Self Care: Fettuccine with Arugula Pesto and Crispy Shrimp

I think we've come to the time of the semester where we all really need some self care.  This semester in my masters program we have an extra eleven hours a week in practicum which means a lot less time.  We're stressed, and we're really ready for summer.  With this in mind I thought it would be time for another self care recipe, and you can bet that means some pasta and heavy cream!  Next time I do a self care recipe maybe I'll avoid pasta. Maybe.

Despite being a creamy dish, the arugula pesto is light and refreshing - perfect for spring!  I think you'll enjoy its spicy, garlicky flavor in a lot of applications.  My roommate and I have already resolved to spread it on french bread, add more cheese and bake it in the oven.  I also want to try it stuffed in a chicken breast with sun dried tomatoes and feta.

Making the pesto is easy - simply combine the arugula, almonds, cheese, garlic, and olive oil in the bowl of the food processor and blend.  Make sure you toast the almonds in a dry pan before adding them to the pesto.  This will bring out a fully developed almond flavor.  I use pecorino romano cheese because it's what my Southern Italian family uses, but you can use parmesan if that's what you have.  (Mini Italian history lesson - cows are not able to graze in Southern Italy, but sheep are abundant there.  That's why many southern Italians use pecorino, a sheep's milk cheese, versus parmesan which is a cow's milk cheese.)  If you plan on using the pesto as a sauce on it's own, without the cream, slowly drizzle in more olive oil to make it a bit more like a sauce and less like a paste.  Combine the pesto with the cream and set it aside.

Next fry your shrimp.  Season your flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.  Pat your shrimp dry with a paper towel and dredge it in the seasoned flour.  Brown the shrimp in oil over medium-high.  It should not take more than two minutes on each side, so keep an eye on the shrimp!  Remember, when the shrimp is C shaped it's cooked, when it's O shaped it's overcooked.  Once the shrimp is cooked put it on a paper towel lined dish to drain,

Once your pasta is cooked al dente add the sauce and shrimp and serve with some more grated pecorino romano cheese!

Fettuccine with Arugula Pesto and Crispy Shrimp

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 4 oz. of arugula (approx. 1/3 of a bag)
• 1/3 cup of grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup of raw, slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 pint of heavy cream
• 1 lb. fettuccine
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook fettuccine until al dente
2. In a dry pan, toast almonds for a three minutes, stirring occasionally until they become fragrant
3. Combine arugula, cheese, almonds, garlic, and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and blend
4. In a bowl mix the arugula pesto with the heavy cream and set aside
5. Season the flour with garlic powder, salt, and pepper and dredge the shrimp in the flour - make sure the shrimp is completely dry before you dredge it
6. Brown the shrimp on each side in olive oil in a skillet on medium-high.  The shrimp will cook quickly, it should not take more than two minutes on each side
7. Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and the shrimp

Sweet Potato, Mushroom, Kale, and Sausage Hash

I feel like working in student affairs sometimes means your never more than forty feet away from a pizza.  Let's face it - the convenience of the free food around campus is nice sometimes, but it seriously lacking in nutritional value.  This meal is chock full of vitamins and nutrients, so it's great when you need a break from all of that pizza. 

Sweet potatoes and kale are both superfoods, which means they're super nutrient rich and full of antioxidants.  Eating "across the rainbow" when it comes to vegetables is also a good practice because different nutrients express themselves in different colors.  I find that I have the hardest time getting the reds and oranges in my diet so I love using sweet potatoes when I can.  These sweet potatoes will be spiced with paprika and cayenne pepper, making them deliciously smoky and hot.  Roasting them will also make them brown and caramelized.

Once the potatoes are in the oven, remove the sausage from the casings and brown them in the pan.  Remove them from the pan once they'e cooked through and add the onions and mushrooms.  Try not to eat half the sausage while you're cooking the vegetables like I did - oops.

Once the onions become translucent and the mushrooms have cooked down, and the kale  and garlic and season again with salt and pepper.  Seasoning each layer you add to the pan is really important in this dish so it's evenly seasoned.  Once the kale wilts return the sausage to the pan and add the roasted potatoes.  Stir to combine and serve!

Sweet Potato, Mushroom, Kale, and Sausage Hash

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes 
• paprika
• cayenne pepper
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 12 oz. crimini mushrooms
• 1 bunch of kale
• 3 italian sausages 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Peel and dice sweet potatoes, coat them with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper, and arrange them in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet.  Roast potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes
3. Remove sausage from the casings, crumble, and cook through over medium heat
4. Chop the onion and kale, slice the mushrooms, and crush or mince the garlic.
5. Remove the cooked sausage from the pan and add the onion and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper
6. Once the onions become translucent and mushrooms soften, add the crushed garlic and kale.  Season again with salt and pepper
7. When the kale is wilted stir in the cooked sausage and the sweet potatoes

Strawberry and Cucumber Salad

My assistantship supervisor, Liz, just left UGA for a fantastic new adventure.  While we're all sad to see her go, we definitely enjoyed benefiting from her cleaning out her apartment kitchen to move!  She gave me this lovely set of black cherry balsamic vinegar and persian lime olive oil from her home state of Maine.  The first thing I thought when I saw the vinegar was that I needed to pair it with strawberries.  This is a refreshing and light spring and summer salad that will be delicious with either black cherry or regular balsamic vinegar.

First I peeled the cucumber, sliced it lengthwise, and used a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Then I sliced the cucumber into little crescents, quartered the strawberries, and julienned the fresh mint.  I combined all of those ingredients in a bowl with balsamic vinegar, honey, and a little bit of salt.  You can serve it immediately, or let it marinade for a little while.  

After I put it together I realized it was a perfect salad to honor Liz since her favorite colors are pink and green!  The red strawberries are close enough, right?  Thanks for the wonderful gift, Liz, and good luck in the future!

Strawberry and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 16 oz. strawberries
• 1 small cucumber
• 2 tbsp. fresh mint
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Peel skin off the cucumber, slice it lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds.  Then chop the cucumber into crescents.
2. Quarter or halve the strawberries, depending on how large they are
3. Julienne the mint leaves
4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix