Grilled shrimp and avocado salsa! Or salad? Salsa?

Sometimes I get a hankering.  This weekend, it was for shrimp. I could not get the idea of a shrimp dinner out of my mind.

Ever since I was little, I've loved shrimp (actually shellfish in general, but shrimp in particular).  When I was about 8, my grandma and I were shopping for ingredients to make a recipe from my very first cook book and I suggested we get a pound of shrimp to snack on while we cooked.  It was a genius plan and of course, we did!

I've been trying to figure out exactly what to do with the shrimp in my freezer.  I love a nice shrimp cocktail, or scampi, a shrimp fra diavolo, but the idea that really sparked was to do a play on a ceviche. Obviously, with frozen shrimp, I wouldn't attempt a raw ceviche, but I thought I could attain the same flavors and I ended up pretty happy with the results!

Let's pretend I remembered to put corn and cotija cheese in this photo.

Here's what you'll need:

Shrimp, peeled and deveined, with or without tails.  I had about 1/2 pound here.
An avocado
1 ear of corn or 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
A tomato (or a handful of cherry tomatoes, if you prefer less juice)
A lime
1/2 of an onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1 tsp olive oil
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Cilantro to taste (I used about 1/4 cup or so)
Cotija cheese (optional)

Start by dicing your veggies, the tomato, the jalapeno, the onion, the cilantro and the avocado.  I wanted big leaves of cilantro in mine, but you, you can do whatever floats your boat.

 

Then squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the whole shebang.  Now, the quantity of lime juice in each lime varies, so feel free to put in as much lime juice as you want.The season with salt, pepper and cayenne if you can stand the heat!

 When you chop your jalapeno, cut out the seeds and white pith from the inside to cut down on the spiciness.

Dice your jalapeno pretty finely, then make sure to wash your knife, cutting board and hands with soapy water.  Don't pull an Amanda and touch your face with your jalapeno hand. 

I like to cut my avocados in the skin and then scoop them out with a spoon.  I thought everyone knew this trick, until I saw a friend of mine trying to peel a ripe avocado. 

 Defrost your shrimp, then season with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne if you want a little kick. This would also be a great place to use some achiote paste, but alas, I did not have any. Next time!

You only need to grill the shrimp for about 60-90 seconds on each side.  Once they are firm and opaque, take them off the heat, they'll continue to cook a little once they're off. 

Look at them! Gorgeous!

This was the precise moment I decided to put corn in here too.  I just felt like it would add some bulk and a pop of color.  I threw my corn in the same grill pan the shrimp had just left and pan fried it for about 60 seconds, just enough to defrost the corn. 

I threw the corn in and stirred everything up while I waited for the the shrimp to cool. 

Then I mixed the shrimp in as well, I contemplated cutting them up into smaller pieces, and I definitely would have if I had intended to eat the salsa with chips, but this batch was just headed straight down the hatch!

I added a little crumble of cotija cheese right over the top and it was perfect!  A perfect lunch on a Sunday afternoon!

What a crock of beans!

I hate wasting food.  I can't help it, when something is going to be thrown out, I want to try and figure out a way to use it.  That's why I save my veggie trimmings in a bag in my freezer to make stock (which you should do too, because it's awesome).  

 

All this to say, when my office catered Chipotle a few weeks ago, I ended up taking home beans.  Lots and lots of beans, both black and pinto.  I divided them up into quart-sized freezer bags and waited for inspiration to strike.  

And strike it did, in the form of a bag butternut squash languishing in the back of my freezer.  I thought it would make a really nice addition to a black bean chili.  Turns out, I was right!

Side note:  I also brought home leftover rice and was able to freeze it as well.  It reheated beautifully (which I wasn't sure would work, so there you go). 

What you'll need:

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed ( or a quart-sized bag of free beans from work)

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of diced green chilies, or 1/2 cup frozen green chilies if you want more of a kick.

1 cup frozen corn

1 package of frozen butternut squash (10 oz.) or feel free to use fresh if you prefer!

1 red onion, diced

(If I were a fan of bell pepper, dicing one up with the onion would be nice, but I'm not, so I didn't)

1 T. olive oil 

4 cups chicken stock (I used vegetarian Better than Bouillon) 

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro and Greek yogurt as garnish. 

So, saute your onion in the bottom of a stock pot with the olive oil on medium high heat (this is where you throw in your bell pepper, if you want) until it's translucent.  Add your stock, tomatoes, beans, chilies, corn, squash, bay leaf and salt and pepper, cover, reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender and it has made your house smell awesome.  In my case, about 45 minutes. 

Ladle into your favorite bowl, top with Greek yogurt (I like Fage, because it's the most sour-creamy of the Greek yogurts) and cilantro.  Feel free to add some cotija cheese or hot sauce as well.

If you can, set the chili in the fridge overnight and eat it the next day.  Trust me, it's worth the wait. I know you know that I think leftovers are the best.

Bon Appetit!

Incredible, edible EGG!

Maybe I read Green Eggs and Ham too many times as a kid, or maybe I'm just a simple Midwestern girl who can't escape her roots, but I love a good egg.  I also think that there's something really beautiful about a perfectly cooked egg.  Obviously, I'm not alone, a lot of ink has been spilled in the pursuit of this goal.

A perfect frittata (and even more perfect bacon)

I've already covered the perfect soft-boiled egg.  It's a beautiful thing, especially once you master peeling the suckers!  I prefer this to doing a poached egg, mostly because you can achieve the same flavor without making gross albumin water.  I have successfully made a poached egg in the microwave.  They aren't quite as good as restaurant poached eggs, but they're not bad.

For a lazy person's poached egg, fill a mug 1/2 full of water and put it in the microwave for 60 - 120 seconds (depending on the strength of your microwave).  When the water is steaming really well, crack an egg in, using a toothpick to poke a tiny hole in the yolk (trust me) so that the egg doesn't explode in your microwave.  Put the egg back into the microwave for another 30-60 seconds (again depending on the strength of your microwave and how runny you like your yolks). Fish the egg out of the mug with a fork or slotted spoon.  I like to let it air dry a second before I pop it onto really buttery toast. Delish!

This method takes a little trial and error, but once you have the times exact for your microwave, it's easy-peasy.

The frittata was made for people like me, who have let vegetables get past their peak during the week and need a "kitchen sink" opportunity to use a bunch up before they go bad.  I have yet to taste a bad combination of ingredients, though I'm sure if you tried you could come up with something. 

A basic breakdown of frittata ratios:

A 10 inch non-stick frying pan that can go in the oven under the broiler
1 tsp butter to coat the bottom of the pan
6 eggs, scrambled (add a dollop of milk/cream if that's how you like your eggs, I think it makes them fluffier)
An onion-like vegetable (leeks, green onions, shallots, whatever needs to go) chopped (about 1/2 cup)
meat and/or mushrooms and/or a starch like potato (about 3/4 cup)
a green vegetable (broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus) (about 3/4 cup)
anything else that needs eating, tomatoes, peppers, etc.
a cheesy product (the picture is goat cheese *drool*) (1/2 - 3/4 cup)

Heat up the pan over medium-high heat, preheat the broiler on low.  Whisk the eggs in a bowl and set aside. put in the butter, saute the onion until translucent, add your other ingredients and saute for 3-5 minutes (reserving cheese until last to be sprinkled over the top before it goes in the oven).  Pour your eggs in and stir with a rubber spatula for about 3 minutes or until the bottom is set. Then pop it into the oven for 3-4 minutes (until the top is set and the edges brown).  Slide it out onto a plate and enjoy!

Note: if you prefer your eggs cooked, but not browned, place the frittata into a 375 degree oven to set, rather than under the broiler.  I know some folks don't like a crispy egg, and I support you.

Now, if you're up for an adventure, I want you to try this perfectly fried egg from chef José Andrés and report back.  This is definitely not for the pale egg crowd, this is about as crispy-brown as it gets!