Yakisoba

Before we lived in Okinawa I had never heard of yakisoba. It is a a type of stir fry with ramen style noodles and a sweet thick sauce that is very popular here in Okinawa. It's at basically every festival on the island, which is where we usually eat it. I decided I need to try making it at home in our final months here, while I can still get the noodles easily and while I still remember the taste. 
This recipe is based off my friend AnnMarie's recipe. It's one of those dishes that everyone has their own take on. I wanted to try it with shrimp but traditionally pork or chicken is used. I did stay true to the vegetable combination though, using cabbage, carrots, onion, and green onion as a garnish. 

Yakisoba
Printable Version
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil but olive or vegetable would work fine too)
Half a head of cabbage, chopped in about 1/2 inch pieces 
8 baby carrots (or 3 regular sized), thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 pound of shrimp, pork or chicken
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or mirin
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (if you don't have this just add in 2 minced cloves of garlic)
1 package of yakisoba noodles 
Sprinkle of sesame seeds (if desired)

Directions
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add in cabbage, onion and carrots and cook for several minuted until onions are translucent. While the vegetables are cooking whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic chili sauce (or garlic). Add the sauce to the wok with the meat and stir until heated through. 

Stir in the noodles and serve immediately with a garnish of green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Pan Seared Shrimp with Garlic Lemon Butter

Hubby and I are FINALLY in our new home in Okinawa and have been busy unpacking and getting settled the past week. When our household goods arrived I dove right in and unpacked our kitchen items first (of course!). Wow, having my own dishes, pots, pans, and cooking utensils have made me feel so much more at home here. Since I haven't had a lot of time to cook I have been choosing recipes that are quick and simple like these pan seared shrimp.  The original recipe calls for fresh parsley, which I didn't have, but it would have been the perfect compliment to the butter, garlic, and lemon sauce. I think cilantro would also be excellent too. Served on top of toasted pine nut couscous this was a filling and fast dinner.

Pan Seared Shrimp with Garlic Lemon Butter
From Food.com
Serves 4
Printable Version
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 medium garlic clove, minced (I used 2 teaspoons store bought minced garlic)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds shrimp (21-25 shrimp), peeled and deveined 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar


Directions
Beat butter with a fork in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until combined. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Meanwhile toss shrimp with salt, pepper, and sugar in a bowl. 

Add half of the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook until spotty brown and the edges turn pink, about 1 minute on the first side then flip and heat about 30 seconds on the other side. 

Remove from heat using tongs and transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining shrimp and oil. Then return the first batch of shrimp to the pan along with the flavored butter and toss to combine. Serve hot over couscous, rice, or even lettuce to make a nice salad. 

Coconut Shrimp Soup

This dish was inspired by an amazing coconut shrimp soup that hubby and I order from our favorite local Thai restaurant. I decided to just wing it, with no recipe, and for a girl who relies heavily on recipes, this was a very exciting success for me! The flavors were awesome and really how can you go wrong with shrimp, coconut milk, onion, garlic, lime, tomatoes, and cilantro.

 I served this "soup" over cheesy garlic grits and it was an excellent choice.

Although it is not pictured in the ingredient shot, I added some red chili flakes to kick things up a bit. One thing I learned from this dish was not to overcook the shrimp! They really only need a couple of minutes in the pan or else they become tough. Next time I will add them in at the very end.

Coconut Shrimp Soup

An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original

Makes 4 servings

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 pound shrimp, cleaned and thawed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 cup coconut milk

Juice of 2 limes

4 tablespoons cilantro, minced

4 servings of prepared grits, rice, or quinoa  (if desired)

Directions

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in shrimp, tomatoes, and coconut milk and raise the heat to high.

Shake in red chili flakes and stir. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Plate grits or other grain of choice in a bowl. Drizzle lime juice over the top of the shrimp soup and pour over the grits. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Grilled Shrimp with White Truffle Oil & Scentsy Giveaway!

My beautiful cousin Lindsey is helping me host another giveaway to celebrate my one year blogging anniversary. Linds is a Scentsy representative and has offered to give one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate to purchase anything they would like from her Scentsy site. If you have never heard of Scensty you are missing out! I have been using Scentsy warmers and scents for over a year now and they are SO much better than candles! You don't have to worry about the hazards that go along with burning a candle and the scents are so yummy. Right now I am using Cinnamon Vanilla in my kitchen and Mediterranean Spa in our bedroom. My favorite scent is French Lavender, which I use in my car, and my hubby has Coconut Lemongrass in his car. There are so many great Scentsy products, I know you will have a hard time choosing just one, but in order to be entered in the giveaway you need to visit Lindsey's site and then leave a comment telling me what you get if you won the $25 gift certificate. If you are a follower or become a follower of my blog, leave a second comment and you will receive a second entry. For a third chance to win post about this giveaway on your blog or facebook and leave another comment. Please enter by midnight (Eastern Time) on Friday, November 12th. The winner will be announced on Saturday the 13th. Good luck everybody!!

All right now that we've covered the giveaway details, let's talk about Grilled Shrimp with White Truffle Oil. When my hubby and I were in NC recently, we found the coolest little shop called Green Gate Olive Oils. The store features over 40 olive oils and vinegars that you get to sample. It was so much fun trying the different oils and vinegars and we had a really hard time deciding on which ones to bring home with us. We finally settled on garlic olive oil, white truffle oil, and a balsamic vinegar aged for 18 years. This is the first thing I've made with the truffle oil and it was really delicious. The truffle oil makes the shrimp taste like mushroom, earthy and rich. 

The recipe called for fresh parsley for the dipping sauce, but I didn't have any and substituted fresh rosemary instead. I also added in about quadruple the amount of onion that the recipe called for, which I am not so sure was a great idea because it wasn't so much of a dipping sauce and became more of an onion sauce. Overall, it was a great use of our new white truffle oil. If you cook with truffle oil, what is your favorite way to use it?? I'd love any ideas!

Grilled Shrimp with White Truffle Oil
From What's Cooking America.net
Serves 4
Printable Version


Ingredients
16 large shrimp
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white truffle oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Peel and devein the shrimp (I didn't have to do this because I use precooked shrimp). Using a sharp knife, butterfly shrimp by cutting along the inner curve or underbelly about halfway, leaving the tails firmly attached. Press the shrimp down flat like a butterfly and place in a a shallow dish. Sprinkle with olive oil and refrigerate, covered until ready to cook. 


In a medium bowl combine white truffle oil, lemon juice, onion, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. 

Preheat grill. Oil grill to help prevent shrimp from sticking. Season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Place shrimp onto hot grill and cook for approximately 2 minutes on one side. Turn and cook another 1 minute or until shrimp are opaque in center. Remove from grill.

To serve arrange shrimp on a plate and drizzle with a little of the white truffle vinaigrette. 

Place remaining vinaigrette in a small bowl for dipping. 

Avocado Shrimp Ceviche

When my husband and I were in Mexico this spring I tried shrimp ceviche for the first time. I really liked the fresh flavors: the combination of fresh shrimp with tomatoes, lime, avocado, and cilantro. I ate it on vacation almost every day. I decided to attempt making my own shrimp ceviche and was surprised at how similar it tasted to the one I loved so much in Mexico. This refreshing, cool recipe is wonderful for an appetizer or a light meal, especially in the summer. 

Avocado Shrimp Ceviche

From Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 pounds large shrimp - peeled, deveined, and chopped (I went the easy route and bought cooked shrimp at the fish counter)

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

5 roma tomatoes, diced

1 white onion, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I'm a wimp and omitted this)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

Saltine crackers or Tortilla chips (I used Tostitos Scoops)

**I cut this recipe in half since just my hubby and I ate it

Directions

Place the shrimp and lime juice into a large bowl and stir to coat. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque. The lime juice will cook them. Mix in the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro until coated with lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove from the fridge and mix in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot, sauce, and salt and pepper.  Set out extra Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, and lime wedges for people to individualize to their liking. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.