Lemon, shrimp and broccoli

Quick. Easy. Healthy. 3 things important to me during the week after work for dinner. This dish took about 15 minutes and was delicious! 

You will need:

• 1/2 lb of shrimp PER PERSON 

    (Cleaned and deveined)

• 2 lemons, zest and juiced 

• 1 lb of multi-grain angle hair pasta

• 1 head of fresh broccoli 

• olive oil

• salt, pepper and chili flakes 

• splash of white wine

• 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat your pain on medium heat/flame. Drizzle a few tablespoons of oil, and sauté the broccoli for approximately 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, chili flakes, lemon zest, juice to the shrimp and broccoli and stir. Add a splash of white wine and continue to simmer. 

Meanwhile, boil a pot of salted water to cook the pasta. Cook according to directions on package. Once drained, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and top pasta with the shrimp and broccoli. Don't forget to pour that lemon garlic sauce over it! 

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Puttanesca

This is one of my favorite dishes and if you are an olive lover, you will love it!

You will need: 

• 3-4 cups of mixed, pitted olives, roughly chopped. (You can usually find them behind the deli counter) 

• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 medium onion diced

• 1 can crushed tomatoes

• about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil

• 3 tablespoons of drained capers

• salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes 

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon of butter

To a heated sauté pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and begin to cook the onions. 

Add 1 tablespoon of butter and continue sautéing. 

After a few minutes, add the olives and sauté for about 2 minutes. 

Add the crushed tomatoes. 

Then capers and basil 

Add salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes to taste, and the cheese. Keep on low flame for approx 30-40 minutes. If it looks to thick, add a little water to thin it out. Serve over spaghetti and enjoy! It tastes even better the day after, making it the perfect make ahead sauce! 

Crockpot Roasted Chicken

It's a cold and rainy fall day and I'm craving some easy comfort food. A roasted chicken was the first thing that popped into my mind. It's cheap, easy and comes out perfectly cooked every time! I chose a small chicken just over 3 lbs because it will be for only 2 people. You can certainly get a larger chicken and the leftovers are great for chicken soup or salad! 

You will need:

• 1 crockpot/slow cooker

• 1 roasting chicken 3-5 lbs

• 1/2 stick of butter, melted

• fresh rosemary 

• fresh thyme

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tablespoon of seasoned salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper 

• 1 tablespoon onion powder 

• 3 lemons 

• 4-5 cloves of garlic, whole

First, take out the package from the chicken cavity. 

Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken with cool water. Pat down and dry the chicken with paper towels. 

Mix all the dried seasoning together to form a dry rub. 

Season the inside of the chicken then stuff  the inside of the chicken with 1 lemon (quartered), garlic, and a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme. 

Melt 1/2 stick of butter and rub all over the chicken. 

Rub the dry seasoning all over the chicken. 

Cut the remaining lemons into thick slices. 

Line the bottom of the slow cooker with the lemons so the chicken can rest on them while cooking. 

Place the chicken in the slower cooker. Set on low 4-6 hours. 

 

I usually place a few extra lemon slices and some herbs on top. Cover and cook for 4-4 1/2 hours. The chicken will be moist, delicious and fall off the bone! 

Enjoy!!!!

Gluten Free Chicken Piccata

Ok...1 week down with gluten free eating. So far so good! I decided to try one of our favorite dishes gluten free. I couldn't even taste a difference! 

You will need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup gluten free chicken broth 

• 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour

• juice of 2 lemons

• 2 tablespoons of capers

• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 

Heat a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. 

Flour each piece of chicken. Add it to the pan when the butter and oil start to bubble. 

Cook for approximately 2 minutes. Once golden brown, flip over to other side. 

Once brown on each side, take out and set aside. Lower flame, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup of chicken broth and lemon juice. 

 

Drain the capers and give them a rough chop. 

Add chicken and capers and raise heat to medium. 

  

Cook for another 2 minutes in the juices. 

Plate and serve! Enjoy! 

Spaghetti Squash "Pasta" with Shrimp, Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes

I wasn't happy when my Dr recommended to try a gluten free, dairy free diet for about 3 months. But I've done it before, and believe me, your body starts to feel so much better without processed food. So since I love to cook, I will have to just be really creative and figure out how to cook gluten free (and get my husband to eat it!)

I've seen this spaghetti squash pasta on Pinterest and was always curious about how to make it. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor and texture and will be using it again as "pasta" in dishes! 

You will need:

• 1 spaghetti squash

• 1 lb of fresh or frozen uncooked shrimp

    (Shelled and deveined)

• 1 bag of fresh spinach

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 4 cloves of minced garlic

• salt and pepper

• splash of white wine

• 1 teaspoon butter

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse the squash, then using a knife, make slits all around. 

Put in the oven for 1 hour or until the squash can easily be pierced by a knife. 

Remove when ready and cut in half. 

Now here comes the slightly annoying part....you have to remove the seeds!

Use 2 forks to gently take out the inside, removing all seeds. Also scrape the entire squash with the forks to expose the spaghetti. 

Start transferring to separate bowl. 

In a sauté pan, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic and the shrimp. 

Cook shrimp for about 2-3 minutes and remove to a bowl. 

Add a splash of white wine. 

Now add the whole bag of spinach and the tomatoes. 

While the spinach, tomatoes and wine are cooking, heat another pan with the butter and add the squash. This is just to WARM it up, not cook. Warm on a low flame for a few minutes. 

Once warm, turn off heat. 

In the other pan, add the shrimp. 

Now add salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 more minutes. Then serve over the spaghetti. Don't forget to pour the sauce from the pan over everything! Enjoy!!!!