Quick Dinner: Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

For a quick (and relatively healthy) dinner, I love to use my always ready stock of frozen shrimp. If you ever see them on sale, definitely stock up.

To defrost, either toss them into the fridge before you go to work or submerge the bag in a bowl of cold water for an hour or so. For this dish, I like to remove all of the shell.

Toss the shrimp with a dusting of Cajun seasoning and garlic salt. If you don’t have Cajun spice, just add a bit of paprika, oregano, thyme and onion powder.

Mince a few cloves of garlic. Then in a separate bowl, zest and juice one lemon and add a half cup of white wine. Chop a couple green onions and set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Next combine about 3/4 cup breadcrumbs with a bit of garlic salt and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Drizzle some olive oil in a small frying pan. Heat the breadcrumbs on low heat until golden. But keep an eye on them! Meanwhile heat some butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the shrimp and garlic to the butter and also add about half a packet of angel hair pasta to the boiling water.

Turn the shrimp after a minute and add the wine and lemon juice. Let simmer on low heat. Make sure the breadcrumbs are off the heat. Once the pasta is al dente (remember angel hair cooks very fast!), add it directly to the shrimp and turn the heat off. Add the green onion and toss well. Get your plates out. (I prefer flat soup bowls) Add half the breadcrumbs to the pasta. Toss again. Plate and sprinkle more breadcrumbs on top. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Quick Dinner : Parmesan Crusted Cod with Tomatoes

For a super fast and healthy dinner, try this crusted cod. You can use any white fish but I love the meatiness of cod. Of course I can’t get it fresh but it’s still a nice texture.

Finely dice half a yellow onion and slice a couple garlic cloves. Sauté on low heat with olive oil in large frying pan. Meanwhile chop a box of cherry tomatoes and add to the onions with a dash of cumin, coriander and black pepper. Let cook a minute or so and add a splash of white wine. Let simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour into pasta bowls. While tomatoes are cooking, blitz some old bread if you want fresh breadcrumbs. Or mix store bought with a little Parmesan, black pepper and bit of garlic salt.

In the pan add a drizzle of olive oil and toss a couple large handfuls of spinach, pinch salt and black pepper. Cook until wilted and spoon into center of tomatoes.

Sprinkle fish with garlic salt and pepper. Heat oil in same pan and cook the fish 1-2 minutes on medium heat. If you have a lemon, zest and squeeze juice. Flip the fish over and cook another 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon place fish onto tomato spinach. Let remaining juice reduce slightly and spoon on top of fish.

For the final touch, drizzle a couple tbsp of olive oil and add bread crumbs. Stir on low heat until golden and toasty. Spoon directly onto fish and enjoy!

Ps. If you need a starch, add some angel hair pasta to the tomato sauce.

Read Full Post »

Healthy Eating: Cumin Chicken with Avocado Salsa

After my carb binge, I needed to go back to something healthy. It’s funny now that I’ve been eating so healthy, my body can really feel it when I eat rich and heavy foods. So I was craving some clean, fresh flavors. Since chicken breasts were on sale ($1.99/lb), I stocked up again. I butterflied them and froze all but one half for dinner.

Cumin Chicken with Avocado Salsa on Israeli mint couscous. This was a super fast, simple dish. And as you know from my earlier post, I am now in love with Israeli couscous!

• Sprinkle the chicken breast with (kosher) salt, black pepper and cumin (light dusting). Pan fry in a bit of olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes on each side, depending on thickness.
• Heat a bit of olive oil and toast about one cup of couscous for a couple minutes. Add just over a cup of chicken stock. Bring it to a boil and reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes. Let cool few minutes and add fresh lemon juice and zest and chopped mint.
• Finely chop red onion and cube a ripe avocado. Squeeze fresh lime juice and add salt and fresh black pepper. Then plate up!

For a bit of creaminess and just a little indulgence, I added some crumbled feta to top it off! Happy healthy eating.

Read Full Post »

Healthy Eating: Yogurt Marinated Chicken With Chickpea Tagine & Israeli Couscous

In continuing my efforts for Chris and I to eat healthy rounded meals, I decided to go Mediterranean/Moroccan. I was inspired by a recipe I saw in the Sunday Yes! Essential Shopper mailer, distributed by the San Jose Mercury News. It was a recipe for a Chickpea and Date tagine. The recipe called for a mix of spices including ground cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon. These are very common Moroccan spices that can really warm up a dish. They can fill a dish with so much flavor that you won’t need much salt (making it healthier!). I wanted to make the dish a bit heartier which is why I added the chicken.

Yogurt marinated chicken makes for very juicy, moist meat. It’s a method used around the world including India and the Mediterranean. I originally wanted to use Harissa (check out this recipe). Sadly, it’s not that common in the States so can be hard to find. Instead I did a combination of other spices (paprika, cumin, cayenne, garlic salt). The yogurt creates a nice crust as well. Reserve some on the side for a nice cool topping. The fresh cilantro and lemon juice brightens the entire dish up as well.

I added in the couscous to lighten all the flavors and make the dish a bit heartier. I’ve recently gotten hooked on Israeli couscous. I find its texture is similar to orzo pasta but without being too heavy. The couscous is even better when it’s been toasted and made with chicken stock instead of water. Good quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon zest and juice are key ingredients. This citrus couscous is so universal and could go with mixed greens or tossed with feta and olives.

This is a great dish for using up leftovers as well! You can add chicken stock to all the ingredients to make a really nice, filling soup for leftover lunch. You could add the chicken and tagine into a flatbread with some cucumber mint yogurt for a wrap. You could opt to make this dish slightly healthier and use chicken breast as well. Or go vegetarian and add some eggplant or zucchini to the tagine.

Here’s my recipe for Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Chickpea Tagine & Israeli Couscous. Hope you enjoy!

Read Full Post »