Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp

Hi! I swear, I'm trying to post more often now that I'm cooking more. This month the 101 Cookbooks Library is featuring Melissa Clark, NY Times food writer and someone who understands the challenges faced by home cooks.

I started with a roasted shrimp and broccoli recipe, something super simple and easy that is still healthy. I love the cumin, coriander, and just a bit of spice - I used red pepper flakes. Next time, I'll roast the broccoli for a bit less time, so there will be some crunch left to it.

And I'm looking forward to some more quick, simple, healthy, and most of all tasty meals from Melissa Clark's books.

2012 Whole Living Healthy Detox: Week 2

Well, week 2 is over, but it was much easier than week 1.  We made quite a few tasty meals.  We started  the week off with a family Christmas party - we brought baked salmon with chimichurri sauce.  We also revamped one of our favorites, lemon pepper shrimp, to be detox-friendly (and MUCH healthier).  Typically, this dish consists of whole wheat orzo and broccoli sauteed with garlic, topped with shrimp in a lemony, peppery, garlicky, buttery sauce.  We left out the orzo and we left out the butter, making the shrimp with only the lemon, pepper, garlic, and a bit of olive oil, so there wasn't much of a sauce.  We were very pleased with the results!

Throughout the week, we also ate our Dark Days meal of beans and cabbage, and I improved upon my favorite smoothie from last week, the Carrot Mango Smoothie, by adding some strawberries to it as well.  We used up the only soup in the freezer that we can eat, a veggie-filled base for Soup au Pistou, to which we added white beans and a cube of basil puree to give it flavor.  One day for lunch at work, I had half a bag of frozen edamame for lunch, which surprisingly filled me up a lot!

I also managed to squeeze in another recipe from Plenty, one of the two featured cookbooks for January.  The recipe is for Saffron Cauliflower, shown up above, which we ate as a side with salmon.  Because you cook the cauliflower, onions, and golden raisins in the oven, covered, the saffron flavor steams into them.  If you really like saffron (I find it overrated, but that's just me) you will probably like this dish.  I would have preferred if the cauliflower mix was left open to roast and crisp up a little, but it was an OK dish.  I probably won't make it again.

This week is week 3, the final week of the detox.  It's going to take all my willpower not to go straight back to sugar and coffee and bacon!  Wish me luck!

Weeknight Curry

To use up a glut of string beans from the farm, as well as some eggplants and peppers, I decided to try the Weeknight Curry recipe from Super Natural Every Day.  It's a Thai red curry, which is the best kind.  I used far more curry paste than was called for and a bit more coconut milk as well.  I added red curry powder at the end to kick up the heat.  We sauteed some shrimp separately, seasoning those with the red curry powder as well.  I made some brown basmati rice to go with this.

Heidi's recipes in Super Natural Every Day have really amped up my cooking confidence.  Next time, I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to make a good approximation of this dish without looking at the recipe.

Herbed Shrimp and White Bean Salad

We made this Herbed Shrimp and White Bean Salad for dinner down the shore this weekend.  We all agreed it was more of a lunch salad.  I loved the peppery arugula and the variety of herbs.  Shrimp is always good.  I could see using a bit more dressing next time.  The bean mixture and dressing would be so delicious tossed with a hearty grain for a different take on the salad.  What a delicious summer salad.  I'll be taking some inspiration from this for other fresh, light salads.

Pasta with Summer Veggies and Shrimp

We made this tasty pasta dish from the multitude of veggies in the fridge.  Zucchini and red bell peppers sauteed with onion and garlic, with torn spinach mixed in, plus pieces of shrimp and red pepper flakes, and some canned tomatoes to make it saucy.  Super tasty and full of veggies!

Cashew Curry

I got a head of cauliflower in this week's CSA share, and while I was looking for something to do with it I came across this Cashew Curry recipe on 101 Cookbooks.  It looked like an easy enough lunch, and Ken recently decided he likes curry, so I figured I would make it soon.  I have green beans from last week's CSA share that are pretty beastly, but holding up very well, so I even went with the same vegetables used in the recipe.  For the protein, we added shrimp instead of tofu.  Now having made this recipe, I know that I can adapt it to whatever I have on hand.  The second time I made it I added some thin shreds of carrot, which added a nice color, and I figured it's always good to get some extra veg in there.  I want to try slices of onion instead of chopped - while chopping them is easier, I really like cooked onions.  The cashews are essential as well - they add a nice crunch that contrasts with the softness of the veg.

A funny note: we ate the first bowl of this without the cashews.  I had put them in the oven to toast up along with some acorn squash seeds, and I completely forgot about them until well after they were done.  Fortunately I remembered at exactly the right moment and they were deeply toasted without being burned.  I did laugh, though, when I realized that this recipe is called "Cashew Curry" and I didn't put any cashews in it :)

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

Today I wanted to make dinner for my family and decided to make the Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi that we frequently make at home, which we adapted from a recent issue of Cooking Light. I had a lot of help but it turned out very yummy in the end. If you are wondering where the peppers are in the pictures, the "pepper" part is actually ground black pepper!


My mom helped me out by peeling and defrosting the shrimp while I cut up parsley and broccoli. I tried to chop it like they do on Food Network. I pressed some garlic and juiced a few lemons. I had the orzo cooking while I was juicing the lemons, so I overcooked it by a minute or so. (Luckily it still turned out good.) My mom helped by straining it. The pot was very heavy (to me at least), and since orzo is so small it can't be put through a regular strainer or it will just fall right through the holes!! She had to use the lid to hold in the orzo while draining the water.

To cook the broccoli, I needed to saute some garlic and olive oil in the pan. It heated up much faster than I expected and as I was pushing it around, it suddenly turned brown! It had to be redone and Ken decided at that point that we wouldn't be able to eat unless he took over entirely. I helped as much as I could. When the broccoli was done, I mixed it into the orzo along with the parsley.

The final product came out great, although I wish I was able to do more of it myself. Everyone seemed to really like it and it is a great light summer dish.