Shrimp and Quinoa with Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Dinner from Trader Joe's!

Some nights I am too lazy - I mean, BUSY, to cook something that requires a recipe, but I really want some “real” food. On those nights, a frozen dinner just won’t do. This is a recipe I discovered when I was trying to clean out my fridge at the same time that I was trying to get out of cooking anything that required thought. As it turned out, it was really good!

All ingredients can be found at Trader Joe’s, too – so if you live near one, it’s a one-stop-shop!

The Recipe
Serves 6

1 package Trader Joe’s quinoa (about 2 ½ cups)
1 1-lb package Trader Joe’s frozen, cooked shrimp (any size), tails removed
1 jar Trader Joe’s Julienned Sun-Dried Tomatoes (undrained)
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions. (This will require about 15 minutes of unattended cooking time.)

While the quinoa cooks, thaw the shrimp. (I put them in a bowl of water and put the bowl in the microwave on the “defrost” setting. Works like a charm.)

Add the cooked, thawed shrimp to the quinoa, along with the jar of tomatoes, the olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

If you’re feeling dedicated, serve over cooked vegetables (green beans or broccoli would be good). When I want comfort food, I just spoon some of the shrimp/quinoa mixture into a bowl, top it with Parmesan cheese and eat it. YUM. Good-tasting and good for you! Woo-hoo!

(Yeah, the picture isn't great. It tastes better than it looks, though! ;D)

What I Ate for Dinner: Clams and Brittany Beans from Trader Joe's

I came up with this entirely by accident. I had some stuff in the freezer, but nothing to make an “official” recipe. So I threw it all into a bowl together and zapped it, and it turned out better than I expected!

The Recipe:
Serves 2

1 package Trader Joe’s Steamed Clams in White Wine and Garlic
1 package Trader Joe’s Brittany Beans (a mixture of green beans, wax beans and carrots) or Fritto Misto (eggplant and zucchini in olive oil)
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Microwave the clams according to the package directions. While they heat, pour the beans into a microwave-save bowl. Remove the clams from the microwave and set them aside while you zap the beans (about 4 minutes, stir, zap 2 more minutes).

Put half the beans in a bowl and pour half the clams (with sauce) over them. Top with Parmesan cheese (and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes if you like).

It’s fast and easy, and looks good enough to feed your date!

Not-Quite-Bouillabaisse

If Bouillabaisse had a cousin, it would be this quick and easy, one-pot seafood stew. High in protein, low in just about everything else, this will warm the cockles of your heart on a winter night. (Yeah. I said “cockles.” Stop snickering!)

Makes 6-8 large servings or 8-10 medium ones

2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
3 large celery ribs, chopped
1 onion, chopped (or 1 cup chopped onion)
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh thyme (the entire contents of one small grocery-store package)
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh flat leaf (sometimes called Italian) parsley (the entire contents of one small grocery-store package)
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth
2 15-oz cans UNSALTED diced tomatoes (the unsalted part is important)
1 Tbs Old Bay seasoning
3 pounds assorted fish (I use 1 lb each: shrimp, scallops, tilapia)
juice of 2 lemons, plus extra lemons for serving alongside

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, thyme and parsley, and sauté until the onions get soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the wine, broth, tomatoes and Old Bay seasoning, and bring to a boil.

While the broth mixture heats, chop the tilapia (or other fish) into large (approx 2-inch) pieces. When the broth boils, lower the heat, add all the fish and shellfish, as well as the juice of 2 lemons. Stir gently to combine, then cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and/or the fish flakes with a fork.
Serve with a lemon half for each person to squeeze into their bowl, and some crusty bread for sopping up the broth. I also like a little pepper on mine. *happy sigh*

Crab Dip Casserole

In our family, we have a fantastic crab dip recipe. I was trying to figure out a way to convert it into a casserole, and came up with this variation. YUM.

The Recipe
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
4 cups crab (or imitation crab), shredded (equal to one whole 16-oz package of imitation crab, flake style)
1 package frozen cauliflower
1 package frozen beans, green or white (I used the Brittany Blend from Trader Joe's: a mix of green beans, wax beans and baby carrots, and it was FANTASTIC - AND pretty!)
1/4 cup bread crumbs (optional)
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs and Parmesan in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until you can hear it sizzling when you open the oven.
*You might find that it needs salt and pepper to taste. I didn't add it to the recipe, because it's such an individual preference.

Fresh from the oven:


Served up in a bowl:

It takes about 10 minutes to assemble, and this should feed 6-8 people.
DEFINITELY serve salad with this. It's really rich, and you'll need something to cut the richness.

Shrimp: Two Ways, One Method

I really love grilled shrimp, but in the winter I'm not going outside to mess with the grill. So I figured out how to bake them in the oven! Below are 2 separate shrimp recipes, but since the prep and cooking method is exactly the same for each, you can actually make them at the same time. I've been known to buy 1 pound of shrimp, and do 1/2 of each pound a different way. ;)

Proportions given are for 1 pound of shrimp (about 21-25 count) per recipe, which should feed 4-6 as an appetizer or 2 hungry adults as an entree. I cook these with the peel on, but deveined - usually sold in the grocery as "easy-peel shrimp."

Recipe #1: Spicy Shrimp and Tartar Sauce

1 pound large raw shrimp (21-25 count)

3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted (Do NOT use salted butter - the seafood seasoning has salt already in it.)

1 Tbs seafood seasoning (Old Bay or equivalent)

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with non-stick spray.

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Lay the shrimp out on the baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through.

Finished:

Tartar Sauce:

Edited to add: the first recipe below is MY recipe. Underneath that one I added my mom's. As it turned out, I was trying to make her recipe, but I was using Kosher pickles instead of regular dill ones. Kosher ones have garlic, LOL. Both recipes are good, but for these particular shrimp, I'd use the second one - my mom's. :)

The second tartar sauce recipe below is my mom's recipe, which she invented by reading the back of a bottled tartar sauce jar and playing around with proportions and extra ingredients until she liked it. (She did it when I was too young to remember, so growing up I had NO IDEA you could just buy tartar sauce in the store. I thought it always had to be made from scratch!) I like it because it's not sweet at all; it's a savory sauce with a lot of dill.

Mine

1 cup mayo

2 tsp dried minced onion

2 tsp dill weed

2 tsp dill seed

4 tsp Kosher dill pickle juice

1 Kosher dill pickle spear, chopped as finely as you can.

Mix ingredients together and allow to chill for 2 hours. (The longer the better: you want the dried spices to soften up a little.)

*Note: I like my tartar sauce VERY dill-flavored. If you want a subtler flavor, use half the amount of dill weed, dill seed and pickle juice.

Mom's

1 cup mayo
2 tsp dried minced onion

2 tsp dill weed OR dill seed (or 1 tsp each)

3 tsp dill pickle juice (NOT Kosher - don't make my mistake, LOL!)

1 dill pickle, chopped finely (again - NOT Kosher)

Mix together and allow to chill for 2 hours. The longer the better, for the same reason as above. :)

Recipe #2: Lemon-Caper Shrimp with Almost-Aioli Dipping Sauce

1 lb large raw shrimp (21-25 count)

2 Tbs capers

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup

sprinkle of salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese for dusting

Almost the same method as before, with one additional step: preheat the oven to 350F, toss everything but the cheese together in a bowl and lay out on 2 baking sheets. Spoon the leftover sauce at the bottom of the bowl over the shrimp. Then sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and bake for 10-12 minutes, turning once (halfway through).

Finished:

Almost-Aioli Dipping Sauce:

1 cup mayo

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp capers

2 tsp caper brine

2 Tbs lemon juice (about 1 lemon, squeezed)

1/2 tsp pepper

4 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together in a bowl and allow to chill for an hour or so.

I serve both of these dishes over salad (sometimes with a piece of garlic bread), but they'd also be fantastic over lightly buttered pasta. You could even serve them up over rice pilaf, with a small salad on the side.