Shrimp and Corn Chowder

This is a great dinner for a cold winter night.   It fills you up and is only 394 calories per serving.  Plus, it's just delicious!  To make this you will need:

2 teaspoons butter

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 bunches scallions, chopped

3 cups frozen diced potatoes

3 cups frozen corn

3 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 quart low-fat milk

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon butter

Paprika, for sprinkling

1.)  Melt the 2 teaspoons of butter in a Dutch Oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the celery, scallions, potatoes and corn. Add the thyme, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook while stirring for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk, then cover and bring to a boil.
2.)  Uncover, reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
3.)  Transfer one-third of the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender and puree until smooth, then return to the pot. Return to a simmer over medium-high heat.
4.)  Stir the shrimp and Old Bay to coat the shrimp. In a separate pan melt the tablespoon of butter and cook the shrimp until opaque, about 4 minutes. Season with salt.  Add the shrimp to the soup.   If the soup is too thick, stir in up to 1 cup water. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with paprika.

Caribbean Island Lime Shrimp

I loved this dish!  Super easy, quick and delicious....what could you not like about that?
To make this dish you will need:

1/2 cup orange juice concentrate, undiluted

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon triple sec or Cointreau orange liqueur

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 to 1-1/2 pounds fresh or frozen jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup, halved grape tomatoes

1 chopped avocado

 

1.)  Measure orange juice concentrate, lime juice, 1/8 cup olive oil, Triple Sec, cilantro, garlic, curry powder, kosher salt, cumin, tumeric, cayenne pepper, and black pepper into a large zip-top bag. Seal and squish contents to mix. Add shrimp to the marinade, squeeze out all the air, and seal. Turn bag to coat shrimp. Refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes. (Do not over-marinate or the citrus acids will "cook" the shrimp.)

2.)  Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan and swirl to coat. Remove shrimp from marinade, reserving marinade, and place in a single layer in the hot pan. Cook for 1 minute, then flip the shrimp to the other side. You may need to do this in batches. Do not overcook the shrimp or it will become rubbery. Remove shrimp and keep warm. Add the reserved marinade to the hot pan. Add the tomatoes.  Continue cooking the marinade until it reduces to a thin sauce. Turn off heat, return the shrimp to the pan, and toss in the sauce to coat.

3.)  Serve Caribbean Island Lime Shrimp over white rice.  Top with the chopped avocado.

Homemade Boston Baked Beans - Can be made Vegan

What a great dish for a cold winter night.  You could also make this in your crockpot, but it will slightly change the consistency and the flavor.  I served mine with hot dogs that I cooked in beer and a loaf of homemade bread.  Very filling and satisfying.  Worth the effort!

To make this dish you will need:
2 cups navy beans (personally I use a mix of beans)
1/2 pound bacon (vegan - veggie bacon), diced                                                   
1 onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons molasses

2 teaspoons salt                        

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup ketchup

1  tablespoon worcestershire Sauce (vegan - Annie's vegan worcestershire)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1 to 2 hours. Drain and reserve the liquid
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
3. In a Dutch oven (or heavy casserole dish)  saute the bacon until crisp.  Add onions right before the bacon gets crisp to soften them. 
4. Add the molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour in the beans. Then, pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 3 to 4 hours in the preheated oven until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.

Braciole

This is a big Sunday Italian dinner.  It's so good.  The aroma will fill your house and you won't be able to stand the wait for dinner!
To make this you will need:
olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese or grated aged provolone cheese
2 tablespoon garlic, chopped finely
2 hard boiled egg, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
Toothpicks or string (butcher’s twine) to secure the rolls
3-4 tablespoon olive oil for browning
Tomato sauce
1.)  Lay the meat out on a board. Pound with a mallet to thin and beat with tenderizer side to further tenderize the meat.
2.)  Rub each slice with olive oil. Follow with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, cheese, garlic, pine nuts,
salt and pepper to taste.
3.)  Begin rolling.  Roll each slice vertically and secure with toothpicks or string.  You can use 2 or 3 strings to secure the smaller ones. If making large ones, use more string or toothpicks.
4.)  Brown the rolls in olive oil. When finished – remove them and put them in the sauce that is in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup red wine

1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes – give them a quick turn or 2 in the blender first

1 tablespoon tomato paste (dilute the paste in 1/2 cup water – stir well until dissolved into the water)

2 tablespoon fresh Flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped

2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 Parmigiano-reggiano cheese rind

1.)  Add olive oil to the pan. Add garlic, then the red wine.  Once browned add the beef rolls.

Coconut Ginger Shrimp *Vegan Hint*

First words out of my husbands mouth when he tasted this:  "Can this go into our regular rotation?"  Which was followed with, "I want the leftovers for lunch!"  This dish reminded me of something you could get from a Thai restaurant.  You could use chicken or even scallops in place ofthe shrimp.  *Vegans could try it with  tofu!*  I served it over Basmati rice.  To make this you will need:
4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 inch cube of ginger (about 30 grams), roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 red pepper cut in strips

1 4 oz. package of sugar snap peas (deveined)

1/2 of a large onion, cut in half moons

1/2 cup shredded carrot

2 cans coconut milk, not shaken

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 pound large shrimp cleaned and deveined

For the Spice Blend:

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons ground tumeric

1 teaspoon salt

1.)  In a small bow, mix together the spice blend. Set aside.

2.)  In a mini food processor, combine garlic, ginger and onion and pulse until it forms a paste.

3.)  In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and the butter.  Add all the vegetables and start to sauté them (about 5 minutes until they are tender).  Add the garlic/ginger paste and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the spice blend.

4.)  Open the cans of coconut milk and remove the cream from the top using a soup spoon. You should have about 1 cup. Pour the coconut milk over the vegetables.  Mix the cornstarch with the coconut cream.  Add to the mixture to thicken it. 

5.)  Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp have turned pink and are done.

Easy Old Fashioned Popovers (with Garlic and Chives)

Popovers - light, airy, fluffy pillows of dough that are so delicious and super easy to make!  You are guaranteed to enjoy this one. This is for a small batch of popovers (6 to 8).
To make this dish you will need:
1 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1.)  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix the flour, salt, and milk in a bowl, then drop in the unbeaten egg. Beat all with an immersion blender (or in a blender) until the mixture is perfectly smooth and free from lumps. AddStir? in the garlic and the chives.






2.)  If you are lucky enough to have them, grease and warm gem irons or popover cups (I use a muffin/cupcake pan). Then fill them about two-thirds full of the popover batter.
3.)  Bake in a oven for about 45 minutes or until the popovers can be lifted from the cups and do not shrink when removed from the oven.  Serve piping hot!

Butternut Squash Ravioli



You will be amazed at how easy this is to make!  And once you make it from scratch you won't want to go back (athough finding butternut squash ravioli around here is impossible anyway).  
To make this you will need:
Filling
1 1/2 cups of cooked butternut squash
1 cup of ricotta cheese
3 tbsp of fresh sage, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp of fresh/coarsely ground black pepper (if using finely ground pepper, start with 1/2 a tsp and adjust to taste)
3/4 tsp nutmeg
Dough
2 cups of all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
olive oil if/as needed
Finish
1 stick butter
4 oz. sugar snap peas, 1/2 grated carrot and a small yellow squash (chopped) cooked for a few minutes in a microwave

1.)  Mix all of the filling ingredients together, reserving ⅓ of the sage for finishing.
2.)  Sift flour into a large bowl or onto a pastry board and make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well. Using a fork, beat eggs and begin to pull flour into liquid.
3.)  Once you can no longer mix with a fork, knead dough on a well-floured surface until smooth and elastic (8–10 minutes). (If dough feels a bit dry, add a little bit of olive oil when kneading.) Cover dough with a wet tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes. If you won’t be using it right away, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I’ve read that you can keep fresh pasta dough in the fridge for 2 days.
4.)  On a floured surface, roll one batch of pasta dough out into a large rectangle, until it is thin, but not in danger of tearing (around 1/16 of an inch thick). Drop tablespoons of filling over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch between.
5.)  Roll the second batch of dough out into another rectangle, doing your best to replicate the size/shape of the first. Using a pastry brush (or your fingers), rub a little bit of water on the surface of the first dough between the filling, to ensure a proper seal. Carefully place the second rectangle of dough on top, and press all around to close. Cut ravioli with a knife or pasta wheel. To make sure they’re extra sealed (and extra cute), press all around the edges with a fork.
6.)  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ravioli and cook until they begin to float (this should only take a few minutes). Drain.
7.)  In a medium fry pan, melt the butter and sage and allow it to cook until it turns brown.  Add the vegetables and the ravioli.  Heat through and serve.