Shrimp Spinach Orzo Salad

Again taking advantage of the fantastic weather, this salad was light and summery and fairly easy to throw together.  We left about half the ingredients out, in the interest of time, thanks to once again spending too much time after work outside.

The ratios weren't quite right, and I think it would be better if it all set up together for a few hours or overnight.  It needed more dressing and the veggies should have been chopped a bit smaller.

Cook orzo.  Mix spinach, sliced cucumber and radishes and onions, and dress.  Drain orzo and rinse with cold water.  Grill shrimp with lemon juice and pepper.  Top salad with shrimp, crumble feta, and add in the rest of the dressing.

Not Pad Thai

Originally we were going to have pad thai tonight, as we tried it a few weeks ago and it worked fairly well (the trick was small batches).  But pad thai does require some prep work and with the time change combined with beautiful weather, we were a little pressed for time.  I had also grabbed a bag of microwave steam-in-the-bag veggies to boost the nutritional value, so I went a different route.

Instead, I just pan fried some tofu, mixed in the veggies, and softened the noodles in steaming water.  Then I mixed them into the pan and stirred it all together with some garlic, soy sauce, and lime juice.  It was good and quick and easy and easy to clean up.  Definitely something to try again, especially once the CSA veggies start rolling in.

Southwest Egg Rolls and Spanish Rice

While dinner did not look particularly noteworthy, it was pretty tasty.  Although these were written up as an appetizer, with a side of Spanish rice, they made a nice dinner.  If I consider this a trial run, this could probably be a good dinner for company.

The egg rolls were much easier than I had thought, and definitely something I'd try again, probably with a more typical Asian filling.  I used my favorite thing - chipotle cheddar- and black beans, frozen corn, and spinach.  These were spicy with a good heat, but not overwhelmingly so.

The Spanish rice was dry, but okay.  I made brown rice in the rice cooker and added a can of diced tomatoes and a couple tablespoons of cumin.  It wasn't saucy like the packaged stuff, but probably also not full of salt.  Worth some googling to see if someone has a better recipe.

Shrimp Picatta with Peas

I wanted something like chicken picatta, but without real meat (shrimp and fish don't count, in my version of vegetarianism) and so this super easy and bright dinner with hints of spring.  Which is a bit cruel as winter will probably last another month, or more.

Saute the (peeled) shrimp with a little garlic and oil, then remove while keeping the good juices in the pan.  We like it really piquant so I added just over a half cup of lemon juice and a small bottle of white wine.  Season with a little salt and pepper and parsley if you have it.  Meanwhile, cook small pasta (alphabets if you grocery shopped with a 3 year old) until al dente.  Scrape the bottom of the pan and then reduce the sauce to a thick, saucy consistency.  Add the shrimp back and coat and then mix in some peas.  Serve over the pasta.

The peas turned a bit of a murky canned-pea green, despite being good frozen ones.  I'd like to try either fresh peas (ideally from the pea pick at the farm in the summer) or steaming them first and adding in at the last second.  These needed to thaw in the sauce and maybe got overdone.  They tasted pretty good, despite my not liking cooked peas much.

It all came together nicely and quickly and was quite delicious.  I always forgot how much I like small pasta.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and tasty this turned out.  One (half-price!) pork tenderloin in the crockpot with bottled teriyaki sauce and a can of crushed pineapple.  Reminiscent of Natalie's family's party, but it worked quite well.  It was sweet and tangy and saucy.  We put it over the flatbread style buns and steamed some carrots on the side.

Veggie Calzone

Here's a nice alternative to pizza, that's not really any more work.

Make a simple pizza dough, rolled out into a rough circle.  Some tomato sauce, any toppings/fillings you want (this was leftover mushrooms, red pepper and some black olives) and a nice thick layer of mozzarella.  Fold in half, seal shut, and bake until the crust is cooked (not long, maybe 20 minutes?).  A bit hit all around, although I'm wary of how it'll fare for leftovers.

Stuffed Shells

 I love stuffed shells and hadn't made them in a long long time.  They're so easy, so versatile, and so good.

These were part of my "clean out the freezer" kick.  I had some leftover sausage with chopped peppers that I just mixed with a tub of ricotta cheese.  I cooked some shells and stuffed the mixture inside once they were cool.  Some marinara on top and they baked for half an hour or so, plus Parmesan to pass.  The outer shells were plenty hot but the ones in the middle were still just lukewarm.  Next time I'd do a little more veggie, a little less cheese, and a little longer in the oven.

Andrew ate three of these, and Thomas ate green beans for the first time!