Satisfy your Sushi Cravings with Spicy California Shrimp Stacks

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Talk2USoon™

Spicy California Shrimp Stack

★★★★★

Asian, Seafood

Cook Time: 30 minsServings: Yield: 4 servingsSource: skinnytaste.com

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups cooked short-grain brown rice, from 1/2 cup uncooked

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

8 ounces cooked shrimp, peeled and tails removed

1 cup diced cucumber, about 1 small

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

1/2 cup mashed avocado, about 1 medium

4 teaspoons Furikake, such as Eden Shake or use sesame seeds

4 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, or gluten-free

4 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

DESCRIPTION

These EASY, Spicy California Shrimp Stacks will satisfy your sushi craving, and they taste SO GOOD! Layered with cucumber, avocado, shrimp and brown rice, then topped with a spicy mayo – YUM!

DIRECTIONS

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and oil. When rice is done, add rice vinegar and stir. Evenly spread rice on a sheet pan to cool.

Cut shrimp into 1-inch cubes. In a small bowl, combine cucumber and chives. In another small bowl, combine mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.

Using a 1 cup dry measuring cup, layer ¼ cup cucumber, then 2 tablespoon of avocado, then ¼ of the shrimp, and 1/3 cup rice.

Carefully turn the cup upside down to turn the stack out onto a plate, lightly tapping the bottom of the cup if necessary. Sprinkle with Furikake and drizzle with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and sriracha mayonnaise.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

NUTRITION

Serving: 1stack, Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 662mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 2g Blue Smart Points: 5 Green Smart Points: 5 Purple Smart Points: 3 Points +: 6

Virgin Bloody Mary

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Talk2USoon™

★★★★★

Craving a Bloody Mary but doing a dry challenge? Make this Virgin Bloody Mary, also known as the Virgin Mary, and you won’t miss the vodka!

BEVERAGE

Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 0 mins Servings: Yield: 4 servingsSource: skinnytaste.com

INGREDIENTS

2 cups prepared tomato juice, preferably low sodium

1/4 cup dill pickle juice OR olive brine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Franks

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 small celery heart stalks with leaves, for serving

4 lemon wedges, for garnish

12 large olives, optional for serving

DESCRIPTION

Craving a Bloody Mary but doing a dry challenge? Make this Virgin Bloody Mary, also known as the Virgin Mary, and you won’t miss the vodka!

DIRECTIONS

Combine tomato juice, pickle juice, lemon juice, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, celery seeds, and cayenne in a large pitcher.

To serve, pour about 2/3 cup into 4 ice-filled glasses. Garnish each with a celery stalk, olives and a lemon wedge.

Can be made 4 days ahead; keep chilled.

NUTRITION

Serving: 2/3 cup, Calories: 33kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.5g, Sodium: 295mg, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugar: 4.5g Blue Smart Points: 1 Green Smart Points: 1 Purple Smart Points: 1

Even dinner’s starting to look a LOT like Christmas 🎄

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

Pepper Steak Stir-Fry

★★★★★

Asian, Stir Fry

Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4 servings Source: Keyingredient.com

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. beef round (I just use one steak, no matter the size)

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

¼ cup soy sauce

1½ teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

¼ cup peanut oil

2 green onions, sliced thin

2 celery stalks sliced in 1″ squares

1 green pepper, sliced in 1″ squares

1 red bell pepper, sliced in 1″ squares (optional but sure gives nice color)

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

Cut beef across the grain into thin strips.Combine soy sauce, garlic and ginger in bowl, add beef. Toss and set aside while preparing veggies.

Heat oil in wok (or large non-stick skillet). Add beef and stir fry til browned. Turn heat up and add vegetables and stir fry til tender-crisp (about 10 minutes).

Mix the cornstarch with the water; stir and add to pan. Cook and stir until thickened. Serve over hot rice.

Mongolian Beef 🥡🥢

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

“Forget the fast food–this take on Mongolian Beef delivers all the flavor without the insane sodium and fat levels. This vibrant, Asian-inspired dish brings just the right amount of spice to the plate.” – Cooking Light

Mongolian Beef

Asian, Main Dish,

Cook Time: 20 mins Servings: Yield: 4 servings Source: cookinglight.com

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons dry sherry

2 teaspoons hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain

16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS

Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; sauté for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

NUTRITION

237 calories; fat 10.5g; saturated fat 3.5g; mono fat 4.3g; poly fat 1.1g; protein 26g; carbohydrates 9.1g; fiber 1.7g; cholesterol 60mg; iron 2.7mg; sodium 517mg; calcium 67mg.

Grilled Shrimp 🍤 using a Sur la Table Cast Iron Shrimp Pan

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

I’ve been wanting to try this new cast iron pan that was designed to grill (and serve) shrimp ever since I bought it. Friday’s delivery of Alaska Spot Prawns from Sitka Salmon Shares sealed the deal.

But first, the pan needs to be seasoned. I followed these instructions:

“I scrubbed my pan thoroughly with plain water, dried; then used paper towels to cover the entire pan with a light coating of vegetable oil. If the oil pools, wipe up the excess. Bake for 60 min. in 350-degree oven: Turn the pan upside-down on the oven rack, over a drip pan or big sheet of aluminum foil. After 1 hour, turn off oven and let pan cool.”

Decided on this recipe for the marinade:

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

GRILLED, Seafood

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Source: dinneratthezoo.com

INGREDIENTS

1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined (you can either leave tails on or remove them)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

lemon wedges for serving

DIRECTIONS

Place the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic in a resealable plastic bag. Seal and shake to combine.

Add the shrimp to the bag and seal. Toss to coat evenly with the marinade.

Marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. You don’t want to marinate for longer than that, as the acid in the lemon juice will start to cook the shrimp.

Thread the shrimp onto skewers. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.

Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are pink and opaque.

Broiler directions: Preheat the broiler. Place the shrimp skewers on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray. Broil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are pink and opaque.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

NUTRITION

Pics to come prior to dinner being served 🍽

It may be a Pandemic but we’ve never eaten better …🦀

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

We’re pretty landlocked when we’re up north, so finding a reliable source of great seafood is truly exciting. It’s even better when you’re purchasing directly from an Alaskan fisherman.

Not only is their fish fresh, it bears the name of the vessel that caught it. Even their packaging is sustainable. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Sitka Salmon Shares

https://sitkasalmonshares.com/products/9-month-premium-sitka-seafood-share?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2af-BRDzARIsAIVQUOd_SNiC7F4CscTrpFjogbMY4DAolafyrFrJHYBfFjHgPVycH2SWNk4aAuDDEALw_wcB

Pan-Roasted Sesame Salmon

Main Dish, Seafood

Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Servings: Servings: 4 Source: eatingwell.com

INGREDIENTS

4 scallions, whites and greens separated

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus more for garnish, toasted

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon mirin

1 ¼ pounds skin-on salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Finely chop scallion whites and place in a small bowl (chop and reserve greens for garnish). Add garlic, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, honey and mirin and stir to combine.

Pat salmon dry and sprinkle with salt. Heat canola (or grapeseed) oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salmon, skin-side up, and cook until the underside is browned and releases easily from the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the salmon and spoon the sauce over the top.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the salmon with scallion greens and more sesame seeds, if desired.

NUTRITION

265 calories; fat 13g; cholesterol 66mg; sodium 561mg; carbohydrates 6g; dietary fiber 1g; protein 29g; sugars 3g; exchange other carbs; niacin equivalents 10mg; saturated fat 2g; vitamin a iu 354IU; vitamin b6mg.

Carrot 🥕Cupcakes 🧁

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

I just made this recipe for carrot 🥕cupcakes. It only makes 6 and there’s just 3 left. THAT’s how much I cannot resist cream cheese frosting🙃

INGREDIENTS

Carrot Cupcakes
★★★★★
Makes 6 servings
Source: Two’s Company – a cookbook for couples

Carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting 🧁

½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1½ teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup carrots — grated

DIRECTIONS

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine well. Stir together oil, egg, and vanilla, and pour into flour mixture. Add carrots and stir well.

Grease 6 muffin cups and pour batter in to come 2/3 the way up the cups. If batter almost fills cup, make a 7th cupcake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then carefully work a knife around the edges of the cupcakes, to gently remove each one to cool thoroughly.

Prepare frosting. When cupcakes have cooled, spread each top generously with frosting. Either serve immediately or refrigerate. If refrigerating for more than a few hours, chill first to firm up frosting and then loosely cover cupcakes with plastic wrap.

Makes 6 generously frosted or 7 adequately frosted cupcakes.

FROSTING:

3 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Cream together cheese, butter, and vanilla until light.

Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

Roasted Chicken Soup

★★★★★

Soups & Stews

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients:

For broth:

1 leftover turkey or large chicken carcass (or 2 store bought)

5 quarts water

1 onion (skins left on, cut in half)

4 rough cut stalks of celery

2 rough cut carrots

For Soup:

5 qts broth

1 cup celery chopped

½ cup celery leaves chopped

1 cup onion chopped

7 chicken bouillon cubes

1 tablespoon salt

1 bay leaf

1 cup carrots sliced

½ cup parsley chopped

¼ tablespoon pepper

4 cups egg noodles (fine)

Directions:

In a large kettle simmer turkey or chicken carcass with onion and celery (one onion roughly chopped and several chopped stalks of celery) until tender. Strain all, keeping only the broth. Add ingredients to broth with meat (reserving noodles) and simmer until tender (about an hour). Add noodles and cook uncovered for 10 more minutes.

OPTIONAL **Melt 1/4 cup of butter in frying pan and stir in 1/4 cup of flour. Cook stirring until slightly browned. Stir into boiling soup Reduce heat and continue to simmer 5 minutes. I do this if using store bought roast chicken, but you really don’t need it if home roasted.

I use EVERYTHING from a roast chicken dinner, including gravy & stuffing, in my soup.

No Peel Applesauce 🍎🍏🍎 in your Pressure Cooker👌🏻

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

No Peel Instant Pot Applesauce

Fresh Fruit, INSTAPOT/Pressure Cooking

Cook Time: 10 mins Source: instantpotluck.co

INGREDIENTS

6–8 medium to large apples, or more. (Honestly, it really doesn’t matter, just keep the number of apples under the fill line.)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Wash the apples

Cut up the apple — any size you want – toss the cores and seeds

Place the sliced/diced apples into the Instant Pot with 1 cup of water

Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Close the lid and set the valve to “sealing”

Pressure Cook or Manual for 4 minutes.

Do a QUICK RELEASE

Drain excess liquid — AND KEEP THE LIQUID. (I love the cinnamon flavored apple juice and use it in a smoothie or on my oatmeal or yogurt.)

Transfer the apples to a food processor, blender, or use an emulsion blender and blend until it’s the texture you like.

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Talk2USoon™

★★★★★

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Crock Pot/Slow Cooker, Mexican

Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 6 hrs Servings: Yield: 4 servingsSource: skinnytaste.com

INGREDIENTS

4 medium, (about 6 oz each) sweet potatoes, skin on

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon garlic power

1 cup enchilada sauce, I recommend my homemade (recipe below)

chopped scallions, for serving

1/4 cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon chopped scallions and/or cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Wrap the potatoes individually in foil.

Season the chicken with salt and garlic powder and place on one end of the slow cooker, cover with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce.

Place the potatoes on the other end, stacking 2 on top of 2.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until potatoes are tender.

When done, remove the potatoes and chicken.

Transfer chicken to a small bowl and roughly shred with 2 forks and add the remaining enchilada sauce.

Split open the sweet potatoes, then top with 2/3 cup of the enchilada chicken.

Drizzle each half with 1 tablespoon cheese and place under the broiler 2 to 3 minutes, or until melted.

Garnish each potato with 1 tablespoon sour cream and scallions or cilantro.

NUTRITION

Serving: 1potato, Calories: 413kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4.4g, Cholesterol: 101.5mg, Sodium: 809.5mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 9g Blue Smart Points: 8 Green Smart Points: 10 Purple Smart Points: 3

The Best Homemade Enchilada Sauce

★★★★★

Mexican, Sauce

Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Servings: Yield: 16 servingsSource: skinnytaste.com

INGREDIENTS

1/2 tsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 -1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth

3 cups canned tomato sauce

2 tablespoons chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, chopped (to taste)

1 tsp Mexican hot chili powder, or more to taste

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

fresh black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and garlic; sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, chipotle chiles, hot chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 7-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use. Makes 4 cups.

NUTRITION

Serving: 1/4 cup, Calories: 21kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.5g, Sodium: 355mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g Blue Smart Points: 0 Green Smart Points: 0 Purple Smart Points: 0 Points +: 1