Coconut Shrimp

The past few weeks have been a blur due to house showings and inspections on top of our normal activities.  Consequently, I have been cooking very little and we have slid back into the unhealthy habit of eating out.  Now that the we have our house affairs settle, I want to get us back to a better place mealwise.  I haven't made a grocery trip in a few weeks so my ingredients are pretty limited.  I typed my ingredients into my phone and it came up with shrimp curry.  I didn't have curry so I opted to make a spice blend.  

The dish was super simple and took just over 30 minutes after I thawed my shrimp in a warm water bath. 

I peeled and diced up a red onion, yam & 3 cloves of garlic.  In a pot over medium heat, I melted some coconut oil.  When the oil was melted, I sautéed the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until they were soft.  I then added the yam and continued cooking for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The next step was to add a small can of green chilies to the pot and cook for a minute more.

Next, the spices were stirred in and cooked 1-2 minutes.  

Add the shrimp in and gently stir. Cook for about 3 minutes, the shrimp will cook quickly.

A can of coconut milk and 2 cups of frozen peas were added last.  I placed a lid on the pot and reduced the heat to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes.  

While the dish was simmering,  I cooked some basmati rice per package instructions.  Minutes served the coconut shrimp over the rice.

Coconut Shrimp:

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 red onion, diced

1 yam, peeled & diced

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 sm can diced green chilies

1/2 tsp ground tuneric

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1.5 lbs raw shrimp, peeled & deveined

2 cups frozen peas

1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk

Directions:

In a pot over medium heat, melt coconut oil.  When the oil is melted, saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until they were soft.  Add the yam and continue cooking for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Next, add a small can of green chilies to the pot and cook for a minute more.  Add all the spices and cook another minute before gently stirring in the shrimp.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Stir in a can of coconut milk and 2 cups of frozen peas.  Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  While the dish is simmering, cook some basmati rice per package instructions.  Serve coconut shrimp over the rice.  Enjoy! 

Beef Bourguignon

Yesterday, I channeled my inner Julia Child and made Boeuf Bourguignon. Recently, the Cooking Channel tweeted a recipe that looked really good so I put it on my must try list! This is a slow cooking meal that takes about 3 hours so it is not a weeknight meal, but fit the bill perfectly for a quiet Sunday afternoon!  I also made a simple green salad.  To round out the meal, I made a loaf of GF crusty french bread using Pamela's Bread Mix because we needed some good bread to sop up the broth! 

The only ingredient I altered in the recipe was the flour as I opted to use GF flour instead of wheat.  I used red cooking wine because I didn't have any regular red wine on hand and there are no alcohol sales on Sunday in Indiana so I punted, but if you have a bottle of your favorite red on hand, use it.  

Beef Bourguignon: 

Ingredients:

4 pounds boneless stew beef

2 tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed

2 carrots, peeled and halved

2 onions, peeled and halved

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup GF flour

1 (750ml) bottle red wine

4 cups beef stock

3 bay leaves

Spigs of parsley and thyme 

1 tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed

• 8 slices bacon, cut into thick chunks
• 1 bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1 (16oz pkg) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325* F. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 20 minutes.  Heat the oil in a large oven proof pot. Working in batches, brown the stew meat well on all sides, removing as you go. When the meat is done, cook the carrots and onions in the same pot until tender and lightly golden. Add the garlic, and cook one minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Pour over the wine and the stock. Add the bay leaf, parsley and thyme.. Return the meat to the pot, cover, and transfer to the oven until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.  While the meat cooks, prepare the garnish: Heat the oil, in a pan and brown the bacon, and remove. Add the onions and cook until browned all over, remove. Finally, brown the mushrooms and remove.  Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup water, reduce, and then pour over the garnish. Set aside.  When the meat is done, remove it from the pot.  Strain the stock, discarding the vegetables. Pour the liquid back into the pot, and boil until thick enough to coat a spoon.. Return the meat to the pan and add the garnish. Cover, and simmer until the onions are tender and the flavors have blended, 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. Serve.

Southwest By Midwest Breakfast Skillet!

Tonight is date night!  Yea, for us, but what in the world does that have to do with breakfast, you may ask! Well, I'll tell you ;-p. We are going to a local steakhouse and will enjoy a great night of food and wine!  To compensate, this will be a two meal day!  To keep us filled up until dinner, I made a high protein breakfast.  This skillet is full of basic breakfast foods with a Midwesterner's turn on Southwestern flavors.

Southwest by Midwest Breakfast Skillet:

Ingredients:

 4 slices bacon, cooked & chopped

2 cups tater tots, baked per pkg instructions

1 sweet pepper, seeded & chopped

1 lg tomato, seeded & chopped

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

8 eggs, cooked over easy

1 avocado, sliced

Salt, pepper & red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Heat olive oil over medium heat, add the sweet pepper to an oven proof skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes before adding the chopped tomato along with the spices. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.  Remove the mixture to a bowl and set aside.  Cook the eggs over easy in the skillet. Remove to a paper toweled plate to drain off excess fat.  Wipe the skillet out with a paper towel before pulling the dish together.  Start with the tater tots as your base. Next, add the tomato, pepper mixture.  Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheeses. Layer on the bacon, the eggs and rest of the cheese.  Sprinkle with a little more spices.  Bake the skillet for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted & bubbly.  Garnish with avocado before serving.  Enjoy!!

GF/Vegan Chocolate & Peanut Butter Happy Cake!

Yesterday, we gave one of my friends, Tina a send off luncheon as she is leaving our area for a new opportunity!  I've know Tina for many years, we've weathered the ever changing climate of global regulatory affairs together. In 2007, I think we were together with each other more than we were with our families! :o). One of Tina's greatest accomplishments and for which I admire her the most isn't professional, but personal.  Over the last couple of years, she has lost over 50 lbs!  She totally shook up her lifestyle from exercise to the food she eats.  Tina became committed to a Vegan diet which means consuming no animal products.  In an omnivore world, this can sometimes pose special challenges such as when you want to make her a special treat!!  Lucky for me, our friend, Lisa came up with the idea to make something with two of Tina's favorites, chocolate and peanut butter!  I took that idea and came up with a chocolate cake wrapped in peanut butter frosting and then covered in a glossy ganache, Heaven!!

This cake took me about 2 hours from start to finish which includes cooling time.  Since Vegan ingredients aren't as readily available in the local mega-mart, I did take a special trip to a small nutrition store.  The variety of ingredients there was amazing!

The chocolate cake is Depression/Crazy/Whacky cake.  There is no wheat, egg or dairy in this cake.  You mix the dry ingredients in a 9x13 pan.

Then, you make three wells in the pan to which you add oil, vanilla & vinegar.  

After that, you pour 2 cups of water over it all and mix well! I then evenly divided the batter between 2 prepared 8 inch round pans.  

Bake for 35 minutes in a 350*F oven or until a fork comes out clean.  Let the cakes cool for 10-15 minutes in the pans before turning them out onto racks to cool completely (30-45 minutes). 

While the cakes are cooling, set the vegan butter out to soften.  The frosting is just a few simple ingredients creamed together.

Start by creaming together 1 cup of vegan butter and a jar of organic peanut butter.  Then slowly incorporate 4 cups of organic powdered sugar.  The mix will be very dry at this point.  You will add the almond milk one tablespoon at a time until you get to the desired fluffiness (6-7tbps).

When the cakes are cool, generously frost the top of the bottom layer so you have a nice thick middle of sugary goodness. 

Place the top layer on and frost the entire cake.  I reserved a 1/2 cup of frosting to write a message on the cake.

After the cake is frosted, you can make the ganache.  Start by heating water in a double boiler. You can make a double boiler with a sauce pan with a stainless bowl topping it.

Add all the ganache ingredients into the bowl when you hear the water boiling in the sauce pan. 

Stir constantly with a rubber spatula and in 4-5 minutes, you will have a beautiful glossy ganache.

Remove from the heat and let cool for 7-10 minutes before pouring over the cake.  Otherwise, you'll melt the frosting!  When it is cool, slowly spoon the ganache over the cake and let it overflow a bit, but don't entirely cover the sides.  

Let the ganache set up for about 15 minutes before removing parchment paper from the base.  You may also write on it now if you wish!  

Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:

3 Cups GF multi-purpose flour

6 Tbsp. cocoa (unsweetened)

2 Cup white sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. white vinegar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

10 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 Cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.  Evenly divide the batter between 2 greased and floured 8 inch round pans.  Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 cup Earth Balance Non-Dairy Buttery Sticks, softened

2 cups organic Creamy Peanut Butter

6-7 tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk

4 cups organic Confectioners Sugar

Directions:  

Start by creaming together 1 cup of vegan butter and a jar of organic peanut butter.  Slowly incorporate 4 cups of organic powdered sugar.  The mix will be very dry at this point.  Add the almond milk one tablespoon (6-7 tbsp) at a time until you get the desired fluffiness is achieved.

Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients: 

1 10oz pkg vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup coconut or vegan milk

1/2 tbsp vegan butter

1tsp vanilla

1 tbsp corn syrup 

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Start by heating water in a double boiler.  Add all the ganache ingredients into the bowl when you hear the water boiling in the double boiler.  Stir constantly with a rubber spatula and in 4-5 minutes, or until all the ingredients are melted together.  Remove from heat and let cool before using.   

GF Baked Pasta

As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of Ree Drummond's cooking (aka The Pioneer Woman) and I've made many of her dishes for my family.  Yesterday, she made two great dinners, one pasta and one steak!  I needed to make marinara today as my freezer was bare so I thought dinner could be her baked ziti dish.  I'm using GF penne pasta so it is a baked penne dish instead, but the cut of pasta shouldn't change the taste. 

Ree also made only enough sauce for this dish, but I made a large batch of marinara and only used a portion. This batch will make about 16-20 servings.  I can usually get 4 dinners from one batch of sauce (pastas, pizzas, calzones, etc). You can freeze it in smaller portions for 1-2 months.

Since GF pasta comes in 12oz boxes instead of 16oz, I cut down on the other ingredients also.  I used an 11x7 casserole dish instead of a 9x13.  

The review from my family is it is a keeper  recipe and my sons predicted this blog post will go viral with people rushing home to cook this dish :o) They absolutely loved it and believe me when I say they have no qualms about telling me when they don't like something!  So here is my GF version, I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did!!

The first thing I did was make the marinara sauce and it was ready, I put 4 cups in a separate bowl and set it aside.  I boiled a package of GF pasta.  I always boil the pasta for a minute less than al dente which may seem really firm, but the pasta comes out just right after baking.  If you follow the package cooking times, your pasta will be disintegrated when the dish finishes cooking. 

Brown a pound of Italian sausage and drained it on a paper towel. Combine the sauce, sausage and a dash of red pepper flakes. 

In a separate bowl, mix together riccotta, egg, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt and pepper. 

Into the cheese mixture, combine the pasta which has been rinsed under cool water. 

Then add half of the sauce to the pasta and mix thourghly.

Then add half of the sauce to the pasta and mix thourghly.  In a greased casserole, add half of the pasta mixture.  Layer on half of the remaining sauce and half the remaining mozzarella.  Repeat all three layers.

Then you can bake it for 25 minutes in a 375*F oven.  Let rest for 5 minutes before    serving.

GF Baked Ziti:

1 pound Ground Sausage

4 cups marinara (recipe below)

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 box GF pasta

1.5 cups Ricotta Cheese

8 oz Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 egg, beaten

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Brown a pound of Italian sausage and drained it on a paper towel. Combine the sauce, sausage and a dash of red pepper flakes. Boil pasta for 6-7 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.  In a separate bowl, mix together riccotta, egg, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Into the cheese mixture, combine the pasta. Add half of the sauce to the pasta, mix thourghly.  In a greased casserole, add half of the pasta mixture.  Layer on half of the remaining sauce and half the remaining mozzarella.  Repeat all three layers.  Bake for 25 minutes in a 375*F oven.  Let rest for 5 minutes before    serving.

Marinara:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

5-6 (15oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes

2 (6oz) cans tomato paste

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp sugar

3 bay leaves 

 

Directions:

Over a low-medium heat, warm oil in a large pot.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes.  Stir frequently. To the pot, add all the spices except the bay leaves, let cook another minute and the rest of the ingredients to the pot.  Let simmer for 2-3 hours to thicken.  Taste test a few times and add any additional spices per your taste.  

Sweet & Sassy Green Beans

On Wednesday, we had yet another snow day so I took advantage of the time and roasted a turkey breast.  I love the smell of a roasting turkey!  Along with the turkey, I had my old standbys of mashed potatoes and green beans.  I've done a lot of steamed veggies lately so I thought I would try something different!  This recipe only took 15-20 minutes which includes snapping and trimming the beans. Plus it is only 7 ingredients!

After you wash, trim and snap the beans, chop up 4 slices of precooked bacon.  Place a sauce pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.  After 2-3 minutes, the oil should be heated.  Add the beans and bacon to the oil and toss to coat all.

Sauté for 4-5 minutes and then add brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes to melt the sugar.  

Add the balsamic vinegar.  Stir and allow the vinegar to reduce by about half, 3-5 minutes.  Garnish with Sesame seeds if you wish and enjoy!

Sweet & Sassy Green Beans:

1lb green beans

4 strips bacon, precooked

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Sesame Seeds (optimal garnish)

Directions:

Wash, trim and snap the beans and chop up 4 slices of precooked bacon.  Place a sauce pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.  After 2-3 minutes, add the beans and bacon to the oil and toss to coat all.  Sauté for 4-5 minutes and then add brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes to melt the sugar.  Add the balsamic vinegar.  Stir and allow the vinegar to reduce by about half, 3-5 minutes.  Garnish with Sesame seeds if you wish and enjoy!

Sweet Treat: GF Fig and Garam Masala Scones with Fig Jam

I came across the regular flour version of this recipe from Treatology on Facebook and thought it looked really good!  I knew the family would like it because they are fig fans (try saying that 5x fast :p ).  You might think the Garam Masala will be too hard to make or find, but McCormick has done the hard work of blending the spices and made it available in the regular spice aisle at your local market!  

Wow, I wrote that paragraph 3 days ago! Somehow between the Super Bowl schellacking, a showing that wasn't and Snowmageddon 2: February Fury ;-), I didn't get a chance to come back here  and finish my thoughts!  I'm back now taking a break from my day job enjoying a mid-afternoon snack of a scone with a bit of Nutella, ah heaven!

These scones are so yummy and were super simple to make!  I flubbed on the jam and didn't add enough water so it turned into fig taffy!!  It was great on the scones on Sunday, but seized up and we couldn't use it another day :-/. That's why cooking is like science to me, sometimes the experiments work, but you need to face a bit of failure to help you learn and grow!  I changed the Treatology recipe by using GF flour and lengthening the baking time so if you don't use GF flour, please follow the baking times on the link above! 

After you gather your ingredients, chop up the figs and butter so they can be combined more easily in the food processor. 

 The mixture in the food processor should be course looking.

Mix together the cream, eggs & vanilla in a large bowl and then fold in the mix from the food processor.

GF dough is VERY tender so handle it with care!  Place it on a surface lightly covered with more GF flour.  Pat it out with your hands to form a circle about 1" in thickness.

Cut out your scones, I used a heart shape cutter.  The original recipe had thicker scones and they only got a batch of 8, but I got 20 because they were less dense.

I used small spatulas to move the scones onto a baking sheet.  I've learned that a GF dough will fall apart if you don't use a spatula to move it!  Bake for 26-27 minutes.  

GF Fig and Garam Masala Scones:

• 2 1/2 cups GF multi-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cut up
• 1 1/2 cups dried figs, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Either grease a cookie sheet or use a silpat mat. In food processor bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, garam masala and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is the size of peas. Stir in figs. In large bowl, combine egg, cream and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. On lightly floured surface, form dough into a disk about 1 in. thick.  Bake 26-27 minutes and let cool on sheet 5 minutes.

Fig Jam:

(Originally posted by Treatology.com)

• 3/4 cup dried fig
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom 
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Directions:

 small saucepan, combine figs, water, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 11-13 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add garam masala and zest; cool slightly. Transfer to food processor and pulse until smooth. Cool completely and serve with scones.

Shrimp Lasagna Roll Ups

Tonight, I made shrimp lasagna roll ups with a tomato basil cream sauce. This recipe has many moving parts and takes time to prepare, but is well worth the effort.  It brings together shrimp and pasta which are two favorite foods in this house!  Both boys clapped and my husband asked me three times if the dish was hard to make and could I keep it in the meal rotation so I know it is a keeper :o). Even the dog is currently laying here at my feet content with his belly full of shrimp leftovers! 

This dish isn't GF simply because I didn't use GF noodles, but otherwise, it could easily be GF.  

The first thing was boil my lasagna noodles per package instruction.  To keep the noodles from sticking together while I prepped the other compinents, I drizzled a little olive oil on a baking sheet and layed the noodles out on it.  While the noodles were boiling, I melted butter over a medium heat and sauté a clove of diced garlic for 1-2 minutes.  

 

Into the garlic infused butter, I tossed a pound of peeled and deveined raw shrimp.  I cooked the shrimp 4-5 minutes and moved it around the pan continuously.  I removed the shrimp from the heat and set it aside.

I then beat two eggs and mixed them with ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. 

The last component to put together was the tomato basil cream sauce.  I started out by sautéing onion and garlic in a little olive oil.  I then added diced tomatoes, sugar and spices and let the mixture gently boil for 5 minutes until most of the liquid was reduced.

To the tomato mixture, I then added cream and butter and simmered it over low heat for team minutes which allowed all the flavor a to meld together.  

It was finally time to put all the components together.  I diced up the cooked shrimp and gently folded them into the riccotta mixture.  I then spread a cup of the sauce across the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  To assemble the roll ups, I simply spread a 1/4 cup of the shrimp mixture over a noodle leaving an inch of border at one end and rolled the noodle up.  I placed them seam down in the dish. 

After all the rolls were completed, I covered them with the remaing sauce and sprinkled mozzarella over it all.

Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for 25 minutes or into the cheese is bubbly.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Shrimp Lasagna Roll Ups:

1 tbsp butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lb raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

8 lasagna noodles, cooked

16 oz riccotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 

Tomato Basil Cream Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Melt butter over medium heat and sauté garlic until softened, about 1-2 minutes.  Add shrimp to pan and cook 4-5 minutes. Stir constantly. Set shrimp aside to cool.  In a separate bowl, mix together the riccotta and Parmesan cheeses along with the eggs.  Dice up the cooled shrimp and gently fold into the cheese mixture. To assemble the roll ups, spread a 1/4 cup of the shrimp mixture over a noodle leaving an inch of border at one end and rolled the noodle up.  Place them seam down in a 9x13 dish that has a cup of sauce spead over the bottom. After all the rolls are placed in the dish, cover with remaing sauce and sprinkle mozzarella over all. Bake for 25 minutes and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  

Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, diced 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz can) diced tomatoes

1.5 tsp sugar

2 tbsp dried basil 

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp butter 

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• Directions: 
• In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid reduces. Remove from heat; stir in cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 10 more minutes.

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