Malaysian Shrimp Salad

It’s hot here.  Very, very hot here.  Yes, I know that I live in SW Florida and that the summers are really hot but this is hot even by Floridian standards.  Every single day the heat index is up over 105F and that just makes it really challenging when trying to do anything other than lounge in a pool all day!  Gotta give my oldest credit though!  She is still riding and racing BMX even in all this heat…

When I saw this salad on the Weight Watcher site I knew I had to make it.  Minimal heat being used and if you use precooked shrimp no heat being used at all.  Perfect summer food for me!!!  I would have used the fresh mangoes from my Mango tree but unfortunately my dog and possums got all of them faster than I could…

Malaysian Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound(s) cooked and chilled shrimp, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)  
1 cup(s) mango(es), diced
1 cup(s) cucumber(s), diced 
2 Tbsp mint leaves, fresh, minced 
1 tsp green hot chili pepper(s), serrano-variety, minced (or to taste) I used a jalapeno
1 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice 
2 tsp lime zest 
1/2 tsp kosher salt 
1/2 tsp sugar   

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, mango, cucumber, mint and pepper.

In another bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice and zest, salt and sugar; toss with shrimp mixture. Yields about 1 cup shrimp salad per serving.

**I thought this was delicious but maybe a little flat tasting…maybe more salt? 

***WW points is 4 based on a 1 cup serving

Shrimp Burgers

I have been in a bit of a cooking slump lately.  Just looking at my past few months post will prove that!  It seems like I have posted very few real meals in there amongst all of the bread and desserts that have been going up!!!  All that is about to change.  Things are definitely looking up!  The girls are done school for the summer and I am as excited as they are!!!

Anyway the other night, while I am getting into break mode I was thinking about meals I have loved.  One of my favorite things ever and have never really thought about making are Shrimp Burgers.  The only time I have ever tasted them was a couple of summers ago when we were on vacation in Beaufort, SC and ate at The Shrimp Shack.  A very, very rustic place owned by the same people that own Gay Fish Company that supplies the shrimp for these burgers.  It’s one of those wait in line, place your order at the window and then wait until they call your name and then find a picnic table to eat at or take it with you! 

 Shrimp Burgers

These burgers are chock full of shrimp and come in very close to what you get at The Shrimp Shack.  I think the only difference is the method of cooking.  Pretty sure they cook theirs in the deep fryer and we don’t own one of those!

What would I change if I next time ( and there will be a next time), absolutely nothing but I will make more.  This recipe made 4 burgers and I would have loved one the next day for lunch.  I think they would be delicious cold…

Shrimp Burgers – Adapted from here

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp (I used frozen and thawed them but would like to use fresh next time)
2 Tbsp onions or scallions, diced finely 
3 Tbsp celery, diced
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp red pepper, finely diced
11/2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup bread crumbs (or cornbread crumbs)
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste 
Peanut Oil or your choice for pan

Directions:

1. Cook and peel the shrimp, and chop or grind up.

2. In a large bowl mix the shrimp with the onions, parsley, red pepper and lemon zest. Stir in the mayonnaise, bread crumbs and the egg, and beat with a whisk or wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Form into patties and saute in oil until both sides are nicely browned. Drain on paper towel. Serve on hamburger buns or choice of bread with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. We used soft rolls and homemade tartar sauce.  Delicious!!!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

A really fast shrimp dinner and a funfilled weekend of skating!

Every once in a while your whole schedule and routine gets thrown off kilter right? Well mine gets thrown off so often now I have no routine. Last week it was T.'s Dad and the ongoing medical saga that has become our lives and a skating competition. I just could not cook anything new and was so uninspired that I would have made my family eat hot dogs for dinner if I thought I could have gotten away with. That is all going to change this week. I am back on track!!!

She's lucky number 7!!!

As for the skating competition...my youngest daughter rocks!!! She did 2 events and placed 1st for both of them. What an accomplishment for her.

A short video of her doing her program. She still looks so tiny out there on that huge slab of ice!!!



Friday night I had practice at the rink so we decided that it wouldn't be too terribly late when I got home and I could just whip together a quick pasta dinner. I knew I had some frozen shrimp in the freezer and some whole wheat linguine (no additives just plain old whole wheat durum flour!!!). The frozen shrimp are so easy to work with. Just make sure that before you freeze them they are cleaned and peeled. I leave the tails on but that is just personal preference.

Once again there is no recipe. On nights like that I am way too busy to follow one anyway. Here is a list of ingredients and near measures!


Pasta with Shrimp and Butter Sauce

About a 1lb to 1-1/2lb shrimp
6 cloves of garlic chopped
1 stick of butter to cook the shrimp
1 package of your favorite pasta, cooked

Spice mix for shrimp:

garlic powder
onion powder
smoked paprika
white pepper
salt
black pepper
thyme
pinch of cayenne

1 more stick of butter to finish the butter sauce
about 2 Tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Mix all the spices together. Go lighter on the stronger spices like cayenne and smoked paprika and heavier on the lighter ones like garlic powder.

Toss the shrimp in the spices and melt 1 stick of butter in a pan. Cook the garlic in the butter then add the spiced shrimp and cook until no longer translucent. Once they are cooked add the second stick of butter and the parsley and melt to make a nice butter sauce.

This is about enough for 4 adults.

Update on T's Dad: He is no longer in ICU but he is still not out of the woods yet. He has MRSA Staph infection (methicillin resistant staph). It is no longer in his lungs (still everywhere else) but it is in his eye and is causing the retina to harden. They are going to have to do surgery on him immediately to clean out the retina. Any surgery is dangerous but even worse to open up a person with a Staph infection! Keep those prayers and well wishes coming and thanks so much for all the support you all have given me and my family!

As Always...

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Shrimp Diane

Yesterday was one of those weird days where I could find absolutely nothing that I wanted to make or have for dinner. Usually I have a pretty good idea by the ingredients that I have bought during the week. Am I becoming a little disheartened by my seemingly endless purge of my freezer and pantry? I guess there is a reason all of that food has been in there and not used! So guess what I did? I told T. to figure out dinner??? LOL!

He did a great job too.

This is what we had...

Sorry for the crappy picture but Hurricane Ike took my sunlight!
You get the idea though-shrimp, mushrooms, zucchini in a butter sauce!

Shrimp Diane

Ingredients:

1 lb of medium sized shrimp, cleaned with tails on
1 stick of butter-I never said T. cooks low-fat!!!
6 green onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 zucchini cut into sticks
1/4 Cup stock, preferably fish or shrimp
1/4 Cup fresh parsley, picked and chopped
1 package of your favorite pasta, cooked

Spice Mix:

1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated garlic
pinch of cayenne (less depending on taste)
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano

Directions:

• Mix the spice mix ingredients together and set aside.
• Melt 6 Tbsp of the butter in a large pan. When almost melted add the garlic, zucchini and the spice mix.
• Mix well and add the shrimp and cook for about a minute.
• Add the mushrooms and the stock and simmer until shrimp are almost fully cooked.
• Add the remaining butter and parsley and green onion and cook until the butter is completely melted.
• Serve over your favorite pasta with a generous serving of Parmesan cheese.

This was a really nice dish to come home from Karate to. Thanks so much T. Tonight we want Pizza-okay?

Things used from my freezer:

shrimp
zucchini
shrimp stock

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

The Shrimp

Shrimp Taco's with homemade Pico de Gallo, chopped scallions, jalapeños, and avocado!

We are so lucky to be living here in Florida. I get a ton of fresh, locally grown produce (during the winter) and also a ton of fresh, locally caught seafood. During the winter, when I was going to the Worden Farm Farmer's Market, I was standing in line to pay and I heard some one ask if the "shrimp guys" were there. The response was "yes" so I decided to follow the askers and see where they were going. Down the side street and towards the water we went and there was a small shrimp boat that had coolers on the back (would be way to creepy for me to take pictures of this boat and the people that work on it don't ya think? Maybe next time hehehe.) Apparently you just tell the guys what size you want and head on or off.

Well, I got very good at this and we ate shrimp at least once a week, that is until the market ended in April. Before it all ended I got their phone number and on Thursday of last week I called them. They were there and had a load of shrimp. So I headed my car to Punta Gorda to buy some shrimp. I asked them for 1 lb. mediums, head off and 1 lb. large head ons. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with them but I knew I wanted them. So I paid my $12 and off I went...Yep you read that right $12 FOR 2 VERY GENEROUS LBS. OF FRESH BOAT SHRIMP!!!! Pretty cool huh?

See the large size...I really like the beheaded first but you can't have everything (or so everyone keeps telling me!!!).

Thursday night for dinner we just made some pasta and cooked the shrimp in some toasted garlic, shallots and butter. Lots of butter and tossed this with the pasta and loaded on some fresh Parmesan and had a nice easy dinner!

T.'s super, duper, fully loaded shrimp taco!!!

Last night we decided to make shrimp tacos out of them. I made some Pico de Gallo. and popped the heads off the shrimp cleaned them and chopped them up, cooked them in some taco seasoning and added my topping of choice. Great easy dinner for the end of another crazy, busy week!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Fresh boat shrimp and a fresh salad!

Shrimp grilled on a skewer with a nice fresh salad!

Dinner here is still sort of shaky. My oldest daughter is still home recovering from her hive episode. There are no new ones coming out but the ones that she had that had opened are still opening and I am so afraid of her getting an infection in it that I would rather keep her home with me. Needless to say my days are kind of screwy! T. has also been sick with some crazy virus that we thought was pneumonia! He did go to the Doctor yesterday and he said that he would only feel like crap for another 3 weeks of so???!!! Wooo hooo...boy sometimes life is fun???

Anyway last night I was not letting anyone get in the way of my dinner. I made it all ahead of time and all T. had to do while I was at Karate was to cook the shrimp (fresh shrimp that I have been getting from the farmer's market. The shrimp come directly off of the boat that the guys have been out in all night! It doesn't get much fresher than that!) on the grill. All I did with the cleaned shrimp was to skewer them and add salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and a little coating of oil so they didn't stick to the grill.

For the salad I made a vinaigrette dressing using some of the fresh basil and Greek oregano that we have growing in boxes. I really just went by taste but I used red wine vinegar (start with about 1/3 cup and taste to see if it has enough vinegar for your taste), regular vinegar, oil (use about 1/2 cup), 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp dry mustard and fresh herbs. I let this sit at room temperature until dinner so all the flavors could blend together. I also added a can of garbanzo beans to the salad. They add a little bit more to a nice light meal!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

I have such a great life...

Sauteed Summer Squash and Zucchini

Today is one of those days that I truly love being me and love the life that I have. I have cleaners come in and clean my house on Friday's so they are always really good days for me anyway (neck injury from a car accident prevents me from doing it awwwwww, who am I kidding, my husband is just super awesome and has someone come in and do it for me!!!).

So this morning I took the girls to school and went and returned something to the grocery store and was heading home when suddenly my car turned the wrong way and I ended up at Barnes & Noble????!!! Not a bad turn huh? Got myself a Starbuck's (yep I know, but I really, really, really like a non-fat green tea latte light on the sweet) and took my latte and went to peruse the cookbook section. I found a book that made me so happy that I would have paid any amount for it...lucky it didn't cost that much!!! I paid for my happy books and I left.

The Homegrown book was the one I would have lusted over and obsessed about so would have had to go back and buy it anyway...I just saved myself a trip.

I knew I needed to go to Ada's (similar to Whole Foods) and get a ripe avocado (they are NEVER ripe at the grocery store and I needed it for tonight). I argued with the manager's about them not selling enough local produce and no local fresh eggs (I do this every time...sooner or later they will recognize me but for now I think they think that a lot of people are looking for this stuff!).

Can you tell I am just killing time? I like to walk into my house after it has been cleaned and not see the cleaners doing it...I guess that helps to rid me of the guilt (boy do our minds work in strange, wonderful, crazy ways!). Sooner or later I had to go home...when I got here they were still here but T. was just leaving and had let the dogs out before he left. As I was taking the recycling out I started calling for the young, crazy golden to come. He came running and went flying past me and that's when it first hit me...the gross, sickening, evil smell of whatever it was that he had just rolled in!!!!! I can't tell you if it was something that was decomposing or if it was just plain crap...but OMG did it ever reek!!! Now remember my house is just being cleaned...I was devastated but should be used to it. One of these days I would just like to have my house stay clean for even half a day. But my problem now was how was I going to destink him? In a round about way this is one of the things that I am also so grateful for...it is 80 degrees out so I grabbed the dog, garden hose and some shampoo! He only got away from me once, covered in soap and rolling all over the ground AGAIN...and I swear I heard someone laughing (one of my neighbors maybe) but now he is all cleaned up, smelling sweet and banished to the pool deck until he is completely dry!!!

The girl's dinner - Radicchio, shrimp and summer squash and zucchini

Now for last nights dinner - Remember the boat shrimp? I had bought 3 pound and had only used one in the pasta from Wednesday night so I needed to get those cooked up. I decided to just sautee them in garlic and butter. I tossed my in some fresh pesto and T. used some of the garlic hot sauce that we got on Sunday at the Sweetwater Sunday Market. The girls ate theirs plain.

T.'s shrimp with the garlic hot sauce

We sauteed up some summer squash and zucchini with garlic, salt, pepper, ans paprika. And I broiled the radicchio this time. It turned out good but I still like it grilled the best!

Broiled radicchio

I also got another gallon of goat milk yesterday so of course I had to make pudding for everyone right away. I wanted to show you that even when you don't have all of the "right" equipment their are always ways to make do! Below is what I use for a double boiler...it worked great for my lemon meringue pie last month and for the pudding it is awesome as well. Don't get me wrong, I love gadgets and special tools but that is one that has never really seemed too necessary to me!

My Double Boiler

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

No way could I get a picture!

Yes I've been at it again! I found the best Farmer's Market ever. All the food is certified Organic (Worden Farms) and the market is held every Wednesday! It doesn't get much better than this...well yes I guess it does. The guy on the shrimp boat right around the corner who was selling last nights catch right from his boat even beat that! I brought my bounty home. Cooked up the beets for dinner and left the shrimp for T. to cook and behead! Now just to let you know, my family loves fresh shrimp. That shrimp was sauteed in fresh garlic and butter until just cooked. Put on the plates and eaten up so quick that I didn't stand a chance at getting a picture! But it sure looked good!

I cooked up the beets using the oven roasted beet recipe that I used the other day and they were delicious again! I saved the greens to cook up tonight with one super large fresh salad! This is the best time of year to be eating locally that's for sure!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com