Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta...A Gourmet Evening

This Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta is a great dish for entertaining as most of it can be prepped ahead of time.  It's a delicious combination of flavors with the addition of capers, thyme, tomato and lemon. With the shrimp being grilled, rather than sauteed, it adds another nice dimension of flavor.  It also gave my husband a way to help with the food preparation by doing the grilling!

Last weekend, we hosted our Gourmet Group.  I am so thankful that we had the weather we did, as the heat this weekend would have made al fresco dinner almost impossible.  Everyone commented on how magical the night was. Perfect temperature and no mosquitoes! I served this Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta and everyone loved it.  It was light and summery and we served grilled vegetables on the side which were prepped earlier in the day and served at room temperature.  I had be working on the recipe for two weeks ahead of time and kept tweaking it until we both thought it was perfect.

Our group consists of 5 couples. The host and hostess prepare the menu and send a printed version to each couple, with their assignment of one of the courses.  It's crazy, but we have been doing this for 25 years!  At least 3 of the couples, including my husband and I, have been in the group that long, with the 4th couple joining a few years later after one couple moved because of a job change, and the 5th couple has been with us for the past 10 years.  They replaced a couple that moved out-of-state after retirement. Hopefully, we can continue our tradition together for many more years to come :)

I was so happy that our friends were able to see my clematis collection in full bloom when they were here!  You can see the table above was also surrounded by clematis also and the evening air had a lovely scent.  With the heat wave we're having this weekend, we are so relieved that our dinner party was on such a beautiful night.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Printable Recipe

Serves 6

1-1/2 pounds dried pasta (I used Capellini)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
Zest and juice of 2 organic lemons
5 tablespoons salted butter

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Do Ahead Notes:

1. Pasta can be boiled, rinsed under cool water and drained in the morning. Under-cook slightly. Toss with a little olive oil and place in a zipper lock bag in the refrigerator until 1 hour before assembly. When ready to start dinner, heat a large pot of boiling water and add the already-cooked pasta for 1 minute, just long enough to heat through, and then add to a large saute pan along with the heated sauce and grilled shrimp.

2. Sauce can be made in the morning. Refrigerate until 1 hour before assembly. When ready to start dinner, reheat sauce in a large saucepan or microwave until heated. I like to double the sauce and pass extra sauce at the table.

3. Shrimp can be peeled and deveined a day ahead. Keep in a bowl with fresh ice on top, covered, in the refrigerator.

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Skewer shrimp and brush with oil and lemon juice or extra sauce, if you have made it ahead. Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes to an hour. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from skewers and set aside.

Sauce: In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and sauté for another minute. Pour in the wine, lemon juice and zest, and reduce for a at least five minutes or so. Then add the diced tomatoes and capers, S&P, stir and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Stir in butter.

Add the shrimp and pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. If needed, thin the sauce with a little of the pasta cooking water. Remove the pasta from the heat and stir in half of the parsley.

Divide the pasta between plates and top with the remaining fresh parsley and thyme. Pass extra sauce at the table.

Grilled Halibut and Kale Pesto Pasta.

Hello everyone! Here is a very tasty dish for your summer grilling.   

This delicious Grilled Halibut with Lemon-Caper Wine Sauce and Pasta with Kale and Walnut Pesto are company-worthy recipes but also an easy and delicious meal to make any time you can find halibut available at a reasonable price.

My husband and I were lucky enough to find halibut again in the fish case at our local market just last week.  We like to grill fish on the flat side of a cast iron griddle so that we don't loose any fish that flakes apart and falls through the grates.  The griddle has saved many a tasty morsel! 

I don't know how I first came across the recipe for kale and walnut pesto, but it was probably one the best new recipes I tried this year.  My personal twist on the recipe was adding some chopped garlic scapes from the garlic that I grew for the first time this season but you can simply add a clove of regular garlic. Thank you to Monique for the encouragement to grow garlic! I can't believe it will be time to plant garlic again next month! Time to scope out the local garlic sold at the farmers markets, which is the best to use for growing your own garlic. 

I want to thank everyone for your wonderful comments on my last post when I announced that I had broken my wrist! Also, many thanks for the wonderful emails, cards and care packages! Each and every one meant so much to me.

Until next time!

Grilled Halibut with Lemon-Caper Wine Sauce

Printable Recipe

Serves 4

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (use organic, if possible)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil (divided)
2 teaspoons drained capers, coarsely chopped
4 halibut filets, about 6-8 ounces, cut from the thick end for even grilling

Whisk together lemon juice, lemon peel, olive oil, wine and garlic in small bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh basil and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let stand at room temperature until ready to use. Vinaigrette can be made 1 hour in advance.

Pat fish dry with paper toweling and brush about 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette.

Place a cast iron griddle on top of the grill grates with flat side facing up. Heat grill with cover closed to medium-high for about 10-12 minutes. When ready to grill fish, spray griddle with non-stick cooking spray. You may also broil the fish.

Grill (or broil) halibut for about 3-1/2 minutes per side until just barely cooked through (fish will continue to cook after removing from grill. Watch carefully as halibut can become dry when cooked too long. Transfer fish to a platter and tent lightly with foil. Note: If your fish comes with skin attached, grill the skin side first and remove skin with tongs before flipping over to other side, if desired.

Whisk remaining vinaigrette and pour over fish. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of basil and serve.

Adapted from Epicurious

Pasta with Kale and Walnut Pesto

Printable Recipe

Yield: 1 cup pesto

1/3 cup walnuts
3 cups chopped organic kale, thick stems and veins removed (you could also use arugula)
1 clove of minced garlic – or 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic scape, if available
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound of pasta of your choice
½ cup of pasta cooking water, reserved

Toast the walnuts in a preheated 350F degree oven until lightly browned and fragrant – about 5-7 minutes. Cool completely.

In a food processor with steel blade, pulse the walnuts until finely ground.

Add the kale, garlic (or chopped garlic scapes) and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pulse until finely chopped.

Add ½ cup grated Parmesan and pulse to combine.

Slowly pour in the olive oil, pulsing to incorporate. Transfer the pesto to a bowl. This will yield about 1 cup of pesto. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Remove ½ cup of the cooking liquid before draining.

Add cooked pasta to a large bowl and add kale pesto to taste (roughly 1/2 cup per pound of pasta).

Add additional grated Parmesan to taste and enough reserved pasta cooking water to make a creamy sauce.

Serve immediately.

Adapted from Food Network

Sandy's Browned Butter Applesauce

This delicious, Browned Butter Applesauce is a recipe I had saved from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel food column of Sandy (Sanford) D'Amato, a James Beard Award-winning chef and former owner of famed Sanford Restaurant in Milwaukee. He sold his restaurant to his talented chef-de-cuisine and moved to New England with his wife to write his cookbook and memoirs, Good Stock, and has recently opened a cooking school in Massachusetts called Cook Stock Farm Cooking School. With autumn and apple season in full throttle, I made his recipe this past week.

Speaking of New England, I was the VERY fortunate winner of a seafood giveaway from Fresh New England recently!  El lives in and promotes New England through her gorgeous photography and amazing baking skills. The giveaway was her way to celebrate the recent launch of her new website, Fresh New England Eats which, with her team, promotes the New England food community.  Not only did I win 2 beautiful, live, New England lobsters...

 

...but an entire clambake for two including mussels, steamers and clam chowder direct from Ipswich Shellfish Market in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  They were a pleasure to contact and very helpful with tips on how to store the shellfish until time to cook them. The shellfish came beautifully chilled and packaged this past Friday, arriving early the very next morning after it was shipped, which just happened to be National Lobster Day!

Two very dear friends, who have many years of lobster boils under their belts, were invited to share our bounty, cooked over our back yard fire pit.  We supplemented with Gulf shrimp, Littleneck clams, Wisconsin corn-on-the-cob, locally made sourdough bread and my garden tomatoes. A delicious collaboration of East meets Midwest, and, what a feast! Warm clam juice, melted butter, and seafood sauce were supplied for copious dipping of the shellfish.  FYI, I had never eaten New England Steamers before and they are unlike any other clam I've eaten. Thankfully, our friends had and were able to teach us how it's done. They are delicious!

The clams, mussels and shrimp were wrapped and tied in cheesecloth 'bags' for the boil and were our first course followed by the lobsters, corn and tomatoes for the main course. Here is an easy method for an Indoor, Stove-top Clambake from Ina Garten if you'd like to try one at home! Ours was kept simple with no other additions to the water for the boil.

Not only were the fresh shellfish delicious and a special treat in itself, but we were lucky enough to enjoy a gorgeous, early fall evening with the almost-full Supermoon overhead! It was a magical night!

If all this weren't bounty-enough to shout about, I also received this charming, vintage-replica basket loaded with New England goodies from El! A variety of crackers, preserves, raspberry and hibiscus jam (oh my), New England honey and maple syrup, country ketchup, and a bottle of craft made, pure cranberry soda mixer. The basket also included Food Rules - an eaters manual by Michael Pollan, which is wonderfully well written, humorous and beautifully illustrated.  I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to live a healthier life by eating good, natural food.

Thank you very much to El, Fresh New England and Fresh New England Eats for this amazing, delicious, bountiful, fresh, New England prize!!

Sandy's Browned Butter Applesauce

Adapted from Chef Sanford D'Amato

Printable Recipe

Use this wonderful applesauce to top pancakes for breakfast, add to cottage cheese for lunch or serve with pork chops or roasted pork for dinner. Even the apple peels are put to use. It is loaded with the rich flavors of cardamom, butter, vanilla extract and a touch of bourbon.

Makes approximately 1 quart

My Note:  Instead of mace, cardamom and cinnamon, I used Penzey's Baking Spice mix which contains all three.

2 tablespoons salted butter
4 pounds Gala, or another tart apples (about 6 large), peeled (reserve peels), cored and cut in half, each half cut into 8 pieces
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ground mace
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, cassia preferably
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Cider peel liquid:

1 tablespoon butter
Reserved apple peels
¼ cup bourbon
1 ½ cups unsweetened apple cider

Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When hot, add the butter, let it melt and turn golden brown. Immediately add the apples and stir. Add bay leaves, mace, cardamom, cassia cinnamon and salt.  Cook, covered and stirring regularly, so that the apples evenly turn a light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

To make the cider peel liquid, place a large sauté pan medium-high heat. Add the butter and, when hot, add the peels and sauté, stirring, for 4-6 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat and add bourbon and cider. Place back over the heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Puree this mixture in a blender, then strain through a medium strainer while pressing on the solids — this should yield 1¼ cups.

Add the cider peel liquid, vanilla and lemon juice to the cooked apples and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring, over low heat. Remove bay leaves and puree coarsely by pulsing in a food processor. Adjust seasoning with salt and refrigerate until needed.

Fresh applesauce will keep for about 10 days refrigerated or, up to a year in the freezer.

Grilled Chiquila Shrimp

Now that the summer season is officially upon us and June 1st is, unbelievably, this Monday, I hope you are looking for some delicious ways use your outdoor grill! Here is a recipe that I have been making for a long time. Years. It's an adaptation of a recipe I received from a friend and I'm sorry I can't attribute the original source. I've tried doing web searches for tequila shrimp but nothing compares to this exact recipe. The stand out ingredient in this one is the marinade made with chili sauce, tequila, garlic, cayenne and other spices.  I like to call it Chiquila Shrimp. 

 

Fresh, cleaned and deveined shrimp (I like wild-caught, Gulf of Mexico shrimp) are threaded on skewers and marinated for at least 8 hours or even overnight for the biggest flavor.  The taste is spicy and Southwestern.  Of course, a margarita would be the perfect beverage to drink with these but an ice-cold beer would also be great. 

I made them recently for my husband and myself with just a simple side of snow peas with buttery toasted almonds and a fresh baguette, but we also love them with oven roasted potatoes and a salad.  If you are entertaining on Father's Day in a couple of weeks, keep this one in mind!  We like them straight off the grill, but you could save the marinade and simmer it on the stove to make a sauce to accompany the shrimp.

Things that are making me happy as May comes to a close..peonies, geraniums, irises, clematis, migrating Blue Birds, and, boys in pools...

Grilled Chiquila Shrimp

~from Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Printable Recipe

2lbs. shrimp raw, peeled and deveined 

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/3 cup tequila
2 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne
Dash of Tabasco
½ tsp red pepper flakes or to taste

Marinate shrimp in zipper bag overnight with marinade ingredients. Thread on skewers so that both the head and tail are skewered.  That way the shrimp will not flip while grilling.  You can also skewer them first and then marinate them using a 9x13 pan.  Turn every few hours. 

If desired, you may save the marinade and simmer in a saucepan for at least 10 minutes to make a sauce for the shrimp. 

Prepare the grill to medium high heat. Grill shrimp skewers 2-4 minutes on each side until done to your liking.

Snow Peas with Buttery,Toasted Almonds

Adapted from Bon Appétit and Maria Helm Sinskey

Printable Recipe

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2-3/4 pound snow peas, trimmed
2-3 teaspoons minced shallot (or onion)

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots or onions and saute until translucent and tender.  Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablepoon of butter ot the skillet and add the almonds.  Cook until golden and fragrant and butter begins to brown, stirring frequently, about 1-1/2 minutes.  Remove the almonds to the same dish as the shallots.

Add the snow peas to the skillet and sauté until snow peas are crisp-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and return the almonds and shallots to the skillet. Add the lemon juice, season to taste with salt and pepper and toss.  Serve immediately. 

Shrimp Pad Thai and a Delicious Side Salad

Genes are funny things. A gene can be lurking in a parent who doesn't even know it's there and then, years later, a child finds out through a blood test that she's inherited one gene from each parent that has given her some gluten intolerance. That child would be my daughter and both my husband and I each gave her a gene that was recessive in us but in her...not so much. Thankfully, it's not a severe intolerance.  She had complained about some digestive issues ever since college and recently had a blood test done to find out what was causing it.
 

So why do I have a plate full of pasta pictured as I'm talking about gluten intolerence?  That's because it's not pasta at all but wide rice noodles. For all of you who have family members or friends who have a gluten intolerance and still want to serve them a delicious meal, this is a recipe that will satisfy everyone at the table.  It was pictured in a recent Williams Sonoma catalog and found on their website.

I served this Asian-style salad that I found on Food and Wine with our meal and also some roasted asparagus.  The dressing is slightly creamy and the toasted macadamia nuts and sesame seeds gave it a nice crunch.  The salad was supposed to include Enoki mushrooms but, since I couldn't find them, I substituted cucumber which gave the salad a nice refreshing flavor. 

The dinner was a wonderful combination of flavors! 

Shrimp Pad Thai

Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Printable Recipe

Serves 4

Wide Rice Noodles (found in the Asian aisle of your food store), 14-16 oz package

1 Tbs. canola oil
1 lb. (500 g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used about a half pound more)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Pad Thai noodle sauce, plus more, to taste (I used Annie Chun brand)
2 green onions, white and light green portions, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup (4 oz./125 g) bean sprouts

1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
Lime wedges for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile, in a very large nonstick sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl.

Add a little more oil to the same pan to heat and then add the eggs, stirring occasionally, until lightly set but still soft, about 1 minute. Transfer the eggs to the plate with the shrimp. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the rice noodles to the boiling water and cook until barely al dente, 3-4 minutes. Drain the noodles thoroughly and transfer to the pan or wok.

Place the pan over medium heat and return the shrimp and eggs to the pan. Add the noodle sauce, green onions, carrots and the bean sprouts. Cook, using tongs to lift and toss the noodles constantly, until the ingredients are well blended and heated through, about 1-2 minutes Taste and add more noodle sauce if desired, tossing to combine.

Transfer the noodles to a platter or serve right from the pan.

Pass the chopped peanuts, extra cilantro leaves and lime wedges at the table.

Mixed Asian Salad with Macadamia Nuts

Adapted from Food and Wine
Printable Recipe

SERVINGS: 6

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce or other hot chili sauce (I used Cholula Chili Lime sauce)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup macadamia nuts (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
A clam shell of organic baby mixed greens - about 1/2 to 3/4 pound
1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced

In a blender, combine the mayonnaise, rice and white wine vinegars, soy sauce, honey, ginger, sesame oil, garlic and chili sauce and process to mix. With the machine on, blend in the vegetable oil in a thin stream. Scrape the dressing into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium skillet, cast iron preferably, toast the macadamia nuts over moderately low heat, shaking the skillet, until the nuts are a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a plate to cool. Add the sesame seeds to the skillet and toast until a deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sesame seeds to a plate to cool. Coarsely chop the macadamia nuts and mix with the toasted sesame seeds.

In a large salad bowl, toss the baby greens with the sliced cucumbers. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Scatter the toasted macadamia nuts and sesame seeds all over the salad and toss briefly once more and serve.

Delicious Salmon Cakes

If you want a scrumptious meal for this Valentine weekend that's delicious and healthy, I heartily ♥ suggest these salmon cakes. You can make them as an entree with a salad or make them into smaller patties to serve as an appetizer. 

I made them recently when the weather was cold and awful and I needed to prepare dinner with what was on hand.  I had a beautiful piece of wild sockeye salmon in the freezer and everything else in the pantry and refrigerator to prepare these delicious salmon cakes. 

I had never made salmon cakes before!  We love crab cakes and found a recipe for salmon cakes from Ina Garten that had many of the same delicious ingredients as my favorite crab cake recipe so I was hopeful they would be wonderful and they were!

I served them with a homemade tartar sauce recipe from Cathy at Wives with Knives.  It is the only tartar sauce I use because it is so good. 

The wonderful thing about this recipe is you can prepare everything in the morning and do the sauteing just before dinner.  I served them with a salad. 

If you're looking for a special dessert to serve your sweetheart, look no further than my sidebar.

PS:  I'll be taking a short break ~ see you all in a week or two! Happy Valentine's Day!

Delicious Salmon Cakes

Adapted from Ina Garten and Food Network

Printable Recipe

1/2 pound fresh salmon

4-5 Bay Leaves (my addition)

Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
3 slices stale bread, crusts removed or Panko crumbs (I used 1/2 bread crumbs and1/2 Panko crumbs)
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Place the salmon on an oiled sheet pan, skin side down. Tuck several Bay Leaves under the salmon. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold.

Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally.

Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) cakes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

Serve with Cathy's Tartar Sauce

Adapted from Wives with Knives

I usually make 1/2 recipe...

2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons minced onion
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon green olives with pimento, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped
1 tablespoon green pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly cracked black pepper

Splash of Sriracha sauce or Tabasco (My addition)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for several hours before serving. I highly recommend Cathy's Tartar Sauce!

Pretzel-Crusted Tilapia

Here is a recipe that is not only delicious but has sentimental appeal to me.  It was one of the items that my daughter and son-in-law had on their wedding reception menu a few years ago.  I love it with a side of sauteed pea pods with crispy shallots and thyme. Add a side salad and you have a wonderful, healthy meal. 

Dijon mustard and a good splash of Cholula Chili Lime sauce (or your favorite hot sauce) before coating the fish with crushed pretzels adds a zesty flavor to this fish that will have you craving more. 

Pass some extra sauce at the table for those who love spicy.  This recipe is adapted from my son-in-law's interpretation of this dish.

 

Pretzel-Crusted Tilapia

Printable Recipe

Recipe Adapted from My Son-In-Law

Serves 2

4 5-oz tilapia loins
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup Cholula Chili Lime Sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt (can omit because of the salt on the pretzels)
6 oz of pretzels, pulverized in a food processor until the texture of bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a shallow dish large enough to fit a tilapia fillet, mix Dijon mustard, chili sauce, beaten egg and S&P until blended. Place the pretzel crumbs in another shallow dish of similar size.

Dry tilapia loins and dip into mustard-egg combination to coat both sides thoroughly. Then, place the sauce-coated tilapia into the pretzel crumbs and pat the crumbs into the fish to adhere. Place the sauce and pretzel-coated tilapia on a large plate between layers of waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to use.  Reserve some of the pretzel crumbs to add later, if needed. 

Heat a large, cast iron or other large, oven-proof sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add 2-3 tablespoons or so of canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the prepared fish to the sauté pan and sear for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, adding more oil, if necessary

Place the sauté pan with the fish in the preheated oven for about 6-9 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve immediately. 

Spicy Shrimp, Black Beans and Corn

If you're like me and are looking for easy, summer meals so you can spend more time outdoors, I have a delicious one! This dish has recently become a favorite of ours. . I've made this 3 times this spring.  It's easy, satisfying and doesn't break the diet bank :)  We prefer, wild caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico for flavor but use the best you can find.  I prefer buying quick frozen shrimp to buying it already thawed in the fish case.  

This recipe would be equally delicious in the fall with fresh, locally-grown corn and chopped zucchini from the farmers market. 

You can do all of the prep work in the morning so all you have to do is the saute everything and your dinner will be ready in less than 15 minutes.

If you don't mind a few extra carbs, this makes a wonderful soft taco!

Spicy Shrimp, Black Beans and Corn
Adapted from Cooking Light
Printable Recipe

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/3 cup shrimp and about 2/3 cup bean mixture - adjust recipe for heartier appetites)

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I like to have that be the net weight, after peeling and deveining)

Cooking spray or canola oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
3/4 cup bottled salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Heat a large nonstick or other large skillet over medium-high heat.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Pat shrimp dry with paper toweling and add shrimp to bowl and toss to coat. This can be done a couple of hours in advance and kept refrigerated.

Heat skillet over medium heat heat on stove top. Coat nonstick pan with cooking spray or, if using a regular skillet, add 1 tablespoon canola oil. Add shrimp and sauté about 3 minutes, turning once halfway through. Use a tongs to flip over uncooked side of shrimp. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice and toss - then remove shrimp from the pan to a plate. Add corn to pan and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in salsa, cilantro, and beans; cook another minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice. Serve shrimp over bean mixture.

My Suggestions:

1. The shrimp could also be skewered and prepared on the grill.
2. 1-2 small zucchini can be diced and sautéd for 1-2 minutes just before the corn is added.
3. Shrimp can be added back to the pan with the vegetable and bean mixture and served together right from the pan.
4. Tastes great on a soft tortilla.
5. Add a simple side salad of crisp romaine, sliced radishes, cucumber and diced, fresh tomato with a southwest-style dressing and serve alongside the shrimp and beans. Delicious!

My Top 12 of 2012

Since it's customary at the end of the year to look back and reflect on the highlights of the year, I thought it would be fun to look back to see which posts that I shared in 2012 were the post popular with viewers. You're looking at my four most-viewed recipes of 2012 above!

Starting with the my most viewed post of 2012, with an amazing 4465 page views, was my Grilled Rainbow Trout Tutorial.  I hope that means there was a lot of delicious fish on the grill last year ;...

The second most-viewed post was this Cauliflower Steak with Olive Relish and Tomato Sauce with 2637 page views.  It is so pretty and so delicious:

Number three was a post on a very healthy and delicious Green Soup with 2504 page views.  I plan on making this again in January after the gluttony of the holidays are over.  Green is good!...

Coming in fourth, was this unusual combination of  Lemon Tart with Chocolate Almond Crust  (so delicious!) with 2357 page views:

Fifth was this sweet and savory Salad for All Seasons with 1285 page views:

Sixth was a fairly recent post featuring a cookbook that I had won - Mamma Agata's Eggplant Parmigiana with 1108 page views.  I see many more eggplants in my future after enjoying this:

 

Seventh and the last post to garner over 1000 page views was General Tsao's Chicken with 1085 views:

Eighth was Pork Schnitzel with Lemon-Caper Sauce with 992 views:

Ninth - Torta Caprese with Lemon Mascarpone with 957 views:

Tenth - Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction and Basil Oil with 926 views:

Eleventh was this very recent post which received a lot of interest in a very short time - Brown Sugar, Fig and Rosemary Walnuts with 925 views (addictive and delicious!):

Last, my twelfth most viewed post of 2012, was Clam, Halibut and Sweet Corn Chowder with 850 page views.  This is a delicious treat during fresh corn season:

After reviewing these 12 most-viewed posts of 2012, I was interested to see that there were only two dessert posts that made the top twelve, six were vegetable/salad/meatless, two were seafood, one chicken and one pork. If that means we are all eating healthier wouldn't that be a wonderful thing! 

I'd like to say goodbye to 2012 by wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2013!  May your kitchen be a source of fun and creativity where family and friends gather. Thank you again for your support and encouraging comments!   

~Susan