Spiced Shrimp with Israeli Salad and Couscous

We recently subscribed to Hello Fresh, which is basically a meal plan delivery system. They send you fresh food and recipes every week to keep your dinner time from getting too boring.  If you're interested in trying it out, you can get $40 off your first box here.

Our dinner was getting boring, and my husband had had enough of it. So far I have really enjoyed the stuff we've been making.  This one was especially fun to make because I have never had any kind of Israeli dish.  Turns out that it is the perfect meal for this crazy summer time heat (imagine that... Israel).  It is so light and fresh and won't bog you down, and I just couldn't not share it.

Looks pretty close to the picture on the recipe!

What you'll need:

• 20-24oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup Israeli Couscous
• 2 small red onions, one finely diced, one cut in 1-inch cubes
• 2 Persian cucumbers, finely diced
• 1/2 oz fresh mint leaved, finely chopped
• 4 Roma tomatoes, cored and seeded; two finely diced, two cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 lemons, zested and halved
• 6 oz plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp southwest seasoning
• olive oil
• salt a pepper to taste

What to do:

Preheat oven.  Set the broiler to 500°F.

Cook the couscous: Heat a large drizzle of oil in a small pot over medium heat.  Add about 2/3 of the diced onion and all of the couscous.  Cook and stir for about 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.  Add 4 cups of water and a dash of salt.  Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 15 minutes, or until the couscous is cooked through and water is absorbed. (I actually ended up doing this wrong. I think I cooked it on too low of a temperature and ended up with too much water when the couscous was done cooking.  If this happens, just drain the water out with a colander and return it to the pot.)  Cover and set aside in a warm place.

Make the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine half of the lemon zest and mint, all of the yogurt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Make the salad: In a medium to large bowl, stir together the remaining diced onion, lemon zest, and mint, the cucumber, diced tomato, a sqeeze of lemon, large drizzle of oil, and salt and pepper.

Cook shrimp and veggies: Toss the shrimp, cubed onion, and cubed tomato in a drizzle of olive oil, all of the southwest seasoning, and salt a pepper.  Spread out evenly on a baking sheet and broil about 5-6 minutes, turning about halfway through.  Everything should be lightly charred when done.

Plate it up! Combine the salad and couscous.  Taste and see if it needs more salt and pepper.  Serve the shrimp and veggies on top of the couscous salad and top with the lemon-mint yogurt (as pictured).

Enjoy!

Here is what Hello Fresh's dish looked like (mine is pictured above):

They used skewers; I did not. I also plated less couscous salad because I cannot eat that much.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: about 15 minutes

Makes about 4 servings.

Super Easy (and delicious) Beef Stroganoff

One of my personal favorites to make, this dish is one that can be thrown together at the last minute if you're in a hurry or just don't really feel like cooking much.  Plus, it's delicious.  Much better than Mr. Helper.

What you'll need:

• 8oz of pasta (typically egg noodles, but I used bow ties this time)
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 cube beef bouillon, crushed
• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 8oz sour cream
• 2oz half and half (milk works, too)
• salt and pepper

What to do:

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water and drain.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large drizzle of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the ground beef to the pan, season with salt a pepper, and chop up into bits as it cooks through.  Drain and return to the skillet.

Add sour cream, cream of mushroom, half and half, and bouillon to the pan.  Stir until well combined and heated through.  Salt and pepper to taste, then stir the cooked pasta into the mixture.

Serve it up, and enjoy!

Makes about 4 servings.

Prep time: about 3 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes.

New Year's Soup

I have my mother to thank for the inspiration for this dish.  She used to always make cabbage soup when I was growing up, and it was pretty damn tasty.

Once I became a responsible adult, I always dreaded the New Year meal.
A. Cabbage is not tasty.  Not only that, it smells awful.
B. While black eyed peas are not really bad, it is difficult to get creative with them.

After several New Years of failed meals, I finally remembered about my mom's cabbage soup. I made some adjustments for the occasion, added some secret ingredients, and made a meal worthy of Hell's Kitchen (according to me and my minions).

And the best part is that it doesn't leave your kitchen reeking of cabbage.

What you'll need:

• 1 lb chopped ham (I just bought a small pre-sliced honey ham and chopped it up)
• 1/2 head of cabbage, medium to large, chopped
• 1 cup dried black eyed peas, rinsed
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dried minced onion
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 T basil
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 2-3 dashes of Swampy's Bar-B-Q Rub (secret ingredient #1)
• 2-3 dashes of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (secret ingredient #2)

**This soup does NOT need salt**

What to do:

Warm the ham in the bottom of a large stock pot over medium heat.  I like to let it sizzle for about 4-5 minutes to bring out some of the flavor.  Stir in garlic and let cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and stir it all together.  You may or may not need more water, depending on how big your cabbage is.  Make sure it is all covered up with liquid.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce to medium-low heat (slightly more on the medium side), cover, and let simmer for about an hour, or until beans are nice and tender.

Serve with cornbread, and you have a highly inexpensive, highly delicious meal to get you ready for your prosperous year.

Enjoy!

Prep time: About 10 minutes

Cook time: About an hour

Serves: 6-7

Best Shepherd's Pie EVER

I've often wondered if anyone ever actually reads the long stories before recipes on blog posts.  I think I have read maybe one.  Ever.

That being said, I don't need a reason to make shepherd's pie.  I just wanted it (and for once in my life had some ground beef thawed out).

Enough chit chat! Get to the recipe!

What you'll need:

Meat mixture

• 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 96%, but it's up to you)
• 1 cup finely diced mushrooms
• 2 cups mixed frozen veggies (peas, carrots, corn, green beans)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped (I actually completely forgot about the onion!! But it still turned out awesome)
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1-2 T avocado oil (or olive; whatever)
• salt and pepper to taste

Mashed potatoes

• 4-5 large red potatoes (peeled if you like, but I didn't)
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 1/2 cup half and half (or milk)
• salt to taste
• paprika

What to do:

Dice potatoes into one inch cubes, and boil in salted water until tender (about 15 minutes).  Drain.  Mash in the pot with butter and half and half until desired consistency.  You can use a food processor for this step, but I personally don't like my potatoes super creamy.  Also, I don't own a food processor.  Ahem.  Taste and see if they need more butter, milk, or salt.  Don't worry about calories.  You're beautiful.

At the same time you start the potatoes, heat your oil on medium heat in the bottom of a large skillet. Saute onions about 4 minutes, then add ground beef.  Cook your ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, chopping it up into bitty bits with a wooden spoon until browned all the way through.  Drain.  Set aside.

Drop mushrooms into the skillet and cook until brown and fragrant, about 4 minutes.  Return meat to pan and add garlic.  Cook an additional 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add flour and combine well into mixture.  Preheat oven to 400°F.

Add broth, veggies, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, basil, thyme, and rosemary.  Mix them all together and let simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Spray casserole dish with cooking spray.  Spread meat mixture on the bottom.  Spoon mashed potatoes on to the top of the meat and completely cover.  I ended up with some extra potatoes, but those can be reheated on leftover night.  Sprinkle the top with paprika and pop in the oven, uncovered.  

Bake for about 10 minutes, then broil until the top of the potatoes are a nice golden color.  Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy.

Honesty factor:  The only things I actually measured were the frozen vegetables and the broth.  Everything else I pretty much eyeballed and guesstimated, which is what I love about cooking.  It's art, not science.

Prep time: about 10 minutes

Cook time: about an hour

Servings: about 6

Ground Beef and Lentil Soup

Oh, how I love fall.  For all of the normal reasons of course, but also because it is the best time to start bringing out those soup recipes, and of course for discovering more.

For this one, I had some ground beef thawed out for meatloaf, but then I remembered that I had lentils and really wanted to make a soup.  So, naturally, I went scrolling through Pinterest and found one that caught my fancy.  And then I made it my own.  If you're interested in the original recipe, you can find it here, but I did not agree with some of it, so I improved upon it.

I was actually unsure of how it would turn out at first, but it was a hit at my table.  Both kids and the husband ate every bite and loved it.  (Success!)

What you'll need:

• 1lb lean ground beef (I used 96/4)
• 1/2 an onion finely chopped
• 1 Tb minced garlic
• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1 Tb parsley
• 1 Tb thyme
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• approx. 50.7oz chicken stock (I used 3 16.9oz boxes)
• 1 crushed beef bullion cube
• 2/3 cup lentils
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used white rice)
• 2 Tb soy sauce

What to do:

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot on medium heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent (about 4 minutes).  Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add ground beef and cook until it is all brown.  Add parsley, thyme, dill weed, cumin, and turmeric and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Add lentils and carrots and mix into the ground beef.

Add chicken stock and beef bullion and stir it all together.  Bring soup to a boil (use high heat for this step).  Reduce to low heat and simmer for 25 minutes, covered, until carrots and lentils are soft.

Stir in the rice and bring to a boil (I used high heat again).  Reduce heat back to low and simmer for another 20 minutes, or until rice is thoroughly cooked.  Add soy sauce.  Salt and pepper to taste (be sure to taste before you add salt because of the soy sauce).

Serve it up hot with some crackers, and you've got yourself a hearty cold weather dish.

Yields about 6 hearty servings.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour(ish)

Enjoy!

The Easiest Chicken and Dumplins You Will Ever Make

Not only are they easy, they are super yummy!

Total cook time: About 35 minutes.

What you'll need:

• 3lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Large can of cream of chicken*
• 1 can of large biscuits (homestyle original or buttermilk)**
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil
• Garlic powder
• Parsley (not pictured)

*You can mix it up and use 4 small cans of cream of whatever else. I've mixed cream of celery, mushroom, and chicken, and it turned out really good.  I experimented with the Healthy Choice this time, but it is not nearly as flavorful as the full fat one. I solved this by adding more basil.

**Do NOT use flaky or butter flavored biscuits. They will not turn out.

What to do:

• Place the whole bag of chicken breasts in a medium to large pot, and fill with enough water to submerge them. (You can also cut the chicken beforehand, but it makes straining the fat out more difficult later.)
• Season with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic powder.
• Bring to a boil, and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
• Pull the cooked chicken out of the broth and set on a plate to cool a little. 
• Using a large spoon, scoop and strain the fat out of the broth. You will not be able to get it all out, which is perfectly fine.
• Keeping the heat on medium high, stir in the cream of chicken.  Heat and stir until all of the lumps are gone.
• While your cream of chicken is heating up, begin to tear or cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Set aside. (I like to set mine in the microwave or stove to keep it from losing too much heat.)
• When your broth mixture is smooth, turn down the heat begin tearing the biscuits into dumpling size pieces and dropping them into the broth. (Note: the biscuits will expand as they cook, so keep the pieces smaller than you would normally want them to be.)
• Let them cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken back to the soup.
• Enjoy!