Quick Shrimp and Grits

Let me start by saying that am from NC so I do know that most self-respecting Southerners find the thought of instant grits abhorring.  I used to subscribe to that school of thought, however the other night I caved during a desperate attempt to make dinner before falling asleep standing up- hence the “Quick Shrimp and Grits”.  If you have the time I would use stone ground grits and let them simmer to creamy perfection, but if you are trying to get dinner on the table in 15 minutes this is your short cut.    Keeping frozen shrimp in your freezer (peeled and deveined) will make this even easier.   This is a great weeknight dinner, but I would most certainly serve it to company, it is that good!

Quick Shrimp and Grits

Serves 3

·         3 cups water

·         Salt and pepper

·         1 cup instant grits

·         1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

·         ¾  pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

·         4 slices bacon, chopped

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice

·         1 cup thinly sliced scallions

·         1 ½ cups chopped mushrooms

·         2 large cloves garlic, minced

·         ½ cup white wine

·         1 tablespoon butter

In a microwave safe dish add the grits, water, salt and pepper and cook until thick, but still a little runny (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Meanwhile rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; remove from the pan. In grease, add mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes, and then add scallions garlic and shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, white wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Add butter.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well and top with chopped bacon. Serve immediately.

Thai-Style Shrimp with Coconut-Curry Broth

With summer fast approaching, I am trying my best to cook our meals a little lighter for obvious reasons! Ellie Krieger is always my first resource when looking for healthy meal ideas because I have found that her food does not compromise in flavor like others sometimes do. In this recipe, I like how she cuts the richness (and calories/fat) of the coconut milk with chicken broth and enhances the curry with lime and cilantro to make it more of an everyday meal. This sauce is so delicious! I have a real fondness for curry and am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my regular menu rotation so I always double the sauce when I make this so that I can freeze half. The next time I crave this for dinner I can have it on the table in 15 minutes!


Thai-Style Shrimp with Coconut-Curry Broth
Adapted from Ellie Krieger
4 servings

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 small onion
3 teaspoons red curry paste
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
1lb peeled and deveined shrimp (21-30 count)- firm white fish or chicken are great substitutes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked basmati rice, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly cover asparagus spears with olive oil or cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus on a baking sheet lines with tin foil for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Set aside to cool and then cut into 1 inch pieces.

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

In a separate pan season the shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté the shrimp in a little oil in a non-stick pan for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Arrange a pile of rice in the bottom of 4 plates. Top the rice with the shrimp and the asparagus. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the shrimp, rice, and asparagus.

Guacamole and Shrimp Tortilla Bites

We attended the most wonderful wedding in the NC Mountains this weekend. We had amazing weather and a great time catching up with friends new and old, it was memorable for sure. As you all know I am always on the hunt for new easy recipe ideas, so when I saw a platter of these bites passed during cocktails I knew I had a new one! I love these because if you want to take every shortcut using prepared shrimp, guacamole and chips then these can be assembled in just a few minutes. However, if you want to put a little extra effort into them and marinate and grill the shrimp, make your own guacamole and homemade chips you can have something extraordinary. Either way, I recommend them! I think these are the perfect appetizer for the upcoming warm weather, not to mention alongside your margarita this Thursday. Here is my version, for now at least!

Guacamole and Shrimp Tortilla Bites
Serves 4-6

18 tortilla chips (use a sturdy chip)
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ lb of shrimp (21-30 count) peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425.
Line a baking sheet with foil and toss the shrimp in the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Roast the shrimp for 6-8 minutes or until the shrimp have turned pink. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mash the avocado, lime, salt and pepper together. Lay the chips out on the serving platter and top with guacamole. Add the shrimp on top and then serve.

Grilled Herb Shrimp

Our local grocery store ran a buy 1, get 2 free special last week on 21-30 count bags of frozen deveined shrimp. This is close to $60 in savings! Frozen shrimp is the easiest dinner staple that I have in my kitchen because it thaws quickly, needs little time to marinate and can be cooked in less than 5 minutes. I love to add it to pasta dishes, roast it, boil it and in this case, grill it! Turning to my always reliable Barefoot Contessa cookbook, I found this delicious marinade for grilled shrimp. The fresh herbs and lemon give this shrimp a wonderful brightness while the mustard and garlic provide a very mild heat. I like to serve this dish at dinner parties because I can marinate and skewer the shrimp in advance and then cook them at the last minute. It makes an easy summer meal with roasted tomatoes, grilled squash and couscous.

Grilled Herb Shrimp
Barefoot Contessa
Serves 6

Ingredients

2 pounds large shrimp (21-30 per pound), peeled and deveined (see note)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, juiced

Directions

Combine all the ingredients and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Skewer the shrimp. I use 5-6 shrimp on a 12-inch skewer for dinner. Heat a grill to med-high heat. Grill the shrimp for only 1 minute on each side.

Note: I leave the tails on when I'm peeling the shrimp.

Orzo with Shrimp, Feta Cheese, and White Wine

I have been making this dish for as long as I can remember.  It is a wonderful main course for a dinner party that gets rave reviews every time I serve it.   I like it because it is filling enough to keep the men satisfied, but also light enough to keep the women happy.  As I said…crowd pleaser!  I have made this meal for two, I have made it for twenty and it is consistently wonderful!  I usually serve it with a green salad or roasted asparagus and bread to make it a complete meal. 

Orzo with Shrimp, Feta Cheese, and White Wine

Adapted from epicurious.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 ounces orzo pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (divided)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined (I use 21/25 count)

½ small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Preparation

·          Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 11x7-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain well and return orzo to same pot.

·          Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and 2 tablespoons basil; stir to blend. Arrange orzo mixture in prepared dish. 

·          Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté until slightly pink, about 2 minutes (shrimp will not be cooked through). Remove shrimp from the pan and arrange shrimp atop orzo.

·          Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet. Add onion and sauté over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.

·          Add tomatoes with juice; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine, oregano, crushed red pepper, and remaining 1/4 cup basil.

·          Simmer uncovered until reduced to thick sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper; spoon over shrimp.

·          Bake orzo until heated through, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup feta cheese and serve. 

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos

I love, love, love the combination of fresh cilantro and lime. These two ingredients are staples on my grocery list as they are often the foundation of marinades or side dishes in my weekly meals. It is amazing what fresh herbs and citrus can do! For this recipe, I used frozen 31-40 count peeled and deveined shrimp and marinated them for 30 minutes prior to cooking them. I do not advise marinating them much longer than this because the lime juice will actually “cook” the shrimp…hello ceviche! I assembled the slaw earlier in the day to allow time for the flavors to blend. When it was time to prepare dinner, it took all of 10 minutes to pull it together!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos
Adapted from Closet Cooking
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 pound shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 tablespoon oil
½ jalapeño, finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 green onion, minced
1 large handful chopped cilantro
1 tsp teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil
4-6 flour tortillas
Cilantro lime slaw (see recipe below)
Sliced avocado

Directions:
Marinate the shrimp in the lime, oil, jalapeno, garlic, green onion, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper for 30 minutes in a sealed container in the fridge.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the shrimp and  cook until the shrimp is done, about 1-2 minutes per side. (The shrimp will have turned pink and no longer be translucent.)
Warm the tortillas in the microwave or oven and fill with the shrimp, slaw and slices of avocado.

Cilantro Lime Slaw

Ingredients
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups of shredded cabbage


Directions
Whisk mayonnaise, sugar, celery salt, vinegar, and lime juice together in a bowl. . Stir in cilantro. Add cabbage; toss to incorporate evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill 1 hour. Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

This is one of my all time favorite meals.  Fra Diavolo, meaning “Brother Devil” in Italian, is named for the spicy red sauce that this dish delivers.  Easily finished with a simple salad and garlic bread, this meal can be on the table in less than 30 minutes. I often use frozen shrimp for this meal, as most grocery stores sell bags of shrimp already deveined in the 30-40 count size that I prefer to use for my shellfish pasta dishes.  Deveining shrimp is not something that I enjoy doing, so I will always pick up a few bags of these shrimp when they are on special.   I know that some have an aversion to frozen shrimp because it is not “fresh” shrimp so let me ease your mind a little.  Unless you are buying from a local fisherman or market, you are purchasing shrimp that has been frozen.  What are the benefits of using frozen shrimp?  It is fresher (because it has not been defrosted), it is cheaper, and it is able to last much longer if you choose to buy in bulk and store in the freezer.   Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats a fresh catch, but this is a close second!   

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
• ½-1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes  (depending on how hot you like it)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• ½ lb of linguine pasta

Directions

1. Prepare large pot to cook pasta.
2. Toss the shrimp in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, pinch of salt and red pepper flakes.  Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring constantly to avoid burning.  
5. Add the wine and simmer for 1 minute and then add the tomatoes with their juices and oregano. 
6. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
7. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley.
8. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat until just tender, 11–13 minutes.
9. Serve the shrimp mixture over pasta.