Coconut Shrimp Curry

This one was DELICIOUS!!!

Ingredients

For the shrimp marinade (you can also use shrimp right out of the bag):
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
• 1-2 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

 

For the sauce:
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, from about a 1-inch peeled piece of ginger
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can coconut milk, light or regular
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Hot cooked rice for serving, if desired

Directions

1. For the simple shrimp marinade, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice in a resealable large bag or in a bowl. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until rippling and hot. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the pepper, ginger, salt, garlic, coriander, turmeric and curry powder. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is very fragrant and the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the undrained tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, for about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut milk, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the shrimp and any accumulated juices from the marinade. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled, lightly pink and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve over hot, cooked rice, if desired.

Salmon / Fish Recipes

Last week we had steelhead trout for dinner.  I decided to try my two favorite salmon recipes, and they turned out great. 

Recipe #1:  A thin layer of mayonaise, then sprinkle garlic powder and dill on top. Tastes a lot like ranch.

Recipe #2: This one is more like a glaze.  Pour on a thin layer of honey, then sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about half an hour.

Creamy Tomato Pasta w/ Shrimp

Below is the recipe from the website. I changed from penne to bowtie pasta. I also added sliced bell peppers, which was a great addition!

Ingredients
¾ pounds Penne Pasta
1 pound Shrimp
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
½ cups White Wine, Or To Taste
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Parsley, to taste
Fresh Basil - To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions
Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.
Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).
Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.
Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Shrimp Scampi

4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic Cloves, Minced Or Pressed
1 pound Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
1/2 cup White Wine
2 whole Lemons
4 dashes Hot Sauce (I Used Tabasco; More To Taste)
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
8 ounces, weight Angel Hair Pasta
Chopped Fresh Basil To Taste
Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Boil water for pasta; have it ready.
Heat olive oil and melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for two or three minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add shrimp, then stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add wine, butter, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Stir and reduce heat to low.
Throw angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Cook until just done/al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or two of the pasta water.
Remove skillet from heat. Add pasta and toss, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs to be thinned. Taste for seasonings, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Top with grated Parmesan and minced parsley and serve immediately.

Hint: I doubled the recipe and cut some of the spices for our family. The kids loved this one!

Fish Taco Bake

This one is delicious! It's like fish tacos but baked in the oven. You could even adjust the recipe and make them into enchiladas instead!

You will need:

1-2 lbs halibut or cod

4 T olive oil

1/2 t garlic powder

1 package corn tortillas

12 oz salsa

2 cups grated cheddar

1/3 cup flour

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

black pepper

Puree salsa in a blender and set aside. Cook fish in a large skillet with 2 T olive oil. Remove fish and set aside. Add the other 2 T of olive oil to the skillet. Add the flour and stir into a roux. Slowly add broth and stir until thickened. Reduce heat to low and add cream and salsa. In a baking dish, layer: sauce, tortillas, fish and repeat. Top with cheese and bake at 375 for approx 45 min.

Linguine with clam sauce (and salmon!)

INGREDIENTS
• 2 – 10 oz cans of clams, drained, juice reserved• 3 cloves garlic, minced• Chopped parsley• 2 tbsp butter• 2 tbsp olive oil• ¾ c. white wine• ¾ c. heavy cream• Juice of ½ lemon• Linguine or spaghetti• Salt and pepper to taste

I added leftover grilled salmon and only used one can of clams.

DIRECTIONS
· Cook pasta according to package directions
· Melt 1 tbsp of the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
· Add the clams and garlic, cook about 3 minutes
· Add the wine and stir. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, until wine has reduced a bit and it doesn’t smell so “alcohol-y”
· Lower heat. Add lemon juice and the remaining butter, stir through and cook a few more minutes
· Add cream, parsley, salt and pepper (you don’t need too much salt because the clams are fairly salty). Cook until heated through
· Serve over pasta

Shrimp Noodle Soup

Boil 8 cups of water.

Add and boil the following for 5 min:

2 (only 2! not all 4) packets of chicken top ramen seasoning

2 T soy sauce

1 carrot, thinly chopped

3 green onions chopped

2T minced garlic

2T grated ginger

1T thai hot chili sauce (I omitted this and it was stil good)

After 5 min, add and boil the following for another 5 min:

4 packets ramen noodles

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup baby spinach

1 lb cooked shrimp

Add a spritz of lime juice, stir, and serve!

This one would be good with any variety of veggies: baby corns, sliced celery, red pepper etc.

Salmon Chowder

2 T melted butter
1 onion minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup diced potato
1 cup sliced carrots
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/2 t dill weed
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 14 oz can salmon, deskinned

Cook in slow cooker 7 hours. Use flour to thicken before serving.

Tuna Patty Melts

Pictured - 2 tuna patties, each on 1/2 a bun, topped with 'surprise sauce.'

From www.cooks.com. Adapted by Jill

1 lg. can tuna, flaked (or 2 small cans)
2 beaten eggs
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. bread or cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
6 slices cheese
6 hamburger buns
1 tbsp. grated onion (I didn't have any, so I put in dill weed)

Mix all ingredients except cheese. Make 6 patties. Place on well greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Place baked patties on toasted buns (the toastier the better), top with cheese and place in greased pan. Cover with foil. Heat for 5 minutes.

From another recipe at www.cooks.com, I topped with . . .

SURPRISE SAUCE:

Cook 2 tablespoons chopped onion in 3 tablespoons butter until tender, but not brown. Blend in: 1 tsp. mustard 1/2 tsp. salt Dash of pepper

Add 1 1/4 cups milk and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and bubbles. (Mine didn't thicken, so I added a bit of corn starch)

Serve Surprise Sauce over cooked patties for a delicious taste surprise - no tuna taste. (I'd argue there was still tuna taste, but it was kind of like adding a hollandaise sauce to the melt - and made it even yummier.)

Herbed Seafood Casserole

1 lg egg

1/2 cup milk

1 c sour cream

1 T dried parsley

1 t dried basil

1 t dried oregano

4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 lb angel hair pasta broken into 1 inch pieces

1 cup salsa

1 lb med shrimp, chopped

1 cup shredded cheese: mozz

Spread cooked pasta over greased casserole dish. Cover with shrimp and then a layer of salsa. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over the top. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 30 min at 350.

Cornbread topped Salmon

In one bowl, combine:
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix, plus other ingredients required for making corn muffins on the box
1/4 cup diced onion
1 jar pimentos
dash of thyme
dash of celery seed
dash of black pepper

In another bowl, combine:

1 can of salmon (pull off skin but you can leave the bones, when cooked you don't notice them)

2 cans cream of mushroom

1/4 cup milk

In a baking dish, pour salmon mixture on the bottom, then cornbread mixture on top.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Tuna Melt Casserole

You will need:

1 batch of homemade croutons

1 cup grated cheese

dash of pepper

1/2 t curry powder

1 egg

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup minced onion

1 7-oz can tuna

Spread croutons evenly in a greased, square casserole dish

Wisk together all other ingredients (except cheese) and pour over croutons

Top with cheese and bake at 400 for 30 min

Tuna Casserole - THE BEST

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook up one box of pasta according to directions.

Spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray.

In a bowl combine the following:

3 cans tuna - mostly drained (I used white albacore chunk)
2 cans diced tomatoes - mostly drained
1 can water chestnuts - drained and diced
1 can cream of chicken soup.
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup dijon mustard
Pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Return the drained pasta to the pot. Dump in the contents of the bowl. Stir until mixed. Pour into 9 x 13 pan. Top with shredded cheeese (of course!). Bake until warm, melty and yummy. About 30 minutes.

Florida Seafood Casserole

Florida Seafood Casserole 1/3 cup minced onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup half-n-half cream
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup peeled cooked shrimp
1 cup flaked crabmeat, cooked
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped pimento
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

In a small saucepan, saute onion in butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in rice, shrimp, crab, water chestnuts, lemon juice, pimento, parsley and 1/2 cup cheese.
Spoon into a greased 2-1/2 qt. baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese just before serving.
Note: I left out the water chestnuts and parsley (because I didn't have them!) and doubled the recipe. It was very yummy!

Pasta with shrimp and tomatoes

I had this huge craving for shrimp, so...

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter
salt and black pepper to taste

1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta

1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Once the tomatoes have simmered into a sauce, stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper.
Fill a large pot with lightly-salted water; bring to a rolling boil; stir in the linguine and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the shrimp and cook until pink on the outside and no longer translucent in the center, about 5 minutes. Stir the shrimp into the pasta sauce, then stir the sauce into the linguine to serve.

Tuna Boats

So easy, even a 5-year-old can do it (obviously)

1. Take the rolls left by someone from last weekend's dinner party, cut each in half

2. Spread tuna/mayo mix on each

3. Cover each with a slice of cheese

4. Broil for 5 min or as crispy as you want

Shrimp Pasta

I know this one will look much like the Chicken Pasta. But really, it IS different. A little faster to make, as there is less prep work.

1 bag frozen shrimp. Cooked and de-tailed, if you can find. Medium sized.
1 box pasta
1 can diced tomatoes
Lemon Juice
Pepper
Corn starch

Optional ingredients: frozen peas, white wine, feta cheese

Cook up the pasta. Drain.

I ususally begin to thaw the shrimp by running them under warm water first.
In a skillet, combine shrimp, a few squirts of lemon juice, and pepper (to taste). As it begins warming, add tomatoes (drained or undrained, you pick) and any of the optional ingredients. Heat.

I find the sauce part usually is watery/ runny from the water coming off the shrimp and peas as they thaw, so I add corn starch (as described on the box) to thicken up.

Plate - pasta. Shrimp mix on top. Ymmmm.

Serves 4 adults easily.

Baked Cod

I "know" Suzi will like this one. Feeds 3 adults.

Ingredients:
1 pound cod (fresh/frozen) from the fish section of the grocery store.
Bread crumbs (this time around I used Progresso Parmesean Crumbs) - about 1 cup.
1 egg.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut cod into fairly even size pieces. Mine ended up being about 2 inches by 3 inches, but it would vary based on the type of cut you get with the fish.

Line cookie sheet with foil. Lightly spray with "Pam".

Beat the egg in a bowl. Put bread crumbs in another bowl.
Dip each fish piece in the egg to coat it.
Roll fish piece in bread crumbs.
Put on cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish is flakey.

Yummy, and good for you.

And since I don't like tartar sauce, I made my own sauce. Dijon mustard, small amount of mayo, and milk, whisked together.

Had rice and salad as side dishes to round out the meal.