Basil Shrimp Orzo

Ever since making Orzo with Watermelon and Feta for the Recipe Swap, orzo has made quite a few appearances on our grocery list. Usually it's so I can make us a batch of the watermelon/feta dish (it really is a perfect summer lunch) but every now and then I try out a new recipe. Anything with shrimp usually earns me an A from Neil and this one was accompanied by a thumbs up since his mouth was full.

Basil Shrimp Orzo

Recipe Source: Erica's Kitchen Adventures

8 oz orzo

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil

20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

crushed red pepper, to taste

1.5 tbsp tomato paste

Parmesan cheese

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, saute your onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes. After about 3 minutes, add the shrimp in. Next, add the diced tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper, and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium and cover skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until mixture is heated through.

Turn off the heat and add the orzo to the skillet. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mix together. Enjoy!

Shrimp Lo Mein and Japanese Steakhouse White Sauce

I'm horrible with New Years Resolutions. One of mine for this blog was to post at least two times a week and here I am updating for the first time in a month. The hubs had to go to the field for some military exercise for the last month and I would be embarrassed to post what I ate this past month. I did get to eat a few dishes with beans, which the hubby hates, but other than that there were quite a few nights where I hit up the drive-thru...

But I'm back! And I thought I'd start it out with this gem of a recipe from Food.com. It's not exactly authentic Chinese food, especially since I subbed spinach for bok choy (that is one expensive and hard to find ingredient), but it is delicious.

2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup soy sauce

8 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp sesame oil, divided

12 ounces snow peas

2 cups shredded carrots

1 head bok choy, sliced (I substituted spinach)

1 15 oz can chicken broth

7 scallions, sliced

12 oz fettuccine, cooked and drained

Combine first five ingredients and set aside for 10 minutes. In a skillet or wok, heat 1 tsp oil over high heat. Drain shrimp, reserving soy mixture. Cook shrimp until pink, 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Add 1 tbsp oil to skillet, then add peas and carrots and cook 1 minute. Add to shrimp. Cook cabbage in skillet with remaining oil 1 minute. Combine broth and reserved soy mixture and add to skillet, along with shrimp mixture. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and mix in scallion and fettucini. Enjoy!

The white sauce recipe can be found here. This sauce is pretty much the only reason I go out to eat at Japanese places. I love this sauce and his recipe is practically identical in taste. The person who posted this recipe asked to be linked instead of copied so follow the link above. Be sure to chill it overnight because that really helps the flavors mix.

Buffalo Shrimp

I don't eat shrimp but Neil loves them. So to go along with the buffalo chicken tenders I made recently, I made him up a special batch of buffalo shrimp from Stephanie's blog. He loved them!

20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 eg

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup panko

1/3 cup of Franks Buffalo sauce, or your favorite sauce

salt and pepper

Pat the shrimp dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dip first in the flour, followed by the egg, and then panko. Repeat until all shrimp are coated.

You can either bake or fry the shrimp. I choose to fry them. To do this, heat some vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet. Put the shrimp in the oil and flip after 3 minutes, or when golden brown. Repeat for the other side. If you choose to bake, preheat the oven to 425 and bake until cooked trough and crisp on the outside.

Remove cooked shrimp to a shallow dish. Coat with buffalo sauce and toss until evenly coated. Enjoy!