Spicy Shrimp and Bell Pepper Pasta

For Mother’s Day, I made dinner and dessert for my mom. Unfortunately, I lost all sense of taste by dinnertime. Darn allergies. I was so desperate to get my taste back, that I almost drowned myself while trying to use a Netipot for the first time. Still no luck. And so, I ate this meal without knowing what it actually tasted like and bagged some for later (on the plus side though, my mom loved it). A few days later, I went over my friend’s house where I was offered some wasabi almonds. I’ve never liked the taste of wasabi- it’s just too strong for me. Now, however, I have a respect for them cause after eating a third one- BAM! I got my taste and appetite back. Thus, I was finally able to enjoy the left overs of this dish Better late than never!

Spicy Shrimp and Bell Pepper Pasta 

Ingredients:

16 oz pasta

1 lb uncooked shrimp

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp thyme

1 and 1/2 tbsp whole wheat flour

2 tbsp mustard with horseradish

1 cup chicken broth, divided into 1/3 cup and 2/3 cup

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, sliced

3 tomatoes, diced

3 cups fresh spinach

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions: 

Cook pasta according to box instructions and set aside. Peel and wash shrimp and place in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, chili powder, oregano and thyme. Pour seasoning over shrimp and toss together with your hands. Spray a deep skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Cook shrimp for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together flour, mustard, and 1/3 cup chicken broth. Set aside.

Remove shrimp from skillet and replace in bowl. Respray skillet and add in peppers, onions, and garlic cloves. Sauté for 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and spinach and cook for 5 minutes. Add in flour mixture, 2/3 cup chicken broth, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. Mix shrimp and veggie mixture into pasta before serving.

 

Flour-less Banana Cookies

And… I’m done! Another semester complete! I’m so excited to finally get the chance to sit down and read. My reading list has accumulated to over 20 books, so I’ll be nice and busy for a while Of course, I’ll also be cooking and hopefully posting more frequently. To celebrate the beginning of my break, I thought I’d post a a super yummy and quick cookie recipe!

Now, I don’t know if I ever mentioned it, but I’m majoring in math and education. Eventually, I’m going for special education. As an end of the year treat, my teaching program went to New York City this week! (Pictures below). I only went there once before, so I was super excited to go. Unfortunately, we got into NYC at 3, so we only had a few hours to roam around. Because of this, we mostly stuck to the Times Square area. I didn’t really mind though- I was completely content with just looking around at the lights and colors. At night though, I went to my first Broadway play, Cinderella. Normally, musicals put me to sleep, so I was surprised that I loved the play so much! Next on my list: The Lion King!

Flour-less Banana Cookies 

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana

1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2/3 cup oats

2 tbsp raisins and/or chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking oil. In a bowl, mash up a banana (I use a potato masher) and add and mix in coconut flakes, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in oats and raisins/chocolate chips. Bake for 13 minutes.

Baked Asparagus Fries

One more week and then I’m done my semester! Yay! Unfortunately, this also means hardcore studying time. Eh. I’m so bad when it comes to procrastination. Instead of going out or stalking people on social media sites, I cook or bake. And then eat. A lot. And this right here is just one of the results from my procrastination. In my defense though, I practiced my sign language between baking times

Baked Asparagus Fries 

Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh, organic asparagus

1 large egg

hot sauce

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking oil. Wash asparagus and break off the tough ends. Beat egg and a couple drops of hot sauce together in a bowl. In a shallow dish, mix together panko breadcrumbs, mozzarella cheese, pepper flakes, oregano, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Using your hands, take one asparagus spear and place it in the egg mixture. Shake off the excess yolk and place in panko bowl. Completely cover with crumbs and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with every asparagus spear. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Flip after 10 minutes.

Note: If you want a nice, thick coat on your “fries,” coat them in flour after you dunk them in the yolk and before you dip them in the panko mixture. I did not do this because I didn’t have the time (I did eventually have to write a paper, after all) and just wanted a light, crunchy coat.

 

Chocolate Pea Pudding/Dip

Yup, you heard me. Peas. In a dessert. Seems nasty right? But just look at the picture for a second. How about now?

You guys are just going to have to take a leap of faith and trust me on this one. Please do. I’m sure some of you have tried black bean brownies, spinach smoothies, and avocado mousse before. Just think of it as another “secret ingredient” recipe. In a contest with my Chocolate Avocado Mousse, I honestly don’t know who’d win. It tastes that darn good. As an additional bonus, this pudding/dip is FILLING (not that it stops me from finishing my portion )To make sure my taste buds had not gone out of whack, I had some family members taste test this without telling them what was inside. Nobody could guess anything out of the ordinary. Gotta love the power of disguise.

NOTE: I recommend using frozen peas for this for a cool and refreshing taste.

Chocolate Pea Pudding/Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen peas

1/4 cup organic pure maple syrup

3 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1/2 tbsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Optional: 1 tbsp peanut butter

Directions:

Place peas in a strainer and briefly run under warm water. Transfer peas to a food processor. Add in the rest of ingredients and process until smooth and peas are no longer detectable.

Curry Green Oatmeal

Thursday is my late dinner night. I come home from school and work and go right to the gym to lift weights (or attempt to, anyway) and take my spinning and pilates class. I don’t know if that’s considered too much gym time, but it takes my mind off everything that’s stressing me out. Plus, I can daydream for a few hours And as sad as it may seem, I daydream about dinner when I get home. My breakfast dinner. At first, my family looked at me strange, but now they all know that Thursday night = oatmeal creations. I’ve tried so many combinations (some good, some not so good) and this is one of my favorites. It’s pretty quick to make (seeing that I’m eating this 10 at night) and it makes a decent portion.

I was going to call this “green curry” oatmeal, but I’m afraid someone will yell at me. Afterall, green curry is green curry and I would never want to falsely imitate it. However, this does contain curry and it is green colored. So, curry green oatmeal seemed fitting.

Curry Green Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats, uncooked

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp curry powder

1/8 tsp pepper

2/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tbsp minced ginger

1/4 large onion, chopped

1 and 1/2 cups fresh spinach or arugula

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp pine nuts

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Place and mix oats, red pepper flakes, curry powder and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. In a small pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Pour broth over oats, give a quick stir, and place a plate over the bowl. Let oatmeal sit, covered, for 5 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Afterward, transfer oatmeal into a food processor. Add in minced garlic, ginger, onion, spinach or arugula, soy sauce, and pin nuts. Puree all together until smooth and green. Mix in bell pepper and peas.