Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Last night I was hungry, there was no fresh food in the house, and I went into a food frenzy. Immediately, I pounced on the frozen shrimp and canned tomatoes, and before I knew it I was cooking Giada's Shrimp Fra Diavolo recipe. Of course there are a few small differences. No fresh food means no fresh onions, so those were nixed, but it actually made the recipe ten times simpler.

Ingredients
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon chopped  Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped  basil leaves

Directions

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, parsley, basil and oregano.Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

It's starting to get cold outside, and food that sticks to your insides are starting to look more appealing. Paula Deen's Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole was just what I needed to warm me up before going out for Halloween! (Just a few alterations)

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package wild rice
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoons butter
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of potato soup
1/4 cup freshly grated Pepper Jack Cheese
Salt and pepper


Directions
1. Cook the rice. 1/4 wild rice, 3/4 basmati rice with 2 1/4 cups water for 45 minutes.
2. Cook the onions, peppers, and shrimp together with a teaspoon of butter.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
4. In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1/4 cup of cheese,shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well.
5. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glasscasserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with extra cheese, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Easy, Healthy, Quick Meals - Part IV

This is a great convenience meal because most of the ingredients can be frozen - I ate it several times during exams! This is a great way to get vegetables, and saves time because the pasta is precooked. The whole bag of veggies is only 270 calories so load up! Recipe Courtesy of  Birds Eye (see product website). 

Ingredients:

Birds Eye Asparagus Stir Fry (w/ Asparagus, Carrots, Cauliflower, Noodles, Green Beans)
Frozen, Uncooked, Peeled Shrimp
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
Sesame Oil

Directions:

1. Cook shrimp in a skillet in 1-2 Tbsp of sesame oil until pink, being sure to flip them occasionally
2. Pour in as many vegetables as you want (you may need to add some more oil too!)
3. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
4. Cook until hot

Easy, Healthy, Quick Meals - Part II

Finals are around the corner, but no matter how many times I try to convince myself to stop cooking for a while, I always slip back... I went to the grocery store yesterday, my biggest inspiration for cooking, and I was excited to try a new sauce I bought - Bertolli's Four Cheese Rosa. I normally don't love cream sauces, but this version of Alfredo Sauce has added tomatoes and four different cheeses (In case you couldn't tell from the name). When I opened the jar, the cheesiness was a little overwhelming, and I felt kind of nauseous. As I was cooking, I couldn't decide whether I should use the sauce or not. Luckily, I had made enough vegetables for two meals, and I set one aside before adding the sauce. However, with all my concerns about the sauce being totally gross and inedible, it was actually really good!

My Shrimp Campanelle Recipe
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
Campanelle (or other fun-shaped pasta)
1 small bag of Frozen shrimp
1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa sauce
1 Red bell pepper
1 Vine-ripened tomato
1 Onion
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Directions
1. Start the water boiling and toss in the pasta - campanelle takes a little longer to cook than most
2. Dice the onion and tomato; cut the pepper in slices; defrost the shrimp
3. Saute the onions on medium heat for a few minutes and throw in the tomato and bell pepper
4. Pour in the shrimp, cover the vegetables in herbs and spices and let them simmer
5. Once the pasta is done, and the shrimp has turned pink on both sides, heat up the sauce with the vegetables and combine them all together (I used two heaping spoonfuls of sauce)

This took me only about thirty minutes to prepare, and I think it is a great meal for beginning cooks that want something a little gourmet. Shrimp is one of the easiest meats to cook because they take only a few minutes to cook and they turn pink when their done. Enjoy!