Bean and Shrimp Salad with Curried Yogurt

Here's a tasty dish on the lighter side for a fresh start to the new year.  I still have holiday leftovers so I'm not quite ready to start eating clean, but soon you should see plenty of lighter dishes here.  

This recipe uses crisp beans, which I love.  I used a mix of purple and yellow beans.  They look great raw, but the purple ones turn dark green when cooked.

I really should get back to cooking with shrimp more often.  They are satisfying but very healthy, and it's easy to always have some waiting in the freezer to quickly defrost.  

This recipe comes from Cooking Light.  Here's what you need:

Holiday Round-Up

It's getting to be a busy time of year with everyone rushing about preparing for the holidays.  We're all looking for short cuts to make the season easier, including me!  So here's a round-up of holiday posts that might make life a little easier for you.

First, a couple of simple meals to have in your back pocket for those busy nights where there's just not enough time.

Cacio e Pepe (Cheese & Pepper Pasta)

Unbelievably simple and delicious. You can use spaghetti, linguine or bucatini.  Keep Romano cheese and white pepper on hand and this is a pantry meal for any time.  

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

These take a little more time to make, but you can make several batches to freeze and bake any time for a quick meal.  Seasonal and flavourful, this is great to have on hand for cold winter nights.  

Now, if you're hosting a party or are a guest who needs to bring something, here are some appetizer ideas.

Shrimp Cocktail 

It's so much nicer when you make it yourself.

Little Hasselback Potatoes

This potato technique makes an amazing side dish, but it would also be great as an appetizer with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.

Gougeres (Cheese Puffs)

Surprisingly simple but incredibly impressive.  These are great as an appetizer, or in place of rolls on a buffet table.  They freeze well too.

Butternut Squash Tart

Puff pastry tarts are a quick and easy meal and can be cut into smaller pieces for a fancy appetizer.  This one is easy and delicious.

With all these appetizers, you'll need some cocktails!

Mulled Wine

This festive treat became a favourite last holiday season.  

Craft Beer

Or how about a beer? Scroll through the Beer Baron's posts for ideas to serve at your party or bring as a gift for your hosts.  

If you have time to do a little baking...

Ginger Crackles

Festive and seasonal, I make these every year and love them.

Saltine Toffee (aka Christmas Crack)

This is another annual tradition that never fails to impress, even with the humblest ingredients.  

Now for the main event...

Spatchcocked Turkey

If you're serving turkey to a crowd, there's no quicker way to cook a crispy, juicy whole bird than to spatchcock it.  This post is old, but the technique is timeless.

Jerk Roasted Turkey Breast

If you're serving a smaller group, this Jerk-spiced turkey breast is perfect, unusual and warming.

And finally, I always like to serve seafood as a special treat on New Years Eve.  

Lobster Bisque

This soup makes a wonderful first course for a fancy dinner, or even a meal on New Years Eve along with a bunch of appetizers.  

Lobster Pot Pie or Lobster Mac & Cheese

You can make these yourself, but why not treat yourself and order some delivered to your door to have a special treat without the effort.  You deserve it!  

Creamy Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta

A quick weeknight dinner, this creamy, colourful pasta full of veggies makes a nice change of pace. 

Here's what you need:

Shrimp and Mango Salad with Glass Noodles

This was so beautiful to look at, and tasted great too.  I was nice and light, perfect for a hot spring day.  The recipe comes from Epicurious and I only made a few changes.  It's super easy and comes together quickly with just a little chopping.  

Here's what you need:

4 ounces very thin bean thread noodles (also known as cellophane or glass noodles)
1 pound large shrimp
2 large mangoes
3 green onions
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil or cilantro or a combination
1 small red chili pepper
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Shrimp with Corn Fritters and Lime Crema

This is shockingly delicious and left me wondering why I haven't been making corn fritters every week since I got married.  Matt loves corn but I don't make it that often as a side since I don't really consider it a vegetable.  I always add it to soup and tacos, sometimes to chili, and I love to eat corn on the cob in the summer.  But this is a whole new way for us to enjoy corn.  

This recipe was inspired by April's Clean Eating magazine, but I used Martha Stewart's corn fritter recipe.  One warning about this: it does require a lot of last-minute futzing about.  You can make the fritters in advance and hold them in a 200 degree oven while you prepare the shrimp.  The fritters lose a little crispiness, but it's probably worth it to avoid running around to get it all plated like I did (taking pictures at the same time didn't help).

I'll tell you about the corn fritters first, and then the shrimp.

Corn cakes or corn fritters or corn cakes are essentially pancakes with corn in them.  Martha's recipe uses cornmeal and flour but you can also use masa.  I used quite a lot of corn kernels but you can reduce the amount for a smoother, cake-ier fritter.  Here's what you need:  

Lemon Dill Seafood Linguine

This recipe was inspired by Clean Eating magazine.  They served it without the pasta, but the linguine makes it a hearty meal.  

Roasted Shrimp & Fennel with Quinoa

I don't know why I love fennel so much.  I don't like liquorice at all and anise is the main flavour of fennel.  But when it's roasted it tastes so sweet and delicious.  I thought I'd try roasting it with some shrimp and serving it over quinoa.  It turned out great!

Easy!  Here's what you need:

I bulb fennel
1 lb large raw shrimp, shelled but tails left on
1 onion
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 cup quinoa
olive oil
hot pepper flakes (optional, not pictured)
salt and pepper

First peel and chop the onion into wedges and spread in roasting pan.

Remove the tops from the fennel, reserving the green fronds.

Core and slice the fennel and add it to the roasting pan with the onions.

Chop the garlic cloves.  Reserve about a teaspoon of chopped garlic.

And add the rest to the roasting pan with the fennel and onion.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Toss together and place in a 400 degree oven and roast about 20 minutes until fennel is tender.  

Meanwhile rinse the quinoa in a mesh strainer for a few minutes until the water runs clear.  Drain well.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large pan and add the reserved chopped garlic and a sprinkle of hot chili flakes.  Cook for about a minute.

Add the quinoa and toss to coat the quinoa with oil.  Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Zest a lemon.

Toss shrimp with some additional chili flakes, salt and pepper.  

Add the shrimp and all but a teaspoon of the lemon zest and 1/2 cup water to the roasting pan with the fennel and roast 5 minutes until shrimp is pink.

Chop the fennel fronds with the reserved teaspoon of lemon zest for garnish.

Serve up the quinoa on a plate or shallow bowl.

And top with the fennel and shrimp mixture.  

Sprinkle with the remaining fennel fronds and lemon zest and serve.  

Tasty, light and filling.  A great way to serve shrimp in the winter. 

Short & Sweet Sunday - Holiday Appetizers

Since it's the end of the year I'm planning a few roundup posts of things I've cooked this year that deserve a second look.  This will allow us to reflect back over the year and allow me to take some time off from cooking.  

If you're still looking for ideas for appetizers this holiday season, consider shrimp!  Two tasty appetizer posts are linked below - one simple as can be and the other a little more complex.  Enjoy!  

Shrimp Cocktail

This is so much nicer and and almost as easy as buying a frozen shrimp ring!  Give it a try.

Shrimp Summer Rolls

A little trickier but a lovely appetizer if you're having guests over.  Healthy too!

Summer Rolls

I'm not going to say these are simple to make but they're not that hard and they're worth it!  It's a delicious appetizer, lunch or snack.

You need:
Rice paper wraps*
Rice vermicelli* (this is brown rice vermicelli but regular is fine)
Rice vinegar*
Cooked shrimp
Cucumber
Carrot
Diakon* (Japanese radish, optional)
Green onions
Cilantro
Bottled spring roll sauce* (or peanut sauce)

*avalable in Asian markets or major supermarkets

Defrost, poach and peel your shrimp if necessary.  

Julienne the daikon.  This is optional but adds a welcome crispness to the rolls.  

Next slice the cucumber in half and scoop out some of the seeds

Julienne the cucumber (as best you can).

Same for the carrot.

Slice the green parts of two green onions lengthwise into long thin strips.

Pretty.  I don't have the greatest fine knife skills but I'm pretty happy with how these turned out!  

Slice your shrimp in half lengthwise and refrigerate them until needed. 

Time to "cook" your rice noodles.  Prepare them according to package directions, which can vary.  Some will call for plunging into a pot of boiling water like pasta and some call for pouring boiling water over.  

These ones wanted to be covered in hot tap water and soaked for 10 minutes so that's what I did.  When looking for these in the store they may also be called rice sticks.  

After 10 minutes the noodles will be pliable.  

Drain them and toss with about a tablespoon of rice vinegar.

Now for the rice paper wrappers.  Take a large flat dish and fill with hot tap water.  I used a pie plate.  Also, place a clean dish towel on the counter to work on.

Here's what they look like.  They're a little tricky to work with but you get used to it after a few tries.

Submerge one rice paper wrapper in the warm water.

In a few moments it'll soften and become transparent.

Carefully remove the wrapper from the water.

And place flat on the towel.

Grab your sliced shrimp from the fridge and lay them in a line, cut side facing up.

Top with some julienned cucumbers, carrots, daikon and green onions.

Add a small handful of noodles.

And top with a few leaves of cilantro.  

Now for the rolling.  Carefully roll like a burrito, taking the side closest to you and folding it away from you over the filling.  Then fold in both sides...

And roll over into a tube. The rice paper will stick to itself to seal.

You can see the pretty shrimp showing through the thin rice paper.

As you complete the rolls, place them on a plate lined with a damp paper towel, then cover them with another damp paper towel to keep them from drying out while you work.

You can also skip the shrimp and make vegetarian rolls with just the veggies.

You can slice these in half for presentation purposes but they're easier to pick up when left whole. 

I used a store-bought spring roll dipping sauce with sweet chili flavour, but you can also whip up a peanut sauce if you're not dealing with allergies.  

A little extra work for a crispy, healthy treat.  I served these with a store-bought Thai coconut soup for a delicious meal.  It made about 12 rolls which was way more than enough.  They don't keep very well but you should be able to keep them overnight in the fridge wrapped in damp paper towels and then in plastic.