Sweet & Spicy Shrimp

This dish is adapted from a recipe found on Tasty.com. There is quite a bit of prep work involved, so be sure to allow yourself enough time to get food on the table. ;-) The flavor pallet originally was and still can be all about the heat, but in my version the heat is turned down some so that the many ingredients can more easily shine equally. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lge shrimp, defrosted, peeled, deveined, tail off

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tbsp lime juice – one lime

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

• 1 pc fresh ginger, peeled & sliced into 12 matchsticks

• 1 cup scallion tops - cut into 1” pieces on the diagonal

• 1.5 cups asparagus - cut into 1” pieces on the diagonal

• 1 cup snow peas

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 cup fresh Thai or regular basil

• 1 cup pearl barley

• 1/2 cup roasted cashews - chopped

Preparation:

Start the pearl barley first as it takes 40-45 minutes to cook.

In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the cornstarch, Aleppo pepper, salt, and 1 tbsp soy sauce until evenly coated.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, the rice vinegar, honey, lime juice, and orange juice until well combined.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the bell pepper, ginger and scallions, and cook, stirring frequently, until the scallions are starting to brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the asparagus, snow peas, and water, and cook, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated and vegetables are bright green and tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook without disturbing for about 1 minute, or until golden brown on the underside, then toss and cook for another 2 minutes until cooked through and opaque.

Add the soy-orange sauce and cook for 1 minute, until the sauce is starting to bubble and thicken. Add the cooked vegetables and basil, and toss in the pan for another 30 seconds, until the sauce thickens slightly and the vegetables are coated.

Serve the shrimp & vegetable mix over barley and top with chopped cashews and a drizzle of sriracha, if desired. For more heat add some thinly sliced or minced peppers of your choosing on top.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Creamy Shrimp & Spinach with Pasta

Shrimp and spinach are an amazing combination I have used in quite a few different recipes. This one features a light cream sauce with hints of lemon. There is also some pasta, but before anyone shouts OMGs please remember that pasta actually has a low glycemic index. It's usually the portion control where most people fall short of optimal, causing the glycemic load to go high. This recipe mitigates the pasta carbohydrates both in quantity (~2 oz per serving) as well as the pairings of protein and vegetables in the dish. So in a nutshell... ENJOY!

This dish is designed to serve FOUR, NOT TWO! :-) Exercise portion control!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb medium or large shrimp raw - peeled and deveined - tail off
• 16oz fresh baby spinach (a little olive oil & salt for prep)
• 1 medium leek sliced cross ways finely sliced - stem & leaves
• 8 oz spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced - leave out 15 min after mince for best flavor
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the linguine until al dente by tasting. Drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with a bit of oil to prevent sticking, and set aside. 

Using same pot with fresh water cook down the spinach with an inch of water. Drain and blend in a little olive oil and salt to taste. Set aside.

In a large skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Give a good stir for about 30 seconds and add the leeks. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for ~5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Increase heat to medium high, add the shrimp to the skillet with the leeks and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes until the shrimp are cooked and turn a pink white color. Do not overcook!

Add the cooked spaghetti and the spinach to the skillet and toss well to combine. Reduce heat to medium and add butter to melt.

Pour in the cream and vegetable broth. Add the lemon juice and salt. Stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring/tossing gently to heat everything through. 

Finally add parmesan cheese and fresh parsley and stir until well blended. Serve immediately.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Stewed Garam Masala Lentils with Shrimp

My friend Betsy Kelp Galloway adapted this recipe from one found on the Food Network.

One of my favorite kitchen pastimes is taking existing recipes and making them diabetic friendly. I also like to make my dishes heart healthy as often as I can, and it seems my friend Betsy thinks the same way. To that end, she swapped out some of the butter in this Food Network dish with heart healthy olive oil... and it works. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil - divided
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1 large shallot - chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - smash minced
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 2 plum tomatoes - cored and chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup dried red lentils
• 1 ¼ pounds peeled and deveined shrimp (about 24 large)
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 tbsp canned unsweetened coconut cream
• ½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro or parsley - chopped

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp butter (Betsy’s note: I use heart healthy olive oil) in a large wide pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, garlic and 1 tbsp ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot softens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon garam masala, a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are soft, about 2 minutes.

Stir the lentils into the tomato mixture until coated, then add 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and thick, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with the remaining 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp garam masala and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes. Heat the 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir the spinach and coconut cream into the lentils until the spinach wilts; season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls. Top with the shrimp and any juices; sprinkle with cilantro or parsley.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Shrimp & Broccoli Stir Fry with Vegetable Barley

This recipe is adapted from one I found on the Diabetes Food Hub which is run by the American Diabetes Association. 

Instead of sweetener I opted to use a teriyaki sauce to enhance the flavor pallet, and instead of rice (???) I chose to serve a vegetable stock barley. With Wondra flour being my go-to these days for all sauces I bypassed the recommended corn starch, too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Wondra Flour
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/tsp sriracha
• 2 tbsp of your favorite Asian teriyaki marinade
• 3 tbsp olive oil - divided
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1.25 lbs raw medium/large shrimp - peeled, cleaned, tails off
• 1 lb fresh broccoli florets - parboil or nuke a couple minutes before use
• 1 cup quick cook barley - cooked using vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup scallions - cut into 1/4" pieces

Preparation:

In a liquid measuring cup combine vegetable stock, rice vinegar, soy sauce, Wondra flour, ginger and marinade and whisk until blended.

Start the quick cook barley according to package instructions, but swap out the water for vegetable stock. Cut up the scallions and set aside for later.

Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet or wok. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the shrimp and cook until opaque, about 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and place on a plate... covered.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in the same skillet. Add the broccoli florets and cook until tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the cooked shrimp back into the skillet and toss to combine with the broccoli. Pour the broth mixture over the shrimp and broccoli and toss to coat.

Continue cooking until the broth mixture thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

When barley is cooked, blend in the scallions just before serving to retain a little crunch.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Shrimp & Noodle Casserole

Yes.... Shrimp and NOODLES! Before anyone freaks out, please remember that this dish features a mere 8 ounces of noodles in a recipe with six servings. Also, pasta is in the low glycemic range at 50-54. Be sure to serve with a complimenting green vegetable like asparagus and your pasta load will be minimal.

With that out of the way, make this dish... Seriously, it is absolutely packed with comfort food flavor. Carb counters... take a small serving and have more vegetables. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp - tail off
• 8 oz medium or large no-yolk egg noodles
• 2 cans (10 3/4 oz) unsalted condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup chopped orange pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 medium sized tomato – sliced
•  flat leaf parsley sprigs/leaves for garnish

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Drop the shrimp into boiling salt water and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cook noodles al dente and drain well.

Combine noodles with soup, sour cream, scallions, orange pepper, dried dill weed, pepper and salt. Cut 25% of the shrimp into thirds and fold cut shrimp and cheese into noodle mixture.

Spoon into shallow baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and arrange remaining shrimp and tomato slices on top of casserole.

Return to oven uncovered for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with parsley sprigs/leaves and serve.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Spicy Shrimp & Veggie Stir Fry - A Chef Favorite

I have found culinary love in Shirataki noodles. LOL This is only my second dish using them and I am incredibly eager to explore them further. They are quite easy to use, but they do require a process to make them shine. Visit my post Shirataki (Konjac) Noodles - Diabetic Gold :-) for background info as well as a detailed cooking process.

Today's stir fry was originally inspired by my friend Angela who introduced me to Shirataki noodles. In the end I played with ingredients, flavors and process to make this dish my own. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb jumbo shrimp - peeled, deveined, tail off & cut in half
• 3 scallions - cut at an angle into 1 - 1.5" pieces
• 6 oz asparagus - cut to 1.5" sections
• 6 oz broccoli - cut the florets to bite size
• 5 oz carrots - peeled and julienned in 2" lengths
• 1 lge yellow onion - diced or minced - your choice
• 3 lge gloves garlic - smash minced
• olive oil as needed
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
• soy sauce as needed - just a few splashes
• kosher salt to taste
• 16 oz Shirataki noodles

Preparation:

Rinse the Shirataki noodles for 2 minutes. Dry them in a  nonstick pan, tossing frequently. When most liquid is gone, remove from heat and keep in pan, covered, to stay warm. While dry frying them add a touch of salt and a splash of soy sauce for flavor & color.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 2+ tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan on medium-high heat, and saute the shrimp for ~1 minute on each side, or until they just turn pink. Remove them from the pan place them on top of the noodles - covered.

Add the garlic & onion to the skillet with another splash of olive oil and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add ginger, toasted sesame oil and Aleppo pepper and blend.

Add all veggies and another bit of oil if needed. Toss gently so everything is well blended. Cover and steam for 3 min on medium heat, toss and repeat. 

Finally add the shrimp and noodles and fold into the mix. Maybe add a splash of soy sauce or salt if needed.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!