I’m not a huge main dish salad fan. It seems like whenever I just have greens with veggies and protein for lunch, I end up with a grumbling tummy only a couple hours later. My outlook recently changed after a lab potluck though. Sima brought in a lovely spinach salad topped with Israeli couscous and chicken mixed with a variety of goodies. I loved it and felt like the extra carbs on top turned it into a complete and satisfying meal. Of course, I had to put my own twist on the idea and here is the result!

I mixed some spiced up shrimp with the Israeli couscous, red pepper, corn, black beans, and grape tomatoes. For the dressing, I pulsed an avocado and some ranch dressing in my food processor until it was smooth, which ended up being quite tasty. Since the salad was just for us, I mixed all the dressing with the couscous and then placed it atop the undressed spinach. When we mixed the couscous with the spinach, I thought we got the perfect amount of dressing, but you could also serve the dressing on the side so everyone can add as much as they’d like.  Definitely lunch worthy!

Avocado Ranch Israeli Couscous Salad
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Shrimp:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

Israeli Couscous:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 1/3 cups Israeli Couscous (1 8-ounce box from Trader Joe’s)
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth

Dressing:
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 teaspoon salt

Salad Assembly:
1 1/2 cups cooked corn
1 can 15.5-ounce black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, chopped in half
10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves

Directions:
To make the shrimp, place butter, honey, ancho chile powder, adobo sauce, and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Add shrimp and mix until well covered. Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat and place shrimp in the pan; saute for 3 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Remove shrimp with slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.

To make the couscous, heat canola oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan; add onion and red pepper and saute for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add couscous and saute 2 minutes or until light brown. Add chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, put on lid, and simmer for 8 minutes or until broth is absorbed and couscous is tender. Put couscous in the bowl with the shrimp.

To make the dressing, place avocado, ranch dressing, and salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Place dressing in the bowl with the shrimp and couscous.

To assemble the salad, place corn, black beans, and grape tomatoes in the bowl with the shrimp, couscous, and dressing, and mix well. Place spinach leaves on a large platter and arrange couscous on top. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 530 calories, 21.0g fat, 8.7g fiber, 27.1g protein per serving
Cost: $2.72 per serving

First of all, thanks to everyone who entered my blogiversary giveaway. A few of you correctly guessed the very common ingredient I don’t like is….black pepper! In fact, when Apolinaras wants to make sure I don’t dig into his portion of mac & cheese, he’ll sprinkle black pepper all over it. Celery was another popular guess, and while it’s not my favorite, I do enjoy it in stuffing, gumbo, and jambalaya. So, congrats to commenter number 52, Danielle, who guessed correctly and won the $80 CSN Stores gift card! The cookbooks went to commenters 54 and 81, Reeni and Amaranthian, who chose Mexican Everyday and 660 Curries, respectively.

Speaking of mac & cheese, I’ve admitted before that I sometimes make boxed mac and cheese with a few modifications to spice it up (I usually I use half the amount of butter, add buttermilk, and tons of cheddar cheese). One day I ran out of cheddar and randomly threw in the only two types of cheese in our fridge at the time – pecorino romano and feta. I really enjoyed it and knew I would have to make a homemade version with sharp cheddar, feta, and the pecorino – so good! I baked this version and spread a nice layer of crispy pita chips on top. This is the perfect comfort food for a cold day.

Cheddar, Feta, and Pecorino Romano Mac & Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat rotelle pasta
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crushed pita chips (I used 2 1.5-ounce bags from Stacey’s)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in a large pot.

Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and mix in cheddar cheese, feta, pecorino romano, and salt. Heat 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth (note – my chunks of feta didn’t melt). Mix cheese sauce with cooked pasta in the large pot. Pour pasta into a 1 1/2 quart oval stoneware baking dish.

Place remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds or until melted. Mix crushed pita chips and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle chips evenly over mac & cheese and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and pita topping is golden brown. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 602 calories, 30.5g fat, 5.9g fiber, 26.5g protein per serving
Cost: $1.09 per serving

Whenever I think of Cajun pasta, I think of Emeril. Remember when he was on the Food Network 24/7? I became a big fan of his after visiting his restaurant NOLA in New Orleans with my good college friends Susie and Britt over New Year’s 2002. I remember enjoying a spicy pasta with lots of fresh seafood. We even somehow got our picture taken with the chefs – check out my short hair!

So, when I saw a contest on the Food Network site to win tickets to be in the audience of his show in NYC a few years later, you can bet I entered. I actually won the tickets and went with my mom and grandma, but to be honest, the show taping was a little disappointing. Instead of interacting with the audience during the time set aside for the commercial breaks, big security guards came in and surrounded the kitchen set so no one could get near him and we were never offered the opportunity to get our cookbooks signed. I’ve been to other show tapings where the opposite was true, but even though we didn’t have the best time, I still have enjoyed a bunch of Emeril’s recipes and would love to go to another one of his restaurants.

Anyway, I was recently inspired by Emeril when I decided to whip up a yummy Cajun shrimp pasta. I coated the shrimp with a spicy Cajun spice mixture and made a really easy creamy sauce with canned diced tomatoes, a little tangy goat cheese, cream cheese, and parmesan. And, to add an extra layer of flavor, I stirred in a touch of adobo sauce. This was easy and very tasty.

Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Shrimp:
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil

Pasta:
1 pound bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 ounces cream cheese
2 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
To prepare the shrimp, mix the paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and salt in a medium bowl. Add shrimp to the bowl and mix well. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, place spiced shrimp in the pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until shrimp are cooked through and opaque. Remove shrimp from the skillet.

To make the pasta, prepare pasta according to the package directions, drain, and place in a large pot. Heat canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and add onion and pepper. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until veggies are tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Add diced tomatoes, cream cheese, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, adobo sauce, and salt to the pan and stir until all the cheeses have melted. Add the sauce and cooked shrimp to the pot with the cooked pasta and mix well. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 503 calories, 16.0g fat, 3.7g fiber, 28.7g protein per serving
Cost: $2.48 per serving

I love planning parties. My perfectionist and organizational sides enjoy thinking about all the details and watching everything come together. We may not have kids yet, but I already know I’ll be one of those moms attempting to throw picture perfect birthday parties for them! I’m also intrigued by the white parties that seem to be popular with celebrities – you know, the ones everyone is required to white from head to toe (not that I recently saw one of these on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or anything…). I have no idea what I’d wear if I was invited to one, but after making this meal, I certainly know what I’d serve if I was hosting – there’s barely any color at all in this dish (thank goodness for the oregano!). Yeah, so it may not be the most attractive chicken dish I’ve ever seen, but don’t let that stop you from making it because it’s pretty tasty. Plus, I bet you could get more color on the chicken if you used a grill pan!

These chicken skewers have a Latin twist. I marinated the chicken in Greek yogurt with garlic, oregano, lime juice, cumin, and cayenne pepper, and broiled them to perfection. They turned out really juicy! Then I served them over citrus mashed potatoes. I used lime and clementine zest, which we really enjoyed, but I think a variety of zests would be tasty.

Chicken Skewers over Citrus Mashed Potatoes
Printable Recipe

Chicken Skewers:
6 ounces plain nonfat Greek yogurt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks that fit the skewers

Citrus Mashed Potatoes:
2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon of your favorite citrus zest (I used half clementine and half lime)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Mix yogurt, garlic, oregano, lime juice, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in chicken and marinate 1 hour in the refrigerator. Soak skewers in water.

Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes by placing potato chunks in a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well and return to pot. Mash potatoes and mix in butter, milk, citrus zest, and salt until smooth.

Heat oven broiler. Thread marinated chicken pieces onto skewers. Hang skewers across the top of a 13×9-inch pan and broil for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Serve skewers over mashed potatoes. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 566 calories, 15.6g fat, 3.8g fiber, 64.1g protein per serving
Cost: $2.49 per serving