Asia-Indi-Sea Food

Who needs a genre when it comes to food? Why not mix it up and make your own? Well that is exactly what I decided to do with my latest concoction with shrimp. 

I really was craving Asian and with my strict college budget, I didn't have time or money resources to go out and grab some local Asian cuisine. So my next step was taking a look at what I had in the pantry. Ah ha! I have plenty of soy sauce. As far as protein goes the only thing I had was shrimp. Well you can easily have shrimp in an Asian dish, but what else could go with this meal? Next I found some couscous. Couscous is technically an Indian form of rice but this package was the toasted pine nut flavor. 

So with a little Asian, seafood and Indian, I ended up creating a quite delicious meal. 

Interested in creating this for yourself? It's easy! 

If you purchase the Near East Couscous, it cooks in 5 minutes with 3 easy steps. First, add water and the contents of the spice pack in a pot. Next, bring to a boil then add in the rice. Finally, remove from heat and cover the pot. After a few minutes fork the rice so it doesn't stick to the edges of the pot. That is it for the couscous, now for the shrimp.

I tend to prefer to cook the shrimp with tails on but that is personal preference when it comes to cooking. First it is important to de-thaw the shrimp in warm water so you don't get a freezer burn taste with the shrimp. Add just a splash of olive oil so the shrimp don't stick to the pot then top off with enough soy sauce for the shrimp to sauté in. Dash a little salt and pepper on top and your done. 

So Asian, Indian and seafood really does go quite nice!

Bon Appetite!

Spice Anything Up

There is nothing that a little bit of Jalapeno Ranch dressing won't spice up! Coming from a slight addiction to the infamous Chuy's Mexican Restaurant, I decided I should learn how to make my own. It may not be as good or addicting but this recipe is about as close as I have found to the restaurant style dip.

Even though it sounds extensive, the recipe is actually quite simple and easily adaptable to specific taste buds. It is important to remember the spice levels of the audience or group of people you will be cooking and serving for. I tend to like mild to medium in terms of spice. 

Now as far as the recipe, it really only takes three ingredients: basic store brand ranch dressing (don't want a strong flavored ranch), dry ranch mix packet and one to two Jalapenos. Dice up the jalapeno into relatively decent sizes and put in a blender. Add both dry and regular ranch dressings to the blender and mix all together. 

Make sure you taste the blend together to taste the level of spice. If you want it spicier then you should dice the second jalapeno and add then blend. 

Now what can you use this dip for? Oh the options. My favorite use of the dip is on top of pulled pork, buffalo or beef. Slap some meet on a tortilla, shred a little lettuce then top with this dip and you have quite a tasty snack. 

Another way to use the dip is just that... as a dip. It goes great with any party chips just sitting on its own. 

There are so many other ways to utilize this recipe but those two are my favorite combinations. Try out this recipe if you are interested in adding a little spice to your normal dinner or dinner party. 

Bon Appetite!