Foodie Friday ~ Easy Shrimp Roll

 I'm so excited Foodie Friday is back and I get to share my favorite recipes with you guys!! I took a little break in July so I could focus on Create28, but I'm back and boy, do I have some great recipes to share with you!

If you are a new reader (YAY! Welcome!) I do Foodie Friday each week where I share my family's favorite recipes. I know cooking and mealtime can be very stressful, so the goal for nearly all of my recipes is to be simple, mostly healthy, mostly homemade, no fancy ingredients, can be done in 30 minutes or less. My recipes are also taste-tasted by my family who are pretty tough critics :) You can search the recipe index by food type/ingredient on my sidebar!

Let's start with a new summer fave ~

I have never been to New England, but when I go, the first thing I will do is run to the nearest Lobster Roll shack. It just seems like a thing that has my name written all over it! Since lobster is expensive and not exactly readily available, I tried to recreate the same type of dish with shrimp. It.was.DELISH!!!

Simple Shrimp Roll
**Makes 4-6 rolls

1 to 1 1/2 lbs shrimp (I liked to buy 40-50 count/pound, peeled and deveined, then I take the tails off)
1/3 cup light mayo
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon tarragon, finely chopped (this is optional, but adds a great flavor...you can also use a tablespoon or so of parsley, finely chopped)
Salt/pepper
Hot dog buns
Finely chopped romaine lettuce

1. Cook shrimp in a few teaspoons of olive oil for 2-3 minutes until pink. Season with salt and pepper then set aside to cool, then roughly chop.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayo, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, tarragon and lemon zest. Season with salt/pepper. fold in chopped shrimp, scallion, celery and stir until shrimp is well coated with the "dressing." Season with salt/pepper.

3. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours until well-chilled and to allow the flavors to combine.

4. When you are ready to serve, butter the hot dog buns and stick them under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned.

5. Assemble rolls by adding a small handful of lettuce to each hot dog bun. Top lettuce with a nice helping of the shrimp mixture. Before serving, squeeze more lemon juice onto each roll and garnish with scallions.

We love having this with kettle potato chips and a little salad (since you'll have leftover romaine lettuce anyway!). Easy, fun weeknight meal!!


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Recipe Wednesday: Thai Takeout

I loooove Thai food. Unfortunately, there are no great Thai restaurants close to us where I can grab a quick pad thai, curry or noodle dish. I love this recipe because I get my Thai fix, but it's quick and easy. Not to mention, I'm sure it's more healthy than take out. This recipe can be mixed and matched with any veggies you like, and it's great with chicken or shrimp, too!

Thai Vegetable Curry
- 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk (I usually use the "lite" version but I am telling you, the regular kind is MUCH tastier!)
- 3 teaspoons red curry paste (on the "Asian" aisle, see the brand I use below)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (key ingredient, can't skip it!)
- 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 3 cups of veggies: Frozen peas, edamame, snap peas, corn, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, snow peas, sliced onion....sky's the limit!
 - Fresh basil

1. In a medium skillet, slowly warm coconut milk; whisk in red curry paste until dissolved.

2. Add in all other ingredients and stir until heated through.

Serve over white or brown rice, and top with fresh basil!

Does it get much easier than that? I didn't think so :)