Stir Fried Baby Scallop Vermicelli

My wonderful husband got me an amazing cook book for Christmas, and I'm just now getting around to reading through it... Such a bad wife haha.  I am not big into reading cook books, or recipes because I like coming up with my own, and using what I have on hand.  It always seems like when I find a recipe I want to try there are like 20 billion different things that I have to buy for that one recipe, and I just do not work that way.  Anyways I was reading through, Christine Ha's "Recipes from My Home Kitchen" I came across a scallop recipe that sounded amazing, but reading through it there were several ingredients that I did not have on hand, and honestly I couldn't see myself buying for other recipes for the week.  I sat around thinking about it for a long time, and finally came up with a way that I could use inspiration from that recipe, and it just so happened, while looking through my weekly ads, that baby scallops were on sale!  The only other ingredient to make the main dish that I did not have on hand was vermicelli, which I thought, that cant really cost that much right? It's only rice noodles! And for 4 servings I found it for only $2.  NOT BAD!

Ok ok ok, I know enough babbling, let us get to the recipe.  So here you are, inspired from Christine Ha's cook book, Stir Fried Baby Scallop Vermicelli.

1 lb baby scollops (if frozen thaw out)
1 package vermicelli
1 large carrot (jullianed)
2 green onions (diced)
2 T chicken broth
3 T fish sauce
3 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 T lime juice
1/4 onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic
1 T fresh grated ginger
3 T canola oil
1/2 t chili flakes

For the Vermicelli
Fill a bowl with cool water and soak noodles for 30 minutes. Bring a large bot of salted water to a full boil.  Drain noodles and place in boiling water for only about 10-15 seconds.  Take out noodles and place in an ice bath and let them cool down completely.

For the Sauce
Mix fish sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and lime juice all together until sugar is dissolved.  Set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in large skillet.  Cook down onion, garlic, and ginger all together until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add carrot and green onion and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add sauce to pan and let simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Salt and pepper baby scallops, and in a separate pan heat 2 T oil and chili flakes.  Add baby scallops and cook for 3 minutes ( this is all the time needed for these, other wise they will end up rubbery and gross). Drain grease and let set.

Add the Vermicelli to the pan with the sauce and toss together to incorporate the sauce throughout the noodles.

Place down the noodles and carrots on the plate and top with scallops.  Add some cilantro on top for color and a pop of flavor.

And don't forget the most important step....ENJOY!!!

This recipe make about 4 servings, so my husband and I were able to enjoy this for left over as well the next day.  It headed up really nice in the microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes!

And for Christine's cook book please go here to buy it, it really truly is an amazing book!!!

http://amzn.com/1623360943

I also got the wontons from a fellow blogger here: http://triedandtasty.com/2010/08/baked-cream-cheese-wontons/

Roasted butternut squash cauliflower soup

So I know it's been quite a while since I last posted here, but a lot has been going on. I was t originally going to make a recipe for this one, but I had several requests after posting about it on Facebook. I loving making big batches like this so that way I have lunch ready to go for the next week, makes life incredibly easier!! 

Ok so enough blabbing, here's the recipe... And sorry for the non professional pics, at least you know these are how the recipes really turn out and they're not all glommed up haha!

Roasted butternut squash soup

1 butternut squash (cut up into 1" cubes)

1/2 head cauliflower (roughly chopped)

3 T canola oil (or olive oil)

1/2 onion (diced)

1 stalk celery

2 cloves garlic (diced)

1 T sage

1 T thyme

2 cans chicken broth

2 cups water (aprox)

1/2 C coconut milk (soy or almond works too)

Heat oven to 400*. Toss butternut squash with 1 T oil and place in baking sheet. Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

Heat other 2 T of oil in large pot, add onion, garlic, and celery. Sweat veggies for about 5 mins. Add cauliflower and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Stir in roasted squash, chicken broth, spices, and water. With the water you want just enough to come about an inch above the veggies. Bring to a boil then turn down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes purée soup in blender or with immersion blender. I had to do mine in batches in the blender. Stir in milk and add salt and pepper to taste . Voila, you now have about 4 servings of delicious soup!!! Enjoy!!!

Zucchini pesto roll ups

I get so board with the same ol same ol side dishes. As summer is starting to wind down I wanted something very refreshing and summery. I had seen something like these flipping through Pinterest, but you had to grill them and the inside mixture was super complicated. So I decided to make it super easy, and make indoors ;-)

2 zucchinis

Non-Stick Spray

Handful of spinach

1/2 handful basil

1 T chopped garlic

2 T Parmesan cheese

2-4 T oil of your choice

Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processer combine spinach, basil, garlic, and cheese. After its nicely blended add oil slowly until your desired creamyness. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 Slice the zucchini thinly on the mandolin. Heat a skillet up on medium heat and spray with a little non stick spray. Cook zucchini slices about 30 secs each side.

Pat them dry on a paper towel after they come out if skillet to remove excess oil.

Spread a spoon full of spinach mixture on each strip and roll up!

So supper yummy and refreshing!! I hope you enjoy!! Leave comments to let me know how they went!!

Spaghetti Squash and Chicken Casserole

After getting off work the other day I really really really did not feel like cooking a large in depth meal. I wanted something easy and simple.  This is when I tend to give into something like pizza, or mac and cheese...but I was good!  I looked in my fridge and freezer and found about 1/2 a spaghetti squash left over, some chicken, peas and broccoli.  What was I going to do with these ingredients?!?
I thought I could just throw it all together, but I wanted some kind of sauce to go with it, but nothing cream based.........So that's how I came to this!! Now word of caution, there is a little bit of cheese in this one...not a lot thought!!  This did make two servings for me!

1/2 Already prepared Spaghetti Squash
1 chicken breast
1/2 C frozen Peas
1 C frozen Broccoli
1/2 C chicken broth
1/4 C parmesan cheese
1/2 T onion powder
1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 T paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Start off by cutting you chicken into about 1" cubes, then season with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper.  Heat about 1/2 T of oil in a skillet.  Add chicken and cook until done, about 8 minutes or so...Then dump everything else in the pot, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Voila!! Done!! So simple and easy, and surprising really really good!!!  I enjoyed this dish, and hope you do too!! Sorry, it's not that flattering, but hey, it's good!

Bang Bang shrimp salad!

I had some shrimp sitting in my freezer calling out my name... But I had no idea what to do with it!! I didn't want to make pasta, and I don't have a grill for kabobs, so what to do! Then I thought of salad! After scouring the Internet I saw bang bang shrimp... But then I saw its not so healthy! I decided to figure out how to make it healthy and let me tell you! It was a bang!!!

20 shelled and devained shrimp

1/2 C corn meal

1 T paprika

2 T canola oil

1 bag salad mix

1/4 C corn

1/4 C cilantro (chopped)

2 green onions (diced)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tsp agave syrup

Zest 1 lime

Juice 1 lime

Dash if salt

Mix together corn meal and paprika. Toss shrimp in mixture then sauté in a pan with oil for 3 Mins each side over medium high heat

Mix together agave syrup, lime zest, lime juice, red pepper and salt in a bowl. 

Prepare your plates with the salad mix, corn, cilantro, and green onion.

When shrimp is done toss it is the agave syrup mix. 

Place shrimp on top of salad then top with bang bang sauce (recipe below) and enjoy!!!!

Bang bang sauce

2 T low fat mayo

1 T sour cream

2 T hot sauce (or less)

Juice from lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together, if you want it thinner add a little water!

Hope you enjoy!!!!!

Healthy Quiche

I got a random craving for quiche the other day and told my self there was no way I could ever dream of making it healthy enough to eat... The. I saw something briefly about using spaghetti squash as crust.... I was very skeptical and thought there's no way my husband will ever eat it, but.... I had all the stuff so I thought why not!

So I actually prepped my squash in the microwaveI poked several holes in it then I threw it in the microwave for 12 mins! Perfect! I got it all scrapped out and ready to go!

 

5 eggs

1 C skim milk (almond or coconut would work too)

1 bunch of spinach

4 strips turkey bacon

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 if a spaghetti squash

Heat oven to 400

Placed prepped squash in a pie pan and press down as best you can to make a crust.

Cook up bacon in a skillet and crumble when done. Save oils and sauté spinach until tender. Whisk eggs and milk in a separate bowl then add bacon and spinach salt and pepper. Pour into prepped pie pan.

Place in oven and cook for 40 mins, or until egg is completely set!!

Hope you enjoy!!

Spinach steak pinwheels

So I had actually made this recipe a while ago and we loved it! Only thing was that it was full of cream cheese, and just not very healthy. I had gotten some flank steak on sale and was wondering what in the world I was going to make with it... Then I remembered my steak pinwheels... But I wanted a healthy rendition of it.  So I came up with this recipe and let me tell you, it was awesome!!!

1 flank steak, mine was about 1 lb

1/4 C lite sour cream

Bunch of spinach

1 T garlic powder

1 T onion powder

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Turn oven into high broil

Mix sour cream, spinach, garlic and onion powder, and Parmesan cheese together In a bowl.

Pound out flank steak so it's nice and even, about 1/2 inch thick. Salt and pepper both sides of the steak.

Spread the spinach sour cream mixture evenly on one side.  

Roll steak up to make a spiral. 

Cut into 4 even slices (yes this feeds 4)

(The end pieces aren't so pretty)

Broil for 5 mins on each side. Now let it sit for 3-5 mins before serving to let juices set.  Now enjoy!!