Shrimp: A winter staple

As winter rolls on and our stored garden surplus - as well as our fall cow share - begins to dwindle, eating locally becomes tougher. In addition, the holidays (and their seemingly endless leftovers) have passed and left a need for frugality in their place.
We found a farm that direct-sells mushrooms in quantity, and there are still root vegatables to be had. When in need of good comfort food, to these staples I add shrimp. As much effort as I expend to get the best possible meats, vegetables and dairy products, shrimp is one place I slack. It comes in bulk, is frequently on sale at the grocery store and makes a great source of protein to go with whatever canned goods the pantry might hold.

Braised shrimp, leek and mushrooms with butternut squash puree. Served with sauteed spinach and bacon.

Shrimp and braised winter vegetables with pureed butternut squash
1 butternut squash
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 tb olive oil
1 lb shrimp, peeled
2 leeks, washed and trimmed
1 c white wine, divided
1/2 pound mushrooms (I used crimini)
1 can artichoke hearts (in water)
1/2 c milk
Peel and cube butternut squash and set in a steamer basket over boiling water for 30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm garlic and pepper flakes in oil on stove. When oil is hot, add leeks and shrimp and sautee until cooked. Deglaze pan with half of wine and add mushrooms and drained artichoke hearts. Add remaining wine, cover and remove from heat.
Drain squash and place in pan over burner on low heat. Add milk and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
Serves 2, with squash puree left over.

Thai coconut shrimp stew over spaghetti squash
2 spaghetti squash
1 tb olive oil
1 tb minced garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and sliced thinly
2 tb ginger, grated
1/4 c vegetable or chicken broth
1 ts red curry paste
1 lb shrimp, peeled
1 can coconut milk
8 oz shiitake mushrooms
4 oz carrots, julienned
fresh cilantro
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and bake cut side down at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
In a heavy saucepan, heat olive oil and sautee garlic, lemongrass and ginger. When browned and fragrant, deglaze pan with broth. Whisk in curry and add shrimp, stirring to coat with sauce. When shrimp is cooked, stir in coconut milk and add mushrooms and carrots. Simmer on low 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile chop cilantro and scoop spaghetti squash out of shell and into shallow bowls. Stir in cilantro before ladling shrimp and sauce over squash.
I like to garnish this with diced avocado and serve with a spinach salad on the side. Serves 4.

The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 1

The family Christmas dinner is at my house every year. And every year, I spend weeks beforehand with recipes spread all over the place trying to plan, fine-tune and test an innovative menu that will wow everyone. But guess what? Nobody is wowed, nobody is disappointed. Everybody just eats and enjoys. Every year. I guess it truly isn't the food, it's the family. So this year I decided to simplify: no intricate recipes, no mounds of leftovers, no three days of cooking for 30 minutes of eating and 3 hours of cleaning. The rules: Yummy, Easy, Primal. Yep!

Appetizers
Shrimp and cocktail sauce is a Christmas tradition for us. So there was one munchie out of the way already. I make my own sugar-free cocktail sauce with tomatoes from my garden, but my in-laws brought a jar of store-bought with them. Fine by me! Easy, remember.
I made two cheese appetizers, neither of which impressed me much, but both of which served their purpose. The first was a goat cheese log rolled in dried cranberries and crushed pistacios (get it...red and green...very festive). Not awesome, but I would make it again for the simplicity (ok, and the fact that I love goat cheese). The second was a hot ricotta dip. Bland, wouldn't do it again.
Finally, I made baked stuffed mushrooms. Yummy. A winner. I actually got asked for the recipe, meaning not only was it good, but someone actually paid attention to what they were eating :)

Baked stuffed mushrooms
24 large baby bella mushrooms (or white button if you prefer)
1 tb olive oil
1/4 c fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
1/2 c shredded parmesan
1/2 c almond meal
Remove stems from mushrooms and reserve. Bake caps, stem side down, for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small food processor, chop the reserved stems (and a couple of extra whole mushrooms if there are any) with garlic and parsley. Sautee in oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes until the oil is absorbed, the parsley is wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Combine parmesan and almond meal and add mushroom mixture. Stuff into mushroom caps and bake again, 15 minutes.