I make a lot of food that I love, but I try not to make repeat dishes. This dish is an exception. I keep shrimp in my freezer for one reason – salt and pepper shrimp that I can whip up in n a half hour. It’s delicious with the cabbage or served with plain steamed rice. I choose the rice-only route when I’m running short on time. I just add some extra bell peppers into the shrimp itself to boost up the veggie count in the dish.
Salt and Pepper Shrimp
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 small head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
steamed white or brown rice, optional
Whisk lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage and bell peppers and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, white pepper, and five spice powder in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring often, until pink and curled, 3 – 4 minutes.
Add jalapenos and cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 1 more minute.
Serve immediately with the slaw and rice if desired.
Mike and I woke up at 5 on Saturday to volunteer for Bubolz Nature Preserve’s annual Maple Syrup Saturday fundraising event. This was our second year volunteering for it and it was a blast. We made pancakes to feed 250+ people. Needless to say, I don’t want to see another pancake for a very long time!
Afterwards, we were not only tired, but kind of hungry. We were also too lazy to cook. So, we grabbed our favorite quick and easy meal – a Bloody Maria. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a Bloody Maria, it’s a Bloody Mary made with a far superior alcohol – tequila. This recipe is courtesy of my wonderful husband. He apologizes for the not-so-precise measurement. Bloody Maria mixing is more of an art than a science!
On Sunday, I went for a nice, easy 10 mile run. Mike not only drove me 10 miles away and dropped me off so I wouldn’t have to run in circles around our house, but he also fixed me up the best post-run recovery drink, too. You guessed it, a Bloody Maria. Yum! If you’re someone who doesn’t like tequila, make this with vodka for a good ol’ Bloody Mary. If you go this route, I’d like to suggest my personal vodka of choice – Referent Horseradish Vodka. Absolutely delish!
Mike’s Spicy Bloody Maria serves 1
2 shots tequila (we used Jose Cuervo)
dash of celery salt
2 – 3 shakes A1 Steak Sauce (~ 1 teaspoon)
2 – 3 shakes Worcestershire sauce (~1 teaspoon)
splash of pickle juice (~1 fluid ounce)
Tabasco, to taste (4 – 5 shakes for me!)
6 fluid ounces tomato juice
6 fluid ounces spicy Bloody Mary mix
For the garnish: Stick of celery
Pickle spear
String cheese
Pickled mushrooms
Summer sausage slice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until combined.
Pour into a pint glass and garnish with celery, pickle, cheese, mushrooms, and sausage.
I have two weaknesses in life: sour candy and salt & vinegar chips. Put either of these in front of me, I lose all self-control. I can demolish a bag of Sour Patch Kids in a day (or two) and the same goes for salt & vinegar chips. Obviously, neither of these foods are too good for me. You know, with all the sugar and fat and all…
It finally occurred to me that I should make salt & vinegar potatoes! I’m not sure why this didn’t come to me sooner, but I’m addicted to these. Are you a salt & vinegar chip enthusiast? If so, these are these are the perfect way to jazz up your dinner!
Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
White vinegar, to taste*
Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss potatoes in a large roasting pan with olive oil and pepper.
Roast potatoes, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Sprinkle with vinegar and salt to taste and serve immediately.
*I ended up using about 1/4 cup of vinegar, but I love vinegar. I would start with a couple of tablespoons and work your way up from there.
I don’t think I have ever, in my 24 years, had Chicken Waldorf Salad before. Ever. Not in a restaurant, at a friend’s house, at a picnic, at a pot lock, and any other scenario you can think of. I’ve heard of it, I’ve seen it on menus, but I’ve never eaten it. I don’t know what overcame me to make it at home, but boy am I glad I did! I loved this dish. It was a nice break from all the “heavy” winter foods I’ve been eating and it was so simple to put together. I based it off a recipe I found on Eating Well. I think this will be my go-to recipe for using up leftover chicken from now on!
Chicken Waldorf Salad serves 6
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 tart apples, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
1 cup red or green seedless grapes, halved
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free mayo
2 limes, juiced
4 teaspoons honey
salt and pepper, to taste
baby spinach
Combine chicken, apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour dressing over chicken and toss to combine.
Asian lettuce wraps. Everyone loves them. It’s crazy how something so simple looking can pack in so much intense flavor. So, cook up a batch, sit down with a large pile of napkins, and enjoy!
Want to know my little secret? Make extras. The leftovers are just as tasty 🙂
Another secret? I make it into a salad of sorts – chopped up lettuce, some steamed rice, and the filling all drizzled with some of the dipping sauce. It’s a little less messy than eating it burrito-style.
Lettuce Wraps serves 4
1 pound lean ground pork
1 large or 2 small heads Boston Bibb/butter lettuce
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced ginger root
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce
1 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and minced
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
For dipping sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce
Carefully remove leaves from lettuce head. Rinse and pat dry. Set aside.
In a non-stick skillet over high heat, brown ground pork. Stirring often. Drain and set aside.
Add onion to pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger vinegar, and Sriracha and stir, cooking for another minute. Stir in water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil and cooked pork. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
To serve, spoon a portion of the meat onto a lettuce leaf, wrap up like a burrito and enjoy with the dipping sauce!
TGIF!! Even though I’m loving my rotation in school food service, I’m still so so so very happy that it’s Friday. So, here are my Friday Favorites for this week.
Favorite Fitness Must Have: Garmin Forerunner 910XT with HRM. Ok, calling this $450 fancy watch a “must have” is a bit of a stretch. Maybe I should say it’s a “Lust Have” instead. The watch is seriously awesome. The price is a little steep for a student budget, though. Eh, maybe when I get out of school and find a job I can reward myself with one of these babies with my first paycheck.
image from runningwarehouse.com
Favorite Cold Treat: Kemp’s Java Chip Ice Cream. Oh boy. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this stuff. A bowl full of this + some espresso chocolate chip cookies = the best dinner ever.
Favorite Restaurant Meal Copy Cat: Burrito Bowls! I made these on a night where I had a craving for burritos. They were so good that we made them again the next night with different toppings. The best part? They were SO easy to make! Seriously, we put them together in the time it would have taken us to drive across town, wait in line, and drive back home. It’s an added bonus that they were so cheap to make, too! Now that’s my kind of meal – delicious, quick, and cheap.
Copy Cat Burrito Bowl
3 cups brown rice
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped, divided
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
Other optional toppings:
Sour cream
Jalapeños
Avocado
Queso
Hot sauce
Cook brown rice according to package directions. I use a rice cooker and use a 1 cup brown rice: 2 cups water ratio. When rice is cooked, mix with 1/4 cup cilantro, lime zest and lime juice.
Meanwhile, mix chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano together and sprinkle generously over chicken breasts.
Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over high heat. Cook chicken until cooked through. Remove to cutting board and chop.
In a separate bowl, make the pico de gallo. Combine tomatoes, 1/4 cup cilantro, red onion, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
To assemble: place rice in bowl and top with black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, and any other toppings you desire. Enjoy!
Before I went to bed on Friday I checked the weather for Saturday at 8 am. 4°F and an inch or so of fresh snow on the ground. I had an 8 mile run scheduled and I couldn’t decide which was worse: running for 8 miles in the unbearable cold or 8 miles on the dreadmill.
I woke up Saturday at 6:45 and checked the weather as I ate my pre-run Greek yogurt. Currently -6°F and 1°F at 8:00 am. I grumped around the house until 7:30 when I decided to just suck it up and at least try. Worst case scenario? I run the shortest loop with the running group (4 miles) and run the other 4 at the Y.
I quickly searched the world wide web for guidance on what to wear. I normally peek at the Runner’s World What to Wear Running App, but that never seems to work out for me. And guess what? There aren’t a whole lot of people out there talking about running in the cold. Some blogs talked about running in the “cold” where cold = 30°F. Pfft! To me, that’s nice running weather.
So, what did I end up wearing and how did it work?
Basically, I looked ridiculous. It turns out that I dressed pretty darn well for the weather. I was cold at first, but warmed up after about 2 miles. I kept slipping the Wooly Mitts on and off. I think the only part of me that was a little too cold were my thighs. My shins were pretty well covered between the higher socks and my tights, but the tights alone were not enough for my legs! Maybe next time I’ll try compression shorts under the tights.
I’m proud to say that I made it the entire 8 miles in the cold. I might even dare to say that I was enjoying the cold by the end. Moral of the story? Get outside and just run; you will end up loving it 🙂
The best bet after a nice, cold run? A warm bowl of soup and a long, hot shower. Sick of the soup you’ve been slurping down? Try this Chinese Noodle Soup!
Noodle soup, or as my family calls it – noup. Inspired by a Kung Fu Panda viewing with my lovely family last Christmas.
Every bite of this put the biggest, goofiest smile on my face. It’s so hard to get us all together now that we’re growing up. It’s little things like this that bring joy into my life (and my stomach). It’s just a bonus that this is soup-er (har har) easy to throw together!
I entered this into fellow blogger Branny Boils Over‘s Souper Bowl, Round 2 fundraiser. For every entry she receives, she will donate $1.00 to the ASPCA. As a dog owner (and lover) I couldn’t resist.
Chinese Noodle Soup serves 6
8 ounces dried Chinese noodles
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot chile sauce, such as Sriracha
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups thinly sliced bok choy
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks, for garnish
Cook noodles according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, breaking up the turkey. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate.
Add broth, bok choy, soy sauce, vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and chile sauce to pot. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until bok choy is tender.
Return turkey to pot and stir to combine.
To serve, place noodles in bowl and top with broth. Garnish with cucumber and serve.
I first had this salsa at a friend’s wedding brunch. And I had it again when we went to visit these friends in Minnesota. It swept me off my feet the first time I had it and the feeling didn’t change. Obviously, I had to get the recipe! So, thank you Kirsten, for passing Georgette’s Black Bean Salsa recipe to me! Can you spot it in this yum-licious pile of nachos??
I made a huge batch a few days ago and the flavor just gets better and better every day. Yum. I think I need to always keep ingredients for this on hand.
Georgette’s Black Bean Salsa
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn, drained
3 large tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 green pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
Combine oil, apple cider vinegar, and sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Warm until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Pour dressing over vegetables and stir to combine.
A quick, delicious way to use up your summer vegetables! Our garden is finally starting to produce some awesome tomatoes (heirloom, cherry, and grape) and I couldn’t be more excited.
Greek Salad
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix to distribute ingredients evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
What?! Yeah, you read it right. Marga-daiquiri-screw-aloda-on the beach. What is this you ask? Well, if you’re a country fan you may have heard Jerrod Niemann’s “One More Drinkin’ Song”. If you’re not a country fan then 1) shame on you and 2) you can find the video here. In the song, he sings “… my favorite drink, a marga-daiquiri-screw-aloda-on the beach”. Check it out at around the 1 minute mark. Excited, I decided to troll the internet and see if a recipe existed already. No such luck. It’s okay though, because being able to experiment to find the perfect recipe was really, really fun.
Anyway, this drink was so good. So dangerous, but so good. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with a drink that combines a margarita, daiquiri, screwdriver, pina colada and sex on the beach! Give it a try with a couple friends and have everyone bring a bottle so you aren’t shelling out $90 on everything. Oops. I’m writing the recipe with the specific brands I purchased. It would probably be fine if you subbed them with another brand, but I know this version is delish!
Marga-Daiquiri-Screw-Aloda-On the Beach serves 2
1 shot Pucker Citrus Squeeze (or other citrus flavored vodka)
1 shot DeKuyper Peachtree (or other peach schnapps)
1 shot Jose Cuervo (or other tequila)
1 shot Malibu
1 shot Pinnacle Tropical Punch (or other tropical punch flavored vodka)
2 tablespoons frozen cranberry juice concentrate
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons frozen pineapple juice concentrate
4 cups ice
1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
DoughSeeDough 