Thai Lemon Shrimp

During a foggy weekday afternoon over the holidays my good friend Valorie and I decided to have a movie day and make a fabulous lunch.  Somehow someway my friend Valorie has never had Thai food, so I insisted I make her some.  As you may know many Thai recipes can be very time consuming especially the amazing soups (my favorite to make) so I chose a simple, healthy and surprisingly delicious recipe from the Closet Cooking Blog.  If you haven't ever checked this blog out you must, so many good and different recipes to try.  I ended up pairing this recipe with some soba noodles and I should have added a vegetable to it too.  Also today is Valorie's birthday so here is a special shout out for her, Happy Birthday Val!  Enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 lime zest
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

The Process
1.)  Marinate the shrimp in the sweet chili sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, lime zest, chili sauce, fish sauce, garlic and sugar for 10 or more minutes.
2.)  Heat a pan over medium heat.
3.)  Add the shrimp along with the marinade and the coconut milk and simmer until the shrimp are cooked, about 2-3 minutes.
4.)  Remove from heat and mix in the cilantro.

 

Turkey Egg Rolls

Want to lighten up your diet? Use turkey!  The only problem is it seems as if every recipe using turkey out there is the same i.e. turkey meatballs, turkey burgers, turkey stuffed peppers, turkey chili, turkey meatloaf blah blah blah.  Don't get me wrong those are all great uses of turkey and are delicious but don't you ever want something different? I definitely do which is why when I came upon this recipe I was stoked and eager to make it.  Not to mention these are a healthy and low fat version of egg rolls, always a plus!

Serves 7 (2 rolls per person)

The Ingredients
Egg rolls: 
2/3 cup coarsely chopped celery 
2/3 cup coarsely chopped carrot 
2 cups shredded cabbage 
1/2 teaspoon olive  oil  
2/3 cup chopped onion  
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger 
1 garlic clove, minced 
1/2 pound ground turkey breast 
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
14 egg roll wrappers 
1 large egg white  
Cooking spray

Sauce: 
3/4 cup soy sauce 
6 tablespoons rice vinegar 
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil 
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger 
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions 

The Process
1.)  Preheat oven to 425°.

2.)  Combine celery and carrot in food processor, and pulse 10 times or until finely chopped.

3.)  Combine celery mixture and cabbage in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave at high 5 minutes; drain.

4.)  Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add turkey; cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cabbage mixture, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, and pepper. Cover and chill 15 minutes.

5.)  Place 1 egg roll wrapper at a time onto work surface with 1 corner pointing toward you (wrapper should look like a diamond). Trim 1 inch off right and left corners of wrapper. Spoon 3 tablespoons turkey filling into center of wrapper. Fold lower corner of egg roll wrapper over filling. Fold in trimmed corners. Moisten top corner of wrapper with egg white; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Repeat procedure with remaining wrappers, turkey filling, and egg white.

6.)  Lightly coat egg rolls with cooking spray, and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until golden brown.

7.)  To prepare sauce, combine 3/4 cup soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon ginger; serve with egg rolls. Garnish with green onions.

 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

While Portland, Oregon is not being blasted with snow like the east coast we are still having cold weather which means soup is always a great dinner option.  When I made this recipe from this blog it was the midst of holiday shopping time which we all know gets more chaotic every year.  I came home after a long day and just wanted to focus on something simple, delicious, and utterly satisfying.  In an effort to make more dinners that are vegetarian friendly I slightly adapted the recipe noted above.  I also attempted to make homemade bread (in the picture below) but again it tasted like nothing at all.  I am not good at baking expect for making pies and some Holiday cookies...  If anyone has a good homemade sourdough or french bread recipe that doesn't require lots of kneading I would love to see it!  I want to become better at baking, though cooking will always be my number one passion.  Enjoy.

Serves 4

The Ingredients 
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups 2% milk
4 cups vegetable stock
2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4-5 cups of broccoli florets
Salt and pepper

The Process
1.)  Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender.

2.)  Add flour, stir and cook for a few minutes. Slowly add milk and vegetable broth, stirring constantly until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.)  Add grated cheese and stir until melted. Add broccoli and mix thoroughly. Let simmer until broccoli is tender.