Garlic Lemon Shrimp and Pasta

Omg omg omg I'm in love! This turned out sooooo much better than I expected! I think next time I might add some extra red pepper for more kick, add the shrimp in later (as I reflect in the recipe below) so to not over cook it, and definitely add more baby spinach. This was a hit with everyone but Birdie (who is slowly becoming an undeclared vegetarian boooooo).

And sorry for the craptastic pic but I wasn't planning on making this a Forktacular recipe until it turned out so freaking awesome!! And it was Awesome ... and now I want more ... like right now.

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Garlic Lemon Shrimp and Pasta

2 cups small pre-cooked/shelled shrimp, thawed

Marinade:
6 cloves of garlic, pressed/minced
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 red onion diced
1/8 c. EVOO
1 tsp. coriander
1 tbsp. sweet basil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. agave

2-4 servings of whole grain spaghetti or pasta of choice
1-2 cups of fresh baby spinach

Put all the marinade ingredients in the processor or blender and mix well. Pour over shrimp and let set 2-24 hours.

Remove shrimp from marinade. Place marinade, pasta and a cup of water in pan and cook until pasta is almost done. Add in shrimp and cook until done. Add spinach and cook until warmed and limp. Serve. Add Parmesan for some extra flavor.

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By now, I would think y'all who read my recipe ramblings understand I like combining steps when possible; like adding the pasta directly to the marinade to cook! Not only does it save a pan and a step, but it flavors the pasta, which I love.

This time I cooked the shrimp from the beginning ... Not the best move as I overcooked the shrimp ... But it was still yummy! Next time: doing it this way AND adding more red pepper for sure!


Challenge Friendly: NO. Shrimp are bottom feeders so definitely not for Cleanse. As a healthy-eating meal, yes, this is a good alternative. A friend suggestion chicken today and I say go for it! Keep your pasta serving in check!

Turkey-Broccoli Meatballs and Pasta

I wanted to do some meatballs tonight for pasta instead of my plain ole pan cooked ground turkey. And, of course, I hid veggies in that meaty deliciousness. ;) Birdie even saw me putting the broccoli in but promptly forgot when it came to eating them. WIN! Please note: she also stole about 6 slices of orange bell pepper off my cutting board before dinner; DOUBLE WIN!

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Turkey-Broccoli Meatballs and Pasta

1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 c. Broccoli
1/4 red onion - diced fine
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. basil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
Black Pepper

1 c. Whole grain rotini
1/2 c. Tri-peppers - diced
1 clove garlic - minced
1/2 c. Spaghetti sauce

Put the broccoli in the food processor and get it down into little pieces. I like to cut mine down, freeze them, then process so they don't juice themselves to death when processing. Add all the meatball ingredients (Turkey through black pepper) in a bowl and work the mixture like you would prep for meatloaf (really well so it compacts well).

Roll out 1" meatballs. Place directly in a big frying pan - not heated. When they are all placed, turn the heat on medium, cover and let cook about 10 minutes (no oil needed if it's a non-stick pan). You can start turning them after they've been cooking for 5 minutes. There should be lots of liquid built up in the pan from cooking them covered.

Throw in the peppers, rotini and garlic. Add about 1 cup of hot water and cover. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through. Add the spaghetti sauce (and I sliced the meatballs in half to make sure they were cooked through at this time) and cook another few minutes while everything combines with the sauce. Dish and serve!

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You can also do carrots, cauliflower, whatever veggies you want to add to the meatballs. In the future, I also would add spinach leaves to the whole thing when I throw the sauce in to warm and cook just for extra greens. Goooooood stuff!!


Challenge friendly: YES. Max Phase only due to pasta content. Try meatballs over spaghetti squash for Cleanse Phase.

Chicken and Veggie Pasta with Ghetto Pesto

So I needed to prolong the life of the meat I have in my house. I made up three chicken breasts via my Blanched Lime Garlic Chicken recipe, shredded all the chicken and portioned it out into 4 "meals."

Meal #1: chicken with pan roasted zucchini, summer squash and onions with whole grain rotini and ghetto version of pesto (you'll see why when you see the recipe LOL).

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Chicken and Veggie Pasta

1 zucchini - sliced
1 yellow summer squash - sliced
2 cloves of garlic - minced
2 slices of white onion - diced or halved
2 tbsp. EVOO for the pan

(optional: I add cajun seasoning for a touch of heat)

Heat the pan with the EVOO. Turn down to med-high heat. Add garlic and onions and let them warm up for a minute. Add zucchini and squash and toss around until they are cooked most of the way through. Throw in previously made chicken so it warms up. Finish and set aside.

1 cup of dry whole grain rotini

Make this up while you are roasting the veggies so you can toss in when the veggies and chicken are done.

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Ghetto Pesto Sauce

1/4 cup EVOO
2 cloves garlic - minced
2-3 tbsp. Basil (I use regular ole dried variety)
1/4 cup Parmesan (plain ole Kraft variety)
Few turns of cracked black pepper (or regular pepper to taste)

(See why I call it "ghetto?" Yeah, I don't have the fresh ingredients on hand and no pine nuts so this is what I have to offer! LOL)

Put it all in the processor. Blend it up. Pour over your awesome veggies, chicken and pasta!

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This whole dinner fed me, Dave, Birdie AND Buddy (Who ate the crap out of it! Impressive for a 1-year old!) AND I have enough leftover for a dinner for the kids and I when we need it. Now that's extending my food supply!


Challenge Friendly: NO - cut the parm from the sauce.