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Healthy Greek Shrimp, Quinoa & Avocado Salad in Under 30 Minutes

Full of rich Mediterranean flavors, this salad will quickly become a weekly dinner favorite
January 9, 2017
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > 30 Minute Meals

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A Healthy Greek Salad with Spicy Shrimp, Avocado & Hummus Waiting On Martha A Healthy Greek Salad with Spicy Shrimp, Avocado & Hummus Waiting On Martha

Three cheers for an easy meal that’s fresh, healthy and clocks you under 30 minutes.  It was due time I shared the recipe for my healthy Greek salad with spicy shrimp, rainbow quinoa and avocado. Complete with some of the best Mediterranean flavors (cherry tomatoes, hummus, cucumber, arugula, lemon, oregano and garlic), it’s both a powerhouse lunch and a dinner entree that will be on high demand.  I love to add a pinch of cumin and cayenne for a kick (because #duh) and top with my favorite Greek salad dressing.

Of course, you’ll feel great about eating this salad. With plenty of fresh veggies, good fats and lean proteins, it will sustain you without slowing you down.  Instead of feta or another cheese, I opted to use hummus because it still gives you that irresistible creamy texture.  And if you’re looking to make this salad vegan, simply remove the shrimp and sub it for tofu (or nothing at all).  It lends itself to be a fantastic, easy lunch whenever I do so. 

To serve, I love to plate the salad on a large platter.  But if you’ll notice in the pictures, I created four miniature salads on the platter, rather than mixing it all up.  This way, when serving themselves, each individual can grab the corner and get every ingredient perfectly proportioned without disrupting the others serving.  Everybody’s happy!  Enjoy!  Truly, MKR

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Mediterranean Shrimp & Quinoa Salad
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. Fresh arugula (I used 1 1/2 containers)
  2. 1 1/2 cups rainbow quinoa
  3. 1 pound fresh, wild caught shrimp; tail on, heads off and deveined
  4. 1 cucumber, halved and then cut into half circles
  5. 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  6. 1 cup hummus (any flavor you prefer)
  7. 1 avocado, sliced
  8. 1 lemon halved
  9. Your favorite greek dressing
  10. For the Shrimp
  11. Juice of 1 lemon
  12. 2-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
  13. 1 tablespoon oregano, finely diced
  14. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  15. 1 teaspoon cayenne
  16. 3 tablespoon organic olive oil
  17. 1 teaspoon salt
  18. 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. Add 1.5 cups of quinoa to 3 cups of water in a medium size pot, covered, and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until you see that the majority of the water has evaporated. Keep covered, and remove from the heat, fluff with a fork.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking add your shrimp to a medium/large bowl and add lemon, diced garlic, diced oregano, cumin, cayenne, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt & pepper. Mix till shrimp are completely covered.
  3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive to a skillet and heat over medium/high. Once hot, add shrimp and cook approximately 2 minutes per side or until done.
  4. Begin layering your salad: arugula, quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, shrimp, avocado, and a few dollops of hummus. Squeeze half a lemon over the plate, and serve with your favorite greek dressing.
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A New Year’s Eve Steak Dinner at Home

A skillet seared ribeye with homemade herb butter, caramelized onions, and fried brussel sprouts
December 29, 2016
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Food

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Skillet seared ribeye steak dinner with homemade herb butter, caramalized onions & fried brussel sprouts Skillet seared ribeye steak dinner with homemade herb butter, caramalized onions & fried brussel sprouts

There’s something special about a fancy dinner at your favorite steakhouse for New Year’s Eve.  But there’s also something perhaps even more special about enjoying a gourmet meal fixed in the comfort of your own home.  I know, I know, I’ve been pushing the homebody card quite a lot lately, but I sure love a cozy night in this time of year…and that doesn’t change on NYE.    

My husband and I have spent NYE at home the past couple of years; in fact, it’s become our tradition.  We avoid the overpriced cover charges and event tickets, the impossible restaurant reservations and fixed menus, and instead we prepare a fancy, decadent dinner at home just like we like it.  It’s the perfect excuse to bring out the festive dinnerware, too. 

We’re in for a treat this year with our NYE dinner:  bone-in ribeye cast iron skillet seared and cooked to perfection with homemade herb butter, fried brussels sprouts and caramelized onions.  The brussels sprouts are perhaps the easiest side I’ve ever done; I threw them in a hot dutch oven with frying oil (I used vegetable oil, but you could use grapeseed too),  I let them get that crispy charring with soft inside.  Seriously SO simple…check out the recipe below. 

For this meal, I’ll serve the Mr. his favorite beer.  But because you’ll ask about wine pairings (and I love to talk wine, let’s be honest), here’s what I’d go with:  a buttery chardonnay for a white wine, and a spicy malbec for a red.  Because this is a pretty rich dinner (read: butter, butter, butter) I would stay away from a heavy, cabernet sauvignon or a fruit-forward acidic sauvignon blanc.  Enjoy, friends and happy happy 2017!  Truly, MKR

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Bone-In Ribeye with Caramelized Onions & Fried Brussels Sprouts
Yields 3
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For the steak
  1. 3 bone-in ribeye steaks
  2. 1 large head of garlic, cut in half
  3. salt and pepper, to taste
  4. fresh thyme, rosemary for garnish
  5. 5 tablespoons herb butter to cook, additional to garnish (recipe below)
  6. Olive or vegetable oil
For the caramelized onions
  1. 5-6 Large yellow or white onions, sliced
  2. 2 tablespoons butter
  3. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  4. 2 tablespoons water
  5. 1 tablespoon sugar
  6. pinch of Salt
For the homemade herb butter
  1. 4 sticks unsalted butter, brought to room temperature
  2. 4 tablespoons thyme, finely chopped
  3. 2-3 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
For the brussels sprouts
  1. 2-4 cups vegetable oil (or frying oil of your choice)
  2. 1 large bag brussels sprouts
  3. juice of 1 lemon
  4. table salt and pepper to taste
For the caramelized onions
  1. Melt your butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the sliced onions to the pan and stir them gently to coat with butter. After 10 minutes add sugar, a pinch of salt and water, stir.
  3. Check the onions every 5-10 minutes. Stir them and and scrape up any fond that forms on the bottom of the skillet. Around 30 minutes, they start to get golden, and around 50 minutes they will be the most caramelized. You can continue to add a bit of water if the onions are becoming dry.
For the steak
  1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and place your cast iron skillet inside the oven. Bring your steak to room temperature.
  2. Season both sides of the steaks with olive oil and salt and pepper.
  3. Once heated, remove the skillet and cook your steaks in the skillet on the stovetop for 2 minutes each side on medium heat. While the steak is cooking add the full heads of garlic, thyme and rosemary in the skillet along with the herb butter. Lightly press down on the heads of garlic to release their aromatics.
  4. Return the skillet to the oven and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until reached desired temperature. Ribeye is best rare or medium rare and remember while the steak is tented and rested it will continue to cook approximately 5 degrees.
  5. Remove steaks from the oven and tent with aluminum foil, let it sit for 10 minutes after.
For the brussels sprouts
  1. Heat your cooking oil to high heat/frying point in a dutch oven or thick cast iron skillet (there has to be enough oil to cover the brussels sprouts).
  2. When the oil looks shiny and you hear the oil start to crackle and bubble, it's ready to fry. Drop your brussels sprouts in carefully.
  3. Stir occasionally and once they start to turn a brown color on the outside, use a skimmer or giant spatula to retrieve them from the pan.
  4. Place them on paper towels in a big dish to the side.
  5. Sprinkle salt and pepper and a little bit of lemon juice, to taste.
For the herb butter
  1. Let your butter become room temperature.
  2. In a giant bowl, add the finely chopped thyme and rosemary to the butter.
  3. Combine with your fingers and ball it together.
  4. Use a piece of parchment paper and take the ball and roll it out the long way, like a paper towel cylinder then wrap with parchment paper and place it in the fridge overnight to harden.
  5. When ready to serve, cut into medallions.
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The Best Ever Lasagna with Ground Beef, Red Pepper, Fresh Spinach & Basil

Make This Tonight & Settle In for the Post-Holiday Blur
December 26, 2016
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday Dinner

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lasgana-01lasagna

It’s time to get extra cozy in our post-Christmas coma (and hello, it’s freezing outside).  For us, that means fixing a dish of the best ever lasagna for dinner tonight.  Since nobody is really working today (right?!), it’s the perfect day to make this crowd-pleasing meal.  And as it’s cooking in the oven, settle in for some online shopping for all the things Santa missed!

Like any pasta, the best ever lasagna is even better the next day.  It soaks up all the layers of goodness and seasonings galore. My lasagna involves a little different of a filling than you may have grown up making: ground beef, onion, garlic, red pepper, fresh basil and fresh spinach.  And to compliment the filling, I whip together a thick, spicy (if that’s your thing) tomato sauce that just cannot be beat.  In this dish, I also used my DIY herb infused olive oil that I shared last week; it’s simply a difference you can taste!  

I’ve made this lasagna several times to find my groove with cook times and the layering process, plus experimenting with different types of cheese (ricotta and fresh mozzarella is my go-to).  And I usually get overwhelmed with cooking the lasagna noodles just right, so I like to make the ground beef filling in my dutch oven ahead of time, setting it aside until the lasagna dish is ready to be stacked and layered.  This way I don’t get frazzled or risk skipping a few steps!  Anyway, I’d love to know if lasagna is one of your favorite cozy dishes like it is mine?!  Enjoy!  Truly, MKR

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The Best Ever Lasagna
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 1.5 lbs ground beef (you can use faux-beef too)
  2. 1 onion
  3. 4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  4. 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  5. A couple sprigs fresh basil
  6. 1 bag fresh spinach, finely chopped
  7. 1 small can tomato paste
  8. 1 can diced tomatoes
  9. 1 1/2-2 large can spaghetti marinera sauce (I like mine with a little spice). You want to choose a thicker sauce, not with a soupy consistency
  10. 10-12 lasagna noodles
  11. 15 oz. ricotta cheese
  12. 2 8-oz. tubs fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
  13. salt and pepper, to taste
  14. 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  15. cayenne, if preferred
  16. + olive oil (I use my herb infused olive oil for extra flavor)
For the filling
  1. In a large dutch oven, add olive oil, garlic and onions. Sautee until they turn translucent.
  2. Next, add your red pepper. Cook until soft (about 2 minutes).
  3. Add ground beef, canned tomatoes and tomato paste (this thickens the sauce), tomato sauce, fresh basil and about a tablespoon of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
  4. If you want spice like I always do, add a sprinkle of cayenne.
  5. Add olive oil (I use my rosemary olive oil and basil olive oil for additional flavor).
  6. Stir it all together, letting it mix well.
  7. Bring sauce to a boil, and then simmer for 10-15 minutes to really bring out the flavor.
  8. During the last 5 minutes, add your spinach.
  9. Taste as you go; does it need more sauce, more beef, more salt, etc.?
For the lasagna
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cook lasagna noodles per package directions.
  3. Spray your pan, apply a very thin layer of marinera sauce with a few spoonfulls (I reserve half of the jar to add throughout the layers because I feel like lasagna gets really dry).
  4. Lay down the cooked lasagna noodles. Mine actually laid perfectly vertical in my pan (depends on size and shape of pan).
  5. Add your ricotta cheese, spreading evenly with a spatula or your fingers.
  6. Add ground beef filling mixture.
  7. Repeat 1-2 times for additional layers per size of your dish.
  8. Cover dish with tin foil, and cook for 15 minutes.
  9. After 15 minutes, check the dish and remove tin foil. If edges are coming away from pan, then you'll know it's ready to cook the final step, uncovered.
  10. Remove tin foil, lay a final layer of mozzarella and cook until it completely melts (about 10 mins)
  11. Switch to broiler to brown the top of the dish and watch closely (you don't want the mozzarella to burn). It should take about 2 minutes on broil.
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Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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