Summer Shrimp and Tasty Wine Make Summer Fabulous!!!!!

I haven't decided what I like better...wine or shrimp this Summer.  Bloody Marys are also closing in for the final lineup.  I think right now it's a very close tie between shrimp and white wine.  I've been loving (probably way too often) the Angel Food wine from Cupcake Vineyards.  Naked Grape Pinot Grigio is a close second to this.  I figured with everything I went through this year, I'm entitled to a bit of wine, or in my case an entire case of wine.

I'm trying tons of new recipes this summer and one of my favorites is Roasted Shrimp.  I can use this simple roasted shrimp in tons of recipes.  I roast a big tray of shrimp and divide it into freezer bags so I can use it over time.  The roasted shrimp recipe comes from Ina Garten and its totally delish!

I buy 2-3 lbs. of shrimp when they are on sale.  I peel and clean them and roast them all-all you need is SHRIMP (I used jumbo, but you can use whatever size you have), salt, pepper, and olive oil.

1 of 2 trays before roasting

Preheat the oven to 400.  Toss the peeled and cleaned shrimp with 2 TBSP olive oil, 1 TBSP sea salt, and a few grinds of fresh pepper.  Spread the shrimp out on 1-2 cookie sheets so the shrimp do not touch.  Roast the shrimp in oven for 10-15 minutes.

juicy, yummy roasted shrimp

The roasted shrimp take on a whole new shrimpier flavor.  They are sweeter than pan fried or sauteed shrimp and you now have a great main ingredient for a whole host of shrimp dishes!

Here's the first of 3:

Shrimp Feta "Pizza"

I use 2-3 whole wheat pitas.  These serve as your pizza crust.  A few roasted shrimp (I use about 5 jumbo per pita), a nice chunk of feta and olive oil.  Arrange pitas on a cookie sheet  lightly sprayed with non stick spray.  On each pita, crumble feta cheese onto it (I don't' buy pre-crumbled, it dries out to quickly. Buy the chunk and crumble when you are ready to use it).  Arrange shrimp on top of the feta and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few grinds of fresh pepper.  You don't need salt-you would have already salted the shrimp when roasting it and the feta is salty enough.  Bake pitas in a 350 degree oven (only long enough to crisp the pita slightly and soften the feta.  the shrimp is already roasted).  Cut into quarters to serve.  These are a delicious appetizer or meal with a big greek salad-YUMMY!!!!

 #2 Roasted Shrimp with Lemon Angel Hair 

You need:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic minced

2 lemons-zest 1 lemon and juice of both

small handful chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

salt, pepper

1 package angel hair or linguini fini-cooked to al dente

1lb roasted shrimp

This is like a more basic version of a shrimp scampi-Saute garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil.  Add juice of both lemons and the zest.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Add parsley, reserving some to use right before serving.

Add shrimp to heat through. (*If you are using raw shrimp, add now and saute until cooked through.)  Add salt & fresh pepper to taste. Add drained pasta to hot pan and stir through, allowing the pasta to cook for another minute in the lemon sauce.  Finish with fresh parsley.  I serve it with sauteed spinach with garlic.  So fast and easy!

Shrimp with Angel Hair served with Sauteed Spinach

 #3 Rotini with Lemon Shrimp and Arugula

This is a version of a Giada recipe except I skip the oranges and just use lemon as my citrus ingredient.  I also use greek olives instead of the green.  This is a warm pasta salad.  The arugula is not cooked, but softens slightly when mixed with the hot pasta.  I could eat this every day!  I absolutely love the peppery bite of the arugula with the sweetness of the roasted shrimp.  

You need:

1 lb rotini or fusilli cooked to al dente

2 TBSP olive oil

1 shallot, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 lb roasted shrimp

healthy splash of white wine

Dressing for Pasta:

zest of 1 lemon

2 lemons juiced

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp white balsamic vinegar (if you don't have white balsamic use white wine vinegar)

salt & fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup greek olives, halved

4 handfuls fresh arugula

Heat olive oil in pan, add shallots and garlic and saute until softened.  Add wine and shrimp to heat through. *If you are using raw shrimp, saute it in the pan until cooked through.
Prepare dressing.  In a medium bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, zest and lemon juice until thickened slightly and dressing comes together.  Add salt & pepper to taste and whisk to combine.
In a large serving bowl, mix the hot cooked pasta with the arugula.  Pour shrimp mixture over pasta and stir gently.  Top with olives and enjoy!  Very good with fresh italian bread to soak up the lemony juices.

Tasty lemony dressing

Delicious pasta with shrimp, lemon and arugula

 I hope you enjoy these delicious and super easy shrimp dishes.  Remember-you don't have to cook the already roasted shrimp for very long in the recipes.  If you use the roasted shrimp, it is cooked already and you are simply just heating it through.  

Making the Most of Summer

It has been such a busy, but fun Summer! It is hard to believe that in less than 2 weeks Stina will be in KINDERGARTEN! This will be our first foray into full day school and I am way more nervous than she is.  The minis have been very busy this Summer-we traveled to Georgia to visit with my sister & brother in law and my dad, Big Daddy.  My sister is very pregnant with her first child and my new nephew!!!  I can't wait until October when he makes his appearance.  Between girly makeovers and pool days it was a fun trip.  Stina is more aware of my sister's pregnancy than she was when I was pregnant with Matthew.  It's amazing to see her talking to Aunt Beady's belly and telling her cousin all about what is going on on the outside.  Matthew just keeps asking when "Onion" will be here.  Poor Owen already has a strange nickname and he isn't even here yet!

Stina saying hello to her cousin!

Matthew saying Hi to Onion

We've made a few trips to Sesame Place and even got into the city to see Doc McStuffins-yikes...that was a nightmare!  Stina even had her first lemonade stand while at my parents' house in Georgia.  As she explained to us, it has been a dream to have one her whole life!  She did a great job and totally loved it.

Lemonade Stand Day 1

Day 2 of the lemonade stand

 The kids have been keeping me busy and keeping my mind off medical stuff.  The reality of it is that "medical stuff" is still a big part of my life and will be for a while.  I am feeling better everyday.  Still a vegetarian, I feel much healthier and have a ton more energy than I did even a month ago.  I have gone for a few port flushes and those aren't bad-hoping the port will be removed sooner rather than later.  I will be having my next Pet Scan next week.  The oncologist seems very positive and feels strongly it will come back clear-that is what we are praying for.  If it comes back clear, I will officially be in remission.  No one wants to say that word though until they see the scan results-understandably too.  Unfortunately, it seems as if the one thing the doctors hoped I could avoid has begun-MENOPAUSE! Seriously!?!?!  As if all the other stuff cancer threw at me wasn't bad enough, now I've got hot flashes and they are hot...and way too frequent!  Murph has been a good sport though-the air conditioning is creating a sub arctic temperature in our home.  He is sleeping wrapped up tight in a comforter while I sweat it out in a 60 degree room.  I figure with everything else that happened this past year, I can handle menopause.  It isn't fun, but it won't kill me.

One of my favorite things this summer has been getting back into the kitchen.  Going back to being a vegetarian has been super simple too.  I had been a vegetarian for many years and eventually went back to eating chicken and some red meat here and there.  But after my treatments, and my Mom telling me all the details of the Peaceable Kingdom movie, I have no interest in meat.  I am eating fish still and am not a vegan (even though I really do hate eggs)  but going back to being a vegetarian has opened up a whole new world of cooking for me.  I still cook meat for Murph and Matthew.  Stina has never eaten red meat and eats a little chicken-she is a veggie lover all the way.  This is totally her choice and her pediatrician is all for her being meat free.  I have loved researching and trying new recipes to fit my new diet.
I promise to still have lots of recipes here on my blog-including meat recipes.  I am not forcing my choice on anyone else and I promise not to get preachy on you.  Not eating meat has been the right choice for me, but it isn't the right choice for everyone though-so you can still get some meaty & meat free ideas here!