House Beautiful

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Make this for dinner tonight.

I pinned this recipe a few weeks ago and had a chance to make it last night for Matt and his Mom (aka Sunny D – the cute, spicy little thing pictured below with us). We’ve made Sunday dinners a weekly tradition here in C-bus, and since bathing suit season is now (gulp) 2-3 months away, I wanted to make something über healthy last night.

I know there’s an unwritten rule that you’re supposed to do all your own original content on your own blogs, but this recipe from Lizzy Writes is too good, too healthy and too easy not to share.  Original recipe is HERE, so open that up, and read below for what I did to tweak it:

SHRIMP (I did my own thang here):

In a food processor, blend 1 whole bunch (like, the whole bunch you get at the grocery for 89 cents) of cilantro, and a few nubs of fresh ginger (the equivalent of 3 gumballs – those nubs below will probably do it).

You’ll have to add a glug or two of Olive Oil to get the consistency right and get it to blend thoroughly.  Add just enough until it starts to mix together – not too much that it’s liquid-y.  Once you get the consistency right, squeeze about a 1/2 a lemon in there, and add a dash of salt.  Blend thoroughly.

Wash and peel 2 pounds of raw shrimp.  Pat dry, then transfer to a big Ziploc.  Pour the cilantro/ginger marinade over the shrimp, close bag, and make sure the shrimp is thoroughly coated.  Refrigerate.  This marinade is delicious and never fails.

CAULIFLOWER:

I changed nothing about this from her recipe.  It was outstanding.  How have I been steaming before I mash mine for so long when I should’ve been roasting it 1st?  Gives is so much more flavor.  Genius.  I didn’t have parmesan cheese so I used fresh grated Pecorino Romano, and probably 1/2 cup instead of the 1/4 cup it called for.  Whoops.

WILTED SPINACH:

This was made extra awesome because – per Lizzy’s instructions – I sautéed the spinach in the leftover gingery-cilantro juices from the shrimp.  Only other thing I added was the zest of 1 lemon to the spinach mix.

ALTERNATIVE (or ADDITION) TO CAULIFLOWER – GINGERED MASHED CARROTS:


Drop 2-3 gumballs worth of fresh ginger into a food processor.  Once that’s good & busted up, add boiled (drained) carrots – about 1 bag’s worth, and prob 1/4 cup of Brummel & Brown butter.  Dash of salt.  Blend thoroughly.  These were sweet and delicious.  I stole this idea from my girl Caitlin’s wedding reception last weekend, which was catered by Cru Café in Charleston.

The OTHER best part about this healthy dish is that it didn’t break the bank.  Probably $20 for 4 people.  Definitely buy raw shrimp instead of already cooked – it’s about half the price per pound, and I think it tastes better anyway.

Happy Monday!!

Motivation Monday

“The most solid advice for a writer is this, I think: Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.” – Ernest Hemingway, via Live.to.the.point.of.tears

Who better than the gregarious Hemingway to give us this little gem?  No need to be a writer to appreciate this reminder to take it in, take it all in.

Happy Monday everyone!

xoxo,