Self Care: Shrimp and Chorizo Rice Bowls

Today, when I made this delicious bowl for lunch, was cold and rainy.  We haven't had much winter weather here in Georgia, but it's been a gray winter and I know most of the country has been buried in snow.  This recipe is a bright taste of summer to help you get through the last dregs of a rough winter.  Shrimp is a special treat I cook every once in a while and that combined with these bright flavors are just the ticket to perk up a winter day.

You can use whatever size of peeled and deveined shrimp you can find, and frozen is just fine!  You can also peel and devein the shrimp yourself, but I usually take the timesaving shortcut.  Chorizo proved to be a challenging hunt in Athens.  I was looking for Spanish style chorizo, a small link of cured sausage, rather than the loose, uncured Mexican style chorizo.    I was surprised to find that neither were available at my usual stores and eventually found thinly sliced chorizo at Publix - made by the Italian brand Fiorucci.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it turned out to be a nice crispy addition to the dish.  If any Athenians know where I could find the links of cured chorizo please let me know!

Start by marinating the shrimp.  This is not the type of marinade that you want to do far in advance.  The lime juice will begin to cook the shrimp, and while that is great for making ceviche it's not what we're going for here.  Mix together two tablespoons of chopped cilantro with the juice of one lime, one tablespoon of honey, a clove of crushed garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, about 20 minutes.

While the shrimp marinates, prepare the rice.  Bring one cup of salted water to a boil with half a tablespoon of butter or oil.  When the water boils add half a cup of white rice, stir, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 22 minutes.  Once the rice is simmering dice the chorizo - if it's hard to cut put it in the freezer for a few minutes.  Add the chorizo to a pan over medium heat with a scant drizzle of oil.  The chorizo has a lot of fat that will render out, so you don't need to add much oil.  While the chorizo crisps dice the red onion and jalapeño.  Remove the seeds and stems of the jalapeño to moderate the heat in the final dish.  When the chorizo is crisp remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

While the onions and jalapeños soften in the same pan and oil from the chorizo dice the tomato and cube the avocado.  Season the tomato with a little salt and pepper on the cutting board.  When the onion mixture has softened add the shrimp without the extra marinade liquid.  The shrimp will cook quickly, about two minutes per side.

When the shrimp and rice are both done add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl with the juice of one lime and the remainder of the cilantro.  Serve immediately. 


Shrimp and Chorizo Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 10 oz. peeled and deveined shrimp (large, extra large, or jumbo)
• 1/2 cup diced chorizo
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 large red onion
• 1 small jalapeño pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 large avocado 
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. chilli powder

Instructions

1. Chop about 3/4 cup of cilantro and set aside in a bowl.
2. Marinade shrimp in the juice of one lime, olive oil, honey, crushed garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Do not marinate for more than 20 or 30 minutes!
3. Bring 1 cup of salted water and 1 tbsp. butter or oil to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of white rice, reduce to a simmer, cover, and set timer for 22 minutes.
4. Dice chorizo and brown in a pan on medium heat with a scant drizzle of oil.  Allow the fat to render and the chorizo to crisp.
5. Remove chorizo from pan and drain on a paper towel.
6. Dice onion and jalapeño, removing the seeds and ribs.  Sauté in the same pan used for the chorizo and allow to soften.
7. Seed and dice the tomato and cube the avocado while the onions and jalapeño cook.  Season the tomatoes with some salt and pepper on the cutting board.
8. Add the shrimp to the pan (do not pour the remaining marinade in the pan) and cook about two minute son each side.
9. When the rice is done fluff with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
10. Add the shrimp and onion mixture, the tomatoes, avocado, juice of one lime, and the remaining cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine.

Roasted Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

In a recent staff meeting our icebreaker question was "What is your favorite time of the day?" My answer was breakfast.  While breakfast isn't the same time every day, I am definitely a morning person and a breakfast person.  During the week it is usually something quick like a scrambled egg quesadilla, an easy omelette, or avocado toast.  The weekend are a great time to get just a little more elaborate in breakfast and to use up the week's leftovers.  I had no intention of writing this recipe or blog post until I realized I had too much diced sweet potato for a recipe I made earlier in the week.  I put some of it in a container for the weekend and took stock of some of my other leftovers: half a jar of roasted red peppers, some fresh thyme, and half an onion.  You can certainly replicate this recipe and intentionally purchase these ingredients, but try to be creative with the vegetables and herbs you have in your refrigerator at the end of the week!

This recipe basically just implements the principles of roasting that I wrote about a few months ago.  I like roasting hashbrowns because it require no active cooking time so you can scramble up some eggs, have a cup of coffee, and read the paper while it cooks away.  I had about one diced sweet potato which is enough to share with someone else, but you'll need more than that for brunch guests.

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray to keep the potatoes from sticking (I use olive oil in a Misto aerator).  Put the diced sweet potato, roasted red pepper, and onion on the sheet pan with one clove of crushed garlic.  Season with salt, pepper, and quarter teaspoon each of ground sage, coriander, and cayenne pepper.  Place a few sprigs of thyme on top and coat with olive oil, tossing to combine.  Place on the bottom rack of a 450 degree oven and set a time for ten minutes.  After ten minutes toss the hashbrowns and  cook for an additional ten minutes.  The high heat and the bottom rack will make sure the hashbrowns are crispy and delicious.  When they are done cooking remove the thyme stems (most of the leaves should have fallen off), toss with a little bit more salt, and serve.

Roasted Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

Ingredients

• 1 diced sweet potato
• 1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 5-7 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp. ground sage
• 1/4 tsp. coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive pol

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees
2. Dice potatoes, red peppers, onion, or other vegetables
3. Place vegetables on a greased sheet pan and season with herbs and spices.  Add olive oil and toss to combine
4. Roast on the bottom rack of the over for ten minutes, toss vegetables, and cook for an additional ten minutes

Quick Dinner: Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

I am not in the least it ashamed to admit that I devoured this salad in heaping, sloppy, arugula-falling-out-of-my-mouth gulps.  The only change I would make is doubling the recipe so I could have more leftovers (this yields about two servings).  This all started with a delicious, but unsatisfying salad recipe I tried in the fall semester.  It was arugula, orange segments, thinly sliced red onion, and shaved raw fennel. The flavor was incredible, but even copious amounts left me still feeling hungry.  This salad takes those delicious salad elements and makes them something much more satisfying.  All of that plus it's done in about thirty minutes and is a great protein packed meal to make when "just a few more emails" becomes two extra hours in the office.

Start by cooking the farro.  Farro is a grain that is both delicious and super high in protein, which is part of the reason it doesn't leave you feeling hungry.  I use Trader Joe's Ten-Minute Farro because it cooks in fifteen minutes.  I don't understand the name either.  Bring one cup of farro and two cups of broth or salted water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed.

While the farro is cooking make the dressing.  I like to make dressing in a mason jar because it is easy to seal and shake up instead of having to wash a whisk and you can store leftover dressing in it.  Squeeze half of an orange into the mason jar and add 1/4 cup of chives, one crushed garlic clove, a tablespoon of dijon mustard, half a cup of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Seal the jar and shake it vigorously until the dressing is completely combined.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Finely dice about a quarter of a large red onion and slice half a head of fennel.  Heat your grill or grill pan to high.  The goal is to have a short and quick cooking time for the fennel so it is nicely charred and caramelized, but not cooked through entirely.  If you don't have a grill pan cook the fennel quickly under the broiler in your oven.  Coat the grill in olive oil and season the fennel with salt and pepper before grilling until nicely charred, about four minutes.

When the farro is done (it should be al dente - softened, but with some bite) drain and additional liquid and put in a bowl.  Add about half of the dressing and stir to combine.  Place in the refrigerator to cool slightly - the farro should not be so hot that it wilts the arugula.  While the farro cools (about ten minutes) chop the grilled fennel into half-inch cubes.  When the farro has cooled add the red onion, fennel, and two or three handfulls of arugula (about two cups).  Add a little bit more dressing to coat the vegetables and toss to combine.

Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup of orange juice (about half an orange)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 1 tb. dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

For the Salad

• 1 cup of farro, uncooked
• 2 cups of broth, or water
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 bulb of fennel
• 1/4 large red onion

Instructions

1. Bring 1 cup of farro and 2 cups of water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes
2. While fennel cooks combine all dressing ingredients and whisk together (or shake vigorously in a mason jar)
3. Slice fennel and finely dice red onion
4. Heat an oiled grill pan and season fennel with salt and pepper.  Grill fennel until charred, but not cooked through, about four minutes
5. Chop fennel into 1/2 inch cubes
6. Combine cooked farro with half of dressing and cool for 10 minutes in the refrigerator 
7. When farro has cooled add arugula,  fennel, and red onion with a few more tablespoons of dressing and toss to combine.

Lentil Soup

The end of the semester, winter break, and my comprehensive exams threw me for a bit of a loop regarding the blog, but I'm happy to say I'm back on a regular posting schedule with recipes planned for the next three weeks!  I'm so excited to start off with my mother's recipe for lentil soup.  When I told my roommate I had bought lentils to make this she said, "Why did you buy lentils? You have some already!" It's true, I did have red lentils in the cupboard, but I needed green lentils for this dish.  We're pretty serious about our lentil love in this apartment.  That love is incredibly justified - lentils are one of the most protein packed legumes and a great source of fiber in addition to being delicious and texturally interesting.  This soup is my version of winter comfort food and brings back a lot of strong memories from my childhood.  While this isn't necessarily a quick cooking dish, the active prep time is minimal, so it's great to make when you need to do some chores around the house for the hour that it simmers away.

Start by sautéing half a large onion and grating one medium sized carrot.  Season the vegetables liberally with salt and pepper, and season again when you add the lentils to the pot.  This soup gets its flavor from the vegetables, so be generous with salt to make sure it is a well seasoned soup.  Add the lentils to the pan and stir for a few moments until the lentils are shiny and coated in oil.  Then add four cups of water and one beef bullion cube to the pot and bring to a boil.  Let the lentils simmer partially covered for one hour, stirring occasionally.

My personal favorite way to eat lentils is spooned over elbow macaroni with a little drizzle of olive oil and grated parmesan cheese.  This soup is also great over rice (my mom's favorite) or by itself.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup green lentils
• 1/2 large yellow onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 beef bullion cube
• 4 cups of water
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Dice onion and shred carrot on the small holes of your box grater
2. Coat the bottom of a pot with olive oil and bring to medium heat
3. Saute vegetables until cooked through and add one cup of lentils, stir to combine
4. Add four cups of water and one beef bullion cube and bring to a boil
5. Lower heat to a simmer and cook partially covered for one hour, stirring occasionally
6. Serve alone, or with small pasta or rice