Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

Spring is here, but you wouldn't know it by the weather we have been having here in Colorado Springs. Snow one day, then it melts the next, two days later it's back. I'm so ready for warmer weather.  This is a great recipe for one of those snowy spring days. Just put everything in the crock pot during the day and your house will be warm and smell fantastic by dinner time. I love crock pot recipes, because I don't have to be in the kitchen the entire my husband is home after work to just cook. Everything is already cooked and I can sit and watch an episode of The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones before we eat. We are really big nerds if you didn't know. :)

I know some germ freaks are probably out there wondering how I could put veggies on the same cutting board as the chicken. Don't worry, I was very careful to put the chicken down then not move it, and none of the veggies touched the chicken. Trust me I am a clean freak every time I use raw poultry. 

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya
Betterhome and Garden's Slowcooker Mag

Ingredients:
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or thighs
2 cups thinly sliced celery (about 4 stalks)
2 cups chopped onions (2 large)
1 (14.5oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
1  1/2 teaspoon salt-free cajun seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon slat
8 oz fresh or frozen peeled and deveined shrimp (keep tails on if desired)
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
3/4 cup chopped green, red, or yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
Celery leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 3/4-inch pieces. In a 3 1/2or 4 quart slow cooker combine chicken, celery, onions, tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, cajun seasoning, garlic, and salt.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours.
3. Thaw shrimp, if frozen; set aside. If using low-heat setting, turn to high heat setting. Stir in uncooked brown rice and bell pepper. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes more or until most of the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
4. Before serving, stir shrimp and parsley into chicken mixture. If desired, garnish each serving with celery leaves.

Serves 8

Nutrition: Calories 211; Fat 2g; Cholesterol 88mg; Protein 23g; Fiber 4g; Carb 26g

Shrimp w/ Tomatoes & Scallion Couscous

So we are getting to our first month here in Colorado Springs and we are still loving it! After getting everything unpacked, well almost everything, our new apartment is really starting to feel like home. It's so nice coming home to our own place and making dinner together. I have been waiting an entire year to make dinner with my better half again! Okay done with the sappy stuff lets get to the food. :)

This is a great light dinner or quick lunch. Shrimp, with tomatoes and a crunchy flavorful bread crumb topping. So easy, yet delicious! We paired it with a mound of scallion coucous, just adding another layer of flavor. If you are in a rush on a weeknight, just get going on this. Takes almost no time at all!

Shrimp w/ Tomatoes & Scallion Couscous
Cookinglight Magazine Jan/Feb 2011

Ingredients:
Shrimp:
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or 3oz french bread in processor)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-in thick slices (about 1lb)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Couscous:
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 water
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup whole wheat couscous

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumb mixture; cook 3 minutes or until golden brown and garlic is fragrant, stirring frequently.
3. Coat bottom of a 13x9-in baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange shrimp in a single layer in bottom of dish; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup breadcrumb mixture; top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Top with remaining 3/4 cup breadcrumb mixture; dot with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bake at 450º for 12 minutes or until the shrimp are done.
4. While shrimp is cooking, bring chicken broth and water to a boil. Gradually stir in 1 cup couscous; remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork; stir in scallions.
5. When shrimp are done, drizzle with vinegar. 

Serves 6.

Nutrition: (shrimp w/o couscous) Calories 364; Fat 16.5g; Protein 37.1g; Carb 16g; Cholesterol 274mg

Fondue Night

We made to our new home in sunny Colorado Springs! Took us about 2.5 days to get here from Washington, but it was such a great adventure. One that I am glad my husband and I were able to do together. We were lucky to find the perfect place to live only a couple days after arriving here; although we started with no furniture, we still love it! Now I just have to get used to cooking in a new kitchen.

For the past few days we have been shopping around to get the things we need, and of course I picked up a few things for the kitchen. :) My tools have changed, so it may take me a bit to get new recipes up, but I will try my hardest to get going! Thankfully, I have a back log of recipes to post.

One type of cuisine/meal/dish that I have loved for years would be fondue. I fell in love with a restaurant a few years ago and my mom was awesome enough to get me my own fondue pot. I've used it a couple times, but never like this. It was mostly there so I can enjoy chocolate in a fancy way. :) This time I really wanted to use it like you may at a restaurant. So I looked through my fondue cookbook, and gathered all the necessary items. It was really easy! I picked up everything that morning (look for meat sales if you plan on eating them that night), prepped what I needed to, and stored it in the fridge until it was dinner time.  Since I had everything prepped, all I needed to do that night was make the broth and that took no more than five minutes. If you plan ahead this will be one of the easiest meals ever. Plus, it's not one of those dinners that take three minutes to eat so you get to spend a fantastic night with people you love over a great meal! Okay, I will stop rambling and let you all get to cooking!

Here are some great dipping sauce ideas. They were also in the cookbook and went perfectly with the cooking style broth. I loved the Island Sauce, it was sweet and spicy!

Green Goddess Sauce Melting Pot Cookbook

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cubed softened cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced white onion

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in bowl with a whisk or an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes. Chill, covered, until serving time.  Makes 2 cups.

Island Sauce Melting Pot cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until fully mixed. Makes 3/4 cups.

Meat and vegetable dipper ideas:

Meats:

Steak (Any kind. I went to the store and found a good meat sale. Wasn't the best quality meat, but it was still delicious.)

Chicken

Lamp

Pork

Seafood:

Shrimp (Peeled and deveined. Tails are okay.)

Lobster

Vegetables:

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Potatoes

You could really use anything that you really like!

Zen Cooking Style Fondue
Melting Pot "Dip into Something Different" cookbook

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups warm water
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped carrot
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Directions:

1. Whisk the water, lime juice, lemongrass, onion, celery, carrot, salt, pepper, ginger, and garlic powder in a bowl until combined.
2. Pour into a fondue pot (electric or manuel). Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. 
3. Thread a piece of meat on a fondue fork; cook in brother to the desired degree of doneness. Throw the vegetables into the pot and remove with a slotted spoon when done cooking to taste. Serve with favorite dipping sauces.

Spicy Orange Shrimp Stir-Fry

Today is the hottest day in two years here in the pacific northwest, and yes I am melting! Houses up here in Washington don't naturally come with AC, because you wouldn't use it for more than a week in one year. So I am sitting here chugging a large cup of ice water, and planted directly infront of my fan. As much as I love the sunny weather, I am looking forward to fall and winter very much. My soldier comes home this winter from his tour, and the colder it gets the closer it is till he comes home. If you can't tell, I am very excited for this tour to come a glorious end!

If you are at home enjoying beautiful (or crappy) weather this spicy and tangy dish is perfect for you. It was fast and super simple. I would have loved to get fresh shrimp, but I really can not face the fact that I would have to pull off their little eyes and feet. Besides the fresh shrimp at stores usually come in frozen. So I decided to just go the simple way and use frozen shrimp. The only work I did was thaw them and take off the tails. You are more than welcome to leave the tails on, but I didn't want to worry about them while I was eating. One of the best things about this recipe is that you can control the amount of spice that you want. Put in as much or as little chili paste that you like. While I was reading the reviews for this recipe I saw some people didn't like the amount of chili paste, that it made the dish too spicy. I knew right then that the amount of paste was perfect for me! 

Spicy Orange Shrimp Stir-fry
adapted from CookingLight


Ingredients:
1.5 lbs peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (rice wine vinegar works too)
1 tablespoon chile paste
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves minced
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside.
2. Combine juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and chile paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
3. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens or shrimp is pink, stirring frequently. Serve immediately with cooked pasta or rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: (3/4 cup shrimp) Calories 301; Fat 10g; Protein 35.3g; Carb 16.8g; Cholesterol 259mg; Fiber 0.5g

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

This is the first post of a new generation of pictures for this blog! On my birthday this year, my fabulous husband bought me the camera I have always wanted. Now I am the proud owner of a beautiful Canon Rebel T3. I spent days playing with settings and learning how to use it. Just as a warning, the next several posts will have funny looking pictures because I had changed a setting that made the pictures download in the wrong format on my computer. These pictures are okay looking because I messed with the settings afterwards, but the next few are not as pretty. I never said I was a professional photographer! 

Now that it's summer time, I thought it was appropriate to break out the grill. I have never grilled shrimp before and I just couldn't help myself when my day off turned out to be beautiful and sunny. Again, I'm no grilling expert. Pretty much every single recipe I make is just a learning experience for me. Then I get to share that experience with you, even if I make lots of mistakes. :)

It wasn't until I actually opened the shrimp package, that I realized they were cooked. As you can tell sometimes I'm not very observant! It didn't hinder anything I think, but I would have liked to use uncooked shrimp. Maybe next time. 

I also grilled vegetables as a side and I decided to marinade them just like the shrimp. I just made a little extra marinade.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp
allrecipes.com


Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Asian chile paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 wooden skewers, soaked in water

Directions:

1. Whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, parsley, hot sauce, garlic, ketchup, chile paste, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Set aside about 1/3 of this marinade to use while grilling.
2. Place shrimp in a large, resealable, plastic bag. Pour in the remaining marinade and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 2 hours. 
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Thread shrimp on skewers, piercing once near tail and once near head. Discard marinade.
4. Light oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes per side until opaque, basting frequently with reserved marinade. 

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: Calories 320; Fat 22.8g; Cholesterol 230mg; Sodium 827mg; Carbs 4.1g; Fiber 0.3g; Protein 25.1g