Super Garlicky Shrimp

I love garlic, always have and suspect I always will. I love to peel it, chop it up and toss it into the pan to smell it sizzling in hot olive oil. Combining this love with my obsession with shrimp and you have a perfect really quick meal that is good tossed on rice or with pasta or on a bed of salad greens.

I've noticed lately that, for whatever reason, I find making shrimp to be slightly decadent. Maybe it's because growing up we only had it occasionally and usually when we were on vacation, or perhaps because I have usually conceived of it as an expensive food item that I couldn't afford. But lately, living near a Trader Joe's Store, I can't get enough of it. So here's my recipe for super garlicky lemon shrimp.

Garlicky Lemon Shrimp

10 raw shrimp, deshelled and deveined
3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup cilantro, minced

In skillet or cast iron pan heat oil until nearly smoking. Add garlic and stir constantly until it just begins to color. Add shrimp and cook on one side until it turns pink; turn over to cook other side (total of about 2 minutes). Squeeze lemon juice over all to deglaze pan and remove from heat. Serve on cooked grains or a bed of salad greens garnished with cilantro.

Hugs!

Celeriac Coleslaw

Celeriac or celery root is one of those strange vegetables that is simultaneously repulsive and compelling. Its hairy root end and green tops make it look like a shriveled head, complete with a scratchy beard and green hair. Yet I am always intrigued by it and buy it at least once a season when it shows up at the farmers' market

My first introduction to celeriac was digging it up at my friend Signe's Earthcraft farm in Indiana. Farmers always say celeriac tastes almost like celery, but since it is nothing like the consistency or texture of celery, it can be kind of confusing in how to cook it. It has an earthy, fresh green smell and my first attempt to cook it was to steam it and add some olive oil, salt and pepper. Steaming really brings out the celery flavor, so if you're not a huge fan of cooked celery (which I'm not) I would recommend blanching it in some milk or cream and then sprinkling it with some grated hard cheese.

I have locavore friends who use it in the winter in making soups when celery is not available, but I find it works best either roasted with other root vegetables or raw and shredded as in this coleslaw. Right now I'm cooking from the pantry as much as possible so I decided to just add some carrots, parsley and red onion to this simple coleslaw. Quick and yummy!

Celeriac Coleslaw

1 head celeriac, peeled and cleaned
2 carrots
1/2 cup parsley, minced
1 slice red onion, minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons lemon juice or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared spicy mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt
pepper

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, paprika and salt and pepper and set aside. On the large holes grate the celeriac and carrots and combine in a bowl. Add parsley and red onion and pour over dressing. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Hugs!

Homemade and Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

As a kid I disdained chicken pot pies; I hated gravy and the idea of mixing all of the foods together was a strict no-no in my book. However, when I began eating meat again after a 15 year hiatus the first meat I made was a baked chicken. But once the chicken was cooked, I had no desire to eat it, it just looked too foreign to me. Being the frugal sort I searched for another way to eat it. If the meat was hidden in something like a pot pie I would probably be more amenable to eating it. It was true and ever since then I have delighted in making and eating chicken pot pies!

The great thing about homemade pot pies is that you control the ingredients from the crust to the type of vegetables to the gravy, which is why I have the audacity to title this post a "healthy" pot pie. In this version, the gravy is made with chicken stock (not a roux of butter and flour which is higher in calories). While the crust is invariably made with butter or some other shortening, you can control that to some extent.

Pot pies can easily be made without meat or a variety of other meats; they're a great way to use up leftovers or odds and ends from the refrigerator. In this version I added some fresh fennel and cooked rice along with my usual onions, carrots and celery. Past versions have included potatoes, turnips and sweet potatoes. Using lamb or stew beef (already cooked) would be an excellent idea as well. In fact, leftover stews with their vegetables and meat were probably the original impetus for this recipe; just wrap it up in pastry and you have a whole new meal with very little effort. Delish!

Chicken Pot Pie

2 chicken thighs and 1 chicken tenderloin (or tender as they're usually called) chopped in 1 inch pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup homemade chicken stock OR 1 cup store bought stock
1 cup cooked rice
2 tablespoons flour (all purpose or spelt flour is ok too)
2 store bought pie crusts (or make your own with enough to fill pan and cover pie)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add carrots, celery and fennel and cook another 4 minutes until softened. Add chicken and stir and cook another 7-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add stock and bring to low simmer. In separate bowl or measuring cup mix flour with 1/2 cup cold water and blend in all flour so there are no lumps. Raise heat to medium and add flour water mixture and stir as liquid begins to thicken. As liquid thickens into a gravy, add rice and mix well. If rice absorbs too much liquid, add more water, 1/4 cup at a time so that entire mixture is still encased in gravy. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Pour into prepared baking shell and spread evenly. Cover with remaining pie crust and pinch edges together to seal. Poke 8-10 slits in top with knife or fork to allow steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes until top is browned. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes (it is very hot inside!) Slice and serve.

Hugs!

Garlic Lemon Broccoli

There is a chain restaurant in the D.C. area called Maggiano's, and it is known for its family style portions. While it isn't the most spectacular Italian food, one of it's signature vegetable dishes is Garlic Lemon Broccoli and on many occasions I would share some with my core group of girlfiends, known as The Girl Posse.

Last night I attempted to recreate this dish and was thrilled to be so successful! I know that creating a dish with garlic, lemon and broccoli shouldn't be that hard of a feat, but I feared that there was something that the restaurant did that I wouldn't have figured out and it wouldn't have tasted as wonderful. Happily, that wasn't the case. It turns out that steaming broccoli and then pouring quickly sauteed garlic over it and squeezing a bit of lemon on top was all I needed to make a super delicious dish of broccoli! This is worthy of any dinner party or fancy meal and yet very easy to make. I can't believe it took me so long to tackle it!

Garlic Lemon Broccoli

1 bunch broccoli, chopped into equal size pieces (including trimmed stalks)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, not yet juiced
salt to taste

In large pot, steam broccoli until al dente. Drain and set aside in cooking pot with lid on. In saute pan, heat olive oil on high for 1-2 minutes and then add garlic and cook until just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and pour oil and garlic over broccoli and toss to coat. Squeeze (or ream) lemon half over broccoli and toss to mix well. Add salt to taste and additional olive oil if desired. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Hugs!

Mama's Spectacular Meatloaf

My mother has always been a great cook and as a kid, I could never get enough of her meatloaf, especially since she usually made mashed potatoes to go with it! The other day, after a long day of moving, my sisters and I came home to a lovely surprise: my mom had made meatloaf, sauteed Brussels sprouts and German potato salad. What a feast!

Here's a recipe for what she put in this version of the meatloaf which of course is different every time she prepares it. In this version she pulled lots of odds and ends from the vegetable bin and the freezer including fresh red pepper and onion and breakfast sausage cooked in bacon for additional flavor. Clearly I get my experimental cooking approach from her.

Mama's Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
2 breakfast sausage links, uncooked
2 chicken livers, chopped
1 teaspoon bacon grease
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons 1/2 and 1/2 or milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casing from sausage links and mash into ground beef. Saute chicken livers in bacon grease and add to beef and sausage mixture. (She simply cooked 3 pieces of bacon and removed them and added the livers to the remaining grease; she ate the bacon but you could crumbed it into the loaf or save for later). In separate bowl, combine 1/2 and 1/2, egg and bread crumbs and allow to meld for a few minutes. Add bread crumb mixture, tomato paste, and chopped vegetables to meat and mix well to fully combined. Add salt and pepper and form into loaf and place in baking dish. Bake for 60-75 minutes, checking for doneness at 60 minute mark (meat will run clear when done).

Hugs!

Blog Contests and You Win!

I participated in my first blog contest and I invite you to check out the rest of the submissions at Tinned Tomatoes. It's a great opportunity to see a bunch of pretty photos and get some great ideas for fall recipes as well as check out food blogs from around the world (impressive span of the globe!)

Hugs!