Red Curry Shrimp over Rice Noodles

As I have said before, I try to eat seafood once a week. This week I decided to try a new shrimp dish. Wow, it was simple to make and super tasty. If you are looking for a quick but flavorful meal look no further! This dish took less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Red Curry Shrimp over Rice Noodles
 Serves 4

Ingredients
1 can (14 oz) Lite Coconut Milk
2 tablespoons Red Curry Paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 pound 26/30 peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 pound snap peas, trimmed
1 red pepper, sliced
1/4 cup basil
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Wide Rice Noodles

Preparation

1. Prepare rice noodles as directed on package omitting any fat or salt.
2. While the noodles are cooking. In a large skillet over medium heat bring the coconut milk to a simmer
3. Whisk the red curry paste and brown sugar into the coconut milk, until well blended
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in shrimp and vegetables. Cover and cook for approx. 5 minutes, until shrimp are pink and vegetables are crisp tender.
6. Stir in basil and fish sauce. Cook an additional minute.
7. Serve over rice noodles.

Notes:

• To save time buy shrimp already peeled and deveined
• When making this stay with larger shrimp like 26/30's or 21/25's.
• Shrimp numbers mean the approx. shrimp per pound. For example, a 26/30 would mean that there are approx. 26-30 shrimp per pound.
• If you use smaller shrimp I would put the veggies in first then after a minute or two then put the shrimp in so they do not overcook and become rubbery.

"Out of this World" Sausage and Spinach Lasagna

When I first made this lasagna some children turned their noses up at this "non traditional" lasagna. One of my goals with the Yipson Foods school lunch program was to give children a chance to experience some different and more healthy foods. It took a little coaxing to get some children to try a bite of the lasagna. I remember one six year old in particular did not want to try this dish....he wanted "real lasagna." I promised him I would make "real lasagna" one day but I really wanted him to try one bite of this lasagna. The boy relented and tried one bite. After he finished his bite he gave me two thumbs up. I said "So, the lasagna is good?" the boy said "No, it's out of this world!"

Sausage and Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fat free milk
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 bay leaf
dash of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 (8 oz) package fresh spinach
1/2 pound turkey or chicken sweet Italian sausage links
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 whole wheat lasagna noodles (uncooked)
1 1/2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
1 ounce shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 ounce shredded fresh Mozzarella cheese
Cooking Spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat mix flour, milk, stock, oil and bay leaf. Cook 8-10 minutes stirring constantly with a whisk, until thick and bubbly.
3. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper.
4. Spread 1 cup of the white sauce in the bottom of an 11"x7"or 12"x8" ceramic or glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of water to the pan. Cook 2-4 minutes until spinach wilts. Drain spinach and press to remove excess water. Set spinach aside.
6. Increase heat to medium high and heat the large skillet. Remove the casing from sausage. Add sausage to pan. Stir the sausage to crumble. Cook until sausage is browned and completely cooked.  Remove sausage from pan. Set aside.
7. Add garlic and shallots to pan. Saute 2 minutes.
8. Stir in remaining milk mixture, spinach and cooked sausage. Remove pan from heat.
9. Place two noodles side by side on milk mixture in baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup ricotta cheese and 1/3 of the spinach mixture. Repeat two times.
10. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
11. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray.
12. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil.
13. Preheat broiler to high.
14. Place lasagna under broil and broil 4-6 minutes until cheese is golden brown.
15. Let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Coconut Curry Chicken "Lightened Up"

This recipe took me a little while to develop. I wanted an authentic tasting Coconut Curry Chicken that had less fat and calories than the original. The challenge with a "lighter" recipe was getting the sauce correct. The sauce was soupy the first time I tried this....the second time I made this it was awesome!

Since there are not a lot of Indian restaurants close by I can still enjoy one of my favorite dishes without all the fat and calories!

When I made this dish I served the Coconut Curry Chicken with a simple spiced rice.

Enjoy!

 Coconut Curry Chicken

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 onion, sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk
1 (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 pound potatoes cut into 1/2 inch chunks (I used red potatoes)
3 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper
2. In a dutch oven or a 6 quart stock pot heat oil mixed with curry powder over medium high heat for two minutes...stir constantly.
3. Stir in onions and garlic. Heat one minute more.
4. Add chicken. Toss to coat with curry mixture. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for approx. 10 more minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.
5. Add coconut milk, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, potatoes and sugar. Stir to combine.
6. Cook on medium, uncovered for 40-50 minutes until potatoes are fork tender and sauce is thickened. Stir often while cooking on the stove top.

Quick and Easy Cajun Cod with a Tomatillo Salsa

Okay....Okay....I know what you are thinking....this dish seems difficult. It is not. This is super easy to make and full of flavor!

I had found a recipe in an old cookbook for Sea Bass with a Tomatillo Salsa. The recipe sounded interesting. Basically, you make this fruit salsa and you place it on top of the fish and bake. As I was making the dish I kept thinking I should take the fish and add some seasoning or grill it or something and serve the salsa right over the cooked fish....the salsa tasted amazing without cooking it but, I decided to follow the recipe. Next time,  I will follow my instinct. The salsa lost it's amazing flavor and the fish did not really gain any of the fruit flavor.

I tried the recipe again. This time I used cod....because Sea Bass is very expensive. I put some Cajun seasoning on the cod and cooked it on the stove top. I made the salsa and just topped the cooked fish with the salsa....Much better this time!
This is now a recipe I can be proud to share.

Cajun Cod with a Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients
4 (6 oz) cod filets
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 cup chopped pineapple (about 1/3 of a pineapple)
1/2 cup chopped peaches or nectarines (about 1/2 a piece of fruit)
1/2 cup chopped tomatillos (about 2 medium)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 fresh serrano chili pepper seeded and chopped
 1 tablespoon finely shredded lime peel
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons honey

Preparation
1. Combine pineapple, peaches or nectarines, tomatillos, cilantro, red onion, chili pepper, lime peel, lime juice and honey. Set aside.
2. Season each piece of fish with one teaspoon Cajun seasoning. If you like spicier add a little more!
3.Heat a large skillet or griddle pan coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add fish. Saute 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
4. Serve fish topped with salsa.

Notes

• Use caution when cutting the chili pepper. Wear gloves the chili peppers can burn or sting skin if cut without gloves. Do not touch eyes or face during or after cutting chili peppers.

Healthy Treats for Your Pup!

I like to give my pup treats. I am not a fan of some of the byproducts in the more affordable doggie treats. My pup  could care less if there were byproducts, if the treat was healthy,  if the treat was all natural, where the treat was manufactured....all my pup cares about is getting a treat!

I make my dog Sweet Potato Jerky!

I just purchased two sweet potatoes weighing 1.59 total pounds. At 79 cents a pound the total for the sweet potatoes was $1.26.

The potatoes yielded 7 oz of treats. To buy 7 oz of Sweet Potato Jerky treats at a store would cost between $7.00 - $8.00

This is a super easy recipe so you can give your dog a very affordable and healthy doggie treat!

Sweet Potato Jerky for Dogs

Ingredients
Sweet Potato
Parchment Paper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Wash sweet potato. Slice the potato in half lengthwise. Then slice each half lengthwise. Slice the quarters into wedge shapes about 1/8"-1/4" thick.
3. Place the sweet potatoes on the prepared pan and bake for three hours turning over half way through.  The potatoes should appear dry and shriveled. 
4. Let cool and then let your pup ENJOY!

Notes:

• Store in refrigerator for up to three weeks.
• If you make extra you can freeze them for up to three months. 
• To achieve evenly cooked chicken sweet potatoes I suggest baking them on a jelly roll pan fitted with a wire rack. I have put a link from Amazon below to show what I am suggesting. 
• To keep my pup occupied I like to place a couple pieces of Sweet Potato Jerky in a Kong ball

AMAZING Peanut Butter Cookies! (p.s. they are gluten-free and easy to make)

I like baked goods! I really like cookies!!
Needless to say, the gluten free lifestyle usually does not work so well for me.
When I saw this recipe I of course was intrigued. I had never baked peanut butter cookies without flour before.
I must say these were so simple to make but more importantly....
The results were AMAZING!
These cookies are soft, flaky and taste actually better than peanut butter cookies with flour. The cookies are also only about 100 calories each vs a traditional homemade peanut butter cookie which is 150 calories or more each....only one problem...they are slightly addictive.
Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Yield 2 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter ( I used Skippy Natural)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

approx 1/4 cup extra white sugar in a small bowl

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and vanilla. Stir by hand until completely blended.
3. Roll dough into one inch balls then place ball into small bowl and coat with sugar.
4. Place ball on greased cookie sheet and make a criss-cross pattern with a fork pressing down gently
5. Bake 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cook slightly on cookie sheet before transferring over to a cooling rack.

Chicken Fried Rice

I like to have fried rice as an entree for dinner!  When I lived in the city there were so many great Chinese restaurants that delivered...I was able to enjoy Chinese food quite often....now it seems like I make my own Chinese food. This is probably the healthier option, anyways. I do miss the convenience but I am enjoying tweaking recipes to my tastes! This recipe has a fair amount of chicken and veggies to make it a nice one dish meal. Enjoy!


Chicken Fried Rice
Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup Egg Beaters (or two large eggs)
Cooking Spray
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 onion chopped
2 cups cold brown rice, packed
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted
3/4 cup matchstick carrots
2 to 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

Preparation

1. Coat large skillet with cooking spray. Heat pan over medium low heat. Add Egg Beaters and cook flat for about 2-3 minutes until fully cooked. Remove eggs from pan slice eggs in small strips.
2. In the same large skillet or wok heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat. Sprinkle salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on chicken. Place in skillet and cook until completely cooked. Remove from skillet, set aside.
3. Add one tablespoon canola oil in the same large skillet or wok heat oil over medium heat. Add one tablespoon garlic saute 30 seconds, add onions, saute until soft, about 4 minutes.
4. Add rice, chicken, peas, carrots, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Stir all ingredients together until heated thoroughly. Taste and add more soy sauce if necessary. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for an additional five minutes stirring occasionally.

Notes:

• If you have to make rice for this recipe quick cool it in the freezer in a shallow dish. Hot rice does not work well in this recipe.
• Feel free to add other veggies or instead of chicken you could add sliced pork or even more veggies!
• I like to add the matchstick carrots for a little crunch and texture but feel free to use  frozen peas and carrots mix instead .
• If you like garlicky rice use two tablespoons garlic.
• When I make this I make the egg in a large skillet and I make the chicken and stir fry in a wok.