Pan Fried Shrimp With Green Curry

Ingredients:
1 slice (1/4 inch thick) fresh ginger, peeled
3/4 c. plus 2 T. roasted cashews
1/3 c. plain low fat yogurt
1/4 c. cilantro leaves, packed
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. curry powder
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 T. olive oil

Directions:
In a food processor, pulse the ginger until finely chopped. Add the 3/4 c. cashews; process until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add yogurt, cilantro, sugar and curry powder; season with salt. Process until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining cashews.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T. of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over med.-high heat. Add half the shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining tablespoon of oil and remaining shrimp. Serve the shrimp with the sauce.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
I love shrimp so this was kind of a no brainer for me. The curry sauce with it was good. I liked it. Blake just ate his shrimp plain and the kids ate rice.

Shrimp Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 T. fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 T. garlic, finely grated

2 t. tomato paste

2 t. garam masala

1/2 t. chili powder

1 c. water

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 c. plain yogurt

Directions:

Heat oil in a dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion until golden, about 20 minutes.

Add ginger, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, and chili powder, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add water and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 45 minutes.

Verdict:

I am in search of the best home made tikka masala. I have yet to find it. This one is not good.

Shrimp and Grits with Tomato Cream Sauce

For the sauce:
1 T. butter
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 c. tomato, diced
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. green onions, chopped (green parts only)
1 T. dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste

For the shrimp:
1 T. butter
1 c. kielbasa, cut into 1/2" thick slices
1/4 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. red bell pepper, diced
1/4 c. yellow bell pepper, diced
1 T. garlic, minced
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 t. each cayenne, kosher salt, and black pepper
2 T. dry sherry

For the grits:
1 c. white or yellow grits
salt and pepper to taste
4 t. butter, divided
milk

For the sauce:
Saute tomatoes in butter in a small saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes, then add cream and broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes.
Stir in scallions and 1 T. sherry. Season with salt and pepper, simmer 3 minutes. Keep sauce warm over very low heat.

For the shrimp:
Saute kielbasa in butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add onion, peppers and garlic; saute until onion is softened, about 4 minutes.
Season shrimp with old bay, cayenne, salt, and pepper, then add to kielbasa. Saute 3 minutes, or until shrimp are fully cooked. Deglaze with 2 T. sherry and cook 1 minute, or until sherry evaporates. To serve, divide grits among 4 bowls, then top with shrimp and kielbasa. Serve sauce on the side.

For the grits:
Prepare grits according to package directions (use equal parts milk and water for the liquid.) Season and keep warm.
Top each serving with 1 t. butter.

Makes 3 c. shrimp, 2 c. sauce, 3 c. grits. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
Blake specifically asked that we not have grits. Grits give him the willies because of some field trip he went on to the Provo sewage treatment plant. Don't ask. Anyhow...no grits, so we had polenta instead. Polenta and grits are like siblings so feel free to use either. This meal reminded me of something from the South. It has a lot of different flavors, each one unique on its own, but they seemed to work well together.

Tomato and Shrimp Pasta with Feta

Ingredients:
1/4 c. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 t. dried oregano
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz.)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1/3 c. kalamata olives, chopped
12 oz. penne pasta
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
8 oz. feta

Directions:
Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 T oil. Add onion and garlic.
Cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and oregano and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and olives. Cook, breaking up tomatoes wit a spoon, until sauce thickens, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Add 2 T. oil to pot and heat. Add shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. Return pasta to pot and add tomato sauce; stir to combine. Serve pasta topped with feta.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 25 minutes.

Verdict:
Blake always asks if we can just have plain spaghetti and it always seems to tickle Gavin's fancy whenever we have noodles. I figured this would appease both with out have just plain spaghetti. The sauce was decent. You could make this with out the kalamata olives if you wanted, you would just want to add salt to substitute. Instead of frying the shrimp in a pan I placed them in a dish and covered them with feta and then broiled them until the feta was browned in spots and the shrimp were cooked through. I liked it like that.

Roasted Shrimp With Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:
1 med. spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise,
coarse salt and pepper
1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 T. plus 1 t. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Season squash with salt and pepper. (Leave seeds in squash when cooking.) Place cut side down in a 9x13 baking dish.
Add 3/4 c. water and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss shrimp with 1 t. oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast until cooked though, 8-10 minutes.
Scoop out seeds from squash and discard. With a fork, scrape flesh into a large bowl.
Add shrimp and any cooking juices, lemon juice, and 1 T. oil; toss to combine.
Season with salt and pepper, top with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 55 min.

Verdict:
I think I would have really liked this if the spaghetti squash was cooked more. I think I took it out prematurely and so it was a little crunchy. I have never eaten spaghetti squash before but it was cool. I will most likely try this again to see if I have better results.

Shrimp Tacos With Jalapeno Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. pickled jalapeno peppers
2 Tbsp. red onion, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
1 Tbsp. capers, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 c. green cabbage, shredded
1 c. red cabbage, shredded
3 Tbsp. olive oil
8 corn tortillas
24 shrimp, peeled and deveined
blackened seasoning (I like zatarans)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.
In a food processor pulse together mayonnaise, jalapenos, onion, capers, and lime juice.
Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven for about 10 minutes.
Toss green and red cabbage together in bowl with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Season shrimp with seasoning. In a skillet heat remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil and cook shrimp until cooked through.
Serve shrimp inside a corn tortilla with cabbage and tartar sauce.

Makes 8 tacos. Total time 25 minutes.

Verdict:
I am pretty sure I have waxed strong on my love of fish tacos. I think I feel about the same about shrimp tacos. They were fast and good. Two things I like in a meal.

Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas

Ingredients:
4 burrito sized flour tortillas
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
2 zucchini, quartered length wise, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 c. sour cream
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Place tortillas on large baking sheets and brush with olive oil and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and tortillas are crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
Heat oil in large skillet.
Add zucchini and garlic, season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, until zucchini is crisp tender.
Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Stir in lime juice.
Spoon shrimp mixture over tortillas and top with sour cream and green onions.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 25 minutes.

Verdict:
I made the shrimp and zucchini part of this then realized that we didn't have any tortillas. Ooops. So we ate it plain with rolls on the side instead. I think it would be really good on some tortillas with cheese.

Corn and Shrimp Chowder with Bacon

Ingredients:
6 ears corn, husks and silks removed
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 green onion, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. flour
3 c. whole milk
1 tsp. seafood seasoning
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
2 c. water

Directions:
Cut off tip of each cob. Stand corn in bowl and using knife slice downward to release kernels. Scrape the length of each corn with a spoon to release pulp. (This adds flavor and helps thicken the chowder.)
Cook bacon in large sauce pan until crisp. Remove bacon leaving drippings.
Add green onion whites and potatoes to pan. Cook stirring until onions have softened.
Add flour and cook stirring, 1 minute. Add milk, seafood seasoning, thyme and water.
Boil and then reduce to simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender about 10-12 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and cook until shrimp are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and top with bacon.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 40 minutes.

Verdict:
I don't think it was a wise decision on my part to make warm chowder on a warm day. I didn't really enjoy sweating through the meal. I thought it was tolerable. I ate my portion and did not have seconds. I did fish out some of the shrimp left in the pan though.

Greek Salad with Shrimp and Edamame

For the salad:
2 lb. edamame (soy beans. I bought them frozen and then steamed them in the bag.)
1/2 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 c. mint, chopped
1/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. feta
2 Tbsp. kalamata olives, chopped
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preheat grill.
Steam edamame and remove them from shell.
Stir together edamame, parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, mint, onion, feta, and olives in large bowl. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. olive oil over salad and toss.
Toss shrimp with remaining lemon juice and olive oil. Grill shrimp uncovered until cooked.
Add shrimp to salad mixture and serve.

Makes 4. Total time 20 min.

Verdict:
Let me preface this by saying that I love Greek tasting food. So I thought for sure that I was going to like this and that Blake wouldn't. He is not huge on chopped up green things. (I am wearing him down though.) I was right, mostly. I liked it. It was light and flavorful and very summery. What I didn't expect was that Blake really liked it too. The kids picked out the edamame and ate that and the feta. Laney liked the cucumbers but didn't want any little green things to be on them. Gavin asked for some more feta. What can I say, our kids like feta.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Shrimp Stuffed Avocados With Citrus Aioli

For the avocados:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. each garlic powder, and red pepper flakes
12 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 avocados, halved and pitted
1 1/2 inch thick slice of red onion
1/3 c. halved grape tomatoes

For the citrus aioli:
1/4 c. mayonnaise
4 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat grill.

Combine all ingredients for Aioli in small bowl and refrigerate.

Mix 2 Tbsp. oil with parsley, 1 Tbsp. lime juice, garlic powder and pepper flakes in bowl add shrimp and toss. Brush remaining olive oil and lime juice on halved avocados.

Grill shrimp, avocados, and onion all uncovered over direct heat. Grill until shrimp is pink and grill marks are on avocados. Grill onion until soft. All of this should take about 5 minutes.

Scoop out and dice top two third of flesh in each avocado, leaving some at the bottom so that they hold up. Dice grilled onion. Gently stir together avocado, onion, shrimp and tomatoes in bowl. Spoon mixture back into avocado shells and serve with Aioli.

Makes 4. Total time: about 30 min.

Verdict:
I love shrimp and I love avocados. I wasn't sure if I would love them together but this turned out to be a nice quick meal. I liked the Aioli OK. I could definitely taste the mayo which I am not a huge fan of. Blake didn't eat hardly any of the sauce but that is just because sauce in general is not his thing. The kids ate a bit of shrimp and a bite of avocado (but only because we made them.)

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling