Happy Independence Day!!! Pasta Primavera, Cookies, and Coconut Shrimp

How was your holiday? We had a pretty laid back day. The weather wasn't terribly great, it teetered between hot and rainy, so we stuck around the house all day. We still had a fun day, though! My son helped me make cookies, and really enjoyed watching the fireworks from our balcony! I wasn't in the mood for the usual Fourth fare, so we had a pasta primavera for lunch and coconut shrimp for dinner. I had planned on making a Thai style cucumber salad, but my cucumbers were starting to turn (I had originally planned to make it as a side a week ago and forgot to make it, so I was going to do it today, oh well.), so I heated up some frozen corn I had in my freezer, since Husband said he was in the mood for corn, anyway.



For the pasta primavera;
This recipe takes around 40 minutes to prep and cook.

2 heads broccoli floretts
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups whole wheat penne rigate pasta
4 carrots, peeled and thinly slliced on a bias
cooking spray
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock
8 ounces fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half on a sharp bias
3 or 4 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias (How many depends on how thick they are. Mine were pretty thin today, so I used 4.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced on the bias
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
4 ounces goat cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

On a foil lined sheet pan, season broccoli with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss until all of the broccoli is coated with oil and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Return to pot and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir carrots seasoned with salt and pepper in 2 tablespoons chicken stock for 5 minutes. Add green beans, onion, remaining stock, and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in zucchini and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, toss pasta, vegetable mixture, roasted broccoli, basil, salt and pepper together. Crumble the goat cheese with your fingers while adding to the bowl. Toss until the cheese is melted and has created a creamy sauce. Plate the pasta and top with Parmesan and toasted almonds.

This recipe serves 4.

Little man and I made some really yummy cookies! The plan was to drizzle them with red, white, and blue icing, but I didn't think about the fact that food coloring contains water, which hot chocolate doesn't like, so it got all clumpy and gummy, so I sprinkled the red chocolaty crumbles over the chocolate chip ones, and the blue chocolate over the Andes chip cookies. It wasn't too pretty, but super yummy!!




For the cookies;

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Andes chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla until creamy. Add egg, beating well. Slowly add flour and beat until completely combined before adding more.

Divide the dough in half and remove one half into another bowl. In one bowl, add the chocolate chips, and in the other, add the Andes chips. Stir both to combined. Drop cookie dough by the tablespoon onto two foil lined cookie sheets, coated in butter flavored cooking spray. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until browned. I like mine gooey, so I just did 9 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, put white chocolate in a microwavable bowl and zap for 30 seconds. Stir well. If the chocolate isn't melted. microwave another 10 seconds, and stir again. Continue microwaving for 10 seconds and stirring until the chocolate is melted and glossy.

Remove cookies from pan and place on wire racks. Set racks over the cookie sheets. With a fork, drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top of the cookies. Enjoy, they're super yummy!!

This made 18 cookies for me, but may make more or less depending on how big you want them.

For dinner, we had coconut shrimp with a curried apricot sauce. It was super yummy!!! I prefer unsweetened coconut flakes, but I couldn't find any, so I used the sweetened kind and omitted the sugar. It didn't really want to toast, though, for some bizarre reason. My stove plays games with me sometimes, like when mypot of water didn't want to boil the other day... Sigh. The dipping sauce is also super yummy as a crudite dip!



To put this in your belly;
This takes about 40 minutes to prep and cook.

24 jumbo shrimp, peeled with tails till on and deveined
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar free apricot preserves
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 cups shredded sunswearened coconut, toasted
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For dipping sauce, stir togethet mayo, preserves, and curry powder. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spray a foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray, add oil, and spread it around.

In a shallow dish, combine coconut, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, dip in egg, then then coat with coconut, pressing the mixture firmly onto the shrimp. Arrange the shrimp on the prepaired pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through, turning once. Serve with sauce for dipping.

This recipe serves 4.

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day, and that you all took some time to think about all of out heros who have fought for this phenominal country of ours.