Shrimp Tacos

During the summer the heat makes me tired, lethargic, and decreases my appetite, but I still have to eat something. I've been pulling things out of my hat that don't necessarily require the oven or much effort. This week we tried out shrimp tacos courtesy of CleanandDelicious.com. Believe it or not this was the first shrimp taco I had ever had and the first taco without cheese I've ever had...and I loved it!

Curry Cod with Veggies

Fresh and healthy can be ultra simple. A can of green curry sauce and some fresh asparagus and we had some delicious baked cod. I had never had green curry anything before, but I liked it.  It's mild and smooth, with a hint of spice on the back end.

Shrimp + Cream Cheese

I've been keeping my cooking very simple and easy, as I've had limited energy, so sorry for the lack of fun and inspiring recipes.  I have however become very good with thinking on the fly and using what's in the fridge. Recently Kraft came out with a new line of cream cheese called "cooking creme" which is thinner cream cheese with herbs, but why buy that when you can make the same product with regular cream cheese in your fridge and herbs in the cupboard. I've been using this cooking trick for years.  Regular cooked rice, any veggies you've got on hand, and sauteed shrimp is a typical combine, but add in cream cheese, a little milk, and some herbs of choice, and you get a whole new dish; a very tasty dish.

Cucumber Dill Salmon

I'm keeping things simple; the less ingredients the better, so I whipped up what Mike calls "the best ever" salmon. You can bake or grill the salmon; it's delicious either way.

Ingredients
2 salmon fillets
1/4 cup Almond Breeze
1/2 cup Cream Cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped cucumbers, skinned
2-3 tsp dill
salt, pepper, garlic to taste











Directions
1. Coat salmon with oil olive and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Grill salmon on direct high heat for 8-10 minutes or bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a small saucepan mix milk and cream cheese until smooth.
4. Stir in diced cucumbers, dill, and a dash of salt and pepper.
5. Serve sauce over grilled salmon fillets.

from kraft recipe website

Shrimp, Sausage, Red Beans & Rice

Now that it's colder outside, and work is keeping me super busy, I've been focusing on more hearty meals that supply leftovers. Seeing Aidell's sausages in stock at Gluten Free Specialty was my inspiration- I love the chicken and apple sausage, and so I took a little bit of everything in the house, only having to pick up a couple items, and made a new recipe from Carol Fenster's 1,000 recipes. To me the dish was almost like a simple version of paella, and it was delicious.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 adiell's sausages- chicken and apple
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice, or handful cherry tomatoes
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh basil
1 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 lb medium shrimp
2 cups cooked rice- your choice
fresh cilantro to garnish










Directions

1. Heat oil in pan, and saute onion and peppers.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, garlic, and herbs.
3. Add shrimp and sausage.
4. Mix in cooked rice.
5. Season to taste with salt, and pepper.

Pg 267

Mango Rice and Grilled Shrimp

I love, love, love shrimp! Some people just grill them with salt and pepper and serve them with plain rice and butter, but you can do so much more. I decided I wanted to make something totally different, and thus made a summer-themed dish.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 large carrot, shredded
1 mango, diced & peeled
1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 medium lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt










Directions
1. Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
2. Make sure all your add ins are shredded, diced, minced, and cubed- combine all in a bowl.
3. While you're waiting for the rice, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl and shrimp; toss to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes.
4. Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
5. Thread shrimp onto skewers.
6. Grill the shrimp for 3 minutes total. They should just be light pink in color. They can quickly become overcooked.
7. Add veggies to the rice; mix to combine.
8. Serve skewers over rice salad.

Tweaked from a recipe on allreecipes.com

Dill & Cucumber Salmon

Super simple and super delicious. Nothing more needs to be said.

Ingredients
2 salmon fillets
1/4 cup almond breeze
1/2 cup Cream Cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped cucumbers
2 tsp dill
salt
pepper
garlic











Directions
1. Coat salmon with oil olive and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Grill salmon on direct high heat for 8-10 minutes, depending on size and thickness of fillet.
3. Meanwhile, on the stovetop, mix milk and cream cheese in a pan; stir until smooth.
4. Stir in cucumbers, dill, and a dash of salt and pepper.
5. Serve sauce over grilled salmon fillets.

Garlic and Spinach Shrimp Pasta

Again I was just working with what I had in the house, and came up with a tasty and quick shrimp dinner that was inspired by a recipe I found on allrecipes.com My husband generally does not like cooked spinach, but I love it. It was the one vegetable I would gobble up as a kid, so I've been trying to figure out ways to incorporate into dishes. The spinach in this dish is just slightly steamed, and not cooked to the point of being mushy, which it can become quickly. He said he didn't really notice it, so I achieved my goal.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
1 to 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic
2 cups spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 lb shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails removed
2 cups cooked pasta

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Saute fresh spinach with 1 Tbsp olive oil until cooked.
3. Mix cornstarch, broth, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, red pepper, and lemon juice in a saucepan.
4. Heat to a boil. Cook and stir until mixture thickens.
5. Add shrimp. Cook 5 minutes or until shrimp is done.
6. Toss with pasta.

Shrimp & Fries, Gourmet Style

For larger families I imagine this would get pricey, but for Christmas dinner in our house we have seafood. This year it was jumbo prawns. Years ago my husband made me these shrimp for an anniversary dinner and now they are part of our regular recipe collection. Simple and easy these shrimp are gourmet if cooked correctly. Shrimp can quickly go from cooked to overcooked, so make sure you watch them carefully.

Lemon Pepper Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients
1 lb jumbo shrimp
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp ground pepper
butter for melting/dipping

Directions
1. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in a bowl.
2. Peel & De-vein shrimp.
3. Marinade in oil mixture for 15 minutes. (Marinading seafood for longer is not necessarily better, especially shrimp).
4. Heat grill.
5. Remove shrimp from marinade and place on skewers.
6. Grill or broil for 3 minute (can depend on size, but absolutely no more than 5 minutes).
7. Melt butter and use as a dip for cooked shrimp.
And as a side, I decided to try something new. The smaller you cut these homemade sweet potato fries, the more crispy and like a regular fry they will be. They were a little on the spicy side, so depending on how you like things, you might want to decrease the cayenne to 1/8 or just leave it out. For my husband however, they were perfect and he ate up an extras.

Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
1-2 large sweet potatoes (A 3 lb sweet potato make enough fries for 3-4 people)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a plastic bag, combine sweet potatoes, oil, taco seasoning, and cayenne pepper.
3. Close and shake the bag until the fries are evenly coated.
4. Spread fries out in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 30 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside.

Tilapia on a Bed of Vegetables

Tilapia is mild in taste, and easy on the wallet. This dish is simply delicious; low in carbohydrates and fat, and a decent serving of protein. Plus it makes a great presentation, as long as you have a gentle touch, as Tilapia is a thin, flaky fish, and may fall apart when you transfer it to your plate.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup red pepper, cut into strips
1 cup yellow pepper, cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, cut into strips
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lb Tilapia
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in skillet, saute vegetables for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Lay Tilapia on top of vegetables.
3. Sprinkle fish fillets with salt and pepper.
4. Cover pan, turn burner down to low and steam fish and vegetables for about 10 minutes, or until fish is flaky.
5. Transfer vegetables to plate and top with fish fillet.

Sesame Shrimp with Citrus Dipping Sauce

I love shrimp; in fact no holiday really seems complete without shrimp cocktail. For dinner last night I tried something a little different. We had sesame breaded shrimp with a spicy citrus dipping sauce. The original recipe called for several other ingredients and was meant to make enough shrimp for a banquet party, so I had some fun switching up some things to make it work for my needs. We had this as a entree, but you could certainly make this into a fancy salad, lettuce boat style for an appetizer.

Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
1 tangerine, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (or honey, or agave, or cornstarch mixed with water. Basically anything that will thicken it up)
2 tablespoons sugar
dash hot sauce (or Oli's Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce)

Shrimp
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I ground up some glutino crackers)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. For glaze: Bring all ingredients to boil in medium saucepan. Boil until slightly syrupy and reduces, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using.)
2. For shrimp: Whisk first 7 ingredients in medium bowl until well blended. Add shrimp; toss. Mix bread crumbs and sesame seeds in shallow dish. Dip shrimp into breading, coating both sides.
3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of shrimp; sauté until golden outside and opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining shrimp.


Tweaked from Bon Appetit Magazine Dec 2000

Tarragon Mayo Salmon

When I was a kid my mom used to put mayo on halibut, and I thought it was the darnest thing. However as I got older I learned to love it, and started using her "recipe" for salmon and cod. I say "recipe" because the amounts depend on your taste. This might sound strange to you, but the mayo has a great creamy taste when it gets hot. In fact, the other day I heard someone say they use mayo instead of butter when making a toasted cheese (grilled cheese) sandwich, and it makes it more creamy, and I may have to try that, but I digress.

Ingredients:
2 Salmon Fillets
Mayonnaise
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Tarragon

Directions
1 Line pan with foil.
2 Put Salmon in pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic to your taste,
3 Spread mayo onto of the fish.
4 Generously sprinkle with Tarragon.
5 Bake covered in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes; uncover and broil for 10 minutes.
6 Serve and Enjoy!

Sweet Hoisin Salmon

Working in an all natural food store, where everything is gluten free, I instantly notice when we get in new products, and something slightly new to the shelf is Hoisin sauce. I love trying things out, so I bought a bottle, and brought it home to mix up my own marinade for salmon.

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp gluten free Hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp gluten free Worcestershire
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp prepared mustard
1/4 Tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tsp salt

2 large salmon fillets

I marinaded them for about 45 minutes, and then we grilled them on direct high for 8 minutes and they were perfect. The flavor was a nice, sweet, barbecue-like flavor. Who says cooking has to be involved and time-consuming? With a little bit of creativity most meals can be easy and delicious.

Coconut Crusted Salmon

We mainly eat fish and chicken in our house, and salmon and shrimp are pretty much stables for us. Tonight I did a nice light breading with a hint of coconut, baked it in the oven, and served it up with a side of pasta salad.

Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
1 Tbsp lemon juice (you can use 1 egg instead if you want a heavier coating)
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs
1/4 cup flaked coconut
salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley to taste
cooking spray

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
3. Brush juice on salmon.
4. In a shallow dish, combine gluten free bread crumbs, coconut, and seasoning.
5. Dredge each fillet in the mixture and place in baking pan.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 130 degrees.
8. If desired, put under broiler for last 2 minutes to make the crust a rich golden brown.

Shrimp Salad over Spinach

I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate protein and vegetables into my diet, and a typical salad can get old after while, so for lunch tomorrow we'll be having shrimp salad over spinach leaves. I suppose you could add in some pasta and other vegetables and make this more of a shrimp pasta salad side dish, but I didn't, at least not this time around.

Ingredients
1 8 oz can corn
1 1/2 cups cooked peeled tiny shrimp, no tails
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp tablespoon finely chopped green onion, optional
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
2 oz feta cheese, optional
2 tbsp mayo
salt, pepper, garlic to taste

Directions
1. Drain corn and place corn kernels in medium bowl.
2. Add shrimp, bell pepper, green onion, lime juice, and hot pepper sauce; toss to blend.
3. Mix in mayo and cheese.
4. Season salad with salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Serve over a bed of spinach leaves.

Tweaked from Bon Appetit

Healthy and Low Calorie Shrimp Stir-fry

On the gluten free diet almost everything from brownie mixes to breads have some sort of rice flour in them. And then to have rice for dinner too can really add on the calories. Years ago all I would eat was white rice, and that's just a filler, nothing more, so I switched to brown a couple years back, and recently I decided I should make more of an effort to eat more foods low on the glycemic index, and rice falls mid range, so tonight I made a light and healthy stir-fry, without rice. Load up on your veggies and you'll still feel full and satisfied.

If you're not one who's very familiar with produce options this is a great dish to try something new. Head to the local farmers market or your favorite grocery store and pick up some produce in every color you can find. The color medley this dish offers is so appealing, and loading up a huge bowl shouldn't make you feel as guilty as if half the bowl was filled with rice.

Here's what I used:
1 carrot
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 zucchini
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 can water chestnuts
1 crown of broccoli
1/4 cup pine nuts
5 mushrooms
1 lb shrimp

And for sauce I mixed up:
2 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp honey or agave
salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and onion powder to your likely.

It's very light and mild, but oh so refreshing.

Lemon-Dijon Grilled Shrimp

Ever since I was a kid I have thoroughly enjoyed dining on shrimp. My taste has expanded to several other types of fish, but shrimp is always a fabulous treat, especially when my husband grills them just right. For dinner tonight we tried out a new recipe: Lemon-Dijon. They had a very mild flavor, with a hint of dill and mustard on the back end. Next time I think I'd use slightly less dried dill and a little extra honey, but give it a try and let me know what you think.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp fresh dill, or 1 Tbsp dried dill
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. In a blender combine all ingredients except shrimp and process until blended.
2. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for basting.
3. Place remaining marinade in a bowl or Ziploc with the shrimp and marinade for 30 minutes.
4. Remove shrimp from marinade and thread onto skewers.
5. Grill shrimp on high for 1-2 minutes per side, depending on size.

Tweaked from 1,000 GF Recipes by Carol Fenster p 261

Orange Roasted Salmon

I really like cooking with items that are in season and right now the citrus fruits are dominating farmers market. You've got to try this tasty orange salmon recipe; every time I make it I get great reviews.2 oranges, sliced into rounds
1/2 onion,thinly sliced
1 3/4 tsp olive oil
2 salmon fillets
1 1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp dried parsley
3 Tbsp orange juice
1 3/4 tsp lemon juice
1 1/4 tsp honey

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2 In a small bowl or cup, stir together the pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley.
3 Place the slices from one of the oranges in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place a layer of onion slices over the orange. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and sprinkle with half of the herb mixture.
4 Place the dish in the preheated oven, and roast for about 25 minutes, or until the onions are browned and tender.
5 Remove the dish from the oven, and increase the temperature to 450 degrees.
6 Push the onion and orange slices to the outer edge of the baking dish, and place the salmon fillets in the center.
7 Season with the remaining half of the herb mixture.
8 Whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice and honey in a small bowl.
9 Pour evenly over the salmon.
10 Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the salmon is opaque in the center.
11 Remove fillets to a serving dish, and discard the roasted orange. Garnish fillets with roasted onions and fresh orange slices.

from allrecipes.com