute.

3. Add the Italian seasoning and mix with the garlic/shallot mixture.

4. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce mix everything together and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

6. Add the shrimp to the marinara mixture and let them cook for 3 minutes or until they are bright pink on the outside.

7. Serve the marinara over the pasta and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan!

My shrimp marinara- notice the chunks of fresh zucchini!

Summer Corn and Black Bean Salad

This summer I am giving myself the challenge of mastering the "side dish". My fish recipes are becoming more of a staple in my house and in order for my dinner's to not appear repetitive I feel that I need to start adding some unique side dishes. Yesterday we drove back from Ohio and on our six hour drive home I researched some new and exciting recipes to try. My husband loves corn and really wanted enough of something so that he could take it to work. I stumbled upon the perfect match for his request- a Corn and Summer Vegetable Sauté from myrecipes.com. I liked that all the ingredients were light and healthy and that it could be eaten either hot or cold. I decided to test this recipe out, using my own twist. To my surprise it was the perfect side dish- light, healthy, easy and perfect for a next day lunch! I really enjoyed this dish and got back from my run today craving it. Here is my version of the Corn and Summer Vegetable Sauté- I hope you guys like it as much as we did!

Summer Corn and Black Bean Salad

Adapted by: myrecipes.com

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup green onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 packages frozen corn- thawed

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 whole lemon (or a 1/3-1/2 cup fresh lemon juice)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon Season All

Optional next day ingredients:

1/2 an avocado

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add chopped green onions and minced garlic and let it sauté until almost brown.

3. Add chickpeas and bell peppers- stir with the garlic and onion  mixture. Cover the skillet and let it sit so the chickpeas can cook and get a little crispy.

4. Add the corn and black beans and again let it sit for about 3-5 minutes so all the ingredients can cook down a little. Make sure to stir everything together!

5. Finally add the cilantro, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Season All. Stir everything together and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook and marinate together for about 3-5 minutes.

6. Serve it hot or cold!

I sprinkled a little extra, fresh cilantro before serving. Such a delicious dish!!!! ENJOY!

The next day I threw in half an avocado and the juice of a half of a lemon in my cold salad. I put just a little sprinkle more of Season All on top and mixed it together. It was filling, healthy and very light- perfect for right after my run! I hope you guys enjoy this great new side dish!

Lunch the next day!



Crab Cakes and a Summer Salad!

It's finally summer time! To me that mean's schools over, more blogging begins and Maryland blue crabs are in season! My favorite thing to do over the summer in DC is go to local crab shacks and drink super cold beers and pick through extra large smoking hot crabs! However, due to the enormous amount of salt that you take in while eating crabs we can’t go as often as I would like. So I decided to hit up my favorite guys at the fish counter at Whole Foods and get some fresh already picked crab meat and try my luck at some low sodium, baked crab cakes. To my husband’s surprise- he loved them! To my surprise- they were super easy and didn’t stink up my apartment. As a side dish I made my favorite summer salad- ripe hard tomatoes and super juicy peaches mixed with basil, honey and sherry vinegar topped with a sprinkling of feta cheese. This recipe is so light and easy it goes perfectly with any summer recipe. What could be better right? I guess some super cold beers! As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Baked Crab Cakes

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat

1 1/2 tablespoons fat free canola mayonnaise

2 green onions finely chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup whole wheat panko

1 tablespoon Season All

Lemon

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 and coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.

2. In a shallow pie pan mix the whole wheat panko and the season all.

3. Put the crabmeat in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to gently check to make sure all shells are out of the crab. Mix together the crab, mayo, chopped green onions, garlic and already beaten egg.

4. Form the mixture into small patties and dredge in the panko and season all mixture.

5. Put the patties in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes- then switch the oven to broil (high) for the last 5-7 minutes, this will make them nice and crispy!

6. Once they are out of the oven squeeze lemon juice on them.



Yum, perfectly crispy crab cakes!

Summer Tomato and Peach Salad

Adapted by: Cooking Light Magazine

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 package of cherry tomatoes

3 ripe peaches

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Slice the cherry tomatoes in halves and cut the peaches in wedges.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine the peaches, cherry tomatoes, basil, and onions.

3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the sherry vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Pour it over the salad and toss all together.

4. Refrigerate the salad until you are ready to eat the crab cakes- I find that the dressing soaks into the tomatoes and peaches giving it a perfect marinade. When you are ready to eat toss the feta in and mix together!

My favorite summer time salad!

Hoisin Flank Steak and Cucumber Salad

As summer time rolls in, so does outside runs and much lighter meals! Forget the hearty comfort food and whip out the light fish and salads. These past few weeks have been a little crazy with college graduations, visiting my adorable nephew and weddings galore! The other day I decided to make this steak and cucumber salad which I always used to make in NYC, and in fact I have passed on to many of my friends. It is a BIG summer-time winner in my house! The steak is beyond flavorful but really it's the salad that steals the show. The salad is really crispy and fresh, while the steak is sweet and spicy. They complement each other perfectly and will leave your mouth watering for more!  I actually suggest making more so that you ensure leftovers for lunch the next day. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Hoisin Flank Steak and Cucumber Salad

Adapted by: Cooking light magazine

Steak

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon bottled ground ginger

1 orange

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound flank steak

Cooking spray

Cucumber Salad

2-3 large cucumbers

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions

1/4 cup baby carrots- sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Juice from the whole orange

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler to high

2. In a small bowl combine the hoisin sauce, ginger, rind from the whole orange, and garlic. Mix it all together and brush the steak with it.

3. Coat a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with cooking spray and cook the steak for about 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

4. While the steak is cooking start on the cucumber salad. First peel the cucumbers and slice them horizontally. Take a spoon and scoop out all of the cucumber seeds. Then slice the cucumbers thinly and put them in a large bowl.

4. Add the sliced carrots, red onions, and cilantro with the cucumbers.

5. In a separate small bowl, juice the de-skinned orange from the steak, remove any seeds. Add the garlic, salt and oil to the orange juice. Using a wire whisk- whisk it all together until it looks like vinaigrette.

6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it all together. Let it sit in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes so the dressing can marinate the veggies and so the steak can rest. (This will seal in the juices for the steak)

7. Once you are ready- cut the steak diagonally across the grain in thin slices and add the salad as a side. Enjoy every bite as we usually do!!!!

Hoisin Flank Steak and Cucumber Salad



Mediterranean Flounder

This was my final recipe of my seafood-Passover week. I found a recipe in my trusty cooking light magazine but there were too many steps and it took way too long to make, so I decided to change the recipe up and make it to my liking! It turned out wonderfully delicious, extremely light and very flavorful! My hubby and I both polished off all the fish and even had some veggies left over for lunch the next day! This recipe was such a great way to end a healthy week. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Mediterranean Flounder

3 tablespoons kalamata olives

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 zucchinis

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup whole wheat panko

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 flounder fillets

1 lemon

Cooking spray

Season All

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400

2. Chop all your veggies. I cut the zucchini in quarters, halved the cherry tomatoes, and cut the seeds out of the kalamata olives- put all of the veggies and your chopped garlic in a large bowl.

3. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of the veggie mixture, add the salt and pepper and toss it around.

4. Put your veggies in an oval baking dish and put it in the heated oven for about 10 minutes.

5. While the veggies are cooking combine the panko, parsley and thyme in a shallow dish- sprinkle in some season all for flavor. Coat the fish with cooking spray (to make the panko stick) and dredge the fillets in the panko mixture.

6. Once the timer on the veggies goes off- add the basil and incorporate it into the hot veggies.

7. Move the veggies around so there is some room for the fish to go on the bottom of the baking dish.

8. Put the baking dish back in the oven for 20 minutes.

9. Once the fish is done- cut the lemon in half and sprinkle the juice over the hot fish and veggies.

Serve it with a great bottle of St. Francis Cabernet!

This fish is so delicious and it makes such a beautiful presentation with its bright colors!



Cilantro Shrimp

During this past week of Passover I made a few seafood recipes that my wonderful hubby informed me were "blog worthy". This recipe came from my cooking light magazine from 2010. It is so light, easy and quick that you will be blown away by how much flavor it actually has. It is also less than 400 calories and yet still fills you up. Here is my version of cooking lights cilantro shrimp. I hope you guys like it as much as we did!!!!

Cilantro Shrimp

Adapted by: Cooking Light Magazine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups green onions

2 tablespoons minced ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon roasted red pepper chili paste

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 rind of a whole lemon

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.

2. Cut the tips of the onions in slices- add them, ginger and garlic to skillet, stir fry for 1 minute.

3. In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, chili paste, lemon rind and juice and whisk it together.

4. Add the shrimp to the skillet and stir fry for 2 minutes.

5. Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet and stir it in with the shrimp. Let sit for another minute or until the shrimp are done.

6. Pour the shrimp into a large bowl and sprinkle the fresh cilantro over the hot shrimp. Mix it all together so the fresh cilantro gets incorporated with the shrimp mixture.

7. Serve it hot and enjoy!



Delicious Chicken Shawarma

This week was Passover and during that holiday you are not supposed to eat any bread, corn or rice. Well after eating more matzo pizza's than one person can handle I decided to take a favorite basic recipe and deconstruct it a little. What I love about this recipe is that the chicken in this dish is so flavorful and spicy that when you get some of the cold cucumber and onions in your mouth, it quickly cools you down. The cucumber and onions don't serve as a side dish- rather everything gets incorporated together and creates this super light bite that leaves your mouth with an amazing punch of flavor. Matt and I both really enjoyed it! There was nothing left for leftover lunch the next day, which always makes me feel like my dinners are a success! I hope you guys enjoy this dish as much as we did!

Delicious Chicken Shawarma

Adapted by: Cooking Light Magazine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander

3 tablespoons, lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2-3 boneless chicken breasts

olive oil

2-3 cucumbers, chopped and pealed

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

Season All

Directions

1. Chop chicken into small cubes- place to the side.

2. In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the 2 garlic cloves, stir everything together.

spice mixture

3. Heat a large skillet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil.

4. Add the raw, chopped chicken to the spices and mix it together so the chicken is evenly coated with the spice mixture.

5. Add the chicken mixture to the warm skillet and saute until the chicken is brown and cooked. Id say about 7-10 minutes depending on how thick your chicken cubes are. I usually take the largest cube out and cut it open- if its white inside then the chicken is done! If its not then let it sit for a little longer. To help the chicken cook faster put a lid over your skillet, just make sure you occasionally stir everything.

6. While the chicken is cooking, chop both your cucumbers and onions.

7. Once the chicken is done put it on a large platter. Toss the cucumbers, onions and remaining tablespoon of lemon juice over the hot chicken. Sprinkle Season All over it and toss it all together.

8. Serve it hot, with a cold glass of Chardonnay!

Final product! So delicious and easy! Happy Eating!!!!