Showing posts with label shrimp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shrimp. Show all posts

Monday, July 25, 2016

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.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Shrimp Pasta in Tomato Herb Sauce


If you're in an Italian mood but don't really want spaghetti or alfredo, I have a recipe for you.  This was something I threw together when I discovered I had no tomato sauce in my pantry (that's when you know it's time for me to go grocery shopping).


What you'll need:

  • 12-16 oz medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced (keep all of the juices with it)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil 
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 4 tbs parsley
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp oregano 
  • lemon juice from half a lemon (or a capful of the bottled stuff)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 box (8oz.) small shells
  • grated parmesan
What to do:

Combine tomatoes (and juice), olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and herbs and spices into a large skillet. Bring to a low boil. Cover and let simmer on medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes*.  While this is happening, start the water for your pasta.
Add shrimp and re-cover.  Continue to simmer on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is bright pink (about 10 minutes).
Add shrimp and sauce to cooked pasta.
Sprinkle with some parmesan and enjoy!



Total cook time: About 25 minutes
Serves: 4

*If you want a more fresh taste, you can skip this step. I strongly dislike the taste of raw tomatoes, so I let them cook a little longer.  If you're not sure, you can cook the shrimp in the sauce first and taste it when the shrimp are done.  If you don't think the tomatoes are cooked enough, remove the shrimp and cook the sauce for an extra 5-6 minutes.