Seafood Cannelloni

Sticking with the theme of lasagna rolls this week, I present my last version of Seafood Cannelloni. I love the taste of this dish but, I've ordered it in a restaurant a few times and the portion sizes are definitely something to frown about. Most times, you get 2 or 3 pieces of pasta, boo! So, why not make them at home and have as much as you want?

 

My seafood part of it was nothing crazy. Some imitation crab meat and salad shrimp, but you can add anything you like. Scallops, clams, crab meat, lobster, or anything like that would be awesome with this dish. You can make it as expensive or as inexpensive as you want!

 

1 package Lasagna, cooked

1/2 package imitation crab meat, shredded

1 package or can salad shrimp
1/4 cup shredded cheese mix

2 cups finely chopped cherry tomatoes

1 scallion, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp light cream

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

2 Tbsp finely chopped carrot

2 Tbsp finely chopped celery

3 Tbsp chopped onions

1 cup white cooking wine

1/2 Tsp lemon pepper

1 Tsp fresh lemon juice

Recipe Adapted from Epicurious

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay them all out flat on counter top or work surface.

Shred your crabmeat and place into a bowl with the shrimp. Mix and season with lemon pepper and toss with lemon.

Spread the seafood mixture evenly over all the lasagna noodles being used.

Begin preparing your sauce by chopping all chopped vegetables and placing them into a saucepan. Add tomato paste, cream, and butter and saute for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to get tender. Add cooking wine and stir frequently until the sauce comes to a full, rolling boil.

Spoon sauce over the seafood on each noodle. Roll jellyroll style, from one end up into rolls. Gently place them in a small casserole dish. Spoon over any extra sauce and top with shredded cheese. Bake  covered with aluminum foil in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Skinny Coconut Shrimp

This recipe is so simple and so easy to keep light. Who needs to fry these babies up? You can get just as great of a crunch by baking them!

 

Recipe Adapted from Skinny Taste

Peel your shrimp and de-vien them, leaving the tails on. Take out 3 plates. Spoon out 1/8 cup of flour on one, 1/2 cup of coconut on another, and a beaten egg on the remaining one for about a dozen shrimp. Dip the shrimp, one at a time, first into the flour. Coat evenly and shake off excess. Then into the egg mixture. Then into the coconut and gently press to coat well. For an added crunch, you can add some more flour after. Then place them in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes on one side. Flip them and cook an additional 5 minutes on the other. They are great hot out of the oven or even cold.

Serve these by themselves, with ketchup, or even a pineapple or mango chutney. They are wonderfully tropical...and don't forget...baked!

Balsamic Brown Butter Pasta

Put down that jar of tomato, Alfredo, pesto, or vodka sauce for your pasta. I'm about to share something totally awesome and different with you. This pasta dish is glazed with Balsamic Brown Butter. Balsamic (vinegar), brown (sugar), and butter (spread) create this amazing taste that you will not soon forget! 

This dish was so good that when I went to transfer it to a leftover container, I ate a piece...and another...and another, stone cold while I was cleaning the kitchen until I should have just had a plate. I will be making it again, and variations of it, often. In fact, I loved it cold! Maybe I'll have to see about a variation for a pasta salad. Hmm...

I love this line of Barilla Veggie pastas. They not only give you an extra veggie serving, but they are a colorful addition to any dish. You won't be able to tell the difference either. I promise! My only complaint about them is that I can't readily find them in my local Market Basket when I want to buy them. They come in 3 varieties of rotini, farfalle, and penne and I love each one. Do yourself a favor and give these a try. 

1 box of your favorite pasta

1 can or package of salad shrimp

1 lb fresh asparagus

1 Tbsp olive oil

mixed up salt, to taste

mixed up pepper, to taste

1 Tsp brown sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp spreadable butter

 

Recipe Adapted from Food And Wine

 

Cook pasta according to package directions. Cut hard ends off asparagus and then slice, at an angle, into 1 inch pieces. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until they are bright green. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the balsamic vinegar with the sugar until it boils. Let it keep heating and reducing, until there are only a few tablespoons left. At this point, stir in the butter and let it melt. Mix well, as soon as the butter is completely melted, remove from heat and stir in the shrimp. Pour directly over the pasta and toss with asparagus. I didn't even use any Parmesan cheese on this dish, the flavors are bold enough!

Shrimp Casserole

If you have never checked out the Bumble Bee website for recipes, you totally should. Their tuna, salmon, and shrimp are great things to keep in your pantry on hand for those times when you have nothing defrosted for dinner.

 

I didn't use their baby shrimp for this recipe though. I found these salad shrimp at Stop & Shop in the freezer section for only $1! That's pretty unheard of especially for that store. Just defrost them the night before, or grab a can of Bumble Bee for this recipe.

 

This is great for a brunch or a dinner and it's the perfect size for two.

 

1 pouch of baby shrimp

3 slices of bread, cut into pieces

3 slices cheddar cheese

3 eggs, beaten, cut into pieces

1/2 Tsp mustard

1/4 Tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 Tsp minced onion

1/4 Tsp garlic powder

1/8 Tsp lemon pepper

pepper, to taste
              

Recipe Adapted from Bumble Bee

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Lay out bread, then cover with cheese, then shrimp. Repeat layers a second time. Pour melted butter or margarine evenly over the top. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix with remaining ingredients, beating well. Make sure to beat just before pouring, and then pour mixture into the baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour, until a toothpick comes out fairly clean.



Greek Shrimp

A few years ago, I signed up for a Greek cooking class from North Shore Community College. I really just wanted to learn how to use Filo dough better and the teacher quickly asked why I wasn't teaching the class instead! While I was having a good time catching up with my high school friend Katie, who had recently married a Greek guy and wanted to surprise him with a few dishes, I did manage to perfect my use of the dough as well as nab this great dish that I never would have really thought of by myself. It's a wonderful wine reduction that I never fail to get rave reviews on! My friend, Alyssa, also took this to a party and told me that the dish was scraped clean!

 

Just make sure you use a good wine because it will be the dominant taste of the dish. Never cook with any wine if you wouldn't want to drink it.

 

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 ½ cups chopped onions

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 clove minced garlic

½ Tsp sugar

3 Cups chopped plum or cherry tomatoes

1 Cup Retsina or white cooking wine

1 ½lbs peeled shrimp

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until a light golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add the parsley, garlic, and sugar and stir to mix. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add the wine to the skillet and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 seconds. They will cook really fast!

 

 Remove from the heat. Pour contents into a casserole dish. Top with feta cheese and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.