Miso Grilled Shrimp

I made this Food & Wine recipe a couple weeks ago and just never got around to posting it.  I was drawn to it because it involves some of my favorite things: grilling, miso, garlic, and shrimp.

3 tbs lime juice
2 tbs yellow miso
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 light brown sugar
1 lb lg shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 scallions, cut into 1 1/2” lengths
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 tbs sambal oelek (chile paste)

Mix the lime juice, miso, oil, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar in a bowl.

Toss the shrimp in the miso mixture and skewer them, alternating one shrimp with one slice of scallion.  If you use wood skewers, soak them in water for a few minutes prior to using so they don't burn.

Cook the skewers in a grill pan or on a grill. Of course it rained every evening for a week when I planned to make this so I used the grill pan.

These shrimp skewers smell amazing as they're cooking.  I could hardly keep from taking them off too early.  It's really easy to make a huge batch too.  I can't wait til I get a big grill again and I can try these out at a cookout.

Mix together the mayo and sambal oelek and serve it alongside the shrimp.  This only makes enough for 8 skewers so I paired it with some quinoa.  It would have been better with rice, though.  The quinoa didn't quite work.  Lesson learned.  I'll probably try some grilled vegetables next time.  Otherwise, the shrimp was amazing.

White Wine and Lemon Shrimp Pasta

Josh made this for me the other night when I didn't feel like cooking.  It was delicious and I was so proud that he hadn't lost his touch.  He didn't measure anything, though and I didn't take pictures so I made it again with a few agreed-upon edits to share with you.

This makes 2 servings:
1 tbs margarine
1 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c white wine
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
1 tbs fresh chopped parsley
6 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Whole wheat pasta

Start boiling the pasta in salted water.  Heat the margarine and oil in a skillet over medium heat.  The margarine gives it more flavor and the oil has a higher smoke point.  I learned that from the Barefoot Contessa.  Except she uses butter, oh well.  When they're melted together, reduce the heat to medium low and add the wine, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes.

When the sauce is reduced a little, add the shrimp.

Flip the shrimp when it starts to get pink after a minute or two.  Add the drained pasta and parsley and let the flavors meld for a minute or two until the shrimp is just done.

Serve and enjoy.  This is really delicious and so easy.

464 calories, 13g fat, 800g sodium, 6g fiber, 26g protein per serving

Smoky Corn and Tomato Bruschetta

This is another one from Food & Wine magazine that looked too good to pass up for Memorial Day.  I made it the other day on the stove to put in fish tacos and it was so awesome that I wanted to make it again on the grill.  (and also because we had a brand new Canon Eos 50D camera to photograph it with!!!)

On the grill:
1 large ear of yellow corn, husked
1 small red onion, peeled and
    halved root to end
4-5 medium tomatoes, halved
1/2 a medium red pepper, seeded
1 small loaf of a hard-crust bread, I used French bread

In a bowl:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley

I had to throw a jalapeno in there.  It's a disease, I can't help but make things spicier.  You can leave off the peppers if you want but once they're grilled, they're very sweet.

Prepare the grill (medium heat) and brush all the veggies with olive oil then season with a little salt and pepper.  Place them on the grill and turn every couple minutes until there are light grill marks on all sides.

Be careful flipping the veggies, a tomato half might fit through the grill grates.

Cut the loaf of bread into thin slices.  Place on the grill and let cook until there are light grill marks on both sides.  In a medium bowl, mix the garlic, lime juice, paprika, parsley, cilantro, and olive oil.  When the veggies are done, transfer them to a cutting board, chop into chunks (cut corn kernels from the cob and core the tomatoes), and add to the bowl.  Toss to coat and serve with the bread.  You can leave off the cilantro if you want.  I know several people who don't like it but I liked the color and bite it adds to the salsa.

I made shrimp too.  Bruschetta wasn't quite enough for a full meal.  I just skewered and sprinkled them lightly with salt, paprika, and thyme.  They were delicious and had a nice Jerk seasoning flavor.  Just grill them for a minute or two on each side until pink, squeeze a lime wedge over them and you're good to go.