Monday, June 15, 2020

Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes

Okay so maybe it’s not exactly what you were expecting.

It’s garlicky shrimp and creamy, silky noodles. Yes. That’s easy. You’re tracking.

But then we took a sharp left and brought the Summer Garden theme – fresh sweet corn cut off the cob, bursting cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil ribbons, and this might be where you’re going, like, what? that’s… what’s going… how does this… until you take that first juicy noodle-fork-twirl bite.

It’s summer meets my favorite kind of pasta. An easy, slurpy, super craveable all-in-one meal.

This idea came from my friend Ang (of Ang’s tortellini soup fame) and I’m not really joking when I say that when I don’t know what to cook, I just ask her what she’s making and then I do the same thing.

She sent me a picture of a creamy pasta bowl piled high with shrimp and cherry tomatoes from her garden – normal people text each other pictures of their dinners, right? She’s a no-recipe cook so she just kind of described it to me and I wasted no time getting after it.

The tomatoes will get a little bursty and make your sauce kind of a creamy rosé situation. Your shrimp will be juicy, buttery, and delicious. Fresh corn and basil bring the summer vibes. And your hot pile of noodles will be coated in a creamy, luxurious summer sauce.

Good pasta and long summer days… my life is complete.

Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 generous servings

Description

Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes! A seriously delicious fresh summer pasta. Creamy, silky noodles, garlicky shrimp, and a punch of fresh corn, cherry tomatoes, and basil.


Ingredients

  • 8 ounces linguine, spaghetti, or similar 
  • 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined (tail off or on, it’s up to you)
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 12 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 23 ears cooked or grilled fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob 
  • 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
  • squeeze of lemon juice
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • fresh basil or Parmesan for topping
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, toss with oil to prevent sticking, set aside.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. Add shrimp and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Flip and cook until shrimp are cooked through. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
  3. Add garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add tomatoes and corn; sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach; sauté until wilted. Add shrimp back to the pan. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and lemon juice. Add cream and bring to a low simmer.
  4. Toss the cooked pasta with your sauce. Add reserved pasta water as needed. Top with basil, Parmesan, salt, or freshly cracked black pepper. GAH SO GOOD.

Notes

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

CORN: It is ideal if you have the corn already cooked, which I often do in the summer months since we grill or boil corn a lot. But if you don’t have your corn already cooked, you can cut the raw kernels and add them right to the pan and let them cook for a few minutes – raw corn has a different, sweet, starchy taste that could be good here! Another option to save time would be canned or frozen corn. Definitely not as fresh-tasting but it would work. 🙂 

  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: corn pasta, summer pasta, tomato pasta, summer produce, creamy pasta, shrimp pasta

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Thursday, June 11, 2020

Mango Kiwi Coolers

There are lots of reasons a person might decide to make a mango kiwi cooler, ranging from wow-it’s-hot-out, to okay-yes-could-have-probably-eaten-more-fruits-and-vegetables-this-week, to need-a-pick-me-up-in-the-form-of-a-sweet-treat.

I’m kind of checking all those boxes right now.

This smoothie can be an afternoon snack, a night-time patio-sitting treat, or honestly… second breakfast?

It’s sweet but it’s also light and refreshing, especially if you get extra friendly with the lime zest and maybe even go rogue with some fresh mint or basil additions. I mean… you wouldn’t be wrong.

Even though it can stand in for a nightly drink and/or a milkshake, this beauty actually packs a wholesome and nutritious punch with:

  • Mango
  • Kiwi
  • Spinach
  • Yogurt

But I don’t even want to sell you this as a healthy smoothie because that’s not its best feature – it’s just more of a juicy, delicious, special occasion treat.

Special occasion being… say, it’s Thursday and you made it through the day? TREAT UP.

It’s colorful and beautiful, it’s sweet and fresh, it’s lightly creamy and reminiscent of a mango lassi, and when those glasses start to have sweat beads rolling down the sides, you know you have landed this one just right.

Long live juicy summer.

This recipe was inspired by an old cookbook (2009!) that used to be my FAVORITE when I was getting started with cooking and blogging. I recently found it in a box and started cooking through again – it’s called Fresh Food Fast by Cooking Light!

Mango Kiwi Coolers


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 2-4

Description

Mango Kiwi Coolers! The perfect summer treat. Colorful, sweet, fresh layers of kiwi and mango that also pack a nutritious punch.


Ingredients

Mango Layer

  • 2 1/2 cups frozen diced mango
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup honey (more or less to taste)
  • zest of one lime
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup ice
  • water as needed

Kiwi Layer

  • 3 kiwis, peeled
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 cup spinach
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • extra kiwi slices for topping

Instructions

  1. Blend the mango smoothie. Divide between two large glasses or 3-4 small glasses. Tap the bottom of glasses on your hand or a counter to smooth out the top surface of the smoothie (this makes a nicer line when you add the second smoothie on top).
  2. Blend the kiwi smoothie. Pour on top of the mango layer in the glass. Top with kiwi slices. Grab a straw and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

The equipment section above contain an affiliate links to a product we use and love!

Take it up a notch or seven with a hit of fresh mint or basil!

  • Category: Drinks
  • Method: Blend
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: kiwi smoothie, mango smoothie, summer smoothie, summer drink, frozen drink

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Monday, June 8, 2020

Couscous Salad with Lime Basil Vinaigrette

Couscous salad in a bowl with sweet potatoes and black beans.

What a strange and delicious combination I’m about to feed you.

You’re looking at a beautiful, colorful, confetti-like bowl full of:

  • Couscous
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Black beans – but any kind of beans are great!
  • Spinach
  • Feta
  • Red Onion
  • Pistachios – because I love them! but any nuts / seeds, or no nuts / seeds also work
  • Lime basil vinaigrette

You think it might lean Mexican-inspired with the sweet potato black bean thing…. but then there’s feta and red onion… and some pistachios… and the lime basil vinaigrette is where things get pretty solidly quirky.

It’s so good, so nutritious (!!), and so nostalgic.

I used to make this salad all the time way back in the day, featuring a bottle of pre-made dressing, because that’s what my trusty five ingredient Cooking Light cookbook recommended. I was youthful and new to cooking and I loved easy recipes (still true, actually). Now I’m less youthful, more opinionated about things like making your own dressing, and ready for the still-easy but slightly more grown up version of this salad.

You still with me?

Ingredients in bowls for couscous salad.

Our dressing here is a punchy lime basil vinaigrette. Which is kind of a lot going on flavor-wise because lime and basil are both big flavors. But big flavors get two thumbs up from me.

You have alternate dressing options if you’d like to stay closer to home on this: cilantro lime vinaigrette (use this same method but swap basil for cilantro). lemon vinaigrette (look here).

Or… you can trust me and plow forward fearlessly into the land of basil-heavy summery tasting green dressing.

Basil lime vinaigrette in a food processor. Basil lime vinaigrette in a food processor.

Take a taste – do you need more of something? Salt? Oil? Lime? Basil? Tweak it till you get it just right and do not panic if it’s very very flavorful.

This is going to soak in with a bunch of otherwise plain veggies so we need it to be BOSSY.

Couscous salad in a bowl before mixing.

Get all your stuff in a bowl, toss with dressing, salt and pepper, and muah. It’s summery, a little bit unexpected, and the best way to make lunch / veggies / nutrition / happiness all work together.

Couscous salad in a bowl.

Couscous Salad with Lime Basil Vinaigrette


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6

Description

A bright, zippy, unexpectedly delicious couscous salad that’s packed with sweet potatoes, black beans, spinach, feta, and more – all tossed with a life-changing lime basil vinaigrette!


Ingredients

Couscous Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

  • 3/4 cup couscous
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
  • 1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups baby spinach, cut into small pieces
  • 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
  • half a red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped pistachios (optional)

Lime Basil Vinaigrette

  • 1 bunch of fresh basil (1/2 cup packed)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • juice of 12 limes (to taste)
  • 1 clove garlic 
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup waterif needed

Instructions

  1. Pulse all dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth-ish.
  2. Cook couscous in 1 cup water, according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and cool.
  3. Place sweet potatoes in a skillet with about 1/2 cup water and a sprinkle of salt. Cover and simmer until fork-tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
  4. Toss all ingredients together with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and serve! (OR, store each ingredient individually for salads throughout the week.)

Notes

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: couscous salad, meal prep salad, large batch salad, sweet potato salad, basil dressing, healthy lunch prep

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