Cilantro Lime Shrimp {tasty thursday}

cat is applauding with you that Tasty Thursdays in back.  Sorry for the hiatus!  But I have some really delicious things lined up for the next few weeks.

This recipe is particularly tasty and summery.  See the original recipe here on Tasty Kitchen.  The only change I made was to use seasoned salt instead of the plain stuff.

What you need:

• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• 2 pounds Medium Shrimp, Shelled And Deveined
• 1 dash Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 6 cloves Garlic, Crushed
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• ½ cups Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Here's what to do:

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add olive oil to the pan; when hot, add the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper.

When the shrimp is cooked on one side (about 2 minutes), turn over and add garlic.

Sauté another minute or two until shrimp is cooked. Shrimp should have just turned pink; do not overcook, or your shrimp will be chewy and tough!

Remove from the heat. Squeeze lime all over the shrimp and toss with cilantro.

Serve over salad, rice, in tacos, or all by its lonesome.

The instructions and directions are from the Tasty Kitchen post.  The pictures are from me:)  I served it over rice, obvi.  The lime and cilantro flavor infused the rice and it was super yummy.  But these shrimp would be divine served cold over a simple salad or with gnocci.

the tastiest way to save $150/month

Get yourself a coffee grinder, a mason jar, and a french press.  We have this one:

It works great! Grind one cup of Espresso beans on the coarse setting.  Put in the french press and fill with water.  Put the top on (but don't press yet!) and let the whole sh'bang sit on the counter for about 12 hours.  Now you can press!  Press the grinds down and pour your Espresso into your mason jar for storing in the fridge.

Now you're ready to make your Latte.  Pour in a little of your favorite syrup.  (You may have to experiment with the amount - start small and add more later I always say!)  Add one part espresso and one part milk to make whatever size latte your heart desires.

There ya go! You've just increased your clothing/crafting/shoe budget:)

Tasty Thursday - Spaghetti!

Spaghetti!! a favorite of everyone.  This is a variation of my mom's recipe (basically I just add more veggies). Here's how I do it:

Heat 1tbsp Olive Oil in a big soup pot.

Add 1 lb lean ground hamburger (or turkey!) and brown.

While the meat is browning, chop up one large onion.
 

And one large green pepper.  And about 3-4 gloves of garlic (or just use minced garlic)

 

And carrots! This is simply for getting in extra veggies.  The carrots add no flavor to this recipe.  I do not have picky veggie eaters around here, so I just chop 'em.  If you do have picky eaters, chop 'em up finer or puree them before adding to the sauce.

When the meat is mostly brown, add the onions to the pot and cook until just soft.

 

then add the peppers

and the carrots and the garlic and give it all a stir or two

add two large (28 oz) cans of diced tomatoes (use no salt added so that you can control the amount of sodium in the sauce) and one small can of tomato paste.  In the summer, I substitute as many fresh tomatoes as our garden has produced, but canned works just fine also!

looking good!

 

add some fresh ground black pepper, salt, oregano, and lots and lots of Italian Seasoning (close to 1/4 cup) Stir it all around and let it cook for a while.  It is ready to eat once it is heated up, but I think it tastes better if you let it cook for 3-4 hours (covered on low).  Taste it after about 30 minutes to make sure it has enough salt and Italian Seasoning.

Yummy, yummy!

Tasty Thursday - A Different Green Bean Casserole

Chance doesn't like traditional green bean casserole and I can't have the cream in it, so that left me searching for a tasty alternative over the holidays.  I got the basic recipe here at Food Network, and then modified it a little.  This also is a much healthier option to the traditional and is almost as good cold as it is hot.

First, you need to toast up some almonds in butter (and salt in you prefer, I don't use salt).   Toast as many as you'd like, they make a tasty snack!

 Next, heat about 1/2 cup of Olive over medium heat in a big skillet.  I found that 1/2 cup is a little too much for my liking, so I use just a tad less.  Put in some red chilies or red pepper flakes (however much heat you like!) and about 4-5 gloves minced or chopped garlic.  Cook until the garlic turns light brown, but don't burn it.

(Excuse the green bean, I forgot to take a picture of this step before I put in the beans.)  When the garlic is light brown, put in 1/2 cup red wine vinegar.  I increased this amount from the original recipe because I like the beans to be thoroughly coated with the vinegar.  Cook down for about 5 minutes or so.  Add one pound of green beans, fresh, frozen, or canned will work.  (If you use canned, make sure you drain them first!)

 Heat, stirring occasionally to coat the beans with the dressing.  When the beans are hot, add some fried onions.

Stir it all around and allow the onions to soak up some of the dressing.  Yum!  Now top with the toasted almonds and it's ready to serve!

Platter up and enjoy!

Tasty Thursday - Roasted Potatoes

Today marks my first of a new weekly series of what's cooking in my kitchen.  This week - roasted potatoes, an all time favorite of my husbands.  Anytime he goes to the store, I can be sure that he will come home with a bag of Yukon golds and a smile.   If you are a french fry addict, this makes a healthier and tastier substitution.

You can make these for as many or as few people as you need, the only time consuming part is chopping the potatoes.  I use Yukon golds because they are my husband's favorite, but you can certainly use any type of white potato.

First, wash as many potatoes as you are wanting to cook.  I usually cook 3 or 4 medium sized potatoes for two people.  While the potatoes are rinsing, grab a beer.

Or a glass of wine.  It helps pass the time while chopping all those potatoes.

Split potatoes in half lengthwise.

Cut thin slices in one direction.

Then turn 90 degrees and cut thin slices in the other direction.

Layer the slices on a cookie sheet, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Sprinkle the potatoes with a light coating of Olive Oil

and pepper.

Spice up your potatoes with paprika, adobo, cumin, and season salt.  Take it easy with the salt because adobo has a fair amount of salt in it.  You can always add salt before you eat them.

Bake it all at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes,  or until the potatoes are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Enjoy!