Spicy Shrimp Pasta

On my commute home from work I got a distinct craving for pasta with shrimp (which isn't that out of the ordinary.) I decided to check out this seafood market in my neighborhood that I have passed by many times. I picked up a half pound of fresh shrimp and headed home to make dinner.



Spicy Shrimp Pasta:
-2 T evoo
-1/2 lb of shrimp (cleaned and de-veined)
-1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
-8 oz canned diced (good) tomatoes and their juice
-3 cloves garlic chopped
-1/4 c onions diced
-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1/4 c half and half
-2 T capers
-fresh grated Parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper to taste

I sweated the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes in the olive oil and added the tomatoes to simmer for about 20 minutes with the oregano and freshly ground black pepper. I then stirred in the half and half until the sauce was a nice pink in color, threw in the capers and shrimp. Meanwhile, I cooked the pasta to al dente and added it to the sauce with a little pasta water. I grated in some Parmesan and seasoned to taste. I served the pasta with extra cheese on top.

Makes 2 servings

Our Version of Indian Chicken Masala

We have had chicken masala spice in our cupboard for months, and finally got to use it!
We decided to make our own version of chicken masala curry over brown rice. We cubed and speed-marinated the chicken in Greek yogurt and the masala spice, and then pan seared it in olive oil. We then added more masala, turmeric, coriander, onions and chicken stock and simmered until the meat was cooked through.

We thickened it with the Greek yogurt before serving, which gave it a nice creamy texture.

We served the chicken over brown rice, garnished with fresh cilantro from our garden, and served it with a side salad of head lettuce and tomatoes in a creamy cilantro yogurt dressing.

Creamy cilantro yogurt dressing:
2 T Greek yogurt
1 tsp Mayonnaise
1 T chopped cilantro
2 T lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
-Whisk all ingredients together and let the flavors marinate for 30 minutes before tossing.

Quick and Super delicious pizza

Well, there was part of me that wanted my first post to be some incredibly complicated, over the top, fancy, gourmet, and inevitably time-consuming dish.  Then I thought, if that's what I wanted to do I would more than likely be copying something straight from a fabulous cook book.  That's not what this should be about.  It should be about sharing home-made creations, some easy, some harder, but all tried and true standards in our daily lives.  This first one came from Rob, my boyfriend and wonderful cook.  I loved it so much the first time I had to make it again and share it.

What you'll need:

2 pieces Naan bread

Cherry tomatoes-cut in half

Asparagus-cut in 4ths

Crumbled blue cheese

Nice quality proscuitto

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Coat each piece of Naan lightly with olive oil.  Evenly distribute proscuitto, then cheese, then tomatoes and asparagus.  Top off with a little more cheese (don't be afraid to be generous with it, it's a dry pizza and that adds a lot of moisture) salt and pepper, and a splash more olive oil.  Toss in the oven at 300 for about 10 min and then finish off with the broiler (keep a close eye on it) 

So fast, easy, and tasty as hell!

We had ours with some homemade sangria.

Alt. ingredients for my vegetarian ladies, and equally delicious: use mushrooms, goat cheese, tomatoes, and arugula (first layer) 

  ENJOY!