Bang Bang Shrimp

Bang Bang Shrimp

My Version

Their Version

Trying to find time to write when Andy is on night shift and I work days is impossible. Maxen puts everything he can find into his mouth, so I can't work for two minutes unless he's asleep, and I go to bed at the same time as Lila. I finally got Andy to take the baby so I can work, and Lila is sitting on my lap whining because she wants to play the Daniel Tiger Tea Party game on the computer. Also, every minute or so she decides she needs to attack me with make-up. I'm going to look like a tranny hooker pretty soon.

Enough complaining about my crazy-busy life, let's get to the cooking! This recipe is one I've been thinking about doing for quite a while. The last time we were in the cities visiting Aunt Paula (for my birthday, in July) she took us to the Bonefish Grill, this delicious place in the West End in St. Louis Park (side note, if I lived in the cities it would be in this area. In a studio apartment probably to afford it). Anyway, we tried their specialty appetizer, Bang Bang Shrimp, and it was the most amazing shrimp I have ever tasted. Because I am (theoretically) following the 21 Day Fix currently, I decided to search pinterest for a "skinny" version--and this is what I found.

Bang Bang Shrimp 

Skinny Mom, March 2016

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces high-protein angel hair pasta (I used Jasmine Rice instead)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ tablespoon paprika
• ½ tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound medium shrimp (40 shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 3 tablespoons plain 0% Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons Thai® Kitchen sweet red chili sauce
• 2½ tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1½ teaspoons sriracha sauce
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

The fact that I have everything needed for this recipe seems really weird (really? I hate greek yogurt and sriracha, because I'm not a hipster), until I remember I actually had a similar dish in mind a couple of weeks ago and it's just luck the yogurt exists. I really want to substitute mayo, because it is delicious (and the original bang bang shrimp base), but I'm trying to eat healthy. And what else am I going to use plain Greek yogurt for? I guess I could give it to my brother-in-law, who told me that eating plain Greek yogurt is like eating a tub of sour cream, but normal.

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large resealable bag, combine the cornstarch, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the shrimp, seal, and shake a few times to evenly coat the shrimp.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sweet chili sauce, 1½ tablespoons of the sesame oil, the lime juice, sriracha, and pepper flakes. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to evenly coat the pasta. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp are pink, turning occasionally.
5. Serve the shrimp over the pasta and garnish with the green onions.

This is one of very few recipes I've made where the timing on the recipe is actually pretty accurate. Except they never take into account the "cooking to package directions", which is at least 20 minutes for rice. The only reason it doesn't take forever to make is because there is really no prep work (chopping takes forever, I wish they would take into account the 30 extra minutes it takes to chop veggies in other recipes). 

This recipe is super easy and pretty quick. After I mixed up the sauce I tried a little bit on my finger, and it seemed pretty mild (Andy and I like spicy), so I mixed in another 1 tsp of sriracha, which may have been overkill. My first serving was good. My second serving my tongue was on FIRE! Because it was so spicy, I fed the kids dinosaur chicken nuggets and rice, so they have no opinion on the meal. My husband was mad because I left the tails on the shrimp (they were barely unthawed and my fingers were cold!), but other than that he enjoyed it.

Verdict? Taste of Day Success

Slow-Cooker Enchiladas

Slow-Cooker Enchiladas

The Homemade Version

Tastefully Simple Version

Andy finally talked me into restarting the blog, and I can know there are a couple of people out there that are super excited! First off, welcome back to Taste of Day! I know all five of my regular readers have complained that I stopped writing, so here I am. Back to cooking and trying new things. Only the rules are about to change.

Last week, while grocery shopping, I picked up the new (April, 2016) issue of Woman's Day magazine so I could get started on blog planning. After flipping casually through the magazine twice without finding my monthly menu, I took a closer look at the table of contents, which did not have it listed. I then frantically searched cover to cover, with no luck. OK, maybe they switched it to be an online-only thing. Check the website and, sure enough, there's my "Month of Menus". Click on the link, and the most recent is January 2016. I'm now panicked. What am I going to write about if I don't have a well-planned menu? Am I actually going to have to (gasp!) plan on my own?

On Friday my husband decided that chickens aren't enough so he went out and bought goats. The most expensive goats he could find (apparently they are the "Grade A Angus" of goats. Like I'm actually going to eat a goat steak I raised from a baby). I decided that, in order to save money, I was going to do something unthinkable. I was going to stick to a budget when getting groceries (I can easily drop $200 at the store when I went for a gallon of milk and cereal). And instead of picking a random menu and buying everything I need, I'm going to use everything I have and pick a menu based on that. So, for the month of April I have a $50/week grocery budget (for necessities like milk and lettuce) and the rest I need to have on hand.

To get me through this difficult plan (I have three freezers that are full, along with a pantry and 2 refrigerators), I spent today doing an inventory of everything I have (why do I need 12 cans of green beans?) and decided to start with something super easy: a freezer-meal.

Slow-Cooker Enchiladas

Tastefully Simple

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs. lean ground beef, browned
• 2 Tbsp. Onion Onion™ Seasoning 
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• 2 (10 oz.) cans enchilada sauce
• 15-16 oz. can chili beans in mild or medium sauce
• ½ jar Corn, Black Bean Salsa 
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• 11 oz. can corn with red and green bell peppers, drained
• 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
• 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 8 (7-8 inch) corn tortillas

My friend, Amanda, had a Tastefully-Simple freezer-meal workshop that I attended in January. I made 10 different recipes and have only tried two of them so far (Maxen loved them both, Lila and Andy liked 1, I didn't like either of them). Unlike normal people, who can do a crock-pot meal on workdays, I prefer doing them on my day off (it's kind of hard to adjust cooking times when you have to start it at 6am). I think this one sounds delicious, lets see how it goes.

Directions:

Serve it tonight: Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside ½ cup meat sauce and 1/3 cup cheese. Spoon ½ cup meat sauce into a greased slow cooker. Top with 2 tortillas. Add 1/3 of the meat sauce and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with 2 tortillas and reserved meat sauce and cheese. Cover; cook on low 5-6 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.

Freeze it for later: Combine first 7 ingredients in a gallon resealable freezer bag. Place cheese in a quart resealable freezer bag. Place both bags in a gallon resealable freezer bag. Seal well, label and freeze. Thaw completely. Combine ingredients, except cheese and tortillas, in a large bowl. Layer as directed above.

Serve with steamed green beans. (I served mine with fresh avocado)

Andy didn't really love it (he ate it, but he's not a fan of my moms similar casserole, or enchiladas, so I didn't have high hopes he would enjoy it). Lila took two bites (without whining, score!) but it was too spicy so I made her grilled cheese. Maxen loved it and ate his entire plate. I also enjoyed it (my mom's taco casserole is one of my favorite foods), and even had seconds.

Verdict? Taste of day Pass