Pineapple Sesame Shrimp

I made this for dinner tonight! It comes together really fast! For sides, I baked up some Brown and Wild Rice (without the saffron) and lightly steamed broccoli. It was awesome!



Pineapple Sesame Shrimp
Serves: 8
Marinade:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup pineapple, diced

Stir Fry:

1 cup pineapple, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 yellow squash, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
4 large carrots, sliced
2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

In a resealable plastic bag, combine marinade ingredients. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
Prepare stir fry vegetables while the shrimp is marinating.

Toast sesame seeds. To toast the sesame seeds, use a wide frying pan. Heat the sesame seeds on medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove the seeds when they darken and become fragrant. The seeds should be done in 3-5 minutes.

Saute the vegetables for about 4 minutes in a tiny bit of oil. Remove from heat.

In a skillet, saute shrimp in the marinade, until shrimp turns pink, about 3 minutes. Then add the vegetables back in and saute for about 2 more minutes.

Serve with rice if desired. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Red Leaf with Shaved Persimmon and Pomegranate-Balsamic Vinaigrette

VINAIGRETTE

1 tablespoon pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

SALAD

1/3 cup almonds
1 tablespoon tamari (Tamari can be found in the Asian food section in any grocery)
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 fuyu persimmon, very thinly sliced (Persimmons can be eaten just like apples - sliced, diced or biten into.)

Whisk the pomegranate juice, vinegar, syrup, mustard, shallot and salt in a small dish. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking briskly to create an emulsion. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add the almonds. Dry-toast for 5-6 minutes, flipping frequently, until lightly browned and fragrant. Stir in the tamari and cook, stirring constantly until the liquid has evaporated, about 30 seconds. Remove to a plate cutting board and chop.

Tear or chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Toss the salad with the dressing until incorporated. Evenly distribute to four salad plates. Lay the persimmon slices decoratively upon the lettuce. Garnish with the tamari almonds.

Candied Lime Sweet Potatoes

2 sweet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (no bottled stuff!)
Zest from 1 small lime
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
Butter, for dotting
Black pepper, to taste
Parsley or cilantro, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the sweet potatoes thin (about 1/8 inch thick).
In a bowl, mix the sugar, molasses, salt, lime juice, lime zest, and ginger to form a paste. Coat the sliced sweet potatoes well with the lime sugar mixture.
In an oiled casserole dish, arrange the coated slices in overlapping rows in one layer. Dot with buttr, sprinkle with pepper, and cover the dish lightly with two layers of aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. It’s okay if it looks a little watery when you remove the foil; it’ll reduce and form a nice glaze during the rest of the baking
To finish, turn on the broiler and broil until the tops of the sweet potatoes are brown. Remove, sprinkle with black pepper and parsley or cilantro, and serve immediately.

Cornbread and Wild Rice Stuffing

Serves 12-15 people

1 (10oz) bag of Arrowhead Mills Organic Classic Herb Cornbread Stuffing
1 cup chicken broth (I used some of my Perfect Chicken Broth)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup apple juice with pulp
3 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (start with 1 cup raw)
1 cup pineapple, diced
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 Tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Plump dried cranberries in apple juice by warming in the microwave, let stand 5 minutes. Drain the cranberries, reserve juice. In a large bowl, toss cornbread stuffing, cooked wild rice, pineapple, butter, parsley, scallions, sage, garlic, and the cranberries. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the apple juice with the cup of chicken broth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the juice and broth mix. Add a bit more if the mixture seems dry.

Put the stuffing in a buttered, glass baking dish, cover with foil, and bake alongside the turkey for the last 45 minutes of roasting. Add more juice and broth mixture if it seems dry. For the first 30 minutes out of the 45, keep the stuffing covered. For the last 15 minutes out of the 45 minutes, remove the foil and allow the stuffing the brown a bit.

Enjoy!

Holiday Turkey Brine

1 cup kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 quarts water

Combine salt, sugars, peppercorns, allspice berries, candied ginger, apple cider vinegar and water in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat; cool to room temperature.

In a brining bag, combine the brine and 5 quarts of heavily iced water. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in the brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate overnight, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Brown and Wild Rice with Saffron

I love baking the rice because it's easy, it doesn't burn and it leaves the stove top free! Also, the rice comes out perfect!

1 1/2 cups brown and wild rice mix (I get my in the bulk section of Earthfare.)
3 cups of water (I use one of these depending on what I'm serving the rice with: water, vegetable stock, or The Perfect Chicken Broth)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Sprinkle crumbled saffron over the rice. Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Tabouli

We absolutely love this version of tabouli. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed.

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 packed cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 drop liquid stevia extract (This is optional, but I put it in every time.)

Cut the cauliflower down the middle and remove the stem from both sides. Chop the flowerlets into even pieces.

Place the cauliflower, parsley and mint in a food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower pieces are the size of kernels of rice or smaller. Remove to a large mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss to mix. Serve chilled or room temperature.

NOTE: I add a variety of extra ingredients to this recipe it all depends on what I want at the time. Some extras that I have personally added: walnuts, cucumbers, extra tomatoes, 2 heads of cauliflower instead of just one, orange bell peppers, carrots, etc.

(I adapted this recipe. HERE is the original recipe.)