Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a lovely 4th of July Holiday filled with fun, water and fireworks!  Today we will be having Seafood Pasta!  Full of different textures and tastes, Seafood pasta is surely a light summer dish that everyone can love!

Breakfast: Nuttella, Toast and Fruit

Lunch: Meatball Parmesan Sub

Snack: Kid Friendly Sushi

Dinner: Seafood Pasta

Dessert: Apple Crisp

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 1/2 pound penne rigate or bow tie pasta
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• A pinch or 2 crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or seafood stock
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 pound shelled, cooked or raw bulk lobster pieces
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cream
• A handful chopped chives or parsley or both

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan boil water for the pasta.
2. When water begins to boil add salt liberally, let water return to a boil and cook pasta to al dente.
3. Drain.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil, 3 turns of the pan.
5. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic, red pepper flakes and saute 5 minutes.
6. Deglaze the pan with sherry, stir in stock and tomatoes and bring to a bubble.
7. If using raw seafood, season with lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
8. Raise the heat
9. Add the seasoned seafood and heat through or cook until just about firm and opaque, a couple of minutes.

10.  If using cooked seafood, season the seafood when you add it to skillet with lemon zest, salt and pepper.

11.  Stir in heavy cream and toss hot pasta with sauce and chives and/or parsley,

12.  Adjust seasoning and serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday!  Halfway into the week, only a few days to the lovely weekend.  Today we will be having Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce- yum!  I love Seafood I had it at least three times a week growing up so there will be quite a few fish recipes here.

Breakfast:  Maple cinnamon apple sauce

Lunch:  Meatloaf Burrito

Snack:  Kid Friendly Sushi

Dinner:  Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce

Dessert:  Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. Chinese black bean garlic sauce or black bean chile sauce
• 1 Tbs. oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 lb. tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, preferably jasmine
• 1 Tbs. peanut oil
• 2 small bunches scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 Tbs. Asian chile sauce, such as Sriracha

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, stir the black bean sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.
2. Add the fish and stir gently to coat.
3. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
4. Cook the rice according to package directions and keep warm.Heat the oil in a well-seasoned wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and a piece of scallion dropped in the pan sizzles vigorously.
5. Add the fish all at once, distributing it evenly around the pan.
6. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes.
7. Add the scallions and stir gently.
8. Cook, stirring occasionally and gently, until the thickest part of a piece of fish is opaque throughout (cut to check), 2 to 3 minutes more.
9. Serve with the rice, drizzled with chile sauce.

And Voila! This recipe is just mouthwatering.  From the first bite to the last you will experience bursts of flavor.  I prefer my fish served with yellow rice but steamed vegetables are also a good choice.

Happy Monday!  Today’s menu is simple and sweet.  The ceviche is a cool and tasty treat with a great flavor and really interesting overtones.  Sure to please the whole family!  I love ceviche any time of the year, I hope you feel the same way!  Here it goes:

Breakfast: Eggs Florentine

Lunch: Pork Salad

Snack: Fruit and Graham Crackers

Dinner: Creamy Fish Choriander

Dessert: Cheesecake with lime poached pears

Tuna Ceviche

• white fish fillets, cut into 2 cm cubed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• zest and 1/2 cup lemon juice (~3 lemons)
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 2 tomatoes diced and seeded
• 400ml coconut milk (light works just as well, or you could go all out and use coconut cream)
• large handful of coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 small red chilli chopped
• 1 capsicum diced
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced
• red onions
• 1 large red onion, very finely sliced (use a mandolin if you are lucky enough to have one)
• 2 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (or 1/2 teaspoon normal salt)
• 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or lemon juice)

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, add the fish, 1 tsp salt, lemon juice and lime juice.
2. Mix well and let it sit in the fridge for 1 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the red onion, sugar, salt and rice wine vinegar/lemon juice and let that sit for an hour as well.
4. Add the coconut cream, tomatoes, chilli coriander, capsicum and cucumber to the marinated fish.
5. Add the red onion and all the juices of the picked red onion.
6. Mix well and serve cool over rice with a fresh leafy salad.

There you go!  Enjoy!

Happy Sabroso Saturday, Everyone!

What is Sabroso Saturday?   It’s undoubtedly the best day of the week! Every Saturday, thousands flock to twitter and share their most delicious Latino recipes with the rest of the world.  By adding or searching #SabrosoSaturday on twitter you will be amazed at what great recipes and kitchen secrets people share.  If you have a twitter you should definitely check it out- it is quite an event!  While you’re at it, you should follow me as well!  I’m always tweeting fun and interesting updates with KidsFunPlaza.  It’s a great way to stay on top of what’s going on in our offices.  Just add KikiLightbourn

Here is today’s menu:

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito

Lunch: Go Out For Lunch!

Snack: Fruit and Sting Cheese

Dinner: Sea Soup

Dessert: Dulce de Leche

It’s an easy menu today with very little cooking, but that’s because of the Sea Soup!  While it is still mild outside, I thought it might be a great time to introduce the sea soup- a beloved Colombian dish.

Sea Soup

It sounds weird, trust me, it is the tastiest soup you will find!  A Columbian soup packed with herbs, spices seafood and even coconut milk, this is a great way to sneak some nutrients in to dinner for your kids while they enjoy a unique treat.

Ingredients:

• · 2 tablespoons olive oil
• · 1 cup diced onion
• · 1 cup grated red bell pepper (grated on the large holes)
• · 2 pounds raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• · ½ pound raw squid rings, cleaned
• · ½ pound piangua or clams, cleaned
• · ½ pound raw conch pieces or oysters
• · 1½ fish bouillon cubes
• · 2 tablespoons garlic paste
• · 1 teaspoon color or Sazón Goya with Saffron
• · 1¼ teaspoons salt
• · ¾ teaspoon pepper
• · 4 cups coconut milk
• · 2 cups milk
• · 4 tablespoons flour
• · ¼ cup white wine
• · 1½ tablespoons minced cilantro
• · 1 tablespoon minced parsley

Preparation:

1. heat, place the oil, onion, red pepper, seafood, bouillon cubes, garlic, color or saffron, salt, and pepper In a large, heavy pot over medium-low.
2. Cook for 12 minutes.
3. Mix the coconut milk, milk and flour together to a smooth consistency.
4. Add them to the pot;
5. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes more.
6. Add wine and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro and parsley and serve.

Voila!  A beautiful creamy soup for you and your family to enjoy.

grilled fish

Ingredients

Serve with fresh veggies, a baked potato, on top of buttered pasta or with a side of white or yellow rice.  It’ll be delicious with any side!

You can also enjoy the leftovers  on a sandwich or in a salad the next day.  Enjoy!

On with our super easy recipes while the kids are at home.  I try to introduce fish to our diet at least twice a week.  It helps the kids a lot because of the high level of proteins, but also to expose them to new and different flavors.

Breakfast: Baked Apple – Cinnamon

Snack1: Whole Grain Toast with Apple Butter

Lunch: Burritos (using the rice and meat from yesterday)

Snack2: Matcha Shortbread

Dinner: Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce

Dessert: Ginger Yogurt with Fruit

Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce

This is super easy to cook and decorate.  You can serve it on pasta (as shown on the top) or alone with some veggies.  The kids can have a lot of fun with the decoration.  I tell my kids that scallops are fish nuggets! so they eat it with even more pleasure.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 800 g scallops
• 5 tablespoons  of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons white wine

Preparation:

1. Take a flat pan and add the butter
2. When the butter has melted and it’s warm, add garlic, parsley, wine, salt and pepper
3. If serving with pasta, this is a good time to start boiling your pasta
4. In the meantime, move the mix for 5 minutes and add scallops
5. When scallops are mixed, add the cream and move for another 5 minutes
6. Keep moving until the scallops are well cooked (it takes about 5 to 8 minutes based on how fresh your scallops are).
7. If served with pasta, serve the plates of pasta and pour the scallops on top.  Otherwise, you can serve them alone with spinach or baked potatoes.  You won’t go wrong with this.

Enjoy it!

October ’10 – Week 2 – Friday Dinner/Entree

This recipe is my own, based off of a meal an old friend used to tell me about but never got around to cooking for me. My version is elegant, worthy of an anniversary dinner, and reminiscent of meals I ate during my summer in Germany. This meal is also very versatile. It could be rendered into a soup, the potatoes could be removed and mashed with the cream, butter and herbs in the pan, or it could be served exactly as it is, straight out of the oven.

Ingredients:

4 Salmon Fillets
1 lb Fingerling Potatoes
1 lb Asparagus Spears, trimmed
Fresh Dill
1 Pint Half & Half
1 Stick of Butter
Zest of 1 Lemon
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In the bottom of a baking dish, arrange the asparagus spears into a mat for the salmon to sit on. Arrange salmon on top, and potatoes off to either side. Pour half and half into the bottom of the dish, and cut the butter into bits and scatter them throughout. Roughly chop the dill and sprinkle it over the top, along with the lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Tent with foil and bake for 60 minutes, or until fish is tender and flaky and potatoes are cooked through.

October ’10 – Week 1 – Thursday Dinner/Entree

Honestly, I’m thinking about typing this recipe up and I am salivating. I keep having to swallow. Crazy, but that’s just how good these are. There was a fast food place I used to go to when I lived in Arizona called Rubio’s, and they had the best fish tacos I have ever had in my life. I’ve had to improvise since moving back east, but I think I’ve got a quick and amazingly fresh and delicious recipe to get me that fish taco fix I crave! (*Orange text highlights easy steps that kids can do.)

Ingredients:

1 box Thick Fish Sticks
1 box Crunchy Taco Shells or 1 package Soft Flour Tortillas, taco size (or both!)
1 package Shredded Coleslaw Cabbage
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Onion, diced
2 Meaty Tomatoes, diced
Juice of 2 Limes, plus lime wedges for serving
1/8 C Mayonnaise
1/8 C Sour Cream
Salt

Directions:

Bake fishsticks according to package directions.

While fishsticks are baking, prepare slaw by whisking together mayo, sour cream, and half the lime juice. Toss together with shredded cabbage and set aside. Prepare pico de gallo by mixing together the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and remaining lime juice. Salt to taste.

To assemble, place 1-2 fish sticks in the taco shell or tortilla of your choice, top with slaw and pico and add extra lime juice if desired. Enjoy!

September ’10 – Week 4 – Saturday Lunch

What could possibly be more ubiquitous to Spanish cuisine than paella? This traditional rice stew is filled with tender meats and shellfish, made brilliantly golden by way of saffron, and is served with a fresh squeeze of lemon on the side. Paella is traditionally cooked in a paella pan, but if you don’t have one, you could easily substitute the use of a super large skillet or a shallow roaster set across two burners.

Ingredients:

2 C Olive Oil
1 Red Pepper, cut in strips
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into pieces
1/2 Rabbit, cut into pieces (if you cannot acquire Rabbit, use 2-4 dark meat Chicken Thighs)
1 lb Shrimp, cleaned
1/2 t Sweet Paprika
1 1/2 lbs Green Beans, chopped
1/2 Tomato, chopped
4 1/2 C Water
2 C Snails, fresh or frozen, cleaned (if you cannot acquire snails, omit)
1 1/4 lbs Rice
Salt and Pepper to taste
A Few Threads of Saffron
Lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

Heat a significant amount of oil in the pan. Add the red pepper and cook until tender. Remove and set aside.

Fry the chicken and rabbit until golden brown. Add the paprika to add color to meat. Push the meat out to the edges of the pan and add the beans and tomatoes in the center. Add water until the pan is half full. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Add the red peppers, snails and shrimp and cook for 5 or 10 minutes.

Add the rice, distributing it evenly over the pan, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add saffron. Once this is done the paella should not be stirred again.

For the last few minutes increase the heat, until the bottom layer of rice starts to caramelize, (what Valencians call the socarrat.) If the rice starts to burn, remove the pan from the heat immediately.

September ’10 – Week 4 – Friday Lunch

Spaghetti allo Scoglio (‘reef spaghetti’) is a traditional Italian pasta and shellfish dish that beautifully showcases the delicate flavors of the sea. The picky eaters in the family may simply eat the pasta without the shellfish. The sauce that occurs as a result of the cooking process is truly a thing of beauty.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs Clams, scrubbed
1 1/4 lbs Mussels, scrubbed
1 lb Shrimp, de-tailed & de-veined
3 Plum Tomatoes
1 lb Spaghetti
White Wine
Fresh Parsley
Fresh Basil
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the spaghetti.

In a medium skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Toss in garlic and white wine, then add clams and mussels. Cover and let steam until shells have opened. Remove and set aside all clams and mussels.

Into the white wine broth in the bottom of the skillet, add the tomato, chopped roughly, and some basil. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add shrimp into the pan, cooking until just done and bright pink, about 3 minutes. Toss in fresh parsley, cooked spaghetti, and arrange the clams and mussels on top. Serve immediately.