shrimp

Meatless Monday: Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 13 Comments

I can’t stop making zucchini noodles. Seriously, I love my zoodler (okay I guess the correct term is spiralizer). It’s so easy to use and makes cooking vegetables SO MUCH FUN and getting B to eat veggies SO EASY. Spoiler – if you read my blog often you know that B is not my child; however, in the past few years he’s gotten much better about eating vegetables. One of the ways? Creative usage of veggies. And this recipe definitely counts. I mean, who doesn’t love oodles of peanut buttery sauce with their noodles (see what I did there?)… now, just substitute with zucchini and it’s even better!

Want a Thai-inspired, delicious meatless meal? Here you go. Oh, and while we were eating this, B said, “What’s in this sauce? I would definitely eat this again.”

Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

Makes 2-3 servings.

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 3 medium zucchini, spiralized into zoodles
  • 1 large carrot, spiralized
  • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
  • 1/4 lime, for garnish (optional)

For the sauce:

  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 5 Tablespoons of peanut butter
  • ½ lime, juiced
  • 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1-2 Tablespoons water, to thin out the sauce somewhat

Here’s what you do:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, honey and red pepper flakes. Add water if needed to thin out the sauce – should be a thin paste. The zucchini will thin out the sauce even more later. Set aside.
  2. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add oil and diced shallot and saute for 4-5 minutes or until translucent and fragrant.
  3. Turn down heat and add in zucchini and carrot noodles. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until zucchini is heated through and at the texture of your liking  – B likes his zoodles somewhat softened and not as al dente so I cook mine for about 4-5 minutes.
  4. Remove noodles and add to the large bowl with the sauce.  Toss until noodles are well-coated.
  5. Serve and garnish with peanuts. Enjoy!

Zoodles with Spicy Asian Peanut Sauce

Interested in a not-so-meatless version? I added shrimp to B’s dish and cooked them with the shallots first before adding in the zucchini. See?

B's version!

B’s version!

For more posts on my love for zoodles and some recipes, here you go: https://icrashedtheweb.com/tag/zoodles/

Some questions for you:

  • Do you have a spiralizer yet? What do you make with it?
  • What’s the best vegetarian meal you’ve eaten lately?

Join this Meatless Monday linkup!

http://tinamuir.com/honey-lime-3-bean-dip/

Meatless Monday Linkup!

Garlicky Spicy Shrimp and Zoodles

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Have I mentioned that I got a spiralizer? I know, I’m behind the times. I had been using my mandolin to make zoodles and even a knife to make thin shreds for salads (like a papaya or apple salad). But guess what – the wait is over. I finally found a spiralizer I love, that meets my needs (is easy-to-use, doesn’t take up a lot of space and doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles) and I tried you out. So beware – there may be an influx of zoodle recipes coming your way!

Here’s the first recipe I tried out. Good news – even B enjoyed it!

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way shape or form giving up pasta. I am Italian and pasta holds a special place in my heart, especially homemade pasta. So yes, to answer your question (I knew you were going to ask) – I will still be making homemade pasta. BUT this is great for a quick, easy, healthy weeknight dish. The following meal took less than 30 minutes to make!

Garlicky Spicy Shrimp and Zoodles

Garlicky Spicy Shrimp and Zoodles 

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 medium-to-large zucchini (mine were each about 8-10 inches in length and 3 inches in width about)
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. divided
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 2 shallots
  • 1/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
  • 14 large peeled and deveined cocktail shrimp (note: you can use raw shrimp, just cook them a little bit first before anything else – I just didn’t want to handle raw shrimp)
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • salt, to taste

Here’s what you do:

  1. Use your spiralizer to make zoodles! I have this spiralizer (iPerfect Kitchen Envy Spiral Slicer Bundle – Vegetable Spiralizer – Zucchini Spaghetti Pasta Maker)  and LOVE it because it’s perfect for my needs – its simple, easy to use and easy to clean and takes up practically no space in my kitchen. I used the larger size zoodler setting for this recipe (my spiralizer only has two settings which is perfect for me). I chopped the zoodles in about half so they weren’t super long. Set zoodles aside.
  2. In a large nonstick pan, add 1/2 of extra virgin olive oil. Add chopped shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until start to become translucent. Add in garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant.
  3. Add in shrimp and be careful not to overcook- toss with oil, shallots and garlic until just warm.
  4. Add in zoodles, broth and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook the zoodles – I like mine just a little bit softened – if you prefer yours al dente, definitely don’t cook more than 2-3 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and toss with rest of olive oil, basil and hot pepper flakes. Serve while warm.

Enjoy!

Garlicky Spicy Shrimp and Zoodles

Some questions for you:

  • What noodle dish should I try with zoodles next? Spaghetti and meatballs? Chicken lomein? Pasta puttanesca? Spaghetti and clam sauce? Another?
  • What’s your favorite pasta dish? Not talking with zoodles, but talking REAL DEAL PASTA! I love any pasta with seafood, especially spicy dishes. I also love B’s homemade turkey meatballs 🙂

Freekeh freekeh!! Cajun Shrimp Freekeh

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Are you a meal planner? This is a dish that I threw together not having much planned ahead of time. Which isn’t always like me. I like to plan my meals in advance. I like knowing what I’m eating for dinner the morning of – or heck, even the night before. But sometimes we can’t always plan.  And that was one of those nights. Luckily, we had a few ingredients on hand, and some frozen shrimp, that when put together made for a pretty good dish.

B even suggested we make this again – so it’s a winner in my book!

CAJUN SHRIMP FREEKEH

Cajun Shrimp Freekeh

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 c. dry freekeh (I used Freekeh Foods original)
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or diced
  • 2 red peppers
  • 1 10-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis
  • 12 oz frozen shrimp, or four servings
  • 2 TBS Cajun or Creole seasoning (I like this “Creole” mix from Emeril)

Here’s what you do:

  1. Prepare freekeh according to package directions (my freekeh said to add to 2 1/2 c water, boil, then simmer). About halfway through cooking add 1 TBS cajun seasoning to freekeh. Stir, and continue to cook freekeh nearly to completion – I cooked mine for about 17 minutes (package said to cook for 20).
  2. While freekeh is cooking, heat 1-2 TBS olive oil on a pan over medium low heat. Add chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and red pepper and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
  3. At this point, freekeh should be nearly done cooking. Add nearly-done (definitely soft, it may have 2-3 more minutes) freekeh, can of diced tomatoes and 1 TBS cajun seasoning to the onion/garlic/pepper mixture. Cook for 3 more minutes on medium heat, stirring to make sure all flavors are combined.
  4. Add defrosted shrimp to pan and cook for 4-6 minutes until shrimp is warm and flavors are all absorbed. When shrimp is ready your dish is too.
  5. Enjoy!

Makes: 4 main courses

CAJUN SHRIMP FREEKEH - i crashed the web

Anyway, I’ve really been enjoying cooking with my freekeh that Freekeh Foods sent me. I started small/easy, with the freekeh chickpea and goat cheese salad, and have been eating it as a side dish, as a main dish, and more. I think I need to try it as a dessert – freekeh pudding or cookies anyone? Maybe that’s next.

  • Have you tried freekeh yet?
  • Do you like Cajun food?
  • Do you count fish as meat? I wanted to post this on a Monday as a Meatless Monday .. but would it even count as a Meatless Monday?

Shrimp and Baby Kale Fajita Salad

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

As you’ve probably figured out from past posts, I’m a fan of kale. Kale sauteed with some garlic and olive oil? Delicious. Cooked in some soup with sausage? Perfect for this season. Toasted with squash for a fall salad? Yum! Which is why when Organic Girl told me they had a new baby kale they were sharing with bloggers, I couldn’t wait to try it out.

What is baby kale? And how is it different from traditional kale? Well first, as you can probably guess from the name, baby kale is a smaller in size. According to the folks at Organic Girl, it’s “much more tender and tastes (we believe) better than mature kale. People often complain that kale is very tough and that it’s hard to chew – most people try to ‘massage’ it before they cook it or use it in a salad to make it less course. Baby kale is not like that at all, it is a tender leaf variety that has the same exact nutrient content of the matured variety.” Pretty awesome right? So of course I was pumped to try it out. And a few days later, some baby kale arrived at my door!

Here’s a fun, easy way to enjoy some baby kale with some amazing flavor. The best part? You feel like you’re eating something much more indulgent, almost like a meal from Chipotle – but it’s actually healthy! (Shh, don’t tell B)

Shrimp and baby kale fajita salad i crashed the web

Shrimp and Baby Kale Fajita Salad

Serves 2

Here’s what you need:

  • 7-8 oz frozen peeled deveined shrimp – I used the pretty 31-40 shrimp size so ended up using 14 shrimp
  • 2 bell peppers
  • 2 jalapeno peppers
  • 2 anaheim peppers
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 garlic clove, diced
  • 1-2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbs cumin
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • 1 cup baby kale (I used Organic Girl baby kale – they wash it 3x so you don’t have to)

Here’s what you do:

  1. Defrost the shrimp, according to package directions. For me, it meant running cool water over them for a while before removing their tails.
  2. While the shrimp is defrosting, heat olive oil on a large pan on medium low. Add diced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finely chop peppers and onion and add to pan.
  3. Allow vegetables to cook for 10 minutes. As they start to soften, add chili powder, cayenne pepper and cumin. Allow to cook for about 15 more minutes.
  4. Add in shrimp and mix well. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened and shrimp has absorbed the spices of the mixture.
  5. While shrimp is heating up, prepare your “guacamole.” Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Mash the avocado well and add garlic powder and salt, to taste.  Just before serving, carefully fold in diced tomato.
  6. Prepare your salad! Place 2 cups of baby kale on a plate. Top with shrimp fajita mixture and then guacamole. Enjoy!

Optional additions:

Salad would also be great with black beans.

Want salad dressing? I thought the sauce from the fajita mixture was enough, but the salad would also be great with a chili lime vinaigrette (1 Tbs lime juice, 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil and a dash of cumin and chili powder – enough for two salads!).

Your ingredients. Except i got a little happy with tomato and avocado - only one of each are needed.

Your ingredients. Except i got a little happy with tomato and avocado – only one of each are needed.

Defrost the shrimp

Defrost the shrimp

Dice your veggies

Dice your veggies

sautee veggies in olive oil. add spices as veggies start to soften.

sautee veggies in olive oil. add spices as veggies start to soften.

add shrimp to the veggies

add shrimp to the veggies

Make your easy guacamole! Just avocado and garlic powder, salt and tomatoes.

Make your easy guacamole! Just avocado and garlic powder, salt and tomatoes.

Plate it up and enjoy!

Plate it up and enjoy!

Disclosure: As I mentioned above, Organic Girl provided me with a free sample of their baby kale. I was not compensated for this post. As always, all views are my own.