I’m a big fan of under-30-minute meals. After work and the gym, Q and I are normally starving when we get home. We occasionally will make a big to-do about dinner and spend a good hour prepping and cooking, but most nights we just want fast, healthy and good. This meal is one of those.
This recipe comes together quickly, maybe 15 minutes, and uses ingredients we normally keep around the house. You can even thaw out frozen shrimp to make this a great last minute dinner if you need one! The taste is a little sweet, a little spicy and a lot of delicious. We served ours with roasted veggies and a grain mix from Trader Joe’s. Last time I was home I stocked up on all things TJ’s before coming back to TJ-Free Alaska. My bag filled with Cookie Butter, almond butter, brown rice, salsa and grain mixes was close to 60 pounds. I think I have a problem!
Garlicky Beer Shrimp
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (not minced)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup light beer (we used Bud Light)
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high. When the butter has just melted, add the shrimp. Cook the shrimp until they are pink on both sides (they don’t have to be cooked all the way through yet). Remove shrimp from the skillet and set aside
In the skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, garlic slices and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Pour in the beer, let simmer for 30 seconds. Add Worcestershire sauce, honey, mustard, and lemon juice. Simmer for around 10 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to scrape off the “fond” (little brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan).
Add the shrimp back to the skillet, cover with sauce and cook another 1-2 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve warm and be careful for those garlic slices (we removed ours before serving)!
I’m a big fan of brown rice bowls. Teriyaki chicken bowl. Brown rice sushi bowl. Crispy tofu bowl. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because throwing “bowl” at the end of something makes it sound a little fancy, but I like it.
This bowl is one of my absolute favorite new dishes. Maybe I love it because it features fresh avocados sent all the way from California (yes, my mom is the best and sends us half a dozen avocados every week from LA to Fairbanks). Or maybe because it’s so simple, yet delicious. Or maybe because from start to finish it takes less than 25 minutes. Or all of the above. This dish is simple, clean, and healthy. The flavors are Asian inspired, but not overpowering. It tastes great for dinner and even better for lunch the next day when the flavors have really soaked in. Seriously, try it!
Shrimp, Avocado and Brown Rice Bowls
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Dressing/Marinade
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 1/2 tablespoon sake or rice wine
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Bowl/Shrimp
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
Juice of 1 lemon, divided
3 cups cooked brown rice, room temperature
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leave parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Combine all dressing/marinade ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Add ginger and half of dressing/marinade and toss lightly. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once glistening, add shrimp and marinade (only the half that was used with the shrimp, the other half gets added later). Cook for 3-4 minutes until shrimp are pink all the way through. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing or serving bowl, lightly toss avocado with half the lemon juice. Add cooked shrimp, rice, remaining lemon juice and the other half of the marinade/dressing and toss. Add parsley and cilantro and toss lightly. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
Q and I have been working our way through the Cooking for Two 2012 (America’s Test Kitchen) magazine we picked up a few weeks ago. We’ve been basing our weekly menu planning on recipes from the magazine and I can honestly say we have loved everything we’ve made from it. This meal was one of our favorites.
The shrimp dish was easy and a one-pot meal, which I love. We decided at the last minute to cook the polenta as a side instead of our usual brown rice and it was a bit more challenging than anticipated. Not so much on the cooking side, but on the stirring constantly side. Q and my arms were both exhausted by the end. It’s pretty much like risotto, you just keep stirring and adding a little water and stirring. I just want to forewarn you before you jump into it that it’s a little labor intensive, but well worth it!
Greek Style Shrimp
Serves 2
Ingredients:
12 ounces jumbo-size shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper
2 shallots, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes drained with 1/4 cup juice reserved
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
Directions:
Toss shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, one-third of garlic, and lemon zest together in a bowl until combined and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallots, bell pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables release their moisture, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture evaporates and vegetables have softened, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Add remaining garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and reserved juice, and wine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have melded and sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add shrimp along with any accumulated juices to pan; stir to coat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are opaque throughout, 7 to 10 minutes. Off heat, sprinkle evenly with feta. Drizzle remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil evenly over top and serve.
In a large, deep pot over high heat, bring water and salt to a boil. Gradually stir in corn grits. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently to prevent sticking until mixture is very thick (about 30 minutes). While cooking, continue to add water by the tablespoon if mixture is getting too thick too quickly (we added water 2 times). Use a long-handled spoon because mixture pops and bubbles. Once polenta is thick, remove from heat, add in Parmesan and stir until melted. Serve warm.
PS I had my first family day with Q and his company today and had a GREAT time. I baked and cooked some goodies that I’ll share next week. Hope everyone is having a great Friday, Q and I are sitting on the sofa exhausted after a busy day!
Hello Summer. Hello dinners on the deck. Hello taco night, I’m so glad you are back. I love taco night. Q and I try and do it once a week when we are together and recently my mom and I made these shrimp tacos for family dinner.
Let’s discuss taco eating. I am a firm believer in the fork and knife style. I know what you are thinking (that I am so lame), but I like to pile my tacos full of toppings. If I tried to eat it by hand, all the toppings would fall off! So I stick by my fork/knife/get the most out of your tacos eating style.
I loved the slaw in this recipe, but if you are in a rush, you can exchange it for some cabbage and lime juice (I wouldn’t recommend it since the slaw is a great addition, but wanted to give you the option just in case). I love, love, love these tacos and am excited for many more taco nights this summer!
Shrimp Tacos
Serves 8
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Ingredients:
Shrimp:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
6 ounces Mexican tomato sauce or red enchilada sauce
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning
Slaw:
1/2 head cabbage, sliced thin
1/2 had purple cabbage, sliced thin
1 whole jalapeño, chopped
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Extras:
16 whole corn tortillas, warmed
pico do gallo
avocado slices (with lime juice squirted over the top)
lime wedges
Directions:
Slaw
Combine shredded cabbage and sliced jalapenos in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Pour over cabbage. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours if you have time. Before serving, toss in cilantro leaves.
Shrimp
Heat canola oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Throw in shrimp and cook until opaque. Reduce heat to low and pour in the red sauce, stirring to combine. Stir in the cumin and adobo seasoning and cook for another minute and remove from heat.
To Serve
We made a taco bar with the warm tortillas, shrimp, slaw, pico, avocado slices and lime wedges and let everyone build their own tacos.
Hi, I'm Koko Stanley! Welcome to my little blog about cooking, baking, my life as a fiancee to an Army officer (Quincy aka Q) and living in Alaska. I love food, being in the kitchen, shopping, neon colors, pot luck dinners with my girlfriends and dogs. I'd love to hear from you! Email me: Koko@kokolikes.com / Twitter: @Kokolikes
magazine we picked up a few weeks ago. We’ve been basing our weekly menu planning on recipes from the magazine and I can honestly say we have loved everything we’ve made from it. This meal was one of our favorites.
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