Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Day 1 of using ingredients in my pantry! Today I used angel hair pasta and canned green beans. Canned vegetables are not my favorite, but they are nice to have around since they last a long time. When I buy a lot of fresh vegetables it seems like some always goes to waste b/c things come up and I won't be home to cook as often as I had intended.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
4-6oz angel hair pasta
6-8oz large deveined frozen shrimp (around 12 - 18)
2 garlic cloves, minced (or pre-chopped garlic in jar, about 1 tsp)
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper

Directions:
To thaw the shrimp you will need to let the shrimp sit in cool water. I usually have to dump the water out and refill it once. After thawed cut of the tails.

Cook pasta according to directions on the box. While pasta is cooking heat skillet to medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil and garlic. Once butter is melted add the shrimp and let cook for around 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink. Add the shrimp mixture to the pasta to combine and add red pepper, italian seasonings, salt & pepper to taste. Serve the shrimp pasta sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Green beans - I heated up the can of green beans (drained) in a pot with 1 tbs butter, salt and lemon pepper.

Easy meal that tastes great!

Edamame Succotash with Shrimp

Adapted from EatingWell

As I'm sure many of you have noticed already I love the EatingWell recipes! The website has tons of healthy and delicious recipes and the majority of them that I've tried have turned out great. To be honest I'm not really sure what a "succotash" is (I'll have to look it up), but it turns out I like it. This recipe was light, fresh and satisfying. The only disappointment was I didn't really taste the bacon. It's a sad thing I know lol ;)

Ingredients:
2 slices turkey bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch scallions, sliced, or 1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp thyme
10 oz frozen shelled edamame, thawed
10 oz corn (canned or frozen, thawed)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound raw shrimp (26-30), peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

Directions:
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Leave drippings in the pan, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; let cool.

Add oil to pan. Add scallions (or onion), bell pepper, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in edamame, corn, broth, vinegar and salt. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low heat and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile toss shrimp with the lemon pepper & paprika. Scatter the shrimp on top of the vegetables, cover and cook until the shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top.  

4 servings - only about 300 calories a serving!