My Version of a TV Dinner – A Healthy, Easy Recipe for a Quick Meal!

As I was driving home after a long day and late night at work, all I was looking forward to was turning my brain off, sitting on the couch with my trusty DVR, catching up on the latest episodes of How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, and, of course, since I was starving, I wanted something to eat that was tasty and healthy, yet quick and easy. I used my commute home to think about what I could concoct in less than 30 mins with things I had left in my pantry, fridge, and freezer, since I definitely had no energy to make a trip to the grocery store.  Here’s what I came up with!

[This will make about 1 meal, with just enough left over to take to lunch the next day!]

Flavorful Shrimp Spaghetti…with a Twist

WHAT YOU NEED

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Enough to coat the bottom of a saute pan
• 2 Cloves of Garlic – each sliced into quarters
• Dried Red Chili Flakes – amount depends on your spice-tolerance. I like a lot 🙂
• Palm-ful of shredded Sage Leaves – totally optional, I happened to have some left so threw them in for extra flavor
• Handful of cherry tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
• 5-7 Frozen, Uncooked, Peeled Shrimp, Chopped into bit size pieces – I like the “Argentinian Shrimp” from Trader Joe’s, but any kind works.
• 1-2 Handfuls of Sliced Cremini Mushrooms – Shiitake Mushrooms would work great too
• 1 Cup Dry White Wine
• 1 Lime or Lemon
• About half a box (1/2 lb) of Spaghetti (or any other long pasta you have on hand)
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper – to taste

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil with the garlic and chili peppers over medium heat until the garlic turns golden brown.
3. Add the sage leaves, and saute for about 1 minute.
4. Add the mushrooms, and saute for about 2-3 minutes, or until they start to soften.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper at this point.
5. Throw in the cherry tomatoes and toss so everything is coated.
6. After about 2 minutes, move everything to one side to make some space in the pan, and add the shrimp there. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
7. At this point, put the spaghetti in the boiling water.  Depending on the thickness of the pasta, it shouldn’t need more than 6-8 minutes to complete cooking, but keep an eye on it and taste occasionally after the 6 minute mark.  If the pasta is just soft enough so it’s not crunchy, but still has a slight bite (“al dente”) you’ll want to move the pot away from the heat and add a couple cold glasses of water to stop the cooking.
8. You’ll notice the shrimp start to become opaque after about 2 minutes. Flip the pieces over.  After another 2  minutes or so, toss all the ingredients together so they are combined.
9. Pour in the white wine and let the mixture simmer over medium-high heat until the alcohol cooks out – about 2 minutes.
10. Squeeze about half the lime or lemon’s juice in and stir to combine. Lower heat back down to medium.
11. The pasta should be done by now!  Lift the noodles (shaking off excess water first) into the saute pan and combine with all the other ingredients (reserve the pot of water you cooked the pasta in).  Add salt and pepper to your liking and squeeze the rest of the lemon/lime.  Continue to saute the entire mixture over medium heat for about 2 minutes.  If the mixture is too dry for any reason, add a ladle or two of the pasta water.

Super Refreshing Arugula, Watermelon, Feta Salad

WHAT YOU NEED

• Baby Arugula – you can find this at almost any grocery store, pre-washed in a bag.  It has a nice, spicy flavor.
• A handful of Watermelon chopped into bite size cubes – Trader Joe’s sells mini-watermelons that are perfect.  You can also buy the pre-cut kind.
• Crumbled Feta – “Athenos” is a great brand to go with.
• The juice of 1/2 Lime or Lemon
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Combine all the ingredients right before you want to eat it. Toss. Eat!

~ESSENTIAL SIDE NOTE~ To round everything out, since you opened a bottle of white wine to make the pasta, pour yourself a glass for extra relaxation – it goes great with the meal!

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