This week may seem like a "light" one because of two reasons: 1. Taylor made a HUGE batch of chili that turned out to be WAYYYY too spicy for me and 2. I have a work lunch on Monday. So, because of those two reasons we already have some meals already taken care of for the week.
I've been craving some "big salads" lately and that's what made me want to make the whole chicken. I'll just bake it, then let it cool and shred the chicken in a big container to be used for different things. I didn't want to make a beef dish because Taylor made his chili and may be beefed out this week, so that's why I went shrimp/fish/chicken. I'm not saying we won't eat beef this week (there could be a slow cooker pot roast for dinner in the near future) but we may go the meatless , try a new chicken fried rice recipe I dug up or make some catfish sticks for dinner one night. The possibilities are endless!
Pasta Primavera with Shrimp
Adapted from a blog called "Culinary Passport"
Ingredients
1 box of linguini (I actually used the spiral pasta because we already had it in the pantry!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch (about 1 lb.) asparagus stalks, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 pint-size container cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and garlic; cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, until the shrimp turns pink and the asparagus is tender but firm. Remove the shrimp mixture from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the lemon juice, white wine and reserved cup of cooking water to the skillet. Let simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Return the shrimp and asparagus to the pan and stir in the parsley. Add the drained pasta to the shrimp mixture, tossing to combine.
5. Add the tomatoes and toss. Sprinkle with cheese; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Oven Baked Whole Chicken
Adapted from a blog called "Tammy's Recipes". It's so simple, you can switch up any of the spices you want!
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (we use the ones from Costco in the 2-pack, about 3lbs each)
garlic powder
onion powder
(instead of or in addition to the garlic/onion powder, you can use poultry seasoning!)
salt and pepper
1 whole lemon
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
Preheat oven to 325
Instructions:
1. Rinse chicken with cold water and remove giblets from inside.
2. Poke a bunch of holes in the lemon with a fork and stuff it in the cavity of the chicken.
3. Sprinkle seasonings generously over both sides of chicken. Lift chicken and place, breast-side down, in baking dish (one that has a lid).
4. Pour the broth and wine around the chicken. Cover with lid. (I use my dutch oven and cover the pot with foil before I place the heavy lid on it. It makes for a tighter seal and juicer chicken because it essentially makes a steam bath in the pot!)
5. Bake chicken for about 30 minutes per pound, or until the juices run clear. I go by smell! Test chicken with thermometer if you have one. The juices left in the baking dish make a great gravy! :)
Stir-Fried Fish and Eggplant
From the book "A Breath of a Wok" (Most of the recipes are SUPER hard from this book. This is the first recipe I've ever made and we've had this book for years!
Ingredients:
2 medium Asian eggplants
8 ounces scrod (we used Tilapia, but scrod is a kind of Cod, you can use Cod)
4 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (About 15 shrimp)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup minced scallions
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick slices. In a large pot (my trusy dutch oven), bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a boil over high heat and add the eggplant. Blanch 1 to 2 minutes or until the eggplant slices are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well in a colander.
2. Remove any bones from the fish and finely chop the fish. Put the fish in a food processor and pulse 1 to 2 seconds. Add the shrimp and pulse 1 to 2 seconds or until finely chopped. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar, the salt, pepper, the 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and the scallions and pulse 1 to 2 seconds until just combined.
3. Add 2 tablespoons cold water to the fish mixture and pulse 1 to 2 seconds until the mixture is thick. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine/sherry, sesame oil, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water. Stir and let sit.
4. Heat a flat bottomed wok (or a 14in skillet, if you don't have a wok)over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and add the garlic. Stir the garlic for a couple seconds and then add the eggplant and stir-fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer eggplant to a plate.
5. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the wok over high heat and add the fish paste by rounded teaspoonfuls, spreading it evenly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook undistrubed 1 minute, letting the fish begin to brown. increase the heat to high, add the eggplant and stir-fry 30 seconds. The fish will break up a little once it's stir-fried with the eggplant. Stir the soy sauce mixture and swirl it into the wok, bringing it to a boil. Stir-fry constantly until the fish is just cooked through, about 30 seconds.
Serve over long-grain white rice! By the way, this is SOOOO good. The fish "balls" taste like Shumai (if you know what that is). We highly recommend it.
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