Louisiana Bayou Shrimp Boil

Just in time for the Oscars, this month’s Recipe Redux theme is Oscars in the Kitchen! If you’re hosting an Oscar party this coming Sunday night like I am, be sure to jot down some ideas from all of the Recipe Reduxer’s to help plan your menu. When the theme was announced at the beginning of the month, I actually hadn’t seen any of the Oscar-nominated films, so that was step one for me. Beasts of the Southern Wild was at the top of my “must see” list, which worked out well for the purpose of Recipe Redux since food pops up throughout the film and it is set in the Louisiana Bayou, an area with one-of-a-kind cuisine.

I instantly knew what I wanted to do. Have you ever been to a crawfish/shrimp/crab boil? If you said no, put this on your list of things to do for the summer! It is so much fun to stand around a big table with a pile of good food and just dig in with friends!  Fresh seafood, potatoes and corn on the cob, and finger lickin’ good flavor…what more could you want from a meal? I had to make mine spicy since this is a Cajun-inspired meal, so the Zatarain’s Extra Spicy Shrimp Boil was my personal choice, but you can use the regular Shrimp Boil seasoning instead. I significantly reduced the amount of salt from the original recipe, but you won’t miss it if you use the Zatarain’s and the Old Bay seasoning.

Louisiana-Style Shrimp Boil

Adapted from Gourmet: Spicy Boiled Crabs, Shrimp, Potatoes, Corn and Garlic
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
2 garlic bulbs, left whole
2 lemons, quartered
1 packet Zatarain’s Extra Spicy Shrimp & Crab boil
2 Tbsp. table salt
1 onion, cut in half
2 lb. red potatoes, quartered
6 ears of corn, shucked and cut in half
2 lb. large shrimp, unpeeled (I used 31/35 count shrimp)
1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, bring 3 gallons water to a boil and add garlic, lemon, Zatarain’s Shrimp Boil packet, salt, onion, and potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Remove potatoes from stock pot with a slotted spoon and place on large serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil.
3. Return water to a boil and add ears of corn. Boil for 5 minutes.
4. Remove corn cobs from stock pot with tongs and place on platter with potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Return water to a boil and add shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes.
6. Remove shrimp from stock pot and add to platter with potatoes and corn. Sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning and enjoy right away.

To make it more casual and authentic, serve the shrimp boil on newspaper or on a brown paper sack.  No utensils required for this dish—just use your hands!

For all of the Recipe Redux recipes, click the link below!

Recipe Redux: Spring Green Pizza

Happy Spring! “First Shoots of Spring” is this month’s Recipe Redux theme, and we’re celebrating all the glory of tasty ingredients like garlic scapes, leeks, scallions, and asparagus. If you’re lucky enough to have a farmer’s market close to you, take advantage of it and pick up some of these seasonal, flavorful ingredients! You can try this Spring Green Pizza, along with all the other Redux recipes (found at the end of this post).

Spring Green Pizza

Ingredients:
8 asparagus stalks, woody parts removed and sliced in half
1 cup baby Portobello mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup yellow onion, sliced
1 ready-to-use thin pizza crust (I used Mama Mary’s Thin & Crispy crust)
1/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp. pesto
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup fresh baby spinach, rinsed
Feta cheese
Shredded mozzarella
Fresh basil, chiffonade (need to learn how to chiffonade? watch this!)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place sliced asparagus, mushrooms, and onions on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, pesto and olive oil.
3. Prepare your pizza crust per package directions, then spread ricotta/pesto mixture on pizza crust.
4. Evenly distribute roasted asparagus, mushrooms, onions, and spinach around crust.
5. Top with desired amount of each cheese, and then sprinkle with basil.
6. Bake pizza per package directions, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted!

Recipe Redux: Honey-Sweetened Fruit & Ricotta Toast

It seems as though spring has finally come in Tennessee. Trees are flowering, flowers are popping up here and there, and more and more people are gathering in the parks to enjoy the warmer weather. That means honey bees are hard at work to produce one of the greatest natural sweeteners we have. And this months’ Recipe Redux theme asked us to make either maple syrup or honey the star of our monthly creation.

Honey is really the perfect sweetener for this breakfast/dessert/appetizer because a little bit goes a long way, and it doesn’t over-power the natural sweetness of the fruit. And it goes so well with ricotta cheese….who knew?! If you’re limiting bread in your diet, or don’t have any on hand, this still tastes great mixed together in a bowl!

While it’s still a little early for strawberries in most states, strawberry picking actually begins in December for Florida (which is where these strawberries were grown). If you plan on using peaches instead of strawberries, I suggest waiting until they’re in season (June-August) so you get the best flavor. I only buy peaches at the local farmer’s market because store-bought peaches have just disappointed me in the past. For more variety, I would imagine blueberries, raspberries, and cherries would also be delicious alternatives/additions to strawberries and peaches!

Ingredients:
Slice of a hearty wheat bread, toasted (I used Seeduction Hearth Bread from Whole Foods)
Strawberries or peaches, sliced
Ricotta cheese
Cinnamon
Honey

Directions:
1. Spread desired amount of ricotta cheese on toasted bread and sprinkle cinnamon on top of ricotta cheese.
2. Place sliced fruit on top of ricotta cheese, then drizzle honey over fruit. Sprinkle more cinnamon if desired.

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Recipe Redux: Chewy Chocolate-Cranberry Bars

It’s hard to believe February is almost over, and soon spring will be here. But while were still in the month of love, the Recipe Redux-ers are celebrating our love for chocolate! Yep, February’s theme is “Chocolate Love is in the Air”.

There were so many things running through my mind with this theme. Should I dip or drizzle? Bake or no-bake? Go savory or sweet? So many ways to use chocolate! Luckily the decision was made easy when I decided to combine two kitchen projects into one and the Chewy Chocolate-Cranberry Bars were born.

These chewy treats are simple to make and you’ll have plenty to get you through the week as snacks! Kamut is a new grain for me, but I really enjoyed the taste (reminds me of Smacks cereal, just not so sweet).

Chewy Chocolate-Cranberry Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups kamut cereal
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 Tbsp. ground flax
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. brown rice syrup
2 Tbsp. cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Mix oats, kamut, craisins, pecans, and ground flax in a large bowl.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and brown rice syrup. Cook for 1 minute or until mixture boils.
3. Pour syrup mixture over dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add in chocolate chips.
4. Pour oat mixture into lightly greased 9×11 pan. Firmly press mixture into pan. Let sit for 4 hours at room temperature before cutting into bars.

For more chocolate-y treats, click on the blue frog below!

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