White Bean "Alfredo" over Zucchini Noodles w/Mussels

Week two of our challenge, and Kerri shocks me with this awesome recipe: 

White Bean "Alfredo"

I decided to keep it healthy and served the "Alfredo" over zucchini noodles with sauteed mushrooms and mussels (in a red sauce). Let me start off by saying this vegan "Alfredo" was SO much better than I was imagining it was going to be. The meal took no longer than 20/30 minutes to prep and cook. Loved it! 

Servings: 2

Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 can of garbanzo beans

1 cup of almond milk (or soy)

2-3 cloves of garlic

margarine/butter/vegan margarine

salt/white pepper/crushed red pepper flakes

2 large zucchinis

1 container of sliced mushrooms

Coconut oil

Optional: Seafood (mussels, scallops, shrimp) or blackened chicken

Steps: 

1. Prep the zucchini by rinsing, trimming the edges off, and using a spiralizer to create noodles. 

2. Make the sauce: Saute diced garlic with margarine for 2 minutes (until golden and fragrant). In a Magic Bullet or food processor add garlic mixture, 1 can of rinsed/drained beans, and 1/2 cup of milk. Blend. Add more milk, one splash at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Transfer sauce into a small sauce pan, season with salt, white pepper, and crushed red pepper (to your liking) and heat over low/medium-low. 

3. In a large pan, heat coconut oil and saute mushrooms for about 4 minutes, until semi-soft. Add the zucchini noodles and toss well to coat them with the coconut oil (I salted the noodles at this point). Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Drain and plate immediately. 

Optional: prepare your seafood of choice (or chicken) separately. 

4. Once the noodles are plated, top with the warm "Alfredo", and enjoy! 

Spicy Shrimp Cacciatore

Spicy Shrimp Cacciatore

Servings: 4

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

12 oz. shrimp (frozen, cooked, small or medium) - fresh shrimp is even better!

1 jar of Classico pasta sauce (we used the triple mushroom)

4 bell peppers (multiple colors, medium to large)

16 oz. of whole mushrooms (white or baby bella)

1 medium spanish onion

5 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon Oregano 

1/2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper 

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt or your favorite seasoning salt (we used Italian seasoning w/parmesan cheese used for dipping oils).

Optional: 

Pasta (vermicelli, angel hair, spaghetti)

Grated parmesan cheese

Garlic bread

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and prep mushrooms by rinsing, trimming stems, tossing in olive oil and your favorite seasoning salt.

2. Prep onions and peppers by chopping into bite-sized squares.

3. Spread whole mushrooms on a foiled baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. When finished, set aside.

4. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil) on MEDIUM heat in a 12" or larger skillet (make sure it's deep). 

5. Saute chopped peppers, onions, crushed red pepper, oregano, and seasoning salt until they become tender. 

6. Next add minced garlic and allow to cook for one minute.

7. Now add the sauce to the peppers and onions, turn heat to MEDIUM LOW, and cook for five minutes stirring occasionally.

8. Thaw your shrimp by running cool water over them in a colander. If you are using fresh shrimp, peel and devein. 

9. Stir thawed shrimp and baked mushrooms into the sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes until everything is heated through. If using uncooked shrimp, cook the shrimp separately before adding to sauce (pan fried works fine. Be careful of overcooking.).

You're ready to eat your Spicy Shrimp Cacciatore over a bed of pasta, with garlic bread, or on it's own - just top your serving with grated parmesan cheese and VOILA!

Enjoy!

"Bang Bang" shrimp

"Bang-Bang Shrimp"

It's been years since I've eaten at Bonefish, however, there is a great place in town, Pacific Rim, that serves these "Pac Pac Shrimp" as an appetizer during happy hour for only $4.00! I feel ridiculous when I want to order multiple orders of this appetizer when I go out...so I decided to try a copy-cat recipe I stumbled upon on Pinterest.

I SLIGHTLY modified the recipe from: http://fakeginger.com/2011/10/02/bang-bang-shrimp/

The only thing I did different was the breading process. Instead of coating shrimp in the breading mixture, egg, then breading mixture again...I coated the shrimp with cornstarch first, then dipped in egg, then in the breading mixture.

It's very important to cool the breaded shrimp for at least the 20 minutes...I allowed for about an hour (I had some time to spare). This made the frying process SO SIMPLE-no mess!!!!

I tried a few by pan frying before deep frying an entire pound....and both methods equaled perfection!!

Sweet Seared Salmon

15 minute Salmon (pan seared then baked)

I think this might have been the best salmon I've ever tasted, and I'm not saying that because I made it. I'm saying that because it was a shot in the dark (the only prior experience to salmon was a george foreman grill and lemon pepper seasoning). Plus, I never make anything sweet...and when I decided to go that route with dinner, I was pleasantly surprised.

What you need:

-1 Salmon filet (the salmon you see above was a 1.2 pound slab of meat!)

-2 tbs olive oil (extra virgin)

-2 tbs brown sugar

-1/4 tbs ground cinnamon

-2 tps kosher salt

-1/2 tsp cumin

-1 tsp black pepper

What to do:

-Pre head oven to 375 degrees F

-Skin the beast, then rinse

-combine all spices

-rub all over the top of the salmon (not the side you skinned)

-heat oil over medium high

-place salmon seasoned side down into the hot oil

-let it sear for 2-3 minutes...enough to brown or to desired CRISPINESS

-remove and place into a preheated oven for about 8 minutes (seasoned side up)...this part really depends on your oven...make sure to check the fish before serving...should flake apart and be a very pale(almost milky) pink color.

I served this with broccoli; my basmati rice did not turn out (no surprise there)! I don't know what it is with me and rice...the only rice I have success with is the Zatarains.

All in all, this was a huge success! Trey did suggest I add a little bit of Hungarian Hot Paprika next time for a lil kick...I think I may just do that....