Bang-Bang Shrimp

This is two recipes in one post.  I wasn't planning on posting this recipe, so I don't have a picture.  It turned out so good I decided I needed to share it and we didn't have any leftovers!  I was going to make coconut shrimp for dinner. Then I remembered the Bang-bang shrimp Mike and I ate at The Bonefish Grill over a year ago.  It was so good (and I don't really love shrimp).  So I found a copy cat recipe for the Bang-bang shrimp at www.cdrecipes.com and then decided to mix it up a little bit. 

COPY CAT BANG-BANG SHRIMP

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
Dry cornstarch
oil for frying
lettuce

Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch (or just shake the shrimp with the cornstarch in a baggie). Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown (3-4 minutes on the first side, 2 minutes on second side). Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl.


COCONUT BANG-BANG SHRIMP PASTA
For a slightly milder taste (not so spicy) and to make it into a one dish meal:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Tahi Sweet Chili Sauce
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dried shredded coconut

Mix the sauce together.  Prepare the shrimp the same way as the above recipe.  Mix pasta (spaghetti or linguine) sauce and fried shrimp together.  Yummy! 

The cornstarch makes the shrimp super crunchy and the sweet chili sauce is so good!

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

I got the original recipe off of The Girl Who Ate Everything and made a some changes.  When Calvin came into the kitchen and asked what was for dinner and I told him Quinoa he asked me what that was.  I said it's seeds that are kind of like rice.  He laughed and told Anna Elise that was I making up words.  When he realized I was serious he got VERY upset and informed me that seeds were not dinner!  I could sense an uprising as the kids all ran for the kitchen.  So I told them it was a salad that we were going to eat as salsa with tortilla chips.  Adding a few tortilla chips to the dinner seemed to make it ok!  Everyone ate it and most of them even liked it!  I thought it was delicious - but then I'd eat almost anything with avacados in it!  This fed my family of 7 (although my kids are young so it's probably more like a family of 5) as a main dish and we had some left over.  The quinoa is very filling.  I loved it!

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 ripe avocado, diced
• 2 small fresh tomatoes, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer. Sometimes it can have a bitter taste on the outside so rinsing gets rid of this.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes or until onion is soft.
3. Add the quinoa and vegetable broth to the pan. Add the cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in lime juice and frozen corn into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is heated through.
5. Finally, mix in the black beans, cilantro, avacado and tomotoes.

Pizza Factory Breadsticks

Not my best picture but what you don't see is my screaming two year old that needed my attention.

2 Rhodes Rolls per stick that you want to make
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dill weed
1/4 melted butter

Let the rolls rise double. Next, combine two rolls and roll out into a long skinny piece. Wrap around a wooden skewer. Let them rise again until doubled. Bake 350 for 12-15 minutes. While baking combine garlic powder, garlic salt, dill weed, and butter. Spread butter all over the bread sticks.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

This soup was really yummy and has a bunch of veggies in it so its pretty good for you too. I got this recipe from http://www.dinnertool.com/recipe/slow-cooker-tomato-basil-parmesan-soup-slow-cooker-contest.

2 (14 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
1 finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
2 cans of chicken broth
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh
1 Tbsp dried Oregano
bay leaf
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups warmed milk
salt
pepper


Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken brother, onions, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and veggies are soft. I have a hand held small mixer that I took to the veggies so the soup wasn't so chunky. If you don't have one just throw it in the blender if you don't want a lot of chunks. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed milk, salt and pepper. Add basil and oregano. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Season to taste.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Lately I have been really into Franks Red Hot Sauce, so when I saw this recipe I knew I was going to love it. It is super easy and just plain good. I found the original recipe at mykitchenapron.blogspot.com, but adapted it a little.

Ingredients:
3 lb bag chicken
1 bottle Franks Red Hot Wing's Buffalo Sauce
4 tbs. Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
6 oz cream cheese
Good Sandwich Bread(I used ciabatta bread)

Just throw the chicken, franks red hot sauce(I did all of it), and ranch mix into a crock-pot and let it cook for 4-5 hours. When the chicken is tender shred it, and add the cream cheese. Then serve on delicious toasted bread. We didn't put any cheese on, but I'm sure it would make the sandwich that much better. Enjoy!

Babyback Ribs

I love babyback ribs and have made them in the past but was hunting for a new recipe.  I found this one at ourbestbites.com.  I loved it and my family loved it.  They told me they were the best ribs they had ever had.  I did make a few changes as I have made them a few times.  I will just post how I have ended up making them.

1 rack babyback ribs (about 2-2.5 pounds; 1 rack feeds two adults)

2 c. pineapple juice

1 cup water

1 ½ c. brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. mustard powder
1/3 c. ketchup
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Cut your rack into about 4 portions.  I used three racks and still was able to fit them all into the liquid in my large crockpot.  Anyway, cut into portion size and put into your crockpot.  Pour this mixture over them and cook on low for about 6-7 hours.  If you have three racks in there it is going to take longer.  I turned it up on high for a couple of hours so I didn't have to do it any longer.  When the time is up take out of mixture and put onto a broiler pan.  Smear with your favorite bar b que sauce, both sides.  Broil until bubbly and caramelized, both sides.  My favorite bar b que sauce is Bulls Eye.  I mixed 1/2 cup of sauce with 1/4 cup of honey.  When I did three racks, I used 1 cup of bar b que sauce with 1/2 cup of honey.  You could also grill them on the bar b que.  They are fall off the bone tender and delicious.  Enjoy!