This meal is ready in less than 20 minutes and has a nice refreshing flavor. Using brown rice makes this a healthier version of a typical rice bowl.
Healthy Asian Shrimp Bowl
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 pound shrimp about 24 count, peeled, deveined, tails left on
- 8 ounces snow peas ends and strings removed, chopped in 1-2 inch pieces
- 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 avocados cut in chunks
Sauce
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
Sauce
- Place all sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
- Set aside until ready to serve.
Shrimp & Rice
- Boil water in a small saucepan.
- Add brown rice, stir and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until rice is tender.
- Season with salt and pepper, fluff with a fork. Set aside with the lid on to keep rice hot.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large, non-stick frypan.
- Once hot, add shrimp, snow peas, ginger and red pepper flakes.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until shrimp curls and turns pink - about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Place rice in 4 bowls, top with shrimp mixture and avocado. Serve sauce at the table.
Notes
This meal goes great with a salad topped with ginger dressing.
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We came across this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine. It has such great, fresh flavor, it can be so much more than a dressing for salad. It would be great as a marinade for fish or chicken. You can also use it as a light sauce on the side of grilled meat or fish. This recipe will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks, so you’re always ready for a great dressing or sauce!
Fresh Orange and Lemon Dressing
Servings 10
Calories 52kcal
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp good quality olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp + 1 t. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients in a container and refrigerate.
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Wow – we made this side dish the other night and it was a perfect ten! Everyone loved its fresh, bright flavors. Serve it along fish, meat, chicken, pork – perfect with them all!
Sugar Snap Peas and Tomatoes
Servings 4
Calories 110kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz sugar snap peas de-stringed
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp basil shredded
Instructions
- Place peas in a pan with water and steam over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Add oil to pan and sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Return cooked peas to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and top with basil.
Notes
This is the perfect side dish for the Lobster and Shrimp Entrée.
This sauce can be a tasty addition to almost anything you make. You can use it over grilled meats, plates of pasta, meatloaf, and even over roasted vegetables. Elevate your meal tonight with this tasty sauce!
Versatile Red Wine Sauce
Servings 6
Calories 89kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 ¼ cups dry red wine
- 1 ¼ cups beef broth
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium-sized sauté pan.
- Turn heat to medium low and add shallots, garlic and thyme. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes until shallots are soft, stirring occasionally.
- Add flour and stir for about 1 minute.
- Pour in wine and broth and bring to a boil. Turn down slightly, allowing the sauce to have a small boil, stir occasionally.
- Cook until sauce is reduced and has thickened. This could take up to 45-60 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Cauliflower has never been an exciting vegetable. Its lack of color and flavor make it one boring side dish! However, by adding a few ingredients and changing the cooking method, there is hope. The inspiration for our cauliflower recipes comes from The Flavor Bible. The Barnes & Noble web site says, “Winner of the 2009 James Beard Book Award for Best Book: Reference and Scholarship, this book has thousands of ingredient entries, organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, providing a treasure trove of spectacular flavor combinations. Seasoned with tips, anecdotes, and signature dishes from America’s most imaginative chefs, The Flavor Bible is an essential reference for every kitchen.”
Cauliflower Mousse
Ingredients
- 1/2 cauliflower head cored and cut into small-sized pieces
- 2 cup skim milk
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Dash of nutmeg
Instructions
- Place milk and cauliflower in a sauce pan. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until cauliflower is soft. .
- Drain off milk.
- Sauté cauliflower with garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper for about 1 minute.
- Turn off heat.
- Using an immersion blender, add a little more skim milk and blend until smooth. Add enough milk to make mousse the consistency you desire.
Notes
This can be made in advance and reheated before use.
Roasted Cauliflower
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 cauliflower head cut in small florets
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Place all ingredients, except cheese, on a rimmed cookie sheet and stir.
- Put in oven and roast for about 20-30 minutes.
- Stir occasionally and make sure that cauliflower turns a nice golden color. Sprinkle with cheese.
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One of our favorite things to do at The Simple Celebration is to have one of our “test” dinners with Mark and Skip. We plan the menu, go shopping and start cooking. Not all recipes are post worthy, but we have fun tasting new creations – we don’t get much complaining out of the guys either!!
Grilled Salmon Topped with Coconut, Spinach and Almonds
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ pound salmon fillet skin left on one side
Marinade
- 2 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
Sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 3 ounces fresh spinach
Topping
- 1 Tbsp parsley chopped
- zest of one lime
- 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
Marinade
- Mix together the marinade ingredients and set aside.
Salmon
- Place salmon on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Pour marinade over salmon and flip the salmon until well coated. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Fire up the grill and cook skin side down and then flip the salmon.
Sauce
- While salmon in grilling, sauté the garlic, jalapeño and ginger for several minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, sweet chili sauce and lime juice and simmer for about 4 minutes.
- Add the spinach and sauté until the spinach has wilted.
Assembly
- Remove skin from salmon and cut into 4 pieces.
- Place each piece of salmon on 4 dinner plates.
- Spoon sauce over fish and top with parsley, lime zest and toasted almonds.
Notes
Serve with brown rice (we added golden raisins and ginger to our rice).
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Not just another chicken recipe, a great one! This recipe calls for the Indian spice, garam masala, which is a unique ingredient to The Simple Celebration. Garam masala is a Northern Indian spice which means “hot spice blend.” It traditionally includes cinnamon, cumin, cloves, cardamom and black pepper. When mixed with yogurt and other herbs, this chicken dish will WOW your taste buds.
Tangy Indian Marinated Chicken
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups Greek plain yogurt do not use low-fat
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped white onion
- 1 cup cilantro - with stems
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
Instructions
- Take each chicken breast and cut in half lengthwise.
- Put the remaining ingredients in a blender and puree.
- Place chicken breasts in a glass baking dish and pour the marinade over chicken. Stir well to make sure chicken is coated on all sides.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
- Prepare grill with cooking spray.
- Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess.
- Grill until cooked through.
Notes
Serve with rice pilaf and an arugula salad.
Skirt steak is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness which is why it is important not to overcook this cut of meat. Use the rub recipe below and your steak dinner will be full of melt-in-your-mouth goodness!
Spiced Grilled Skirt Steak
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak cut in four pieces to make grilling easy and excess fat removed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of cloves
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together except skirt steak.
- Rub mixture over steak and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Bring meat to room temperature before grilling.
- Grill until rare to medium-rare (3 to 4 minutes a side).
- Don't overcook or meat will get tough.
- Take off grill and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Slice meat diagonally across the grain in thin slices.
Have you ever bought fresh herbs for a recipe and you have some left over, but aren’t sure what to do with them? This recipe is a simple, fresh, and tasty solution to using herbs before they go to waste.
Penne Pasta with Fresh Herbs
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta plain, spinach, any flavor
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 large cloves of garlic minced
- 1 cup minced fresh herbs - any combination such as dill and basil
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook penne according to package directions and drain. Place in a large pasta bowl.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- When warm, add garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
- Finally, add the fresh herbs and stir until slightly wilted, about 30 seconds.
- Pour sauce over pasta and season with salt and pepper.
- Add parmesan cheese and stir.
- Place additional grated parmesan cheese on table to pass around.
Notes
You can add sliced sundried tomatoes or poached chicken to this dish for a little variety.
Serve with a simple salad and a sliced baguette.
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This linguine dish is so good it would be great for a family meal or perfect for company. And it will be ready in 30 minutes!
Quick Spicy Tomato and Bacon Linguine
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1/3 pound thick-sliced bacon chopped
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cup sweet onions roughly chopped
- 6 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried basil
- parmesan cheese
- 1 pound fresh linguine cooked
Instructions
- Sauté bacon until almost crisp.
- Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel.
- Leave 2 Tbsp bacon drippings in pan and add olive oil, water, and onions. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- To pan, add tomatoes, wine, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and bacon. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Finally, add basil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve over pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
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