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.

Quick Dinner: Rigatoni with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach in a Pink Sauce

There’s something about a pink sauce… The tangy, acidic tomato combined with the rich and silky cream is so luxurious.  The smooth sauce finishes with a wonderful heat that cuts through the richness and rounds out the flavor.  Needless to say, pink sauce is a big part of my life.

This recipe is an expansion on a recipe I’ve been making forever.  One day I was making the pink sauce with sausage when my roommate Christine said, “That reminds me of something I make with mushrooms and spinach.”  I thought, “Wow, that sounds even better than the original recipe” so I decided to try it out.  This also contributes to my general food philosophy, which is “more vegetables are more good.”  And yeah, I guess the heavy cream in this recipe also contributes to my overall philosophy of moderation.  Vegetables are good, and so is cream (sometimes).  The other great thing about this dinner is that it’s quick!  It took me 45 minutes from filling the pot with water to sitting down and eating this while watching The Borgias on Netflix.  It’s not necessarily the meal for a night when you have a late meeting, but it’s definitely an achievable weekday dinner.

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepping the mushrooms.  There is this big urban myth that you can't wash mushrooms, and I'm here to tell you that it's just not true.  Alton Brown agrees, and made a point to mention it during his live show in Athens a couple of weeks ago.  Gone are the days of delicately brushing each mushroom with a little brush - you're welcome.  I like to put a colander in the sink and run a steady, but not too powerful, stream of cold water outside of the colander.  I quickly wash each mushroom so there is no visible dirt and place in the colander.  Place the colander next to the cutting board and trim the woody end of each stem (but don't remove the stem completely) and slice. One more quick note about mushrooms: you could use regular white button mushrooms here, but the cremini (or "baby bella") mushrooms have a more robust flavor and firmer texture that I especially appreciate for Italian dishes.

Once the mushrooms are prepped remove the sausage from the casing and brown in a little olive oil over medium heat.  Break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as you cook and be careful to stir frequently so they do not burn.  Once fully cooked, remove the sausage from the pan and add the mushrooms, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and salt and pepper.  Cook the sausage until brown and cooked through before adding the crushed garlic (I use my favorite kitchen tool - a garlic press) and spinach.  Season the spinach with salt and pepper to build well seasoned and even layers of flavor.  Once the spinach wilts return the sausage to the pan and add one 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes and season with a little more salt.  Stir together and add heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  If you didn't want to add the heavy cream (which I'll grudgingly admit is a valid healthier alternative) you can use one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes and proceed without the cream.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, turn off the heat and stir until fully combined.  Serve with grated cheese, and maybe garnish with some fresh basil if you're a food blogger or you're planning to put this on Instagram.

Rigatoni with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach in a Pink Sauce

Adapted from Today's Mama, and Christine Licata

Ingredients

• 1 lb. rigatoni (or other tubular pasta)
• 3-4 links of Italian sausage
• 10 oz. cremini mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3-4 cups of spinach, chopped
• 14.5 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 1 pt. heavy cream
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. oregano
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
2. Wash and slice mushrooms
3. Remove sausage from casings and cook over medium heat until browned.
4. Remove sausage from the pan and add sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned and cooked through.
5. Add crushed garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, and chopped spinach to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
6. Once spinach has wilted return the sausage to the pan and add crushed tomatoes.  Season with salt.
7. Once tomatoes begin to simmer add heavy cream and season with black pepper. 
8. Stir to combine until sauce begins to bubble and reduce to a simmer.
9. Once pasta is cooked to al dente drain and add to pan.
10. Serve with grated parmesean or romano cheese.

Farm to Fork Challenge! Tomato and Okra Stew

This weekend Colleen, a wonderful friend from my cohort, and I took on a farm to fork challenge with the most beautiful tomatoes and okra from Colleen's friend Becca's farm.  The vegetables were so incredibly fresh and delicious, so Colleen and I wanted to do something pretty simple that would let them shine.  The combination of tomatoes and okra made us think of gumbo, and we used a gumbo recipe as a very (very) loose base, but this is definitely more of a light, brothy, summery stew than a traditional gumbo and I'm sure my friends from Louisiana would be very upset if I called this a gumbo.  Neither Colleen nor I had cooked with raw okra before so we dove in headfirst and hoped for the best.

We started by dicing the tomatoes and half of a large onion and slicing the okra into small rounds, discarding the stem and the tip.  Then we sautéed the onions until they were almost translucent and added two cloves of crushed garlic and the sliced okra.  Season with salt and pepper.  Many people say they don't like okra because it's slimy and this is true if you don't cook it long enough.  Colleen and I were legitimately concerned when the okra started emitting gooey, gelatinous strands and stuck together (see below).  Our recipe said to cook the okra for 10-12 minutes or until all of the slime is gone so we forged ahead and probably cooked them just a little bit longer than that until they looked normal and slime-free again.  

Once the okra has cooked through add the tomatoes and season them with salt and pepper.  Allow the tomatoes to cook down for a few minutes before adding water, vegetable stock, or seafood stock.  You can make your own seafood stock if you buy shell-on shrimp and you have all the time in the world (i.e. you don't work in student affairs).  I found this recipe from my spirit animal, Ina Garten: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/seafood-stock-recipe.html.  If you use water add a little bit more salt and pepper.  Season liberally with tobacco sauce and bring to a simmer.  Once the stew comes to a simmer add the peeled, deveined, and seasoned shrimp and cook until they are just done and in the shape of a C (never and O).  Serve your stew over rice.

Quick side note on rice:  Many people find cooking rice challenging, but this simple method has never steered me wrong.  Use two cups of water for every one cup of white rice, this recipe can be increased infinitely - I made five cups of rice for a organization retreat and it still cooked perfectly.  Pour two cups of water into a small saucepan and add some salt and a tablespoon of butter.   Bring the water to a boil, add one cup of rice, reduce heat to a simmer (on an electric stove I've found that just above low is the best temperature) and cook for 22 minutes covered.  After 22 minutes uncover and fluff with a fork.  You can omit the salt and use any kind of broth.  If you're using brown rice read the package for directions because it will take significantly longer to cook.

Enjoy this recipe with friends and a cold beer like Colleen and I did - after a long summer internship it was great to be back in Athens with all the great people in my cohort!

Tomato and Okra Stew

Ingredients

• 5 roma or plum tomatoes
• 3 cups of sliced fresh okra
• Half of a large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 cups of water or vegetable, or seafood stock
• Tabasco sauce, lots of it (or to taste)
• 1 lb. of raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 cups of uncooked white rice
• 4 cups of water
• 2 tbsp. butter

Instructions

1. Dice onion and tomatoes and slice okra.
2. Sauté onion until translucent, add okra and crushed garlic and season with salt and pepper
3. Cook 10-12 minutes, or until all okra is no longer slimy
4. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, cook for 3 minutes
5. In a separate pan bring water, butter and salt to a boil, add rice, reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for 22 minutes.
6. Add water or stock and tabasco sauce and bring to a simmer
7. Add raw shrimp and allow it to cook in the strew (about three minutes)
8. Serve over cooked rice.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Quick Dinner: Marinara Sauce

I've hesitated to add this recipe to the blog for a long time - not because it tastes bad or anything, but because it seems too easy to actually be a recipe.  After numerous requests to add a marinara sauce to the blog I realized that not everyone has a wonderful Italian mother who whips up this sauce when she doesn't have time to make "real" sauce.  With that in mind it translates to a perfect quick dinner for a #SApro because it will be finished in the time it takes to boil water and cook pasta.  Even better is that it lends itself to a bunch of second round recipes for later in the week like chicken parmesan, meatball heroes, pizza, stromboli, etc.

Coat the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium heat.  Use your garlic press to crush two large cloves of garlic and add them to the pot with crushed red pepper flakes.  Feel free to add more or less red pepper flakes based on your preference - add more if you're serving this with seafood! Let the garlic cook for a minute or two, being careful not to let it brown, then quickly add the red wine.  Use any red wine that you have open and around the house.  For me that means its most likely a cabernet sauvignon or a shiraz, but any red will do.  My non-drinking friends can skip this step without worry.

Once the wine has reduced, about two minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and the small can of tomato sauce.  Be careful not to use sauce with seasoning - we're taking care of that ourselves. Add salt and stir the sauce together.  Bring to a rolling boil before you add the fresh basil and simmer semi-covered for 20 minutes.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz. can of plain tomato sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of red wine
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Coat the bottom of a small pot in olive oil and bring to medium heat
2. Add crushed garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 1-2 minutes
3. Add red wine and let it reduce, about two minutes
4. Add tomatoes and salt, stir, and bring to a boil
5. Add fresh basil and let simmer covered for 20 minutes

Make Ahead Meal: Tomato Basil Quiche

This summer I'm doing a NODA internship at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL).  The schedule for days when we have orientation sessions is tight, so taking time to cook is going to be on the back burner.  When I get busy I like to lean on some good make ahead meals like this quiche.  Make it on a Sunday afternoon and you can have it for breakfast all week, or have it for dinner with a salad.  You can also use this recipe as a base and add whatever ingredients you like - tomato and basil is perfect for the summer though!

Start by poking some holes in the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork.  You could make your own pie crust, but I feel like that defeats the purpose of a time saving meal...  It will be delicious either way.

Next slice the tomato crosswise to maximize the surface area and make it look pretty.  Shred the cheese and cut the basil into a chiffonade.  Start with a layer of cheese, then tomato, then basil and repeat.  Top this off with a final layer of cheese and basil.  Pour four whisked eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper into the pie crust.  Bake at 350 for forty minutes.

This really isn't that hard - most of the time spent making it is not actively cooking so it makes a great time saving recipe.  Here are some of my other favorite quiche fillings:

• Turkey sausage, green chiles, and a mexican cheese blend
• Bacon, apple, caramelized onions, and swiss cheese
• Spinach, diced tomato, and feta cheese
• Asparagus and goat cheese

Tomato Basil Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pie crust
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 and 1/4 cups of shredded smoked gouda
• 5 large basil leaves
• 1 beefsteak tomato 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Thinly slice 1 large tomato crosswise, about 1/8th of an inch thick
3. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust
4. Layer cheese, tomato, and basil (in that order) in the pie crust twice.
5. Add a final layer of cheese and basil to the top of the pie crust
6. Beat four eggs with 2 tbsp. heavy cream, salt, and pepper and pout over the tomato and cheese layers
7. Bake on a foil lined sheet pan for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes cleanly out of the center

Greek Turkey Quinoa Bake and Conference Reflections

Last week I had the privilege of being a small group facilitator at the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) for the second time.  If you're not familiar with this wonderful program check it out over at the NIC website.  UIFI is always a powerful experience for me, and now that I don't work directly with Greek Life it was a great way to reconnect with the roots of my career in student affairs.  My fraternity is where student affairs "happened" for me, and the work that I continue to do within the movement is really where my heart lies.  It is incredible to watch the change that occurs in the students over five days of the conference; and I truly learn from each of them in addition to my fellow facilitators.

As excited as I was to return to UIFI, I was just as excited to return to the Alpha Xi Delta house at Indiana University where Jackie Howard reigns over a truly sublime kitchen.  Jackie's food is always delicious and he personality makes eating in her kitchen a truly joyful experience.  She was also recently profiled in an Indiana Public Media article for the great work she does to locally source food for the kitchen and her commitment to cooking organic when possible.  This recipe is inspired by a dish she made the first night the facilitators arrived and it is delicious, creamy, and full of protein!

First roast the turkey tenderloins with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  You can feel free to substitute chicken breast for turkey, but definitely don't substitute ground turkey - that's not really what you're looking for.  Jackie made it with turkey though, and I really wanted to switch up the usual chicken.  After the turkey is cooked, let it cook and shred or roughly cube it.

The ratio for quinoa is the same as making rice and cous cous - 2 parts water to 1 part grain.  The difference with quinoa is that you need to rinse it in a fine mesh sieve before you add it to the water.  I cooked my quinoa in chicken broth, but you could also use salted water.

The sauce for this dish is a classic mornay sauce with parmesan and goat cheese.  Start by making a roux of equal parts butter and flour.  I add crushed garlic to the butter for this sauce.  Let your roux turn lightly golden before whisking in 2 cups of milk (I used 2% because this sauce can get a little heavy).  Bring the milk to a simmer before you add the parmesan and goat cheese.  Once the cheese has melted add the spices and keep the sauce warm on low heat until the quinoa is cooked.

Add the cooked quinoa, turkey, tomatoes, and spinach to the saucepan and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish and cover with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Cook at 350 degree for 25 minutes, if its not brown enough after 25 minutes, pop on the broiler for a couple of minutes to get a nice, golden crust.

Ingredients 

• 1 and 1/2 cups white quinoa
• 3 cups water or chicken broth
• 2 turkey breast tenderloins (about 1 and 1/4 lb)
• 2 cups of milk
• 3 oz. goat cheese (chèvre)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 box of chopped, frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 3-4 medium tomatoes, seeded
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Oregano
• Parsley
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cover turkey breast in olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast on a foil covered pan for 30 minutes.
3. Add quinoa to a pot of water or broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes,  Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes
4. Shred or cube cooled turkey and dice tomatoes
5. For the sauce, melt two tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan with two crushed cloves of garlic.  Whisk in two tablespoons of butter and keep whisking until it turns golden
6. Add two cups of milk and whisk vigorously until it is combined and comes to a simmer
7. When sauce begins to simmer add parmesan cheese and goat cheese, whisk in until smooth and combined
8. Finally add oregano, parsley, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
9. Add cooked quinoa, spinach, tomatoes, and turkey to the sauce, mix to combine
10. Transfer quinoa mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and a little more parmesan cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Classic Macaroni Salad

I just finished my last final, so it is officially the summer!  It's also the time of year when those end of the year potlucks start to pop up all over Student Affairs, so I think the perfect marriage of summer and potluck is my mom's macaroni salad.

When I was writing this post I kept thinking of ways to "improve" this recipe.  Grated onion, I thought, would be a great addition to my mom's recipe and then I realized that the point of this recipe was to be easy and deliciously simple.  As a cook and a blogger it was tempting to dress this recipe up, but it didn't need any extraneous ingredients to shine.  With that in mind I cut out all of the extras and made it just like my mom does.

First bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook half a pound of elbow noodles until they are al dente.  Drain the cooked pasta and add to a bowl with 1/4 cup of white vinegar.  Stir occasionally while the pasta cools slightly, and once it is moderately cool, cover loosely with parchment or wax paper and put in the refrigerator to finish cooling.  Don't put tin foil or plastic wrap over it - you don't want to stop heat from escaping and cook the pasta more.

While the pasta is cooling place one egg in a small saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring the saucepan to a boil and set a time for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, run cold water over the saucepan and let the egg sit in the cook water for a few minutes.  Crack and peel the egg while it is still lukewarm and place it in the refrigerator to cool.  My mom doesn't always add the hard boiled eggs, so feel free to omit them if you're just not a fan.  I promise it will still taste great!

After the pasta and egg have cooled for at least an hour, remove them from the refrigerator. Add the very finely diced hard boiled eggs, halved grape tomatoes, mayo, salt and pepper to the pasta and stir to combine.  The amount of mayonnaise is really about personal preference, so I would add 3/4 of a cup first and then see if it needs more.  Taste to check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.  Refrigerate until you're ready to enjoy!

Classic Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. of elbow macaroni
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups grape tomatoes
• 1 egg
• 3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente
2. Drain the cooked pasta and coat with 1/4 cup of white vinegar, stirring occasionally until it is cool enough to refrigerate
3. Put one egg in a small saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes
4. After 15 minutes, run cold water over the saucepan and egg, and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the lukewarm water.  Remove and peel the shell from the egg, refrigerate
5. After the pasta and hard-boiled egg have cooled for at least an hour, very finely dice the egg, slice grape tomatoes lengthwise and add to pasta
6. Add 3/4 cup of mayonnaise to the pasta and season with salt and pepper, stir.  If the pasta seems to dry add the final 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
7. Refrigerate before serving