Shrimp, my Savior

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Today is one of those days. This house has fallen victim to the "worst season of allergies we've ever seen" (welcome, Spring!) and I'm in a ridiculous antihistamine-induced fog, barely able to keep my eyes open. This is bad news when it comes to the "bewitching hour", as my Mama refers to it, also known as "what in tarnations shall I make for dinner tonight?" Seriously, if I had a dime for every time I've asked myself this question....

Good thing I have some delightfully easy recipes stashed away for days just like this. Amongst them all, there is one that takes the prize for being the most low-maintenance dinner in my repertoire, while still being one of THE MOST delicious. Enter the brown-rice shrimp bowl! It's one of those meals where you put it all into one bowl, and simply commence eating. No side dishes necessary. I haven't officially calculated this, but I'm pretty sure it hits all the main food groups, so it's also a very smart dinner.

You should probably make this tonight, even if you aren't on allergy medication and on the verge of tears because you're so tired and your children are miniature Energizer bunnies. It's a tasty, healthy, fast, easy dinner and your taste-buds will insist on writing me a thank-you note for sharing it with you.

Brown Rice Bowl with Shrimp, Snow Peas and Avocado (Adapted from Everyday Food, Jan/Feb. 2008)

2 cups water
1 cup brown rice (**Alternatively, and much more efficiently, we use 2 packages of Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice, found in the freezer section. Each "packet" takes 3 min. in the microwave, and it comes out absolutely delicious-- a true staple in our house!)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil (can use olive oil instead, depending on preference; we just like that slightly toasted/smoky taste)
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp (again TJ's sells these guys frozen, already peeled & deveined, thanks be to God)
8 oz snow peas, ends trimmed and halved on the diagonal
1" long piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced small
1 avocado, cut into chucks
1/2 bunch green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tsp. sesame seeds (optional)

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil - add rice and salt (to taste). Cover, reduce heat and cook until water has been absorbed, anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes. (**Or just make your 3 minute TJ's organic brown rice.....)

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar.

In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium-high. Add shrimp, snow peas, green onions, garlic and ginger - season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cook until shrimp are opaque throughout and snow peas are bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Evenly divide rice among four bowls. Top with shrimp mixture and avocado. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Drizzle with the soy mixture or serve on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

Fabulous Fries & Perfect Plum Crisp

    Image by bro0ke via Flickr

Who loves french fries and fruit crisps in the Summer? Or...any season of the year?
If you could see me, you'd see me raising both of my arms wildly in the air. Because in my little world, I can't really think of anything better than a juicy bbq'd burger, homemade oven fries, a gorgeous green salad, and a plum oatmeal crisp for dessert.

In fact, that's what just went down in this house. Not too shabby for a Wednesday, eh? (BTW, in case you were curious, Canadians really do end most sentences with "eh?". I'm no expert on the Canadian culture, but I have been there four times- count it- 1,2,3,4- and with each visit I heard at least 5 people use the cute little "eh?" at the end of their sentence. All I'm saying is, why haven't we considered stealing that, and how did they become the nicest people on the planet?). Also, you should probably know that my burger was smothered in spicy roasted green chiles, in honor of our recent trip to Albuquerque, the mecca for all things green chile!

Anyway, I was flipping through my July issue of Food & Wine magazine (which I adore but never have time to read), and I came upon this fantastic recipe for homemade oven fries, which then quickly inspired my whole bbq burger meal into being. And since I haven't posted any recipes in practically FOREVA (who's been wondering: what's up with that? I thought there was supposed to be some passionate food talk on this here blog!) and since I could never deny you anything this delicious, let me go ahead and share them both with you. Mama loves you.


Fabulous Oven Fries w/ Herbs & Pecorino
(adapted from Grace Parisi, via Food & Wine Magazine, July 2010)


2 large baking potatoes, cut into 4-by-1/2 in. sticks
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. each of minced sage & rosemary OR if you don't have these dried herbs on hand (like me) then you can get in the French spirit and substitute 1 tsp. of Herbes de Provence
1/4 c. freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, toss the potato sticks with the olive oil until evenly coated. Spread the potato sticks in a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and bake in upper third of the oven, turning once or twice with a spatula, until they are gold and crispy, about 30 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the minced garlic and herbs over the fries and toss well. Amazing smells are about to come wafting from your oven! Roast for about 5 minutes longer, or until the herbs are fragrant and the garlic is lightly browned. Transfer the fries to a large bowl and toss with the grated cheese. Season with salt & pepper and serve. Serves 4. (or in our case, serves two really hungry adults & 1 child).

Plum Oatmeal Crisp
(adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)


1/2 c. plus 1 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. plus 2 T. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/4 c. toasted pecans, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash or two of pumpkin pie spice (optional, but recommended!)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2-1/2 lbs. ripe plums, cut into 1-inch pieces (so, obviously, you can substitute or combine any of your favorite pitted fruits; for example, I did a plum/peach combo and it was heavenly. Apricots would be equally delicious!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Topping: In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 c. flour, 1 c. brown sugar, oats, toasted pecans and salt. Pour melted butter over mixture and stir to combine & moisten the other ingredients. This is when things start to get very tasty.
2. In a shallow 2-qt. baking dish, toss plums with remaining 2 T. of brown sugar, 1 T. flour, and couple dashes of pumpkin pie spice, if using. Sprinkle with oat/pecan/butter yumminess crumble topping. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet (perhaps overly-cautious, but an effort to prevent overflow burn, because no one wants that). Bake until topping is golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes before serving, but I'll bet you can't wait that long to taste it because the smell wafting through your kitchen will put you in a love-sick trance. Serves 6. Enjoy!