Cilantro-Lime Grilled Shrimp {Fiesta!}

Wouldn't these shrimp look gorgeous for a party...served on skewers with a lime at the end?!  Shrimp makes a great appetizer, but it's mostly served in "shrimp cocktail ring" form. Totally boring and overdone, in my opinion.  Here, I've spiced things up a little with garlic, lime, cilantro and sriracha and garnished with avocado.  

They can be served as a main course as well, which is how I ate them tonight.  They disappeared pretty quickly, I might add. ;) Delicious!

CILANTRO-LIME GRILLED SHRIMP

(serves two - 4 oz portions)

Ingredients:

8 oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 small lime

2 tsp olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1.5 T chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 avocado

Sriracha chili sauce (to taste)

Directions:

Clean shrimp and toss in a bowl with cilantro, garlic, olive oil, juice of 1/2 of the lime & salt.  Let sit for 10-30 minutes.  Heat and oil your grill. Honestly, I used my trusty old George Foreman from college because it's 10 degrees outside.  It worked beautifully. 

Skewer your shrimp if you're going to (remember to soak the wooden sticks so they do not burn).  Grill shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side. When you flip, pour the rest of the marinade on the shrimp. Garnish with avocado slices, Sriracha and a bit more cilantro.  

Makin' me think summertime & margaritas!  Salted rim, please.   

{Spicy} Chicken Shrimp Yum-Yum Soup

This soup is kind of perfect for flu and cold season with its ginger, onions, garlic and spice.  With an Asian flare from the cilantro, ginger and soy and the homemade bone broth, this soup was rich, warming and delicious. I made it up as one of us in the house is sniffley right now.  I only wish I had a name for it...hmm...

Spicy Chicken Shrimp Yum-Yum Soup

Ingredients:

8-9 cups (a whole pot) of organic homemade chicken stock (or 2 boxes of stock plus a little water)
1/2 package rice stick noodles
1/2 lb (about a cup) of cleaned raw shrimp - I used Argentinian Red shrimp
1/4 c shredded chicken, which came right off the bone when I made the stock
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T chopped cilantro
1/4 c dried shiitake mushrooms (or use fresh)
1 medium chunk of ginger, minced - approx same amount as garlic
1 jalapeno, sliced thinly
1/2 T soy sauce
2 T shredded sea dulse or other sea veggies, optional

Directions:

Make the chicken stock, which I did, or buy a couple of store bought boxes.  In a large pot, heat up a ladle or so of the stock and sautee your garlic, onions, ginger and jalapeno until fragrant.   Toss in shrimp and sautee until slightly pink.  Add the broth, mushrooms, soy sauce, sea dulse, shredded chicken and let simmer for 20 minutes.   Now add cilantro and rice stick noodles.  Give it about 10 more minutes and you're done.

FOOD RENEGADE!

Shrimp with Papaya-Coconut Sauce + Brown Basmati Rice

I found a beautiful papaya at Trader Joe's the other day!  Since it's especially good for the digestion and we're on our second week of the Gut Rehab, it was a must-buy. It felt like a mini tropical get-away to enjoy shrimp with papaya coconut sauce over brown basmati rice. Along with papaya and it's unique enzymes, the  ginger and garlic give the sauce a kick & are also great for the gut. This dish is great for digestion, gluten-free, dairy-free and 100% delicious. ;)

Ingredients:

1 lb raw shrimp (I used wild red argentinean shrimp)
1 small papaya or 1/2 large papaya
1/2 c coconut cream
1/2 tbsp garlic (minced)
1/2 tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp coconut oil (or other high-heat oil)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp allspice
White Pepper
Sea salt
Dried unsweetened coconut flakes (optional garnish)

1 c dry brown basmati rice (cooked to package directions

Directions:


Start the basmati rice as it takes 35-40 min to cook; salt the water well & prepare it to package directions.


Sauce: Scoop out meat from the papaya and place into a food processor along with a pinch of sea salt, allspice, red pepper flakes, coconut cream and lime juice.  Blend until smooth.

Clean the shrimp. Pat dry and season with salt, white pepper, and cumin.   In a medium-large pan, heat to medium-high and add the oil.  Sautee shrimp for just a couple minutes on each side until cooked on the outside, but not thoroughly.  Add the minced ginger & garlic.  Sautee a couple more minutes.  Add the sauce and reduce to low.  Let simmer for 15 min.  Serve papaya-coconut shrimp & sauce over the rice and garnish with coconut flakes.

Herbed Zucchini "Noodles" with Shrimp

This is a really light, tasty summer meal and a great way to enjoy "pasta" if you're gluten free or dieting.  Pair with a glass of white wine & enjoy.

Ingredients: 
(Makes 2 large portions)

1 large organic zucchini or 2 medium,
1 lb wild-caught shrimp
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil (and a bit more to drizzle)
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (divided)
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or use 1 dried chili pepper, crushed)
1 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to taste

Directions: 
Slice zucchini as thinly as possible, lengthwise, and then cut into strips imitating linguini.  Heat olive oil in a large sautee pan or a wok.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add shrimp and cook until just pink.  Now add your zucchini, pepper flakes, salt.  Stir and cover.  Uncover and stir every few minutes until the "noodles" are soft & flexible, but not mushy.  Sprinkle with basil and 1/2 of the parsley and stir for one more minute.

Plate shrimp & zucchini.  Drizzle with a tiny bit more olive oil if desired, and garnish with the rest of the parsley flakes!

Nutrition: 
380 calories
18 g fat
48 g protein
8 g carbs

30 min Thai: Pineapple Curry Shrimp over Coconut Rice

I love Thai - and this sweet coconut curry dish is a guilty pleasure, but without the unknowns (msg) of your local Thai dive.  This turned out restaurant quality, and in less than 30 minutes.  I looked at a few recipes for inspiration,  and wrote down what I actually used, below.  "Traditional" version call for added sugar in both the sauce and rice. (2 tbsp in curry sauce, 1 tbsp in rice). Feel free, but I skip this, as the pineapple makes it sweet enough for me....

Ingredients for Pineapple Shrimp (serves 4):

3/4 can coconut milk (unsweetened) **
1 lb raw, deveined shrimp
1/3 fresh pineapple,diced
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, finely diced **
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 green onions, sliced (approx 1/4 c)
1 tbsp fresh lemongrass (the middle of the white tender part only) **
1 handful chopped cilantro
1 large pinch, tumeric**
2 tbsp red curry paste**
2 tbsp fish sauce**

**All of these ingredients can be purchased for CHEAP at your local Asian market.  I found tumeric for $0.99 and the coconut milk was $1.49.  Whenever I go, I end up with a grocery bag or two for less than $10 bucks.  You can probably find this stuff in the ethic section of a Whole Foods or other high-end grocery store, but you'll pay an arm and a leg.


Ingredients for Coconut Rice (serves 4):

1/2 cup rice (I used jasmine, but white or brown would work fine)
1/4 can coconut milk
1/4 c coconut flakes
1/2 vanilla bean pod
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Salt & Pepper

Prep all ingredients as stated above - it makes your cook time so much faster and it's easier to modify your dish to your tastes as you go along. Make rice according to package directions, subbing out the 1/4 c coconut water for 1/4 c water and adding vanilla extract and some sea salt and the vanilla bean pod to the pot.  After cooked (15-30 min depending on which kind of rice you use.  Stir in coconut flakes as you fluff.  Let sit for a few min, covered.

In a large saute pan, heat the coconut milk, fish sauce, red curry, garlic, ginger, tumeric  and lemongrass to medium, until bubbling, but not boiling.  Now, add shrimp, green onions, pineapple and cilantro.  Cook about 8 min, or until shrimp is pink.  Serve over rice with a few pineapple chunks  and some cilantro on top for garnish.

Nutritional Info for both pineapple shrimp & rice:


459 Calories
26 g fat
32 g carb
28 g protein