Tag Archives: dinner in 20 minutes

Lemony Shrimp and Cannelini Beans with Couscous

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It’s Tasty Tuesday over at the Craft Dictator, so if you’re stumped what to make for dinner, I suggest you head on over there for some tasty inspiration.

So over in the city, we’re in the polar vortex. Sounds all si-fiey, but I promise you this is real.

It is absolutely frigid out in New York, and, actually, across the country.

When it’s this cold, you probably want to go the warming comfort food route – lasagna, chili, and chicken cacciatore come to mind.

But sometimes I just want to take my mind off the cold and make a bright summery dish to ease away those winter blues.

Nothing like some shrimp and a bright citrusy burst of lemon to bring you thoughts of beaches and crashing waves as you cozy up at home while the wind blows outside the windows.

So tonight, I am defying the polar vortex and making a lemony shrimp and cannelini bean dish.

I’m serving over couscous, but this can easily be tossed over pasta. Use what you have on hand and what you like.

For this dish you will need

  • One pound of shrimp peeled and de-veined
  • one can of cannelini beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 bag of baby spinach
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • juice from one lemon
  • olive oil
  • butter
  • black pepper
  • couscous

Start by heating butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet. Also, prepare your couscous or pasta according to directions.

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When the garlic starts to brown, toss in the spinach and stir.

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When the spinach wilts, add the scallions and let them warm through.

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The add the shrimp and season with black pepper.

 

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When the shrimp are cooked through on both sides, add the cannelini beans and the lemon juice.

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Stir and cook for an additional three minutes or so. You don’t want to overcook the shrimp but you want the beans to warm up.

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Serve up in bowls over couscous or pasta.

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Can you hear the waves lapping the sand?

Final Exam Soup

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I forgot what an awful experience finals week is.

Somehow, when I decided to go back to school, I only remembered, fondly and warmly, the readings, the intellectually stimulating conversations with professors and fellow students, the horizon expanding.

I completely blocked finals week out of my memory.

How anyone writes 3 25 page papers in 2 weeks is beyond me. I know I knew how to do it at one point, but I think I traded in that ability for my diploma.

To say the least, I’m a bit stressed. And when I’m stressed I tend to reach for the sweets. But I am trying to get my child like candy consumption under control. So I came up with this super healthy, super easy, super filing soup to keep me satisfied and focused on the papers I need to write.

For this soup you will need

2 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 a white onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 cups of chicken broth

I find anything with chicken broth to be soothing and comforting. SO broth-based soups are ideal for the stressy time of finals.

To make the soup, drizzle olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and toss in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic.

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Let simmer until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft. The add the chickpeas.

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Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes or so. The add the can of diced tomatoes, with juices.

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Let this simmer again for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken broth. If the 2 cups of broth is not enough to cover all the veggies, add some hot water.

Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or so.

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See. You can do this.

Those final papers are no problem!

 

Veggie Chili

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The best friend of the itty bitty city kitchen is the one pot meal.

Chop everything up, throw it in a pot and let it cook away while you take a hot shower or hit the treadmill or throw things in frustration.

Hey, I don’t judge.

Soups and chilis are great, because you can throw together any old ingredients and usually come out with a pretty good meal.

That’s what I did.

I used 2 green bell peppers, 3 roma tomatoes, 1/2 a white onion, one can black beans and one can red kidney beans rinsed and drained, 1 pablano pepper, olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika.

Chop all the ingredients up so they are relatively similar in size. Drizzle olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot and toss in the peppers and onion. I wanted these to have some time to cook and soften before everything else went in.

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When the onions start to brown, toss in the tomatoes and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

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Last, dump in the beans and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Let this bubble away on the stove on low for twenty minutes or so.

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Dish up into bowls and top with grated cheddar cheese.

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A big hearty bowl of veggies to make up for the candy bar you ate earlier.