Awesome Easy Shrimp Linguine

A fast and tasty pasta dinner recipe for two!

Awesome Easy Shrimp Linguine 

 ingredients:
1 pound SHRIMP (20-30, peeled and deveined)
8oz LINGUINE (about ½ box)
1-2 cups BROCCOLI florets (or substitute ½ cup PARSLEY if you’re not into broccoli)
6-8 GARLIC cloves (minced)
½ large ONION (finely chopped)
½ stick BUTTER
3-5 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
SALT to taste
(add oregano or Italian herbs if desired--I like just the extra garlicky taste)
serve with PARMESAN CHEESE

directions:
Prep your ingredients first, then get your pasta cooking.  I like to add a Tbsp of olive oil to my pasta water as well as a 2-4 tsp salt.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions and whatever firmness you desire.  I'm using whole grain wheat linguine for this recipe, which takes about 12 minutes to cook--a bit longer than most linguine.  The cooking time for the skillet ingredients should be around 7-9 minutes, so try to time your pasta to finish with the shrimp--overcooked shrimp is rubbery and overcooked pasta is mushy, so timing is everything!!!

In your skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/4 butter on medium heat.  When hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add onions and continue to cook a couple more minutes.  Add broccoli florets, and add more butter and oil as needed.  If you don't want to add broccoli, substitute 1/2 cup chopped parsley instead.  Sauté  florets, garlic, and onions another 2 minutes and then add shrimp.  Throw in some Italian herbs if you want to get all herby.

The shrimp will be done when they turn pink--don't overcook or they'll turn rubbery!!  Remove the cooked pasta from water and add directly to the skillet.  Don't drain or strain the pasta!!--you're just throwing away good flavor.  Add the remainder of your original 1/2 stick butter.  Mix pasta and ingredients.  Add some pasta water to the mix (about 1/2 cup or so).  I find that the salt in the water and butter is plenty for me, but salt a little more if desired.  Remove the skillet from the heat and serve.  Fresh Parmesan cheese and toasted garlic bread are nice accompaniments!!  Maybe some wine?
Bon appétit!

Best Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a versatile food, similar to rice, but with 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. It’s easy to prepare and super tasty. The salad recipe below makes an excellent meal, a tasty side dish, or a light snack. Serves 2-4.

QUINOA SALAD:
ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
¼ cup red onion (finely chopped)
3-5 garlic cloves (minced)
½ inch ginger (minced)
1 cucumber (chopped)
1/3 yellow pepper (chopped)
1 carrot (thinly sliced)
¼ cup parsley or cilantro (chopped)
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt (to taste)

Directions:
Add 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes (I find it usually takes about 15 minutes). Place cooked quinoa in bowl and let cool—doesn’t have to cool completely—by the time you get your other ingredients prepped, the quinoa will be cool enough. Add vinegar, olive oil, salt, and stir well. Add onion, ginger, and garlic. I usually chop the onion fine and MINCE the garlic and ginger VERY WELL. The raw garlic and ginger adds lots of flavor and nutrition. Give the bowl a good stir and get these ingredients mixed thoroughly. Add yellow pepper (red pepper is fine, but yellow makes a nice color contrast), cucumber, carrot. Sometimes I also add green onions—or even diced jalapeños if I'm looking for a little kick—feel free to experiment with any vegetables you enjoy in a raw state. Mix ingredients and then add the tomatoes. I like to add the tomatoes last so they don’t get too beat up by the spoon. If you’ve got some parsley or cilantro on hand, throw that in as well—I make sure I’ve got some cilantro on hand when I’m making this dish. A bit of lemon juice is a nice finish and will also help keep the colors of the dish vibrant. Bon Appétit!

Pizza For Lazy Cooks

Movie Night wouldn't be Movie Night without pita pizza.  It's easy to make and easy to clean up and tastes great...so that's perfect, right?

ingredients:
1 15oz can Tomato Sauce
2-3 Tbsp dried Oregano
1 Tbsp Basil
2 tsp Thyme
2 tsp Garlic Powder (more if you love garlic)
Salt and Pepper to taste (also, a little dried jalapeño can give the sauce a nice kick)
--The sauce you make at home will be tastier than the sauce you buy in the jar at the store; you can make it your own, add the herbs you like, as much or as little as you like.

Pita Bread –Any kind of pita will do, we use whole wheat. Rubbing olive oil around the edges of the pita will make a tasty edge (I like it that way!), but it isn’t necessary to do so. One pita makes a nice personal pizza size if you’re a self-disciplined SOB, which I’m not. For two people, we usually make 4 or 5 assorted pita pizzas, cut them in half, and have a mini-buffet.

Toppings?...there’s no end to the possibilities. Pita pizzas are a great way to experiment with topping ideas.

Instructions:
Pour tomato sauce into a bowl and add oregano, thyme, basil, and garlic powder (salt and pepper can be added if desired…but check can to see if tomato sauce is already salted). For sauce with a kick, add some dried jalapeño. Mix ingredients well.

Rub olive oil around the edges of your pita for a tasty crust (optional). Spread sauce over pitas and then add toppings. It’s usually a good idea to start with a little cheese on the bottom and end with more cheese on the top --what goes in between is up to you (leftovers in the fridge often make great pizza toppings! Ever have a meatloaf pizza?).

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (this is a good cooking time if you like to pile on the toppings…for faster cooking, bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes…it’s quicker, but quicker isn’t always better)

PIZZA IDEAS:

Chef Buck loves:
Spinach (this topping should go on first, so it doesn’t dry out), Feta cheese, Tomato slices, Mozzarella cheese, and extra herb topping.

Camera Girl loves:
Mozzarella cheese, red peppers, artichokes, and fake sausage.

Artichoke is a great topping (just keep a can in the cabinet). Shrimp makes a nice change-up. And trying different cheeses is always a good idea. Havarti and Ricotta are two cheeses we use often—they can bring a fresh taste to the pepperoni blues.
Keep a jar of pizza sauce in the fridge and some pitas in the freezer and dinner is always only moments away.

Bon appétit!

Easy Beet Greens Recipe

If you purchase beets with the greens intact, don’t throw those greens away!!! You can cook up a nice dish using the greens (and if you don’t buy beets with the greens, then you need to make an adjustment in your shopping habit).

Ingredients:
1 bunch beet greens
½ red onion (chopped)
1/3 Red bell pepper (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Lemon juice or vinegar (optional)

Remove the greens from the root and wash thoroughly –greens always seem to need a good washing, especially beet greens. I like to separate the green leaf from the thicker stem since the leafy greens will need far less time to cook. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on med-med high heat. When the oil is hot, add onions and garlic. I chop the onion big and the garlic thin. Stir for a minute and then add the red bell pepper and stir for a few minutes more. I use about a third of a red pepper, not too much—it’s more for color than to influence the taste of the dish—it’s a nice contrast to the dark greens. Add a little water if needed, but not too much, the greens will release plenty of water. Add the beet green stems; these will soften pretty fast, so a minute or two will be plenty of time (overcooked veggies are a drag, man). Add the leafy greens. Initially, I don’t mix the greens with the ingredients; I just cover the skillet for a minute or two and give the greens time to wilt. Remove the lid and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir a minute more. That’s about when they’re ready. Camera Girl likes to add a splash of lemon, but I can take it or leave it (some folks like vinegar with greens). Remove from heat and serve hot.
Beet greens make a great side, especially with chicken or a cheap cut of meat. I serve greens as a main dish, over quinoa, which is a seed that acts like a grain and is an excellent source of protein.

Delicious Raw Kale and Beet Salad

Kale is a rough and tough cabbagee-thingy that's a little less than friendly in it's natural state, but massaging salt into the raw leaves can turn Kale into a delicious salad green. Here's my favorite raw kale recipe:

Raw Kale and Beet Salad

ingredients:
Kale (8-10 leaves)
2 Beet roots (medium-sized)
2 Tomatoes (small...I use plum tomatoes)
2 Carrots
1/2 cup Golden Raisins
Salt (to taste...I use approx. 1 tsp.)
Pepper (to taste)
Olive Oil (1 Tbsp)
Balsamic Vinegar (2 tsp)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove greens from beets and cut root bulbs into smaller pieces, about 1/2 inch squares. Spread the beet pieces onto a baking pan and add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for 25-35 minutes, remove and allow to cool.
While beets are cooking, remove the spine from the center of the kale leaves and tear kale into salad pieces. Kale is rough, but adding salt to the greens will draw out moisture and soften the leaves, making them darker. Gently massage salt into the kale until it achieves a desirable consistency, this may take several minutes. Grate carrots into the greens, add raisins, then toss and divide portions into salad bowls. In a separate bowl, add diced tomatoes and cooled beets, then add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper and mix together. Spoon beet/tomato mixture over kale greens and serve.

This is a delicious way to enjoy and optimize the benefits of raw kale. I'm not usually a big raisin fan, but I find the raisins work really well in this salad. I've contemplated tossing minced ginger into the mix, but haven't gotten around to doing so, although I might next time I whip this dish up. If you give it a try, let me know what you think.

This is one of the healthiest dishes I routinely prepare, but be aware, eating beets can cause some rosy changes when you answer "the call of nature". (Don't be alarmed, you probably won't be dying...in fact, you'll probably be doing a lot better.)

TV Dinner Cupcakes

Would you eat these? My sister made TV dinner cupcakes. They look pretty cool, but I don't appreciate candy and cornflakes on my cupcakes. She used this recipe as a guide and did a little tinkering:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tv-dinner-cupcakes-recipe/index.html

I broke one of the chicken bones during the making of this video
...sorry, sister :^(