Make a Meal: Bang Bang Shrimp with Edamame "Fried" Quinoa

In my weekly pinterest perusing, I saw a shrimp recipe floating around from SkinnyTaste. Gina's blog was one of my initial inspirations when I was starting my adventure into the blogosphere and her recipes have met our top two criteria: delicious and nutritious. There is something about spring weather that strikes my fancy for seafood, particularly shrimp, so I added this into the meal plan for the week. When I clicked thru to her recipe, she had recommended an Edamame Fried Rice to pair with it, so I took that recommendation and adapted it just a bit, subbing quinoa for rice.

Here is my adaptation of her fantastic recipes! They are quick and easy to make with little prep time needs if you can get some of the ingredients pre-chopped at the store, like the onion and the carrots. I lightened the shrimp sauce by replacing the mayonaise with plain greek yogurt and kicked up the heat with a little more Sriracha.

My version nutrition facts were calculated at SparkRecipes.com and can be found here for the shrimp, and here for the edamame "fried" quinoa.

Grocery List:
Yields 4 servings

For the Shrimp

• 1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp 
• 2 tbsp. plain Greek Yogurt (my modification from her 2.5 tbsp of mayonnaise) 
• 1.5 tbsp. green scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Sweet Red Chili Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha (and maybe a little more if you want to up the heat)

For the "Fried" Quinoa

• 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg scrambled
• 1 cup quinoa 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped, including white part
• 1/2 cup carrot, shredded or julienned
• 1 cup ready to eat, shelled edamame
• 2-3 tbsp. Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)

Start by preparing the shrimp. I used a griddle but feel free to use a grill and cook these kabob style! Go ahead and heat your grilling/cooking surface in preparation for the shrimp. In a bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, scallions, chili sauce and sriracha. Coat and toss the shrimp in it and let marinate for about 15 minutes.

In a pot, cook the quinoa according to the package. Make sure you rinse the grains first to remove any residue or film from the seeds. I then like to toast them for about 5 minutes on medium heat until it starts to smell a little like popcorn! The quinoa will take between 10-15 minutes to fully cook.

As your quinoa cooks, take a large skillet, wok or chef's pan and begin to heat the olive oil. Saute your onions until translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn the heat down to medium low so you don't burn the garlic then add the scallions and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the edamame once the carrots have softened. 

 

Now it's time to cook the shrimp! Place them on the heat and let cook for about 8 minutes, then flip them to cook for another 5 minutes.

 

Once the quinoa is ready, add in with the vegetables, then add the cooked scrambled eggs and finally the tamari. Combine all contents well to create a nice blend in the pan. 

 

To serve, create a nice bed of the edamame fried quinoa, then top with the shrimp! Garnish with some additional scallions if you prefer and enjoy.

Tastefully yours,

Quinoa Pasta with Spinach-Avocado "Pesto"

Have you heard of quinoa pasta?!? If not, then let me tell you a story.

In January, I was sitting at a brunch with new people after we all just finished a yoga class. One of the girls was talking about this pasta and I found myself very intrigued! After nearly 30 minutes of talking about that, kale smoothies, kombucha drinks and yoga inversions, we realized we had just made perfect sound bytes for a Sh*t Yogis Say video parody. While I do not fancy myself as "a yogi" I did have to agree that just happened and we sounded ridiculous. But I learned about a fantastic little secret nugget and I couldn't wait to try it for myself!

 

The next day when Mr. Max and I were doing our weekly grocery shopping, I decided to find it and put it on the meal plan for the week. Since then, we have made it probably a dozen times and let me tell you, this stuff is legit! It tastes like any other given pasta but it contains less fat and much higher in fiber and protein than even whole wheat/grain pasta. You can find it in any grocery store, it is located with the gluten-free and special dietary needs. My one complaint? They don't have a penne version.

Now, onto sharing a recipe for it. I've made a few that are noteworthy and ones I do plan to share, I thought I'd start with this one. It's like, a super food party on a plate. You've got avocado, spinach, and a quinoa based pasta; pair that with a nice, lean protein and that's a delicious and nutritious dish my friends. Okay, I guess I have one more complaint, but that's all, I promise. I do feel the need to provide warning that this cooks much faster than regular pasta, especially the smaller shapes. Pay attention to it and don't let it overcook because it will get mushy.

Nutritional facts were calculated at SparkRecipes.com and can be found here (includes 4 oz. grilled chicken breast). 

Grocery List:
Recipe Yields 4 servings

• 1 ripe avocado, cut in cubes
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tsp. + 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 box of Ancient Grains spiral quinoa pasta 

To start, take a pot and will with water. The box tells you to use 4 QUARTS of water, but that is just wasteful when 1 quart (4 cups) of water is more than enough. Add just a little olive oil (about 1 tsp.) into the water to keep the noodles from sticking together. Bring the water to a boil and add the pasta, turning down the heat on the stove to about medium-low. Watch it closely, it will cook in about 4-6 minutes depending on the size and shape. Once al dente, drain and set aside in a bowl.

In a food processor, take the avocado cubes, add spinach, olive oil (3 tbsp.) and garlic cloves. Process until creamy and smooth. If it is too thick for your liking, you can think out with additional olive oil.

Toss the "pesto" with the pasta and serve! It is great on its own or pairs wonderfully with a simple grilled herb chicken breast.

Tastefully yours,

Butternut Squash and Kale Hash

This was the meal that brought me out of my blog sabbatical because I just had to share! One of the fun things about cooking is after you do it long enough, you start to just know how certain tastes are going to meld and blend together. I love how you know you can combine the savory of Worcestershire, tang of champagne vinegar, sweet of agave and the piquant of dijon mustard to create an incredibly tasty glaze, and know that it will all work together. When you can look around your pantry or fridge, then just start mixing, that is when magic happens. And friends, that is the most fun part to reach in your kitchen adventures! 

This meal was inspired by a pinterest post for a sweet potato and kale hash, it was a breakfast dish with a fried egg on top. I have nothing against sweet potatoes, but I do have a love a-ffair with butternut squash so I decided to swap one orange veggie for another, just the way I like it. Mr. Max has been on a big kale kick ever since we did a cooking class in January with a crispy kale dish. I wanted to be able to take his new favorite veggie with my favorite veggie, then add some other stuff and make it a meal. Sounds pretty technical, huh?

I was shooting from the hip with this dish but wrote it down as I went a long so I could remember and hopefully get around to posting.... ta-da! I actually did this time. Nutritional fact breakdown can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.

Grocery List:
Yields 4 servings

• 10 large Kale leaves, de-stemmed and chopped into large chunks (we operate by, the darker the better! Grab some dino kale to try it out)
• 1.5 - 2 cups Butternut squash, cubed
• 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 shallot, minced (about 2 tbsp. worth)
• 3 cloves garlic, minded
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (approximately)

Start by pre-heating your oven to 450 degrees to roast your butternut squash cubes. Toss with 1 tbsp. of olive oil to coat then sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and rosemary.  Set on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (easy clean up process and assists in the crisping), then pop in the oven to roast for 20 minutes. We want these babies to have some brown on them, some color.

When you have about 10 minutes left on the timer for the roasting squash, take 1 tbsp of olive oil and begin to saute your shallots in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once frangrant, add the garlic and saute for about 3 minutes.

Add the kale and the final tbsp of olive oil, tossing in the pan to coat, which will help it cook and crisp. Let it sit for about 2 minutes on medium heat, then move it around the pan again. Right about now, the squash should be ready to take out of the oven. Add it to the pan and combine the two, adding the cumin and chili powder. Turn up the heat to about medium-high (6 or 7 on the dial) and let that kale crisp a little more in all the flavors.

Finally, you will add two large pinches of Parmigiano Reggiano. Give it a stir, fold it together, do what feels right.

Dish it out and serve for a deliciously nutritious, easy weeknight meal!

Served with petite Pork Tenderloin Medallions in a Cider-Dijon glaze

Directions:

Slice a pork tenderloin into 1 inch discs. In a small skillet, mist with cooking oil and set 4-5 slices, not touching one another, on the hot surface. Cover with a lid and let cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Both sides should have a nice brown marks, medium heat should register to 145 degrees.

As the medallions cook, time to whip up an easy glaze. I combined some of my favorite tastes mentioned in the opening paragraph: 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1.5 tbsp. Worcestershire, 1 cup apple cider, 1 tbsp. champagne vinegar, 1 tbsp. agave nectar, 1 tsp. shallots, 1 tsp. rosemary. Place all of this in a sauce pan over medium heat, when it begins to simmer, bring the heat down to low to allow it to thicken, about 10 minutes total. To serve, spoon over top pork medallions. 

Nutritional fact breakdown for pork and sauce can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.  

One serving yields four small or three large medallions and 1 tbsp. of sauce. 

Tastefully yours, 

Happy New Year!

Hi foodie friends, Happy New Year!

I know it's been quiet over here for a few months but I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season. After a bit of a sabbatical, I wanted to surface again and to give a little update. 

So, Mr. Max and I said I Do in December and we have been slowly but surely settling back into a normal routine after wedding, honeymoon and holiday travels. Cooking new meals and using all of the fun kitchen-related wedding gifts has certainly been a treat! Last year was truly wonderful for us and we are thankful for the blessings bestowed, we are very excited to see what 2013 has in store for us.

As the new year is now in full swing, so are many new beginnings and goal-setting opportunities. Instead of making resolutions each year, I look at the facets of life that make me whole: physical, emotional, spiritual, educational, professional, financial, recreational, etc. I like to try to create a goal that will challenge me on all of these levels to help me continue to grow and thrive.

This year, my goals include:

Physical: I dabbled in yoga since 2010, hoarding Groupons to try a place for a month, then go on to the next place. In the spring of 2012, both Mr. Max and I made a commitment to the practice by joining a yoga studio. I hit 50 classes after 5 months but then tapered off of it. This year, and with 12 months ahead of me, I'd like to do 200 classes for the year and complete one of the monthly challenges my studio offers. 

Spiritual: Mr. Max and I both grew up with church as a large focus. We both participated in youth group, youth choir, mission trips, sunday school, confirmation classes and at some point, we both attended parochial school. We happened to fall into the same pattern once we left for college where we didn't stay disciplined to continue that on our own. Since college, we have gone to church here and there, but in our marriage counseling, we both identified that as the #1 area for growth that we feel we need as a couple. My aunt gave us a daily devotional book for the year and my goal is for us to complete that book, and to get involved in our church whether it is a bible study or a Sunday school class. Our schedules vary, I end up working a lot of weekends and we sometimes miss church, but I would like to actively strengthen my spirituality through prayer, fellowship and devotion in this new year.

Emotional: This goal is one that goes hand-in-hand with my spiritual goal. I would like to become more emotionally self-disciplined, learning to focus my thought process on God's perspective. I want to challenge myself to think more before I react and pray for patience so that I can be a better wife, daughter, sister, friend, and colleague. I will use my spiritual goal through our daily devotions to hear His word, praying for patience and perspective in all areas of life. I will also choose affirmations for myself and for my husband to repeat often. For myself, they will be phrases that I can focus on to get back on track if I start to feel overwhelmed or impatient. One I have said for years is Let Go and Let God; I tend to have a need to plan and take control of a situation, but this year my challenge is to let go of those urges and listen for His direction to anchor me again. For my husband, I want to affirm him daily in some way. Whether it is in action or speech, I want him to feel affirmed in love, support, guidance, trust, and decision-making.

Educational: This year, Mr. Max and I have a travel goal. Since that one is categorically ambiguous, I thought I could just classify it here. There are some places that we want to go, see and experience together. I hope to become educated on foods, wines, history, culture and more through our travels.

Financial: I didn't do a very good job at learning to live within my means as a single girl with a non-profit job in a fun city and this inherent want for pretty things. Mr. Max had a sit down with me last May and we've been working together on this little by little. In 2013, I would like a full year of paying of my credit card in full each month while also putting away a certain percentage into savings. This will be a challenge for me but something I should have learned a long time ago.

Professional: I would like to challenge myself this year to grow and become a more well-rounded professional to help achieve the vocational ambition that I seek. This one is short and sweet, a little vague, but not something I am not ready to expand on fully because I'm still working to grasp exactly what it means for me.

Finally, we come to Recreational: This is the area of life that makes up whatever I do when I'm not working. The part of life that helps give balance by way of a hobby. Well, for the past four years, cooking and keeping up this blog has been a big hobby for me. However, this year Kate's Cure for the Common Cuisine will re-brand and be a little different going forward to grow with me, as a writer and as a person. In the next month or so, you will be introduced to a new site focusing on more domestikated posts (see what I did there?!) that will not solely focus on food. I started this blog in 2010 as a way to share healthier recipe alternatives on my journey to better nutrition and learning to cook with my favorite sous chef. While there is still much more to come out of our kitchen, there is other content I'd like to be able to share with the help of some fantastic guest-blogger friends.

Whew! Well, that about sums it all up! Starting this year, I will post my monthly F&F (fitness & food) calendar. This is a tool I started using in February of 2012 when I took part in a healthy living challenge. By mapping it all out, it helped keep me on track. I took the Microsoft Word calendar template and just filled it all in, noting days I had events or meetings that I would need to be conscious of. You can see my January calendar below! Note, I usually don't plan out Fridays and Saturday meals, leaving those flexible.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1	2 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Work meeting - Chinese Turkey Chili Taco Soup	3 6:00 AM – Wood 60 OR Cardio and Weights PM – Haircut Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Turkey Chili Taco Soup Quinoa/Shrimp Lettuce Wraps	4 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights Cotton Bowl Game	5 9:15 AM – Yoga Earth Class
6  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Bnut Squash Chicken Spaghetti bake	7 5:45 PM Metal-Earth Progression OR 6:20 Metal 60 Meals: Protein Smoothie Chicken spaghetti Blackned salmon/veggies	8 6:00 AM – Earth 60 Meeting PM Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Spaghetti squash with chicken Fiesta flank steak salad	9 6:00 AM – Cardio and abs Meeting PM Meals: Protein Smoothie Fiesta flank steak Salad Meeting - Italian food	10 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Chicken/spinach wrap Skinny Chckn Parm with spaghetti squash	11 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights 6:00 PM – Central Market Cooking Class	12 12:00 PM – Metal 60
13  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Tortilla Soup	14 Meeting PM Meals: Protein Smoothie Tortilla Soup and salad Pot roast	15 6:00 AM – Earth 60 5:45 PM – Body Works Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Pot roast Turkey Lettuce Wraps	16 6:00 AM – Cardio and abs 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Protein Smoothie Turkey Lettuce Wraps Veggie Ribbons/ Salmon	17 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Chicken/Spinach wrap Lasagna roll ups	18 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights 5:45 PM – Wood-Metal Progression	19 9:15 AM – Yoga Earth Class
20  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Turkey Chili	21 5:45 PM Metal-Earth Progression OR 6:20 Metal 60 Meals: Protein Smoothie Turkey Chili Chicken Caprese with Spaghetti squash	22 6:00 AM – Earth 60 5:45 PM – Body Works Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Chicken/spag squash Brisket/veggies	23 6:00 AM –  Cardio and abs 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Protein Smoothie Brisket/veggies Butternut squash penne	25 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Butternut squash penne Black bean enchiladas	25 6:00 AM – Cardio and weights 5:45 PM – Wood-Metal Progression	26 12:00 PM – Metal 60
27  Cardio and Weights Meals: Eggs, wheat toast Protein Smoothie Butternut Squash Soup and fig/gouda grilled cheese	28 5:45 PM Metal-Earth Progression OR 6:20 Metal 60 Meals: Protein Smoothie Bnut squash soup/ salad Quinoa/black bean bowl	29 6:00 AM – Earth 60 5:45 PM – Body Works Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Quinoa/black bean bowl Asian stir-fry & salmon	30 6:00 AM – Cardio and abs 5:45 PM - Metal/Fire Progression Meals: Protein Smoothie Salad Beef Kabobs & Veggies	31 6:00 AM – Wood 60 Meals: Whole Grain Cereal Salad Chicken pesto pasta

Tastefully yours, 

Wedding Gifts: Shower Hosts!

The whole process of getting married is just so special! From the time you get engaged to when you say I Do, you are surrounded by love. We are so blessed to have some wonderful friends in our lives and while they were working hard on our behalf, I wanted to make sure I worked equally as hard to make sure they felt loved and appreciated for their efforts. This post is dedicated to those people and an ability to share some fun gift giving ideas for others looking for them.

Engagement Party Hosts - "Date Night" Recipe Basket

 

I cannot believe I didn't get a picture of this gift but I found a graphic on the wonderful world wide web that was similar enough to the gift basket created.

 

For our Engagement Party, we had some wonderful family friends offer to throw this celebration. These families have been apart of my life for as long as I can remember. I've cooked many meals in the Fulton kitchen and they know what foodies Max and I are so to make this extra special for us, they wanted to hand prepare all of the food for the event. They spent hours getting ready and creating a menu that served so many of our favorite things from pesto hummus and caprese skewers, to a crab remoulade and pork sliders. To thank them, I wanted to make something for them that was from our hearts, share something with them that is special to us. I had years of practice creating baskets of goodies for silent auctions, so I took that concept and applied it to their gift. I wanted to make each of the three host couples a "date night" basket with our favorite pasta recipe and everything they would need to make it. I filled the wicker basket with pasta noodles, ingedients for the sauce (including a mini vodka bottle), baguette bread, chianti wine and gadgets, such as a salad dressing emulsifier and cheese grater, stuffed it with crinkle paper and then wrapped with cellophane. I created a recipe card to attach, then used the back space to write a heartfelt message of thanks and affixed that as the gift tag.

Ladies Shower Host Gifts

For my Ladies Shower, I had four hosts that again I have known as long as I can remember. These sweet ladies have been dear friends of my mom and have watched me grow up. Having met all of them while growing up at University Park United Methodist Church, I wanted to gift them something that would reflect that. They led my Disciple Now weekends, taught me in Vacation Bible School and Sunday School, were chaperones on mission trips... these ladies each impacted my faith journey and were extensions of our own family for over 25 years. In Dallas we have the most fantastic store for home goodies and gifts called Sample House, where I found beautiful crosses and then paired with a candle for each host.

Couples Shower Host Gift

Mr. Max and I have some very special friends, the Rumplers. They have been a couple that has been apart of our relationship from very early on and they are apart of our wedding party. The Rumps gave us a lovely couples shower and we wanted to give them something fun in return. The store we purchased our wedding invitations through, Paper Affair, had a line of fun decorative cutting board platters that you could personalize. I was able to pick out a pattern and color that matched their home and have their name added to it. Liddy is a natural hostess so I thought this would be a gift I know she would appreciate. The week of that shower, I had a luncheon through work featuring the Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond. I got to meet and talk with her, as well as the chance to buy her newest cook book and have it personalized. I put it all together in a basket with a floral arrangement.

Thanks again to our wonderful hosts, we hope you know how much we appreciate you!