Curry Shrimp Salad

 

All of our camera equipment has finally arrived and I've been practicing using a tripod and learning more about photography from my very patient husband. I've already discovered how important lighting is and with our apartment facing another building good lighting can be hard to come by, but it's been fun experimenting. On top of learning how to operate our new camera I've also been practicing sprucing them up on photoshop. That's a lot to learn for a girl like me who can never remember where I put my purse let alone keep up with aperture and ISO talk. 

I know my last post also featured shrimp as the main ingredient but it was on sale at the grocery store where I work and I couldn't resist buying it and thinking of a dish to incorporate it in. I got my inspiration from the cookbook "The Best Recipe" which is an excellent resource for any home cook. They test and re-test every recipe to find the best results (and here I go changing it). The originial recipe calls for chicken in place of shrimp and chili powder in place of curry so if you don't have curry powder hanging around feel free to experiment. I used shrimp because my husband very rarely eats meat, only on special occasions, or if it would seem rude not to. While we were traveling around Vietnam we encountered a few occasions where language was a major barrier and while we communicated well that we wanted to eat, what exactly we wanted to eat was much harder to convey. But my lovely husband ate his pho that was loaded with 3 kinds of red meat without complaint after I was told over and over that refusing food was a huge insult in Vietnamese culture. Plus we were on an adventure and some rules are meant to be broken. But on an everyday basis we happily eat only beans, grains, and vegetables and occasionally seafood that is sustainable and with no added preservatives or color enhancers, of course! You are what you eat after all and it's important for us to know where our food comes from and to make sure it's sourced from environmentally responsible suppliers.  


Placing the salad in a cup of butter lettuce makes for an excellent eye popping presentation and gives it a soft bite as you dig in. Butter lettuce has a sweet flavor and tender texture which pairs nicely with the curry shrimp salad. It's quite tasty and got two thumbs up from my better half. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

 

Adapted from the cookbook "The Best Recipe"
Curry Shrimp Salad
Serves 4

2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
1 avocado, diced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced

Heat broiler. Mix curry powder, cumin, and salt to taste in a small bowl. Cover shrimp with vegetable oil and add spice mixture, coating evenly with a large spoon. Broil shrimp, stirring once, until shrimp is cooked, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Place diced tomato and avocado in a medium bowl and squeeze 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice over mixture to prevent browning of the avocado.

Whisk yogurt, olive oil, garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and salt together in a small bowl.

Once shrimp has cooled chop each shrimp into 3 pieces and add to tomato and avocado mixture. Toss lightly. Gently fold yogurt dressing into shrimp mixture until combined.

Serve on a leaf of butter lettuce.

 

Salsa Shrimp

Well I survived St. Patrick's Day in the Windy City. The throngs of green shirts and shamrocks could be seen for miles and miles, it was really quite a sight to behold. I may chalk this one up to a fairly enjoyable experience and think fondly of it only in my memory because I'm not sure I'm likely to brave the crowds and dodge puddles of "you know what" (I'm too much of a lady to use such language) but it tends to happen to many who imbibe in too many spirits at such an early time of the day. The green river was a sight to behold, that alone was worth battling the crowds on the train but since I have a picture of it I'm more likely to stay inside where it's safe rather than battle the crowds again next year.

 

The unseasonably warm weather here in Chicago has thrown a lot of people off and while I love that I had to open the box under the bed labeled "summer clothes" it's thrown me off in the kitchen. While outside it's lovely, the warm sun and cool breeze on your face would make anyone happy I just can't find my groove in our tiny apartment where all the heat in the city seems to accumulate. I mean it is HOT, take off all your clothes and take an icy shower hot and I'm so scared for July and August to arrive that I tremble in fear of what that means for long restless nights finding that cool spot on your pillow.

Despite the heat I turned the oven on to make this simple yet tasty shrimp appetizer, or entree if you so desire. The result was worth it but I won't be back in the kitchen anytime soon, it will take a few hours for the heat to fully dissipate. I foresee many salads and other simply prepared foods in my future..

I came across this recipe for Salsa Shrimp in a Northwest Fresh magazine that featured an article about Tobey Rodriguez, a cake decorator in Seattle who I had the honor of taking a class from. And while I'll never be able to pipe roses as beautifully as she can I gained a lot of information and a new appreciation for cake decorators. This simple dish is easy to put together and can make an elegant presentation for any get together with friends and family. As always, your dish will only be as good as your ingredients. Make sure your shrimp is fresh, when you get home from the store put your shrimp on ice and store it in the refrigerator if you're not going to use it right away. Shrimp spoils easily and needs to be kept at 34 degrees, most refrigerators are set around 41 degrees. Ensure that your shrimp is not mushy and a healthy pink color. Your nose is invaluable at detecting the freshness of shrimp, if you smell any fishy or other off odors your shrimp is spoiled. Also, the salsa in this recipe plays a big part with the other flavors, so be sure to use a quality brand. I recommend making your own favorite homemade salsa or choosing a pre-made salsa that you know you enjoy.  I can't imagine using Pace Picante Sauce in this recipe, but if you know you like then go for it. I used a pre-made salsa from Whole Foods Market and it was delicious. It had just the right consistency (not too thick) and just enough kick and flavor that I knew it would work beautifully.

Salsa Shrimp

1 pound fresh or frozen, thawed shrimp
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh salsa
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
sliced fresh baguette bread (for dipping)

Shell and devein shrimp if necessary; rinse and pat dry. Place butter in oven-proof dish; stir in salsa, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and shrimp. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and arrange on a serving plate with baguette slices. Pour sauce from baking dish into a serving bowl and serve alongside. Makes 15-20 appetizers. 

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

Origin: Boonville, CA
ABV: 5.7%
Style: Oatmeal Stout
IBU:13

Tomorrow is St. Paddy's Day and my excitement is mounting for the festivities planned around Chicago, I can't wait to experience it all for the first time. You know when a city dyes its river green that they know how to celebrate this holiday. And Chicago doesn't have just one St. Patrick's Day Parade, but two!

Writing about this stout also gave me an excuse to play with our new Canon Rebel so I hope that my photographs of food start to look as good as it tastes.

Stout beer is a dark beer that's brewed using roasted malt or barley, hops, water, and yeast. From there brewers add their own ingredients and we're left with several variations of stouts including milk, Irish, and chocolate. Oatmeal stouts have been around since the medieval period and that's a long time for breweries to get it right. Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is produced by Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, CA. It's very dark, rich, and creamy with notes of chocolate, caramel, and a hint of coffee. It pairs well with desserts but it's also great on it's own. It gets two big thumbs up, it's definitely one of the best oatmeal stouts I've tried.

Have you tried this oatmeal stout? What did you think? Comments are appreciated!

Hope you have a great St. Paddy's Day.

Mango Avocado Salad and Portobello Tomato Stacks

Champagne Mangoes

All across the country it seems many people have gotten off easy this winter and this is especially true here in Chicago where long time residents speak mistrustfully of the early warm weather. We're often told we're lucky to have missed Chicago's famous bone chilling winters and I can tell you that we aren't complaining. This recipe for mango avocado salad is a perfect dish to welcome warm weather back into the picture. I can imagine sitting on my front porch and languidly sipping an iced drink while eating this for a light lunch. Then reality sets in and I realize I have no front porch and I'm back in my teeny tiny apartment with an excellent view of my neighbors bathroom..

I came across this recipe after Joel and I decided to institute "Raw Food" days every other Monday. I think a bi-weekly effort is an attainable goal since eating only raw foods is harder than it seems. There is a ton of information online about the benefits and drawbacks of the raw food diet and a great resource is we like it raw, which is also where I found this recipe. It's amazing how complicated some of the recipes are at first glance but this one seemed totally doable and I can confirm that it's really tasty. The perfect dish to welcome spring back into our midst.

Did you know that there are over 500 varieties of mangoes? It's really mind boggling when you think about it. I chose champagne mangoes which are unique for their yellow color and pear like shape. Champagne mangoes hail from central Mexico and have a delicious light flavor that is perfect in this dish. Mangoes are naturally fat free and are an excellent source of vitamins A and C.

Mango Avocado Salad

2 mangoes, diced (learn how to cut a mango here)
1 large avocado, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and gently toss. Ready to serve.


Now it's time for dinner..

 I made a dish just a few weeks ago using portobello mushrooms and I thought that on Raw Food day these mushrooms would make a more hearty meal. First I got two big portobello mushrooms and wiped them with a damp cloth. Then I removed the stems and gills with the edge of a spoon. Then I squeezed a few drops of lemon juice over both mushrooms. This is the part where I cheat. I'm not judging myself too harshly though because it's the first day of Raw Food day and I'm allowed to slip up. I filled the insides of the scooped out mushrooms with 2 large spoonfuls of chipotle hummus. Sure the chickpeas were cooked before being pureed into hummus, but it's such a small slip, huh? Then I sliced a beautiful red heirloom tomato into thick slices and sprinkled it with salt and pepper before topping it all off with basil leaves.

Neither Joel or I have ever eaten raw portobello mushrooms before but they were amazing! It was very filling and we raved about how good it was until it was time for Joel to head out the door to watch some improv. For next Monday's Raw Food day I'm thinking of zucchini spaghetti with pesto sauce. Stay tuned....

Kale Salad

Oh kale! How far you've come from a mere garnish nestled between a lemon wedge and served to unsuspecting diners at popular seafood restaurants. Little did we realize back then that kale was a superfood and one of the highest scoring on the ANDI scale (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index). The ANDI scale was created by Dr. Fuhrman and adopted by Whole Foods Market as a way to find out which foods pack the most nutritional punch.

While in college I worked at Joe's Crab Shack where I slaved away for four years serving fried shrimp platters with extra tarter sauce to grumbling diners and before bringing seafood dishes to the table we grabbed a small piece of kale and placed a lemon wedge on the plate before bringing it to the table. I remember clearly the day I asked my boss what kale was (I had never heard of it before working there). He told me that it was "polar bear food" and that it wasn't edible which is why we just used it as a garnish.  We've come a long way in the healthy food revolution since then and now kale has a made a huge comeback and is no longer used to simply decorate a plate.

You may be curious to know exactly what eating kale can do for you and the answer isn't a short one. It's extremely high in Vitamins A, C, and K and in addition to that it can reduce your cholesterol by binding to your digestive tract where it's easier for bile acids to be excreted, thus lowering your cholesterol. These cholesterol lowering benefits only increase when kale is steamed for about 5 minutes although raw kale still retains some of these benefits.

If lowering your cholesterol isn't a worry for you then consider that kale also has cancer fighting antioxidants and is also a favorite food for anyone doing a "detox" or "cleanse." Also keep in mind that kale has practically zero calories, so munch away! There's a lot more to learn about kale but I'm ready to eat it.

This kale salad is easily assembled and crazy delicious. There are a million different ways you can make this salad your own, try adding pine nuts, slivered almonds, dried berries and your own favorite blend of spices. The key to making this salad enjoyable to eat is to chop the kale in small bits. If eating kale raw doesn't seem appealing to you, simply steam it for 5 minutes which will soften the leaves. I don't know how kale made such a comeback but it's certainly not just for polar bears anymore..

 

Kale Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches kale, stems and tough ribs removed, finely chopped

In a large bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add kale and toss to coat.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

When I first moved to Seattle in the fall of 2006 I had just graduated college and moved 2,000 miles away from home. Life for me in college was pretty typical of most students, ramen noodles and pizza were the staples of my diet and I couldn't have been happier. But the food culture in Seattle was totally new and exciting to me, not to mention I lived a mere 2 blocks from Pike Place Market and visiting the produce stalls in the early morning was something I lived for. The fresh and local fruits and veggies just begged to be bought and taken home and made into something delicious. I forever left the world of college fare behind and began my expedition into all things culinary.

When I first made this dish our great friends Ashley and Bo came over for dinner and brought over another couple from out of town who Ashley had gone to college with. I invited them over for dinner as I'm prone to do and this is the dish that I made. I can't for the life of me remember where I got the idea but I do remember that it was a hit at the dinner table.

Fast forward 4 years later and Ashley's friends were back in town to celebrate her wedding with Bo. They mentioned the stuffed portabella mushrooms that I made for them several years earlier and that they loved it so much that they made it at home for themselves on a regular basis. I was shocked! I felt tingly all over, who doesn't want to hear that something they cooked was so well loved to be remembered so many years later?

That's why I'm sharing this recipe with you today. It's a great main dish and portabella mushrooms are so hearty that no carnivore will be unsatisfied. Let me know what you think!

Portabella Mushrooms Stuffed with Root Vegetables

2 portabella mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
3 parsnips, diced
1 celery root, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces Gruyere cheese 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss garlic, onion, carrots, parsnips, celery root, thyme, and balsamic vinegar with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. While vegetables are roasting remove stem and gills from mushrooms and coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Puree roasted vegetables with an immersion blender or food processor.  Stuff mushroom caps with roasted vegetables and top with Gruyere cheese. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and mushrooms become tender.
 

Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad

There is hardly anything better in my book than Vietnamese food. The complexity of the flavors and freshness of ingredients are things that I look for in good Vietnamese cuisine. I rarely cook Vietnamese food at home, choosing instead to patron a local restaurant where I can get authentic Vietnamese food for nominal prices, but unfortunately I haven't found my go-to place here in Chicago yet. While living in Seattle I ate at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Thien Phat, at least once a week, it's making my mouth water right now just thinking about it!  

But for those of you who might like to try Vietnamese food at home this is a great first recipe. It's simple to make and absolutely delicious. I learned to make it in the beautiful city of Hoi An in the central region of Vietnam. I took a great cooking class at the Morning Glory cooking school from Ms Vy who also wrote a cookbook, Taste Vietnam: The Morning Glory Cookbook. The flavors in this salad are amazing; so distinctly Vietnamese but easy to make which is saying a lot because so many Vietnamese dishes are very complex and take a lot of time to prepare and cook. This is a dish you can whip together with relative ease and find the ingredients without too much hassle.

You can also make this dish using green mangoes and it's just as tasty. You want to make sure you pick green fruit that is under ripe because it will hold up as a salad better. Plus, the riper it is the more juices it releases which would make for a watery salad and thats no good. 

Most Vietnamese would eat this salad atop shrimp crackers which you can purchase at any Asian market already made or buy them in a package and cook them at home which is also fun to do. I remember when I was little waiting for the oil to heat up and then dropping in the hard discs only to watch them transform in seconds right before my eyes into a delicious chip. I would eat so many my tummy would ache....things haven't changed too much since then.

I began this dish by deep frying some shallots. I sliced them thinly with a mandolin then coated them in flour before frying in hot oil. It took no more than a minute to fry them to a golden brown, be sure not to over cook! Then I drained them on paper towels and seasoned with salt while they were hot. You can keep these shallots stored in an air tight container and use the leftovers on top of soups- yum! If you don't feel like frying shallots then pound some peanuts into small pieces and use them in place of the shallots, it's just as tasty. Consider adding tofu, shrimp, or chicken to make it more hearty. 

Now grab your chopsticks and get to the kitchen! I promise this won't disappoint.

 

Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad

1 medium green papaya, finely sliced
1 cup onion, finely sliced
1 cup mint, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon red chili pepper
5 garlic gloves
2 tablespoons fried shallots

Rice crackers to serve

In a large bowl add papaya, onion, mint, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, lime juice, fish sauce, and oil together. In a mortar and pestle pound the garlic and red chili pepper together to release and blend the flavors. Add garlic and red chili to bowl and mix ingredients well.  Serve in a bowl and garnish with sesame seeds, fried shallots, and remaining mint. Serve with rice crackers.

 

I used this handy dandy little tool I purchased in Thailand to get my papaya perfectly sliced, since this isn't a common kitchen tool in the states consider using a mandolin to get your slices consistant then chop them lengthwise to get the matchstick thinness.