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daring pairing: mexican flair

05. May 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Decor, Food & Drink, Gluten-Free · Tags: , , , , ,

{This is a pre-scheduled post. I am currently getting my Cinco de Drinko Mayo on}

This post is not revived from Harmonized Living- it’s a brand new daring pairing in honor of my favorite holiday, Cinco de Mayo!  

For me, Mexico conjures images of vibrant culture, close-knit communities, and the sound of sing-song Spanish everywhere. I’m instantly taken back to the month I spent in San Miguel de Allende, where I learned traditional dances {I will not dance them even if you ask nicely haha}, ate amazing food, and wandered the cobblestone streets with summer friends. The place where I lived looked a little bit like this:

mexican inspired home decor daring pairing: mexican flairPhoto credit

 Just like the home decor, the food is heavily influenced by the culture and history of the area. It’s characterized by bright colors, a mix of textures, and a certain spiciness, like in this traditional ceviche {not for the faint of heart, since the shrimp is technically raw!}.

mexican ceviche daring pairing: mexican flairPhoto credit

  • 3 lbs small raw shrimp, cleaned
  • 4 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 6 limes, juiced
  • 4 lemons, juiced
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1/2 of a cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons tomato sauce

Preparation:

Lay out shrimp in the bottom of glass baking dish. Pour lemon and lime juice over them and refrigerate for 3 hours. The juice will “cook” the shrimp. Toss with remaining ingredients and refrigerate for one more hour or longer. Enjoy with tortilla chips or as a topper for grilled fish!

Enjoy your Cinco de Mayo!

sun-dried tomato & pesto shrimp sandwich

02. June 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Cooking · Tags: , , , , , ,

Here’s another edition of “Cristina cooking with her Magic Bullet”!

In a Magic Bullet, combine a scoop of ricotta cheese with a handful of fresh basil leaves, a small sprinkling of red pepper flakes, a touch of crushed roasted garlic, about a tablespoon of pine nuts, a bit of parmesan cheese, and a big drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth.

In a skillet, caramelize half of an onion. Near the end, add an equal amount of sun-dried tomatoes and heat. Place onions and tomatoes into a separate bowl and add several shrimp (halved along vein) to the pre-oiled pan. Heat until warm throughout.

On a burger bun, spread the pesto; layer the shrimp; and cover with the onions and tomatoes. Enjoy!

 

Rainbow Shrimp Pasta

29. March 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free · Tags: , , , , ,

My fellow intern and I periodically exchange recipes as we’re going about our days at work. He mentioned one from Bethenny Frankel, self-proclaimed Natural Food Chef, founder of SkinnyGirl Margaritas, & the star of Bethenny Ever After, a Real Housewives of New York spin-off.

As an aside, I have to admit I love Bethenny. She’s crass, abrasive, and a little insane, but she’s also spunky, caring, and real. I love watching her shows- on the rare days that I have access to Bravo TV and free time- for the ridiculous situations and hilarious commentary.

But back to the recipe!

shrimp pasta Rainbow Shrimp Pasta Photo credit

Healthy Rainbow Shrimp Pasta

  • 1 pound whole wheat linguini
  • 1 pound peeled, de veined shrimp (tail off)
  • 1/2 yellow pepper, julienned (thinly sliced)
  • 5 sundried tomatoes sliced (in oil)
  • 2 tablespoons jarred sundried tomato oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup of your favorite reasonably priced white wine
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Boil water and cook linguini. On med/low heat, sauté garlic in sundried tomato oil with the diced peppers. Once peppers are soft, add shrimp, sundried tomatoes, white wine, and linguini with some of the reserved pasta water (to bind and make creamy). Cook on med/high until shrimp are cooked.  Add fresh herbs, sprinkle crushed red pepper, Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.As usual, I made a few changes (some by choice, others by necessity):

  • I added half of a leek, chopped thinly, to the pan with the peppers. It added great texture and flavor
  • My jarred sun-dried tomatoes weren’t holding up so well, so I used fresh cherry tomatoes instead. I cut them in half and threw them in a few minutes after the diced peppers. I also used  olive oil instead of the sun-dried tomato oil
  • For some reason, I don’t like the taste of wine in cooking, so I cut out this ingredient
  • I had frozen parsley, so I put it in the pan at the same time as the tomatoes
  • I added a scoop of ricotta to the pan
  • I used less pasta and more vegetables icon smile Rainbow Shrimp Pasta

A-mazing! I would absolutely make this delicious, easy pasta dish again…for myself or for company. I’ll be taking the leftovers to work tomorrow!

pixel Rainbow Shrimp Pasta
+Cristina Roman