Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Garlicky Shrimp, Arugula and Avocado

Hubby likes the shrimp mixture directly over rice, but I like to stuff it in roasted bell peppers to up the veggie count.  I like my roasted peppers still slightly firm, if you like them softer just roast a little longer.

Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Garlicky Shrimp, Arugula and Avocado


Ingredients:

• olive oil in a mister
• 4 sweet red/orange/yellow bell peppers, tops and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (7 oz.) bag of arugula
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 1 large ripe avocado, diced
• 1 small lime

Directions:

•  Pre-heat oven (I used my toaster oven) to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil.  Place peppers, open tops faced up, on the sheet and roast for about 20 minutes.
• While peppers are roasting, melt coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add shrimp and cook until just opaque.
• Add the arugula, one handful at a time and stir until wilted.  Add TSSS to taste.
• Remove from heat and toss in the diced avocado.  Spritz with lime juice.
• Remove the peppers from the oven and divide the shrimp mixture among the 4 peppers.  Return the stuffed peppers to the oven for 5 minutes until the avocado is just warmed through.
• Serve immediately.

Ranch Shrimp Tacos

I made some homemade 100% whole wheat tortillas for the first time today.  They were soooo good.  And soooo easy.  Just a little time consuming.  But soooo worth it.  Both kids each ate TWO.  EACH.  Straight off the pan.  This is the recipe I used for the tortillas.  If you have neither the time nor the urge to make your own tortillas, by all means buy them.  Whatever floats your boat.  :-)

Jumbo shrimp (wild caught!) are on sale at Sprouts this week.  So I decided to make shrimp tacos.  But I'd spent so much time making the tortillas that I had to do something quick with the shrimp.  So I grabbed the bottle of ranch dressing in the fridge.  Weird?  Maybe.  But they were GOOD!

Ranch Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 (4 oz.) packages of beech mushrooms
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled & deveined
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• a pinch of cumin
• a couple tablespoons of ranch dressing (or more)
• 6 small whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Directions:

• Sauté the mushrooms in coconut oil over medium-high heat until soft.  Add the shrimp, TSSS and TSGG to taste, and a pinch of cumin.  Continue to sauté until the shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and let sit to cool for a few minutes.  Then add the ranch dressing and spoon into the warm tortillas.

Baked Shrimp and Rice

I made this last week but forgot to take pictures.  It's based on this other recipe that bakes shrimp atop a bed of chickpeas.  I had some leftover rice and thought it might be good that way.  Thankfully it was yummy and hubby asked for it again, so here you go, second time in a week.  So quick and easy.

Note: make sure you cover the surface of the rice with the shrimp as much as possible to preserve moisture and keep the rice tender.  If you have large areas of uncovered rice, the tops will dry out and get hard and crunchy from baking.

Baked Shrimp and Rice


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 3 tablespoons Smart Balance, divided
• 2-ish cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a bowl, combine together the shrimp, olive oil, TSSS and TSGG, and lemon juice.  Set aside.
• Grease the bottom of a 9x9 (or equivalent) baking dish with half the Smart Balance.  Spread the rice loosely in the bottom of the dish and dot the top with the rest of the Smart Balance.  Sprinkle lightly with TSSS.
• Arrange the shrimp on top of the rice.  Again, make sure the rice is well covered by the shrimp or it will dry out from baking.  
• Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp is opaque and cooked through.

This goes great with a crisp green salad.

Tequila Lime Shrimp

I was rummaging through my liquor cabinet and found a lonely bottle of tequila in there with only about 2 tablespoons of goodness left in it.  Who would leave that in there?  That's not even enough for a shot!  That's like leaving a drop of milk in the milk carton and stashing it back into the fridge.

Tequila Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 2 tablespoons tequila
• juice of a lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance

Directions:

• Place all the ingredients, except for the Smart Balance, into a plastic zip bag and let marinade in the fridge for about an hour.  (Shrimp is usually naturally salty to begin with, so go lightly on the TSSS.)
• Melt the Smart Balance in a skillet over medium heat.  Remove the shrimp from the marinade and sauté in the skillet, a minute or two on each side.  Transfer the shrimp to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Pour the marinade into the skillet and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for several minutes until the sauce is reduced by half.
• Plate the shrimp over brown rice and drizzle with the sauce.

Shrimp Jambalaya

We spent the day celebrating Mardi Gras at Disneyland, so I felt like throwing together some jambalaya for dinner.  I made it up, so it's totally not authentic, but it was easy and good in a pinch.  If I had chicken or sausage on hand I would have added some.

Shrimp Jambalaya

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• a few dashes of cayenne pepper
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions:

• In a large pot, saute the onion, bell pepper and celery with the garlic and all the spices for a few minutes on medium heat until the veggies soften.
• Add in the rice, tomatoes, chicken broth and water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 45 - 50 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.  If the jambalaya is still too liquidy at this point, continue to simmer, uncovered for 5 - 10 minutes until most of the liquid evaporates.
• Add the shrimp and cover the pot.  Cook for another 4 - 5 minutes until the shrimp are just done.  Adjust spices as necessary.
• Stir and serve.

Grilled Basil Lime Shrimp

Grilled Basil Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 pound large shrimp (25-30 count), peeled and de-veined
• olive oil
• 1 lime, halved
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• dried basil

Directions:

• In a bowl, combine the shrimp with a drizzle of olive oil, the juice of half a lime, a dash of TSSS, a few generous shakes of TSGG, and about a teaspoon of dried basil.  Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 15 - 30 minutes.
• Soak 5 or 6 bamboo skewers in water.
• Pre-heat grill to medium-high.  Skewer 4 to 5 shrimps onto each bamboo skewer and discard the marinade.  Grill for a few minutes on each side, until shrimps lose their translucency.  Spritz with the juice from the remaining half lime before serving.

Garlic Shrimp and Chickpeas

Garlic Shrimp and Chickpeas
Taken from this recipe.


Ingredients:

• 2 15-oz. cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Toss chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and TSSS to taste.  Pour into a rectangular baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes until they are golden.
• In the meantime, toss shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, TSSS, TSGG and lemon zest and let sit to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
• After they have baked for 20 minutes, remove the dish of chickpeas from the oven and place the shrimp on top.  Return to the oven and continue baking for 8-10 minutes until shrimp are completely pink and cooked through.
• Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

Shrimp and Veggie Stir-Fry with Oyster Sauce

The great thing about stir-frys is that they're so versatile.  You can add whatever veggies you want, cook them as short or as long as you want for crispier or softer texture, and use whatever sauce or seasonings you want.  Here's today's version.

Shrimp and Veggie Stir-Fry with Oyster Sauce
Loosely adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound baby bok choy, cleaned
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 pound green beans, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• soy sauce
• oyster sauce

Directions:

• Boil the bok choy in a pot of water for a few minutes, until tender but not soft.  Drain and set aside.
• In a large sauté pan or wok, heat olive oil.  Add minced shallot and stir for a few minutes until soft and fragrant.  Add garlic and stir for a few seconds until fragrant.
• Stir in the shiitake mushrooms and water.  Cook, stirring frequently for 3 - 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
• Add in the green beans and continue to stir for a few minutes until they are tender but still firm.
• Add in the carrots and shrimp and continue to stir for a couple of minutes until shrimp begin to turn pink.
• Toss in the cooked bok choy.
• Add a few dashes of soy sauce and oyster sauce to taste.
• Continue to stir until shrimp become slightly firm.
• Serve immediately over brown rice.

If you like it spicy, you can add some chili sauce or hot pepper flakes towards the end.