Shrimp & Pollock with Creamy Broccoli & Lima Beans

This dish is comfort food. Period. Great source of good nutrients combined with a very cozy flavor pallet, this dish will have everyone around the table smiling. Enjoy!

I know the dish looks like a pasta overload... In reality, pasta's glycemic index is in the low range at 52-54. The trick is to eat a sensible amount, which should be fairly easy considering the recipe only calls for six ounces of noodles in total.

 Ingredients:

• 6 oz pollock bites
• 6 oz lge shrimp - cleaned & tails removed
• olive oil
• splash of lemon juice - fresh squeezed preferred
• 6 oz frozen lima beans
• 6 oz broccoli crowns - cut up after cooking
• 1 lg yellow onion - diced
• 3 scallions - cut to 1/4" rings
• 1 15.5 oz can Cream of Shrimp condensed soup
• 1/3 cup half & half
• 6 oz egg noodles

Preparation:

Combine pollock & shrimp in a bowl. Add a dash of salt & pepper, a little olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. Toss to blend flavors and set aside.

Cook the lima beans and broccoli as you normally do. Cut the broccoli into small pieces. Set both aside.

Put on the water for the egg noodles... don't forget to salt the water.

Heat ~2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute until fish and shrimp are just done. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate with a cover.

Add a little more oil if needed and saute the onion over medium heat. Add scallions and after a minute add the soup. Rinse can with 1/3 cup half & half, add and blend. Add the vegetables, blend and season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Finally, add the shrimp and pollock back to the skillet, blend and cover. Simmer on low for a couple more minutes for everything to heat through.

Serve over egg noodles as shown top of post or with noodles on the side. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Lemony Shrimp & Shirataki

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon... snow was falling... I pulled a Chef Pepin move of "Use whatever is in the fridge." :-) What I ended up with was a twist on a previous shrimp dish that deserves its own spot on the blog. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb large shrimp - cleaned, tail off, cut in half
• 1 lb Shirataki noodles
• 2 tomatoes - diced
• 3 cloves garlic - smash-minced
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 2+ tbsp lemon juice
• citrus salt to taste
• olive oil as needed

Preparation:

Rinse the Shirataki noodles in a fine mesh colander for to minutes. Let dry for a few minutes and then add them to a dry nonstick Dutch oven over medium heat. Toss repeatedly for a few minutes until all liquid has evaporated. Add the lemon juice and citrus salt and allow it to be absorbed during tossing. Remove noodles from pot and set aside, covered.

Add olive oil to the pot and saute the shrimp with some citrus salt until shrimp are just done. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add onions and garlic with olive oil to the pot and saute until translucent and onions are just getting soft.

Add the tomatoes and saute until tomatoes begin to break down and the mix becomes a bit creamy.

Next add the shrimp and Shirataki noodles and gently blend it all together. At this point adjust seasoning with more citrus salt and/or lemon juice.

Serve immediately and listen for Yummy Noises.... :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Cebada Meloso with Shrimp & Chorizo

Arroz Meloso is a traditional Spanish rice dish that comes in many different flavor combinations. The recurring theme is the rice (arroz) and a creamy texture (meloso).

As you know, I have replaced rice in many dishes with pearl barley to make the meal more diabetic friendly, and so it is here that my Cebada (barley) Meloso was born. I decided to incorporate shrimp and chorizo in my version because they are two of my favorite proteins. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

•          1 cup pearl barley - rinsed in fine mesh sieve for 2 minutes
•          4 cups chicken stock
•          1/2 cup white wine – I like a Vouvre or Chenin Blanc for this dish
•          1 lge yellow onion – chopped
•          4 cloves garlic - minced 
•          1 red bell pepper - chopped 
•          1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 
•          12 oz fully cooked Mexican chorizo - sliced 
•          12 oz large shrimp - cleaned - tail off
•          1.5 cups frozen peas 
•          salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste 
•          1 tsp smoked paprika 
•          1/4 tsp saffron – about 20 strands

Marinade for Shrimp:

•          1/4 cup olive oil 
•          salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste 
•          1/2 tsp garlic powder 
•          1/2 tsp sweet paprika
•          1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper 
•          1/2 tsp dried parsley

In a bowl big enough to hold the shrimp, mix all marinade ingredients and add the shrimp. Toss until all are evenly coated, cover and place in fridge for at least an hour.

Rinse the barley in a fine mesh strainer under cool water for about 2 minutes.

Slice the pre-cooked chorizo  into bite sized pieces. Cover and return to fridge. Cut up the onions, garlic and red pepper as well, and carefully measure out the saffron with a tweezer.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven... your choice. Add the chopped onions and sautee until translucent. Add the minced garlic and diced red pepper, blend and sautee for 2 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, salt & pepper and cook another 5 minutes. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and saffron threads, stirring continuously for 30 seconds to release their flavors. 

Pour in the pearl barley and stir it around for a couple minutes, making sure all pearls are coated. Add the stock and wine and bring everything to a boil. Add the frozen peas. 

Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until most but not all liquid has cooked off and the barley is tender. 

While the barley cooks, sear the chorizo in a separate skillet using some of the oil/marinade from the shrimp.

Once browned, remove chorizo and in the same pan cook the shrimp for about 90 seconds per side until just cooked through. Do not overcook the shrimp! 

Return sausage to skillet and toss for flavor blend. 

Test the barley for cook.... If the mouthfeel is good and the mix is slightly soupy, add the shrimp & chorizo and gently blend. Simmer on low for a few minutes allowing the proteins to add their flavors. Adjust the liquid if needed. 

Serve with a salad and/or a green vegetable.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!