With varying schedules and varying tastes, planning meals becomes a minefield. This summer was tough. My older sprog doesn’t like shrimp but likes some fish, loves pork and most vegetables. The younger sprog doesn’t like fish but loves shrimp, can’t stand pork, and is cautious about cooked vegetables. The husband loves seafood but prefers it fried, loves pork as long as it’s pulled, and is wary of vegetables. I just want to make a meal that’s easy, healthy, and not too expensive.

Now that the older sprog is off for their last year of college [sob], I made this pasta for a late summer meal. It was enthusiastically received by both of my picky eaters, thank goodness! It’s light and easy, healthy and relatively inexpensive. Winner winner, shrimp and pasta dinner!

Lemony Shrimp and Leek Pasta

Ingredients

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail off (I got a 1-pound bag of medium shrimp, already peeled and deveined with the tails off at Tom Thumb for $6.99!)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
16 ounces spaghetti or linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts only – I’ll explain how to clean leeks down in the directions!
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken broth
10 ounces baby spinach
¼ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
1/3 cup Italian parsley, stems removed, roughly chopped

Directions

Thaw the shrimp in the fridge overnight. Drain the shrimp and place in a bowl with the lemon zest, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, and set aside.

Leeks, while delicious, are notoriously sandy. To make sure your gorgeous pasta isn’t full of grit, the easiest way to clean it is to cut off the root ends, strip off the two outer layers of the leeks, and cut into rounds. Place the rounds in a large bowl of cold water and gently separate into rings. The sand will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Remove the leek rings to a strainer and rinse again.

In a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat, saute the shrimp in a tablespoon of olive oil just until the shrimp turn pink, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the leeks until they are soft, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the leeks are soft, add the shallots and sauté for another couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Add the white wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the wine and broth are slightly reduced.

While you’re cooking the shrimp and leeks and are reducing the wine and stock, bring a large stockpot of salted water to the boil. Once the water is briskly boiling, add the pasta. Cook for about 7 minutes or until just al dente.

Once the pasta is just about al dente, drain it and add to the leek/wine/broth mixture. You’re finishing the pasta in the sauce. The pasta absorbs the flavors and releases a bit of starch, slightly thickening the sauce. Cook the pasta in the sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the spinach and some salt and pepper to the pasta and stir until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the chopped herbs, the juice of the zested lemon, and the reserved shrimp, remove from the heat, and serve. Serves 6 with leftovers.

*There is an unwritten law in Italian and French cuisine that seafood and cheese are enemies. But let’s face it, rules are made to be broken, and shaving a bit of really good Pecorino Romano over this pasta makes the dish even better. So to serve, I drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and shave a little Pecorino Romano over it, and my family falls upon it like a pack of rabid honey badgers.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Lemony Shrimp and Leek Pasta first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Wait. The slow cooker? That’s only for winter, right? No, my friends. It is not.

When you stop and think about it, it’s really the perfect way to cook in the summer. You put ingredients in it, you turn it on low, and you walk away. It doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the stove or oven. You don’t have to stand over it. You just wait, and voila! Dinner is ready!

I’ve included some of our family’s favorite summer slow cooker recipes. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Summery Greek-Inspired Chicken

This is a favorite at our house. We use chicken thighs as they don’t dry out, and they have more flavor than most commercially available chicken breasts. It’s delicious and healthy (don’t tell the kids!) and easy.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small red onion, halved and sliced into half moons
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried dill
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 8-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 12-ounce jar roasted marinated red peppers, drained and sliced
1 cup pitted, halved Kalamata olives
1 3-ounce jar capers, drained
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon, sliced
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 block feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of a six-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with the smashed garlic, sliced red onion, salt, pepper, oregano, and dill. Layer the grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts, peppers, olives, and lemon slices over the chicken. Pour the lemon juice and chicken broth over everything and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the lid and drizzle the chicken with olive oil and crumbled feta. Replace the lid and cook for 30 minutes more. Serve over rice, orzo, couscous, pasta, or just with some lovely bread to sop up all the juices. Serves 4 to 6 people.

Thai-Inspired Corn Chowder

We love Thai flavors in our house, and this is a great chowder that uses Thai flavors with summer produce.

A basket of sweet corn, three ears partially husked

Ingredients

6 ears corn, husked and kernels removed
1 pound baby golden potatoes, halved
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, lightly pounded
2 to 4 Thai chile peppers*
4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 cup canned coconut milk
Chopped cilantro, Thai basil, and/or mint to garnish

*Depending on your heat tolerance, you can either slice the chile peppers, leaving in or removing the seeds and ribs (the source of most of the heat), or you can just throw them in whole to get the flavor of the chiles without much of the heat.

Directions

Place the corn, potatoes, onion, garlic, lemongrass, and chiles in the bottom of a six-quart crockpot. Add in the chicken or vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper. Cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the lid, remove the lemongrass stalks, give everything a good stir, and add in the lime juice, fish sauce, and coconut milk and stir again. Replace the lid and let cook for another 30 minutes on LOW. To serve, scoop into bowls and garnish with cilantro, Thai basil, and/or mint. Serves 4 to 6.

Slow Cooker Summer Squash and Pasta

Pasta in a slow cooker? Yes! This is a delicious summer meal and is ridiculously healthy. It’s super easy, so it’s one of my go-to meals when I don’t want to cook.

Just picked tomato and squashes on the white structured background. Just harvested vegetables. Top view.

Ingredients

1 24-ounce jar pasta sauce (I always look for no sugars added sauces)
1 pound shaped pasta (I use whole grain ziti, penne, or cavatappi)
1 zucchini, halved and sliced into half moons
1 yellow summer squash, halved and sliced into half moons
1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced into half moons
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup cottage cheese (please don’t use the fat free stuff)
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 8-ounce bag shredded Italian cheeses
1 bunch basil, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

Directions

Combine the pasta sauce, pasta, zucchini, summer squash, onion, garlic, cottage cheese, Italian herbs, and salt and pepper in a six-quart slow cooker. Cook on LOW for about 2 hours. Check occasionally, and if it’s looking a little dry, add in some water, chicken or vegetable broth, or dry white wine.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the lid, give it a good stir, and add in the shredded Italian cheeses and basil. Replace the lid and cook for about another 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

The post Summery Slow Cooker Meals for Blazing Hot Days first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

To cut down on delivery/drive thru expenditures and pounds, I try to do one “cook day” a week, but let’s face it, that doesn’t always happen. So here are some easy last-minute dinner ideas for you!

Big Salad with Hummus Dressing

Let’s face it, salads are a little boring. However, they are great for easy meals and are perfect for using up leftovers. I try to have lentils and green on hand, and we each can throw in what we like. The dressing is easy as pie because it uses your favorite flavor of pre-made hummus. Okay, so maybe not the chocolate hummus, but seriously, any other kind is fine! Healthy, yummy, and easy. What more could you want?

Ingredients

• Leftover grilled/roasted/poached meats and vegetables
• Greens – your favorites (I love the peppery bite of arugula, while my family prefers the heft of romaine)
• Lentils, cooked according to package directions (these are great because they take only about 20 minutes to cook, and you can keep them in the fridge for up to a week) or precooked/leftover couscous, quinoa, rice, farro, or other grains
• Raw vegetables – whatever you might have on hand; spiralized vegetables/Zoodles are great for this, as are sprouts
• Hummus dressing
  • To make this dressing, simply thin down pre-made hummus with lemon juice. Or if you prefer a creamy dressing, stir in some Greek yogurt along with the lemon

Directions

Choose your ingredients. Place said ingredients into a bowl. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of dressing. Eat. It’s that easy!

Smoked Salmon One-Pot Pasta

One-pot pasta dishes are great for summer – minimal cook time and easy clean up! Smoked salmon is available at most grocery stores and is perfect for easy summer meals.

Ingredients

• 12 oz linguine
• 1 bunch asparagus, woody stems removed, or enough green beans, topped and tailed, for four people
• 10 oz frozen peas
• 16 oz ricotta, divided
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• 1 bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped, divided
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 oz smoked salmon***

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the linguine and cook for 7 minutes. Add the asparagus to the pot and cook for 1 minute. Add the peas to the pot and cook for another minute. Drain the pasta and vegetables, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta and the vegetables with half of the ricotta, the lemon zest and juice, the shallot, and most of the fresh dill. Add the reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until you get the consistency of the sauce that you like. (Some like it drier, some like it soupy. We don’t judge!) Divide into four bowls, top with the smoked salmon and the remaining ricotta and dill. Enjoy with a green salad and some good bread.

*** You can choose either hot smoked salmon or cold smoked salmon for this. Hot smoked salmon is cooked during the smoking process and can be divided into chunks. Cold smoked salmon is cured (like gravlax or lox) before smoking at a cool temperature. To use cold smoked salmon, slice into long strips. Either is delicious!

The post Easy Meals for When You Don’t Want to Cook first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Vegetable Pho

Hao Tran, co-owner of The Table Market and one of the dumpling duo Hao & Dixya, offers this gorgeous and healthy vegetarian pho. The secret to a good pho is the broth, and this broth is sensational!

Ingredients

For the soup:

2 quarts vegetable broth
1 large onion, quartered
4-inch piece fresh ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
4 to 6 whole star anise
4 whole cloves
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

Vegetables:

8 ounces rice noodles
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into ½ -inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
1 cup julienned carrots
Any vegetable you like – bok choi, broccolini, cabbage, corn, squash, or whatever you have in the fridge!

Toppings:

lime wedges
hoisin sauce
sriracha sauce
soy sauce
jalapeño slices
fresh cilantro
scallions
fresh Thai basil

Directions

Pour vegetable broth into a large pot and place over high heat. Bring to a simmer.

While the broth heats up, place onion and ginger onto a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Cook until lightly charred on top, about 4 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning. Rotate and cook until charred on opposite sides. Add onion and ginger to broth.

Roast the cinnamon, star anise, cloves over low heat in a cast iron skillet for a few minutes to release all the aromatic oils.  Add to the broth as well as the soy sauce or tamari. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, adding a bit of water if the mixture reduces too much.

While the broth simmers, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water.

Coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with oil and place over medium heat. Add tofu cubes and cook about 10 minutes, flipping once or twice, until browned on multiple sides. Remove from heat and transfer to a paper towel.

When broth has simmered for at least 30 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove onion, ginger, and spices. Add shiitakes and simmer until tender, about 4 minutes. Add carrots and other vegetables, if using, and simmer just until slightly tender, about 1 minute.

Divide noodles and tofu among bowls and ladle broth and veggies over top. Serve with toppings of choice (preferably all!).  Enjoy!

Texas Gulf Shrimp Tacos

This recipe from Central Market is both gorgeous to look at, easy to make, and delicious to boot!

Ingredients

For the tacos:

24 Texas Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil (divided use)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
juice of one lime (optional)
6 small flour or corn tortillas

For the avocado salsa:

1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and chunked
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
juice of one lime
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

For the sour cream-cilantro sauce:

¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
juice of one lime

Directions

Whisk together 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, onion powder (if using), and salt in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until pink and cooked through, usually no longer than 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the juice of 1 lime, if using.

Combine the ingredients for the avocado salsa in one bowl and the sour cream-cilantro sauce in another bowl. Set these aside.

To serve, toast the tortillas lightly in a dry skillet or over a grill. Spoon the avocado salsa onto a tortilla and top with 3 to 4 shrimp. Drizzle the sour cream-cilantro sauce over the shrimp and serve with lime wedges. Makes 6 tacos.

Spicy Pasta with Asparagus and Bacon

This recipe was created when Facebook asked Tanglewood Moms to take part in their celebration of International Women’s Day in 2017. It’s a quick and easy way to feed the family!

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh spaghetti or fettuccini (Central Market makes their own pastas, available in the cheese department!)
4 ounces uncured bacon, diced
1 shallot, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch asparagus, woody stems removed and discarded, remaining stalks snapped into bite-sized pieces
Zest and juice of one large lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions in a large pot of salted water.

While the water is coming to a boil, sauté the bacon in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. You want to render out the fat and make the bacon nice and crispy. When the bacon is crispy, remove it to some paper towels to drain, and add the shallot, red pepper flakes, and asparagus to the pan. Sauté until the shallots are translucent and the asparagus is warmed through but still crispy.

Once the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the pan, using about ¼ of a cup of the pasta water to help create a sauce. Add the lemon zest and juice and toss to combine. You can garnish this with fresh herbs or add freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It’s great cold, too! Serve 4 with a side salad.

The post Fresh Family Recipes from Madeworthy: Life & Art first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.