Vegetable Shrimp Soup

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I absolutely love shrimp. I could eat shrimp every single day and never tire of it. So, the other night, I decided to experiment with a make-shift shrimp soup. I was pleasantly surprised with the result. This recipe will feed 4 individuals 1 cup apiece.

Ingredients:

30 deveined shrimp without tail
1/4 c. tomato sauce
2 tomatoes
2 green onions
1/4 of a large cucumber
1/4 c. red onion
1 avocado
1 leek
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro
1-2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic

Instructions:
Thaw, rinse and drain shrimp. Place in frying pan to cook. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Add 1 tsp. lemon juice. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side.
Chop cucumber, tomato, leeks, and onions and place in a pot on low with a small amount of butter.
Add tomato sauce, lime, lemon, cilantro, 1 tbsp. garlic, salt and pepper.

Add cooked shrimp to soup. Let cook for 5 minutes. Add avocado and serve.

I also think this meal would work well cold or over rice. Don't let the recipe limit your imagination, feel free to add to or take away from the ingredients, especially seasonings. I try to provide a general idea of how much seasoning I use but I normally season to taste, so taste your food as you go to make sure you like the finished product. Happy cooking!

Caribbean Shrimp Cups

I was so excited to share this post today. I have been wanting to cook this meal for two weeks now and finally made myself take a break from homework to try it out.

I found the original recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website, posted by one of her followers. You can find the original instructions here. I adapted the recipe to fit the flavors I tend toward and, of course, those that I had on hand. Making the trek to our local grocery store during the 5 o'clock traffic is not exactly ideal.
Now to food...

Ingredients (for 2)

1 c. rice (basmati rice would be my first choice but any rice will do)
8 large lettuce leaves

Marinade:
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. teriyaki sauce
1 tsp pepper

Shrimp:
1 tsp. garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 c. cornstarch
16 shrimp, deveined with tails removed

Salsa:
10 grape tomatoes
2 green onions
1/4 c. sweet onion
1/2 stick carrot (peeled and then chopped)
1/2 medium-sized orange (chopped)
lime juice

Directions

Start your rice. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients with shrimp in bag. The original recipe has you marinade for an hour. I only marinated for 20 minutes and it was fabulous so don't let the hour time frame stop you if you are in a hurry.
While the rice is cooking and shrimp marinating, chop up your salsa ingredients. Make sure you peel the carrots first and then chop up the peels so the salsa doesn't feel heavy when it is mixed together. You could also use mango or your favorite fruit in place of orange. A citrus-tasting fruit is best. I added about 1 tbsp of lemon juice to my salsa, you can add to taste. I also sprinkled in a dash of garlic and pepper to taste.
Next, peel and wash your lettuce from the head. Head lettuce makes the best cups for eating. Our lettuce was just regular green leaf and it was harder to manage when we attempted to eat. Go ahead and lay your lettuce cups out so they are ready to fill once the shrimp is finished.
Mix cornstarch with garlic and pepper. Coat shrimp with mixture.
Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Make sure the pan is hot before placing in the shrimp. If it sizzles, you are on the right track.
Cook shrimp about 2 minutes on each side. There should be a beautiful golden brown coating when you flip them over. So exciting!
Now comes my favorite part! Dress your plate. The rice should be finished by this point. Scoop a spoonful of rice into each cup, followed by a salsa, and then top each with two golden shrimp.
These can be a bit messy, but they look so beautiful on the plate that I think it is worth the hassle. If you aren't going for beauty you can always chop up the lettuce and make these into shrimp tacos. Happy cooking!