Spicy and Tangy Shrimp Tacos

Oh my goodness, I'm in love. I could eat these shrimp tacos every other day (to alternate with mom's salmon fish cakes). These are so nice and easy, delicious and you even feel like you are eating something healthy (it's seafood after all)! 

I started by making my new favorite slaw. I feel a bit guilty for cheating on our classic slaw but this one is just so good. The pioneer woman annoys me by constantly sucking in her neck and plastering on a smile but I must give her her due, this slaw is hum digity! Finely cut up some white cabbage and red cabbage. Then chop up a fresh Jalapeño and add everything to a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix up some milk, vinegar (I used white wine vinegar), mayo, salt and sugar and a pinch of cayenne. Drizzle the sauce over the cabbage mixture, add some cilantro and tada!

To make the cooling sauce, mix 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon cumin (I actually added more), juice and zest of one lime and a pinch of salt.

I bought some precooked king prawns and just normal shrimp and marinated them in some olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and hot chilli powder for 30 minutes. I then cooked them in a hot skillet for a few minutes to crisp them up. Meanwhile, I toasted the corn tortillas on the gas hob. 

Pile your tortilla high with shrimp, slaw, avocado, crumbled feta, cooling sauce and cilantro and tuck in.

Moroccan Honey Chicken

This is a Gusto meal that is quick, easy and tasty! I've become a big fan of ras el hangout (it's right up there with Harissa as far as spice addictions go). You can make it in 20 minutes and it claims to have 793 calories and 29g of fat per person (like we care, right?).  If I get my act together, I'm going to make it again this week.

For 2 people you need:

4 chicken thigh fillets

120g of cous cous

30g walnuts

1 - 2 Tbsp honey

1 chicken stock cube

120g natural yogurt

2 Tbsp tomato paste

80g green beans

1 Tbsp ras el hanout 

Olive oil

Boil kettle/water. Toast walnuts over medium heat until toasted (3 minutes). Cool them on a chopping board and chop coarsely.

Slice chicken into thin strips and add to pan on medium high heat with the honey. Cook until starting to caramelise (4 minutes).

Dissolve 1/2 stock cube with 200 ml boiled water. Add cous cous and cover.

Stir the tomato paste, ras el hanout and 1 Tbsp olive oil into the chicken. Crumble in the remaining 1/2 stock cube and add 350ml boiled water, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.

Trim the green beans and cut them in half and add to the pan, season and cook without lid for 3 minutes.

Fluff the cous cous and add some oil (I prefer sesame oil). Season.

Serve chicken over cous cous topped with walnuts and a dollop of yogurt*

*note - to try and avoid dairy, I once used goats milk yogurt..... Ewwwww. It tasted like I was eating in a barn. Would not suggest it!

Sausage, Walnut and Red Pepper Pasta

Homemade walnut and pepper pesto.... not quite (but whose checking)! I'm not doing much cooking at the moment so it was a case of what do I have on hand? I've had a jar of Jamie Oliver Walnut Red Pepper Pasta sitting in my cupboard forever so that was the star of the show. I popped some leftover sausages in the oven and then cooked some spaghetti. I mixed the cooked pasta with the pesto, a bit of the cooking water, arugula and cut up sausages. Then I topped with parm and a side of steamed green beans. Easy, quick and tasty!

Lemon Spaghetti

Good ole' Rachel Ray. I made this a long time ago at home when mom and dad went out one night. As I remember I burned the garlic which didn't taste too good. Now this time was a different story. It was so quick and easy (as long as you do all the prep first) and Tom said it was something you would be happy to get in a restaurant. I also got 2 chicken breasts and used a hammer (seriously) to flatten them. I then dredged the pieces in flour, salt and pepper and fried them in olive oil for about 4 minutes on either side. I let the chicken rest while I made the pasta and then put the chicken slices on top.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (10 or 12 leaves) fresh basil, very thinly sliced

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and drop the spaghetti into the pot.

Heat a large deep skillet over low heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.

When the pasta has been cooking about 5 minutes, add lemon juice, a ladle of the cooking water from the pasta and the cream to the garlic and oil. Raise heat a bit to bring sauce to a bubble.

Drain pasta when it still has a good bite to it, al dente. Add lemon zest and half of the cheese to the cream sauce. Season the sauce with salt, to taste. Add pasta to pan and turn off heat. Toss the pasta with sauce a minute or 2, allowing it time to soak up the sauce.

Top the plates of pasta or platter with remaining cheese, parsley and basil.

Sausage and Butter Bean Casserole

I had most of the ingredients on hand and thought this sounded like a great mid week meal. It's really easy and hearty. I'm not sure I had ever had butter beans but I give them 2 thumbs up. I only put in half of the sausages, and skipped the bacon and thyme (didn't have any). I used red wine instead of white, smoked paprika, and forgot to add bay leaves but it was still delicious. We had the mixture on top of a bit of rice. 

The Hairy Bikers’ take on sausage and beans makes a wonderfully warming and filling dish, and it freezes brilliantly.

Ingredients

• 1–2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 12 good quality pork sausages
• 6 rashers rindless streaky bacon, cut into 2.5cm/1in lengths
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½–1 tsp hot chilli powder or smoked paprika
• 1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
• 300ml/10fl oz chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 2 bay leaves
• 3–4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 100ml/3½fl oz red or white wine (optional)
• 1 x 400g/14oz can butter beans or mixed beans
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the sausages gently for 10 minutes, turning every now and then until nicely browned all over. Transfer to a large saucepan or a flameproof casserole dish and set aside.
2. Fry the bacon pieces in the frying pan until they begin to brown and crisp then add to the sausages.
3. Place the onions in the frying pan and fry over a medium heat for five minutes until they start to soften, stirring often. You should have enough fat in the pan, but if not, add a little more oil.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes more until the onions turn pale golden-brown, stirring frequently.
5. Sprinkle over the chilli powder or smoked paprika and cook together for a few seconds longer.
6. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and herbs.
7. Pour over the wine, or some water if you’re not using wine, and bring to a simmer.
8. Tip carefully into the pan with the sausages and bacon and return to a simmer, then reduce the heat, cover the pan loosely with a lid and leave to simmer very gently for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
9. Drain the beans and rinse them in a sieve under cold running water. Stir the beans into the casserole, and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick.
10. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with rice or slices of rustic bread.

Old Boys Omelette

Another simple but amazing Jamie Oliver recipe! I made this for dinner and much prefer it to the omelette's I normally make. When I went grocery shopping yesterday I got a small loaf of sourdough bread (for 37 cents!) for the asparagus recipe below. I had a bit leftover and remembered reading a Jamie recipe where he used leftover sourdough. The bread may seem a bit strange but it adds a nice flavor and texture (Tom didn't even know it had bread in it). 


Preheat a small frying pan over a medium to high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Cut your piece of bread into 2cm cubes (crusts removed) and your field mushroom/s (I used chestnut) into 1cm slices and add both to the pan with your chopped bacon (1 piece cut into 2cm pieces). Stir it all around and let everything get a nice color to it.


Beat your eggs (2-3) in a bowl and season with sea salt and pepper. Pour over the bacon, mushroom and bread mixture and move the pan around so they completely cover the base of it. As the eggs begin to set, gently push the set eggs around with a wooden spoon or spatula. Turn the heat off, and keep moving until the raw egg stops moving around. Quickly grate over a tiny bit of cheddar cheese. You want the omelette to look slightly underdone, because when you turn it out it carries on cooking and will be absolutely perfect when you tuck in. 

Worcestershire Asparagus and Mushrooms on Toast

This recipe is from my Jamie's Great Britain cookbook. It is such a yummy side (or dinner even) and I can see all of you guys loving it (especially mom)! I was only making a bit for Tom and I so I made a lot less. I used chestnut mushrooms and didn't make any alterations as it's pretty tasty as is!


Peel and finely slice 4 cloves of garlic. Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add a good lug of olive oil. Whack 4 slices of nice bread into the toaster. Slice 2 handfuls of mushrooms (brushed clean) and 500g of washed asparagus (woody ends snapped off) into bite-sized chunks. Add them to the hot pan with the sliced garlic and toss and fry for around 4 minutes. Finely chop a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley and add most of it to the pan, along with 8 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and a knob or two of butter. Take the pan off the heat and shake and stir around for 30 seconds, or until the sauce has reduced down. Season to taste, then spoon over the slices of hot toast and top with the rest of the parsley.