Pasta with peas, shrimp and buttermilk-herb dressing

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This recipe isn't exactly a winter appropriate dish, but I made it regardless and enjoyed it very much. It came highly recommended from my friend Emily, who always has the best recipes saved from her monthly consumption of epicurean magazines. And in the spirit of lighter recipes post Thanksgiving, this qualifies nicely.

When I make this dish again, I will substitute plain yogurt, or greek yogurt, for the mayonnaise. I liked it with mayo, but I'd like to try it with yogurt to make the dish even lighter. This made a great dinner for Erik, Juliet and I and it was also great leftovers to take to lunch. In addition to dinner, this would be the perfect dish to bring to a summer BBQ. That's hard to imagine right now as we are facing a winter storm here in MN, but it's just 6 months away right?

Pasta with peas, shrimp and buttermilk-herb dressing (recipe adapted via My Recipes)

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked pasta (any noodle works)

• 1 cup frozen green peas (can substitute edamame for peas)
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, cooked (I buy already cooked shrimp to keep things easier)
• 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (or try plain yogurt)
• 1/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (I used dried, about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
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• Preparation
• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add peas last 2 minutes of cooking. Remove from heat and drain.
• 2. Combine pasta mixture, shrimp and radishes in a large bowl. Combine mayonnaise, buttermilk and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Pour over pasta mixture, tossing to coat. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature, or cover and chill until ready to serve. 
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• Note, since the garlic is raw, I found it a bit overpowering, so next time I will cut the amount of garlic in half.

Mini crab cakes and herb linguine with shrimp

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My sister and I had a date on Saturday night that consisted of a seafood dinner and watching Twilight. That might sound a bit weird/random but we had a lovely, relaxing evening with a great meal. The menu included mini crab cakes and an herb linguine with shrimp. I've been wanting to make the mini crab cakes for a while, but jumbo lump crab meat is super expensive and making them just for her and I was a great way to test the recipe and not spend too much.

The mini crab cake recipe is from my Weight Watcher's Simply Delicious cookbook and the linguine is from Cooking Light. Both were great, but I made a few additions and strayed slightly from the original recipes.

Mini Crab Cakes with Dill Mayonanaise

Ingredients

1 pound cooked jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used panko)
1/2 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated onion
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 egg white
4 drops hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs (I substituted panko for this)
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 tablesoon canola oil

Directions
Combine the crabmeat, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise, the onion, 3 teaspoons of the mustart, the egg whtie, and hot pepper sauce in a bowl. Form into 14 patties.

Place the cornflake crumbs on wax paper. Dredge thepatties in crumbs, then transfer to a plate. Refrigerate, covered, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 cup mayonnaise, the relish, dill, and the remaining 1 teaspoon mustard in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or griddle until a drop of water sizzles. Add the patties a few at a time; cook until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook 2-3 minutes longer. Serve with the mayonnaise mixture.

Some notes, I added about a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the crabmeat mixture. I also sprinkled Old Bay seasoning on each crab cake before cooking them.

As you can tell in the photos, I wasn't too concerned about presentation since it was just Kat and I having a casual dinner. But these little guys were tasty and would be a great appetizer to serve at a cocktail party with sides of lemon slices on top of a nice platter.

Check out this cool foodie site for more crab cake recipes

I was really craving pasta for some reason and came across this recipe while browsing CookingLight.com. What I loved about this dish is that a small amount satisfied a huge craving. The flavor was similar to an alfredo sauce but without the zillions of calories.

Herb Linguine with Shrimp


Ingredients

4 ounces fresh linguine (since I love leftovers, I made the entire box, and used whole wheat)
1/2 cup half-and-half (because I used the whole box I added more half and half)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound cooked and peeled medium shrimp
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream


Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat (I didn't omit either of these, pasta needs to be cooked in salted water for flavor in my opinion); drain.

Combine the linguine, half-and-half, and the next 4 ingredients (half-and-half through salt) in a large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook for 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream.


Notes, I added juice from half a lemon for some fresh, lemony flavor to complement the shrimp and some fresh tomatoes for color.

Overall, it was a lovely night. I got to hang out with my sweet, fabulous sis, test a couple new recipes and watch Twilight. Sometimes laid back nights are the best kind.



Speaking of Twilight, stay tuned for an upcoming post about a Twighlight-themed party my sister helped plan/organize for her friends b-day. Think apples in cylinder vases, blood-red drinks and lots and lots of red candy. Totally fun ideas for Twilight lovers out there.