Shrimp Quesadillas

Here's an old favorite I haven't made in awhile: Shrimp Quesadillas. I first found this recipe over at Closet Cooking, an awesome place to find yummy recipes and drool-inspiring photos. Since I always keep frozen shrimp around, this is a quick, easy and delicious meal I can whip up in minutes. I'm usually too hungry to let the shrimp marinate as long as I should so I can testify that they are still quite yummy even if you can't make wait the whole 30 minutes. :-)


Shrimp Quesadillas
Recipe from Kevin at Closet Cooking

1/4 pound shrimp (shelled and de-veined)
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 jalapeno (chopped)
1 green onion (chopped)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
salt and pepper to taste
2 flour tortillas
a touch of butter (or oil)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack or Cheddar etc.)
1 avocado (sliced)
1 tablespoon sour cream

Directions:
1. Cook the shrimp in boiling water, about 1-3 minutes.
2. Rinse the shrimp in cold water to stop the cooking.
3. Mix the lime juice, zest, jalapeno, green onion, cilantro cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl.
4. Add the shrimp and marinate for 10-30 minutes.
5. Melt the butter (or oil) in a pan.
6. Place a tortilla in the pan and rub it around in the butter to coat.
7. Heat the tortilla until air pockets form in it flipping a few times.
8. Repeat 5-7 for the second tortilla and leave it in the pan.
9. Drain the liquid from the shrimp and place the mixture on the tortilla in the pan.
10. Place the cheese on and then top with the other tortilla.
11. Cook the quesadilla until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted flipping once. (You can place a plate on top of the quesadilla in the pan and then flip it onto the plate and slide it from the plate back into the pan to easily flip it without loosing the contents.)

Shrimp Saganaki

Hubby was out of town and I needed something quick and filling to make for my dinner. I pulled out a package of frozen shrimp that I keep on hand for times like this (dh hates seafood) and pulled out a recipe I'd bookmarked earlier: Shrimp Saganaki. Delicious! Not that I was surprised. Closet Cooking is a great place to find delicious dinner ideas. So far we've loved all we've tried. I did make a few changes. I left out the ouzo. (I had a bad ouzo experience back in college ...LOL!) I also didn't have any tomatoes on hand so I used a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.

Shrimp Saganaki
Recipe by Kevin of Closet Cooking

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup tomato (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 splash ouzo
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 pound shrimp
1 handful parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup feta (crumbled)

Heat the oil in a pan.

Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Add the tomato, oregano and ouzo and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and simmer for 30 seconds per side.

Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.

Transfer to a baking dish and top with the feta cheese.

Bake in a preheated 425F oven until the sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Mardi Gras!

Luckily our turn to host the monthly dinner party fell on the weekend before Mardi Gras. Certainly made all the planning simple. Zydeco on the stereo. Cajun on the table. And plenty of beads and masks to go around.

I fixed my Sausage and Chicken Gumbo, more mild than I usually make it. We like things spicy, but I served it with plenty of hot sauce so everyone could jazz it up to their own tastes. Everyone brought a Cajun dish to share and good times were definitely had by all. :-)

C and D brought some beautiful steamed crawdads.


J made the most amazing Shrimp Creole. Perfectly spiced and wonderful for lunch the next day.


Best of all - J's Chocolate Torte with Peanut Butter Sauce. Yum!

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp, Goat Cheese and Farfalle

The kids were busy. Dh was gone. I was starving and the time seemed perfect to try the recipe for Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp, Goat Cheese and Farfalle that I saw over at Dinners for a Year and Beyond the other day. The kids aren't big goat cheese fans and dh doesn't care for shrimp so I'd filed it away and had almost forgotten about it. I'm glad I remembered! Quite tasty. The sauce is rich and creamy. The roasted tomatoes, delicious. Definitely one I'll keep in mind for the next time I find myself alone at dinnertime.

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp, Goat Cheese and Farfalle
Recipe from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

1 pound farfalle, cooked and drained
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, chopped
½ large Vidalia onion, diced
olive oil
salt
pepper
½ cup white wine
1 ¾ cups chicken stock
1 ½ pounds large shrimp, peeled
¼ pound goat cheese, crumbled
about 15 basil leaves, chopped
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a large baking sheet toss tomatoes, garlic, and onions with about ¼ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.

Heat a large sauté pan to medium high and add the roasted tomato mixture. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cook for about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add shrimp and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until just cooked through. Stir in the crumbled goat cheese until it is melted.

In a large serving dish, combine the shrimp and tomato mixture with the farfalle. Toss with some of the basil, reserving a couple tablespoons for garnish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Low Country Boil

Don't you love it when you come across a blog you haven't seen before and every recipe looks like it was selected with you in mind? I was so excited when I discovered The Tattooed Gourmet. The pictures are awesome. Each recipe looks like I picked it out myself. I think I bookmarked every post. I mean, with recipes like Jamaican Firey Shrimp and Grilled Salmon with Wasabi-Ginger Mayonnaise how can you not?

I knew that our afternoon was going to be hectic since we had a cross country meet so when I came across Bryan's recipe for Low Country Boil I immediately printed it out. Prep was easy. I did cut the potatoes in half because they were pretty large and that was pretty much the extent of it. Less than thirty minutes and dinner was on the table. Of course that is less than 30 minutes of cooking time... and doesn't include the time it took to get the water to boil so it wasn't quite as quick as I'd hoped but the taste was definitely worth it. Simple. Delicious. Put it on and pretty much forget about it until it's done. Perfect for my family who usually won't touch seafood and myself who loves seafood but doesn't like meat. I didn't have to share the shrimp and they all fought over the sausage. Everyone was happy. Dh even made sure I saved the leftovers so he could have them for lunch the next day. I will definitely be making this again!

Now off to the kitchen to see if I have everything I need to make Bryan's Mini Steak Sandwiches with Horseradish and Tomato for dinner tonight!


Low Country Boil
Recipe from The Tattooed Gourmet

4 pounds small red potatoes
water
3 cans of beer
1 (3-ounce) bag of crab boil seasoning
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
4 pounds large fresh shrimp in the shell, I perfer no heads but some down here like them.
a whole newspaper - optional

Add potatoes to large pot, then add beer and water to fill the pot 3/4's way full and add the seasonings. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 10 minutes. Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook for another 10 - 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add shrimp to stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Serve with cocktail sauce. Normally this would serve about 10 -12 people. Instead of dirtying those plates just take that newspaper and cover your table (its better if you are outdoors less of a chance for a mess) and empty your basket onto the paper and then it is everyone for themselves. Be sure to peel the shrimp prior to putting them into your mouth.

You could use pre-peeled shrimp but the shells hold a lot of flavor that is added to the dish. Plus if you are faster at peeling them than the rest of your party you get to eat more shrimp!!!

My Kitchen, My World: England

This week My Kitchen, My World is heading to Jolly, Old England and while I had grand intentions of whipping up a few scones and some potted shrimp, the real world got in the way this week. Between school and practices and dh traveling out of town for work this week, it just didn't happen. Instead, we opted for an old favorite: Fish and Chips. I couldn't help myself though. I had to jazz up the tartar sauce and as a result it's more a Creole Tartar Sauce than English. Sorry! But I had to share the recipe anyway. It was too delicious! I'm not a tartar sauce fan at all and I don't care for it with fish, actually. But it was awesome with the "chips". Yum!

Since I didn't really use a recipe, here are a few good "Fish and Chips" blogger recipes for you:

Beer Battered Fish (Fish and Chips) from Closet Cooking
Beer Battered Fish from Kalofagus
Oven-Fried Fish & Chips from Yumsugar
Fish and Chips from Pinch
Easy Fish and Chips from Rookie Cookery
Authentic Fish and Chips from Tasty ... and Gluten Free!

Cajun Tartar Sauce

1 cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Garlic, chopped
1/4 Cup Sweet Pickle, chopped
1 tablespoon spicy Cajun Mustard
2 teaspoons Horseradish
2 teaspoons Parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons Green Onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Hot Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients a food processor. Mix on high for 1 minuteor until blended.

Rachael Ray to the Rescue: Spanish Shrimp and Chorizo Skewers

Whenever I can't think of something to make for dinner, I know that I can count on Rachael Ray to help me out. I think I'm going to need to subscribe to her magazine because everytime I buy one I see tons of interesting ideas. Her recipe for Spanish Shrimp and Chorizo Skewers caught my eye the other day after returning from a lazy day at the beach.

The recipe was quick and quite tasty, though I did go with Rachael's Risi e Bisi as a side because dh doesn't care for couscous. The shrimp was a little zippy too. Probably too much so for the kids but since they won't go near most seafood, it wasn't an issue for us.

Spanish Shrimp and Chorizo Skewers with Especial Couscous
Recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine, June-July 2008


1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (eyeball it)
2 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon -- plus 2 teaspoons
grated peel
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika (about 2/3 palmful)
16 jumbo shrimp -- deveined and peeled
with tail left on
3/4 pound chorizo sausage -- casings removed,
cut on an angle into 12 slices
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
4 scallions -- finely chopped
2 pinches saffron threads or 1 1/2 teaspoons
turmeric
2 cups couscous
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro (a generous
handful)
1/4 cup sliced almonds -- toasted
1/4 cup green olives with pimiento -- chopped


1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. In a medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons EVOO, the hot sauce, garlic, lemon juice and paprika. Add the shrimp and toss to coat; let marinate for 10 minutes. Thread 4 shrimp and 3 chorizo slices on each of 4 skewers, nestling the sausage in the curve of the shrimp. Grill, turning once, until the shrimp are opaque, 7 to 8 minutes.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth, peas, scallions, lemon peel, saffron and remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover, and turn off the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, almonds and olives.
3. Divide the couscous among 4 plates and serve with the shrimp and chorizo.

Spiced Shrimp

Well, I'm slowly getting back into the routine. (Or at least *thinking* about getting back into the routine!) Dh and I signed up for the Running 101/201 classes offered by our local running club this week. The 101 class offers a training plan that takes you from running a 1 mile race on the Fourth of July to running a 10K in November. If you are already running those distances, the 201 class helps you improve your times. They provide the training schedule and unofficial group runs every week, as well as entry (an T-shirt) in three races ... all for $25! Bargain!

Here's a quick and easy dish for those hot summer nights when you don't want to spend lots of time in the kitchen. Three minutes at the stove, a bagged salad and some brown rice and you have a flavor-packed meal on the table!

Spiced Shrimp
Recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine, May 2007

3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice


In a large bowl, mix together half the scallions, the garlic, coriander, cumin, cayenne and turmeric. Add the shrimp and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly and seasoning with the salt, until nearly opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and continue frying until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute more. Top with the remaining scallions.

Charlie's Southwest Tuna Salad

Hopefully the weather will be cooperating this week and I'll have gotten my garden, as well as some good runs, in by the time you read this. Hopefully the problems with our satellite internet service will be resolved. (Can you say FAPped? Grrr!) Hope your week is going well. Get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!

I was in the mood for something different for lunch last week and this Southwest Tuna Salad hit the spot. I had all the ingredients on hand so the salad was quick to put together. Rather than serve it as a salad, I put it on a couple of peices of fiber-rich, whole wheat bread and it made quite a tasty sandwich.

Charlie's Southwest Tuna Salad
Recipe courtesy of SparkPeople.com

1 pouch tuna -- (3 oz.)
2 1/2 cups lettuce -- torn
1/2 cup black beans -- drained and rinsed
1/2 cup corn
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

In large bowl place lettuce, tuna, beans, corn and ranch dressing. Top with salsa and cheese. Makes one large salad.

A Quick and Easy Lunch

The 2008 Indianapolis Mini Marathon is history. :-( I'm sad to have missed it, even though I know it was for the best. If I'd skipped it last year's Mini, rather than trying to run 13.1 miles on a pulled hamstring, I'd never had to take so much time off and I'd have run my first marathon by now. ::sigh:: But now that it's over I'm just excited to see how well my friends and training partners did! Woohoo K! 1:41! You go girl!

I can eat a healthy breakfast. Lots of options. No problem. I can do a healthy dinner too. I'll spend half the day plotting and planning what I can fix. Surfing through blog after blog for a healthy recipe that catches my eye or roaming the aisles of the grocery store looking for a low-cal, healthy meal idea. Lunch, on the other hand, is hard. I'm usually busy (planning dinner! LOL!), in the middle of a project or cleaning up the mess before the kids come home, and the last thing I want to do is stop and make a mess of my own in the kitchen. I'm usually here by myself and even when I'm not, dh almost always wants a ham sandwich, so I'm cooking for myself. Sadly, and even though I know better, I tend to just skip it ... and then pig out on sweets later in the afternoon to give me the energy to go out and run.

I've been trying to gather a selection of quick, easy and healthy lunch ideas that I can fix on those days when I'm in a hurry. Unfortunately I'm picky, which complicates things. I'm not big on cold sandwiches, hate canned soups and salads don't generally fill me up. (Except for Kalyn's Taco Salad. I could probably eat that every day!) I tend to fall back on my old favorite Black Beans and Rice, which can get old quickly when you are also eating it for breakfast! I decided to try something new today and I will definitely be making this one again and again. I'm the only one around here who gets excited about seafood so I tend not to serve it at dinner often even though I love it. I had a box of frozen grilled Cajun-spiced fish in the freezer so I pulled out a fillet, threw it in the microwave and gathered up a low carb tortilla, some guacamole and fresh salsa and the last of the quesadilla cheese hiding in the refrigerator. Eight minutes later I had a delicious fish taco with just enough protein and spiciness to get me through the afternoon. Yum!

Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti with Cream Sauce

A little too windy to run this afternoon. A cold front is coming through and the winds have really picked up. My swing has blown over. My empty dirt-filled flower pots that I was hoping to fill with herbs this weekend have blown all over the yard, no doubt losing all of their potting soil. The cat has taken refuge in the barn and I'm thinking "Isn't Friday usually a rest day?" ;-)

I found an interesting recipe over at Presto Pasta Night at Once Upon a Feast: Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti with Cream Sauce. Maybe not so much on the "healthy" with the cream sauce, but tasty and quick to prepare and using the half and half rather than cream does cut the fat content. There are lots of veggies in the sauce: mushrooms, bell peppers, onions. I used some leftover crab meat I had rather than shrimp. It was fine but I think next time I'll go with shrimp. I went a little light on the Cajun seasonings and next time I'd definitely add more. I like my Cajun with a kick. ;-) A loaf of artisan bread from Trader Joe's and a bagged salad and you have dinner on the table in about twenty minutes!

Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti with Cream Sauce
Recipe from Elly at Elly says Opa!

4 ounce cooked spaghetti or pasta of your choice (I use whole wheat)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled/deveined
4 ounce sliced mushrooms
1/2 small onion, diced
1 cup sliced bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup half and half
salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste


Heat the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Sprinkle the shrimp liberally with Cajun seasoning, and then saute in the pan for 1 minute per side (you are not cooking it through here). Remove with a slotted spoon.

To the skillet, add the onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the vegetables are tender. Add the flour and stir it for a minute or two, to cook off its rawness. Add the half and half and stir, thickening. Put the shrimp back into the skillet to cook through. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more Cajun seasoning, if desired). Toss with hot pasta and serve.

Duh!

Just another reason why you should always write something as soon as you make a dish. I got busy and kept putting it off and now I have this picture (a really bad picture, but a picture nonetheless) and I haven't got the foggiest idea what I've done with the recipe and not even a clue to which blog or website it came from. Googling doesn't come up with anything familiar. ::sigh::

And it was a really good soup too. :-(

Crab Quesadillas

Another beautiful spring day, though it doesn't look like it's going to last long. The clouds are moving in and the weather forecasters are calling for severe thunderstorms later today. Hence the dilemma: do I run now, five miles alone and hope that it doesn't start storming? (BTDT -- hail, tornado, branches blowing out of the trees) Or do I take my chances and wait to do five miles with the group this evening?

Kevin over at Closet Cooking posted this recipe for Crab Quesadillas back in February and as soon as I saw it, I knew that I had to have them for lunch. I happened to have some crab in the fridge and lime juice and cilantro are staples around here. I have to admit that I was too hungry to let the crab marinate as long as it should have but it was still terrific. We're talking seriously good here. Add a little guacamole and we're talking heaven!


Crab Quesadillas
Recipe by Kevin at Closet Cooking

1/4 pound crab meat (thawed)
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 jalapeno (chopped)
1 green onion (chopped)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
salt and pepper to taste
2 flour tortillas
a touch of butter (or oil)
1/2 cup shredded cheese


Cook the crab in boiling water for about 3 minutes.

Rinse the crab in cold water to stop the cooking.

Remove the shell from the crab meat and cut it into bite sized pieces.

Mix the lime juice, zest, jalapeno, green onion, cilantro cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Add the crab and marinate for 10-30 minutes.

Melt the butter (or oil) in a pan.

Place a tortilla in the pan and rub it around in the butter to coat.

Heat the tortilla until air pockets form in it flipping a few times.

Repeat 5-7 for the second tortilla and leave it in the pan.

Drain the liquid from the crab and place the mixture on the tortilla in the pan.

Place the cheese on and then top with the other tortilla.

Cook the quesadilla until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted flipping once. (You can place a plate on top of the quesadilla in the pan and then flip it onto the plate and slide it from the plate back into the pan to easily flip it without loosing the contents.)

Swamp Stomp 2008

Dh, dd, ds, dd2 and I ran our races this morning. Nine year-old Katie did great despite little preparation. She didn't decide she was going to run until we got there and her friend talked her into it. She placed 2nd in the 1 mile Fun Run and got a nice engraved medal. Five year-old Lily and her brother Jake got tangled up at the start and both hit the ground pretty hard. There was a little blood and a lot of tears but Lily finally brushed it off and took off running ... even though by that point you couldn't even *see* any of the other runners anymore. Ds stayed with her and by the time they came around the lake toward the finish line, she'd managed to pass four people (at least two of whom were adults!) and finish in 10th place. :-) She's very proud of her engraved medal and I'm very proud of her for finishing her race.

Oh boy! I knew I'd lost a lot of conditioning while I was sick but I didn't know I'd lost *that* much. :-( Two weeks ago I had a great 5 mile run. I felt like I was flying and like I could have run all day. Well, that was then ... I finished. That was actually my goal so I'm happy I was able to finish but it is so frustrating that my time was ten minutes slower this year than last year. :-(

Dh did great and I think definitely proved that our walk/run plan for the half marathon will be a good thing. I was chasing him most of the race. I could see him ahead of me walking and running but though I ran the whole time I couldn't catch up. LOL! He had a lot more energy than I did on the final mile so I think we're gonna try to go that route for our half this year. It should be fun, actually. After being so focussed on time last year, we missed out on the "spectacle" of the event. This year we can enjoy all the scenery and enjoy spending the day together as we will be celebrating our 13th anniversary by running the race.

As soon as I saw it, I knew that with a little tweaking, we'd love RecipeGirl's recipe for Pan Seared Shrimp with Chipotle-Lime Glaze. I love shrimp but dh isn't a big fan. To get around that I diced up a chicken breast and sauteed it in a little olive oil and seasoned it with some salt and freshly ground pepper. I divided the Chipotle-Lime Glaze and used half on dh's chicken and half on my shrimp. It was a little too zippy for the kids (as I expected) but dh and I really liked it. I only had small shrimp on hand so I rolled it into a tortilla with a little guacamole and it was delish!


Pan-Seared Shrimp with Chipotle-Lime Glaze
Recipe from The Recipe Girl

Glaze:
1 whole chipotle chile canned in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
4 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Shrimp:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar

Prepare glaze: In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients and stir to mix. Set aside.

Heat ½ Tbsp. of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking. Meanwhile, toss shrimp, salt, pepper and sugar in a medium bowl. Add half of the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook until spotty brown and the edges turn pink, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat. Using tongs, flip each shrimp and let stand until all but the center is opaque, about 30 seconds. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining ½ Tbsp. oil and the remaining shrimp.

After the second batch has stood off the heat, return the first batch to the skillet. Add the glaze mixture and toss until combined. Cover the skillet and let stand until the shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Mmmm! Mmmm! Good!

What is it about being sick that causes you to crave creamy, comforting and totally unhealthy foods? While I was tossing and turning and trying to think of something I thought I could eat, I kept thinking about Alfredo sauce. Since I'd come across a recipe for Shrimp Pasta Like Red Lobster earlier in the week, I decided to give that a try. I like shrimp but dh doesn't so I decided to substitute some imitation crab chunks that I'd picked up on my speed shopping trip. Well, it turns out that I wasn't really paying attention and what I'd picked up was actually imitation lobster. Quite a fortuitous accident because the imitation lobster was delicious! The flavor was sweet and creamy and I think I actually preferred it to the real thing! Wow. ;-) The pasta was okay. Sort of bland and definitely not worth all the extra fat and calories to me. Maybe fresh herbs would have livened the dish up a bit and perhaps a bit more Parmesan and some fresh ground pepper. (Can you ever have too much Parm? I don't think so!) Dh, who doesn't usually care for seafood pasta took two servings and raved about the flavor so all in all it was a hit. Next time I'll definitely use the imitation lobster but I think I'll find and healthier -- and more flavorful -- sauce.

Shrimp Pasta like Red Lobster
http://www.recipezaar.com/185704

1/3 cups olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails removed
2/3 cup clam juice or chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 package linguine, (8 oz.) cooked and drained

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; reduce heat to low. Simmer until garlic is tender. Add shrimp in same skillet; cook over medium-low heat until opaque. Remove; reserve liquid in pan. Add clam juice or chicken broth; bring to a boil. Add wine; cook over medium-high heat 3 min, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to low; add cream, stirring constantly. Add cheese; stir until smooth. Cook until thickened.

Add shrimp to sauce. Heat through. Add remaining ingredients except linguine. Pour over linguine in large bowl; toss gently to coat. Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 6.

January 1, 2008 -- A Cajun Feast

So-so on the health factor I suppose buy YeeHaw! on the Yum-o scale. I'm hosting the Mardi Gras party this year so I've been looking around for some new Cajun recipes. Tonight I decided to try three new dishes: Shrimp Po' Boys from Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross; Cajun Black Bean Soup from the Bush's Beans company website; and Grilled Chicken and Cheese Po' Boy Sandwiches from About.com.

Actually the Grilled Chicken Sandwiches were fairly healthy with their gilled chicken breast and light mayo. I cut down quite a bit on the cheese and only used one slice of provolone and a sprinkling of Gruyere that I had left over from the holidays. Whole grain bread and more veggie toppings could make it even healthier. The Black Bean soup was pretty healthy (and tasty) with lots of protein and fiber. My Shrimp Po' Boy, full of deep fried popcorn shrimp? Not so much but boy was it delicious! In an attempt to make it a little *less* bad for you, I did bake the shrimp rather than fry them and in the future I'd use cocktail sauce rather than tartar sauce because I personally don't care for tartar sauce.

I prepared the entire meal in less than 30 minutes. All three dishes were simple to assemble and made from things I already had on hand in the freezer or pantry. All three recipes are definitely keepers!

Shrimp Po' Boys
from Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

1 package frozen popcorn shrimp
2/3 cup tartar sauce
4 sandwich buns
4 lettuce leaves -- optional
4 tomato slices -- optional

Microwave or bake the shrimp according to package instructions.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of tartar sauce over each half of the buns. (The buns can be toasted first if you prefer.) Place 12 to 15 cooked shrimp (they're small) on the bottom half of each sandwich bun. Top with a lettuce leaf and a tomato slice, if desired, and cover with top half of the bun. Serve at once.


Grilled Chicken and Cheese Po'Boy Sandwich
from BBQ.about.com

4 chicken breasts
4 6 inch sandwich buns
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8 slices provolone cheese
8 slices swiss cheese
1 tomato, sliced thinly
1/2 red sliced onion, optional
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place chicken on lightly oiled grill grate and grill for 6-8 minutes on each side. When no longer pink and juices run clear, remove from grill.

While chicken is grilling, place two slices of swiss cheese, provolone cheese, and some Parmesan cheese on one half of each bun. Place bread in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or long enough for cheese to begin to melt. Remove from oven, place mayonnaise, garnish, and chicken breast on bread.