Vegetable Stir Fry, with Shrimp

Yesterday was such a dreary day, so my daughter and I went thrift shopping for books, of course they would have to be cookbooks, or some kind of great novels for women. I am open to all kinds of other books as well, and buy them on Amazon, but when I could find some real good books in the thrift stores which are the best, in our area, I kid you not. I will get back on that subject, later.

 The main thing I should be talking about is another quick shrimp dish. I only had about maybe a dozen shrimp leftover in my freezer, and knowing I will devour that amount by myself, I better make it light. I bought this wonderful bag of fresh mixed veggies at my local supermarket, in the Asian section, and I wanted to make spring rolls, the same day that my friend Sabby made hers, but did not have the patience to roll the little suckers, plus the fact that I would have to fry them, so this was my next best option...vegetables stir fry, with shrimp. Mind you, even the little bag of the sauce came with it, but of course, I spiced the shrimps up even more for extra flavor.

Vegetable Stir Fry with Shrimp

1/2 lb large shrimp cleaned and deveined, with tail on

1/2  bag of 16 oz. LEASA mixed stir fry vegetables

1 bunch scallion, outer leaves discarded, and sliced 1 inch.diagonal 

1 clove garlic sliced thin

1/2 teaspoon of a good quality ginger

1/2 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

juice of 1 lime

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Place shrimp in a medium bowl, and sprinkle all over with the juice of 1/2 of the lime, and  the spices. Heat a wok, or a large heavy skillet with  1 Tablespoon of the oil, on high. Stir fry the the shrimp with the sliced garlic for about 2 minutes, till almost pink. Remove from the wok, or skillet, and set aside. Wipe wok, or skillet clean with paper towel. Add the 2 Tablespoon of the remaining oil set it high again, and stir fry the scallion, and the vegetables for a few minutes. add the packet of the sauce from the bag, which is (teriyaki sauce. If you are using different vegetables, you can add your own splash of teriyaki, or soy sauce on it.) Add the remaining juice of the other half of the lime, and add the shrimp back into the wok, or skillet. Stir for another minute or 2 until it turns completely pink, and heated through. Vegetables should be nice and crispy. Serves 2.

Just look at all these books. Daughter browsing through for herself and finding great cookbooks too. Price range from 95 cents for paperback, to $1.95 to $2.95 for hardcover books...and these books are most of the quite recent.The entire bottom shelf is loaded with childrens' books. I think we just about picked up all the best ones.

 





 

Home made Pizza

I should really be calling this a Sunday Pizza because that's the only day I get to make this for a quick bite for the family, and it's a great little satisfying lunch with just salad on the side...perfectly even cut little squares on the one side, as you can see, it's just plain, with organic tomato sauce topping, and  (not so organic) shredded mozzarella cheese. On the smaller side, is topped with sauteed, sliced onions, pitted kalamata olives, and pepperoni (my favorite...sorry, not so light and healthy, but oh, so good! The crust is the best part made with the most awesome flour, even better than bread flour for the pizza, called, Eagle Mills, all Natural all Purpose, unbleached flour...a wholesome blend of white, and ultra grain flour. Pizza was devoured, within a few minutes.

Home made Pizza  Dough

1pkg active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup of warm water

3 cups of unsifted Eagle Mills all Purpose unbleached flouror 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour,  and 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tbsp. olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the 1 cup of warm water, with sugar. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast mixture with fork, stir until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Grease a large bowl all around the surface, with the olive oil. Place the dough into the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a plastic wrap, or a towel, and place in a draft free place for about 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down, and place the dough on to the floured surface, cover it by placing the bowl over it, and let it rise again, for an additional 1 hr. Now, you can roll the dough out with a rolling pin,  and place it on a 12 in round pizza pan, or you can make a rectangular form, and place it on a 9x13 flat baking sheet. Preheat oven to 500 degrees and pre-bake for 10 minutes, so when you put the topping on it it won't come out soggy, underneath the topping. Top with basic sauce, and cheese, or with your favorite toppings, and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes until dough get nice and crunchy, and cheese is melted, and bubbly. Serves 6

note:

click on the highlighted portion of the Eagle Mills flour to get more information, regarding this wonderful flour.

Basic Pizza Sauce 

1 can of 28 oz. organic tomato sauce

or tomato sauce of your choice

3 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

dry herbs of your choice, or leave plain

( I just used 3 large whole fresh basil leaves in the sauce)

Fresh basil leaves for decoration (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat ingredients till simmering, Cook stirring occasionally, 15 minutes, or until thickened. Cool before spreading on pizza dough.

Three in One Salad

After all those ooey-gooey cheesie comfort food dishes, it's time to get down to real serious salad eatings. I created this salad at my daughter's (you can see, the blue plates are hers, not a thrift find,..a perfect lunch, yet comfortably pleasing with Greek pita bread she purchased, and the wonderful Greek yogurt from our local Middle Eastern market. The avocado was from the local Cuban produce market, so is this Greece, meet Cuba, in South Florida. Not too shabby!

Three in One Salad

Top Layer: Tzatziki

1 large cucumber peeled, halved, and cut into thirds,

 insides scooped out and  cut into 1/4 inch small slices. 

1/2 cup Greek plain yogurt

small amount of fresh snipped, or dried mint, or dill, or oregano (I used dried oregano)

salt and pepper to taste

a dash of rice vinegar (very mild)

Mix all the ingredients together, and serve it on top of the salad, (or on the side if you prefer)

Serves 2

Middle layer: Avocado and tomato salad

2-4 small mature, just ripe avocados,

skin removed, split in half and diced into cubes

2-4 plum tomatoes, cut in half and cubed

1 bunch scallions, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 jalapeno peppers diced

juice of 1 lime 

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together all the ingredients, in a medium bowl, and save it for the middle layer of the salad, along with the dressing in it. No additional dressing needed.

Bottom layer: 1 bag of European mixed salad

1 6 oz can of imported Italian light  tuna in olive oil (or your favorite brand)

Start out on a dinner plate, with a nice portion, or half of the bag of salad, next, divide the tuna into nice chunks and scatter it evenly on 2 dinner plates, with oil in it..(don't drain liquid, or oil)...next, divide, and layer the avocado tomato salad including the dressing. The top portion is the tzatziki, just scoop that on the top, and serve it with pita bread, or naan, or bread of your choice. A hearty, healthy, satisfying lunch. Serves 2-4, if smaller portions are to be prepared.

Can you believe it? 12 limes for $1.00. Can't beat this price!

Just look at these beauties, for 99 cents per pound!

Baked Broccoli and Cheddar Rice

Half the time, I am just "brain dead" when it comes to making new stuff, so I stay with the "old" and try to make it more healthy and lighter. Unfortunately, this is kind of obstructed with the cheddar cheese. I got this idea from an Uncle Ben's already mixed in the box a few, or maybe more than a few years ago. I really liked the boxed idea, but did not want to deal with all that sodium and mysterious ingredients, so just from that, I wanted to re-create my own. My family loves this, and they can't remember that I also made my polenta the same way, with the broccoli, and cheddar, which again, have not made it in a long time. For this dish, I made Panko crusted oven baked chicken breast. They paired up very nicely.

Baked Broccoli and Cheddar Rice

1 cup long grain rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the water for the rice adding the olive oil,(or butter) if you prefer. Do not cook it all the way. Takes only 15 minutes with this method. Steam the broccoli florets, and mix the rice and broccoli together, season with salt and pepper, and mix half of the grated cheddar. Bake in an oven proof ceramic dish, for about 15 minutes on 350 degrees, and top with the additional grated cheddar cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes, or until cheese gets nice and bubbly, and golden. Serves 4.

Oven Baked Boneless Chicken Breasts

2 nice large boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp real mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 flour
1 cup Panko
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Cooking spray for moisture

Generously massage chicken breasts with the mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and mix the flour and Panko together in a large baggie. Drop the chicken breasts into the baggie and give it a good shake. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil, pat the Panko base well into the chicken breasts. Smear the oil on the aluminum foil, and with the cooking spray, spray the top of the chicken breasts. (this will assure you for a nice crisp baking, without drying it out.) Bake in a 350 degree oven, for a good 25 minutes, till it gets nice and crunchy on the top. These large pieces serves fro 2-4.

Stuffed Artichokes

I've been wanting to make stuffed artichokes for the longest time, but was not quite satisfied with the looks of them. They have to be large, firm and a beautiful deep green color, in order for me to buy it. This pair was a perfect match for stuffing and steaming, and served with a olio, aglio sauce...in our language, a nice dipping sauce with easily made with the combination of your best mayo, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar.

The proper way to call these artichokes is Poached Stuffed artichokes. They are poached in a large pot, in small amount of boiling water for about 45 minutes. Make sure you cut the core off almost all the way to the bottom, so they can stand up. Snip the prickly leaves all around. They are no use. Also, with a serrated knife, cut the top off, about 1 inch, to expose the "heart". Wash well in water, and immediately rub with cut lemon, or lime juice, or white vinegar. After they're cooked, it's such a fun way of eating them, they have superb flavor. You simply peel off leave one-by-one, and dip them in the accompanying sauce, and the best part is, when you get to the heart, which has a rich, soft, butter flavor. Yumm!

Recipe, to follow.

Stuffed Artichokes (Poached)

2 nice large artichokes

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic chopped

salt and pepper to taste 

juice of 1 whole lemon, or lime

a handful of fresh parsley chopped

or (1 container of Tabbouleh...fresh, store bought)

( I used fresh parsley, and leftover Tabbouleh, from the 

Middle Eastern market)

In a small bowl, mix together all your ingredients, if not moist enough add a little more oil, or small amount of water, for a pasty effect. Stand artichokes upright, make sure you rub all over with the lemon, or lime, stretch the leave out, being careful not to tear them and lightly pack them with the stuffing...no special way, just wherever you can pack the stuffing lightly, all around. Now, drizzle a little more oil on top, and  place them in a large pot, just the way you see it in my photo, on top. Add water, 1/4 way up, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, and gently simmer, over medium to low heat for about 45 minutes. You might have to add more water, as it cooks down. With a tong, gently remove to a platter, and make the dipping sauce for it. Serves, 2-4..depending how many persons want to try it.

Olio Aglio Sauce, or American version of Garlic and Oil 

1 cup of excellent quality, Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the olive oil, With a whisk, carefully drizzle the olive oil, whisking well after each addition. Adjust the seasoning, and serve it on the side for the artichokes. Very good dipping sauce for the stuffed poached artichokes.

Shrimp with Tomatoes Feta and Ouzo

Here we go again! ...yet, another shrimp dish...my bag of shrimp goes a long way!  This one is with fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, and fresh mints, laced with a 1/2 cup Ouzo...all I can say is, OPA!

 Shrimp with Tomatoes, Feta, and Ouzo

1 1/2 lbs large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, with tails on

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

10 plum tomatoes diced

1/2 cup tomato sauce

a pinch of snipped fresh mint (or dry)

a pinch of snipped fresh oregano (or dry)

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of red pepper flakes

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 lb Greek feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup Ouzo (Greek liquor)

In a large heavy skillet, over medium high  heat, saute onions, garlic, pepper flakes, (the dry herbs) in the olive oil, and butter, till onion is nicely transparent. Add the shrimp to it and saute only, until they turn pink.. Now, add the ouzo, and let the alcohol cook down, for just less than a minute. (Don't ignite it, unless you have experience.)

Remove shrimp to a platter, and keep on the side. Add the tomatoes, the tomato sauce and cook for about 15-20 minutes, till it gets nicely thick, but tomatoes not overcooked to a mush. Season with salt, and pepper, and add the fresh herbs, now, at the end of cooking. (Actually, you can use fresh, and dry, together, but dry has to be added in he beginning.)

Add the shrimp back into the skillet, gently mix it together, and sprinkle with the feta. Put under the  broiler, till the cheese melts, and sauce gets bubbly for about 3 minutes, being careful not to burn the cheese. Serve over spaghetti, or just by itself, with nice crusty bread, and a mixed salad. Serves 4.

Baba Ghanoush

As you can see, from my previous eggplant posting, that we love eggplant, of any kind, but Baba Ganoush, the Middle Eastern dish is one of our all time favorite. It is easy to just simply roast in the oven and cut it open, let it cool a little, and scoop out all that goodness from the pulp. Just chop it up with a potato masher, and add all the nice spices that it calls for...and don't forget the Tahini!

 Baba Ghanoush

2 large eggplants

1/4 to 1/2 cup Tahini (sesame paste)

3 garlic cloves, minced

juice of 1 lemon

a pinch of ground cumin

a pinch of dry oregano (fresh is even better)

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

a small handful of fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup brine-cured black olives, or Kalamata olives

On a baking sheet, line aluminum foil, prick the eggplants all over with a fork, drizzle with a small amount  of vegetable oil and roll it around, so that it's all covered with the oil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 35t-45 minutes and test to see if it's soft. (It has to be totally soft.)

Remove from the oven, and cut in half, as show in photo, let it cool a little before scooping the pulp out. Place the eggplant in a bowl, and with a potato masher mash it to a nice paste. Add the Tahini, the garlic, the spices and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a nice serving dish and drizzle a little more extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with the parsley, and place the olives around the sides. Serve with toasted pita bread, or crostini. Naan is very good too to serve with. Serves 6.




 

Perciatelli Carbonara

I did a crop, and a close up photo of my carbonara pasta, so you could see the nice sauce, with the pepper flakes, the diced red bell pepper, the bacon, and fresh parsley, the Parmesan cheese had already melted deliciously, on the top. My easy recipe, to follow. 

Perciatelli Carbonara 
(for 2)


1/2 box of a 1lb. Perciatelli or Spaghetti
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red, (or any color) bell pepper, diced
a dash of pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste,
4 slices of bacon fried crisp, and crumbled
2 eggs, mixed with 1/4 heavy cream
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1Tbsp. bacon fat


First step, which is the most important step...In a large high heat resistant skillet, fry the bacon until crisp, and lay them on double thick paper towel to absorb the grease., and chop or crumble into small pieces. Next, drain but leave about 1 Tbsp. of the bacon grease, and add to it the1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Saute  the onion, the chili pepper flakes, garlic, and bell pepper, in the reserved bacon grease, and olive oil.
In the meantime, boil pasta to al dente, saving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, if needed, to thin out the sauce, (which you most like don't have to) 
Scramble the eggs with the cream till nicely blended, and set aside. Drain the pasta, leaving about 1/2 cooking liquid, and set that aside. Pull the skillet off the heat, and add the pasta right into the skillet, pour the eggs, and cream mixture, right over the top, and mix together, adding the Parmesan cheese, and serve, with additional cheese, and chopped parsley, with a generous grinding of black pepper. 
note:
Be sure to pull off the skillet, from the heat, to add the eggs, and cream, otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs, and not a nice, smooth sauce. One good thing is, for adding the cream...you will not have to use a lot of eggs, and save on fat, and cholesterol. You can use a mixture of butter, and olive oil to saute the onions, and the peppers, but the bacon grease gives it a nice, rich, flavor.

Sweet and Spicy Salmon

As much as I love spices, and spicy foods, I have not ventured out of my sphere yet...hoping to be more adventurous in exotic spices, and cuisine. I cropped these photos, really focusing on the beautiful sweet, and spicy salmon, which was marinating rubbed with the spices, of hot paprika, chili powder, cumin, zest of 1 lemon, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and rubbed 1 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil (to prevent from dryness, )marinated  it in the frig.  for about 25 minutes...broiled for about 6 minutes, and laced with a Tbsp of honey and the juice of 1 lemon, to finish broiling for another minute...no longer, for a 6 oz. fillet.

When you are dining alone, and you want to make a quick and healthy dinner, not to mention somewhat elegant...after all, you deserve it! Look, what just 1 nice piece of Norwegian salmon can do for you. Livens up your "thrift find" 69 cents plate...LOL...the pepperoncini, which I always like to buy a nice large jar  of and of and the amazing jar of black olives, from Peru purchased at the Latina market, the mesclum fresh salad, and the jasmine rice, which only takes 20 minutes. This truly is a 30 minute meal, from start to finish, and hardly any messy clean up...and you did it for YOURSELF!...So, start to enjoy gourmet, for 1, or 2, at home!

Fresh Plum Cobbler

I'll be honest with you! There's nothing more satisfying, than a nice portion of fresh fruit cobbler, even in the fall, which happens to be a plum cobbler. So beautiful, and robust color, the sweetness is totally divine. Just a touch of cinnamon and sugar, really livens up the flavors, it's so irresistible!

Just look at the natural colors, and the flaky homemade biscuit topping. Easy to prepare, yet it's so elegant!

Perfect fall dessert...no fuss...no mess...just simply down home "all American" No substitute!

 Fresh Plum Cobbler

3/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp of sugar
10 fresh plums, about 4 cups, sliced and seeded
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the 3/4 cup sugar, plums, cornstarch and cinnamon. Place the fruit mixture in a 2 quart ovenproof casserole. In a medium bowl, combine remaining. 2 Tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt . Cut the butter with a fork, or pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk, mixed with 1 egg, and blend the mixture, just until blended.  Drop batter with a large soup spoon, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes,  till it gets lightly golden, and fruit mixture starts bubbling. Serves 6.