Veggies Galore

I've come to the realization we just don't eat enough veggies. I personally could eat veggies all day every day. In fact if I didn't like a good, juicy burger every now and some crunchy bacon from time to time, I could almost be a vegetarian. But my husband, well he's another story. He would eat nothing but meat, bread, potatoes, and pasta if he didn't have a loving wife that insisted he eat other things that are good for him. I don't always bother making all the veggies I like because I would be the only one eating them. But I've become pretty creative at incorporating some veggies into our meals. He's much more willing to eat vegetables if they're in something rather than just piled on a plate screaming "I'm a veggie, I'm good for you!". Ok, so they don't really scream at you but they might as well as far as he's concerned. So tonight for dinner I crammed as many vegetables into our dinner as possible. I made a really yummy veggie rice pilaf to go along with our spicy Cajun shrimp which I just sauteed in some olive oil and garlic, and sprinkled with Cajun spice mix. We also had some steamed yellow squash and broccoli (for me) and corn on the cob (for him). Such a great dinner!

Veggie Rice Pilaf

1/4 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 large green bell pepper,chopped
1/4 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
salt and pepper

Begin by cooking the rice and set aside. Then finely chop all the vegetables. Heat a skillet over medium heat with about 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add chopped veggies to the pan and saute 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and let simmer another 3 minutes or so. Add the pressed garlic and stir. Last, stir in the cooked rice, remaining broth, salt, and pepper. Let cook another 3-5 minutes until some of the broth is absorbed. Serve warm.

Low Country Boil

You can't really get more simple or more rustic than this dish. Traditionally, a low country boil is done outside on a hot summer day, in a huge pot over a burner. Once everything is done, the water is drained and the contents of the pot are poured out onto a large table covered in newspaper where everyone serves themselves. I never really liked that part of it because all I could think about was the ink from the newspaper getting on my food. But anyway, I love the simplicity and unpretentiousness of this dish. The key to this dish is really the timing. You have to know just when to add all the ingredients to ensure everything is done at the same time. Unfortunately I overcooked the potatoes a little tonight and they came out sort of mushy. My husband and I still enjoyed it though. While this is normally a dish for a large crowd, I made it on a somewhat smaller scale and it's still a great meal for 2.

Low Country Boil

-5-6 medium red potatoes, quartered (you could also use small red potatoes and leave them whole. It actually works better with the smaller ones.)
-4-6 small ears of corn
-1 lb cleaned, deveined shrimp with tails
-2 links Cajun smoked sausage, sliced diagonally
-2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
-1/4 cup salt

softened butter, sliced lemons, and Cajun Spice mix for serving

Begin by boiling 8 qts of water in a stock pot. Add the salt and Old Bay seasoning. Add potatoes and cook for about 10-12 min. Next, add the sausage and corn on the cob. Cook about 7 minutes and then add the shrimp. Boil another 3-5 min just until the shrimp are pink and heated through. Drain water and pour the contents of the pot onto a platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and 2 Tbsp Cajun Spice Mix or additional Old Bay seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges and softened butter.

Spicin' It Up

I ran across this recipe a week or so ago. I had a few shrimp left in the freezer that I needed to use up so I decided to give it a try tonight. It was good but REALLY spicy! I will admit I coughed and sneezed my head off trying to cook the ginger and red pepper flakes. Even my husband was coughing and he was in the other room. LOL! I made a couple alterations based on the recipe reviews and it was still very hot. So, if you like spicy, you'll like this one. I served it over rice and with some steamed broccoli. It was an easy and fairly healthy dinner.

Honey Ginger Shrimp

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (I only use 1/2 a tsp and it was very spicy)
  
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and honey; cook and stir until fragrant. Add the shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring as needed, until shrimp are pink and opaque. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth. Serve immediately.

Original Source: Allrecipes

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

A few years ago when we were in New Orleans, Louisiana, we had the best shrimp tacos at this little restaurant in the French Quarter. It was spicy, blackened shrimp and rice inside a tortilla with salsa, lettuce and tomato. Well tonight I made my version of a spicy shrimp taco. I didn't have any blackening seasoning so instead I "kicked it up a notch" with Emeril's Bayou Blast .
It's a quick meal that's great for summer since you don't have to heat up your whole kitchen by turning on your oven. They turned out really great!

Spicy Shrimp Tacos for 2

1/2 lb small frozen shrimp-defrosted and tails removed (you could also use fresh)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 white onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Emeril's Bayou Blast
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
4 tortillas
1 bag white or brown Minute Rice
1/4 cup chicken broth

Cook rice as directed on the package and set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet over med/hi heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 min. Add shrimp and Bayou Blast seasoning, tossing with shrimp to coat. Cook 3-5 min or until shrimp are pink and heated through. Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan and also to add moisture so the rice doesn't dry out. Add cooked rice to the pan. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine all ingredients.

Serve on warm tortillas with salsa, lettuce, or your favorite taco ingredients.

*You may want to taste the rice when it's combined with the shrimp to be sure it has enough spice for your taste.