Creole Shrimp with Sweet Potato & Smoked Gouda Grits

I cannot take credit for this delicious recipe, it was borrowed from one of my tried and true cooking sources, Southern Living. This recipe was featured in the October edition of their magazine and I just had to try it. I would have never thought to put sweet potatoes in my grits and now I may never cook them without them again! Delicious! This recipe was quick and easy. Click the link below for the original recipe, see my changes highlighted.

Southern Living Creole Shrimp & Sweet Potato Grits

Ingredients

2 cups hazelnut milk (I used hazelnut milk instead of regular milk)

1 cup uncooked regular grits

1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning

1.5 lbs large raw shrimp, peeled

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup of onion, chopped

1 tbs olive oil

3/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro  (didn't use, didn't have on hand, was great without)

1 tablespoon lemon zest (didn't have lemon zest, just used a little lemon juice)

2 teaspoons Asian Sriracha hot chili sauce

1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (equivalent to 2 small sweet potatoes)

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded smoked Gouda cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

 

Directions

-Peel and chop sweet potatoes, boil for about 20 minutes until tender. Mash in a bowl.

-Bring milk and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened.

- Meanwhile, sprinkle Creole seasoning over shrimp. Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat about 2 minutes. Add shrimp, and sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are almost pink. Add green onions, lemon and sriracha, and sauté 3 minutes.

-Stir potatoes and next 4 ingredients into grits. Serve shrimp mixture over sweet potato grits. Enjoy!

Homemade Olive Bread - No Bread Machine Needed!

I have taken in a stray toddler recently, Nick's niece Natalie :) A couple nights a week I pick her up from school and watch her for a few hours. You know what this little princess says to me every time I pick her up? "I am hungry Gabby, can I have some olives?" Olives??! A 4 year old that is addicted to olives, no kidding on the addiction, she eats like 15 a day. She almost breaks out into a song as she is about to put the olive in her mouth, sucking all the salty brine out before eating them.

I have always despised olives, my entire life. That salty bitter taste when you bite into one would make me cringe! I purchased many varieties of olives, just to ensure I don't run out when she is in my presence, the world could potentially end if Aunt Gabby didn't have any olives. I have never seen that side of the sweet little princess but I believe it could be there if the olives are not. After several weeks of making little snack plates with olives, carrots and crackers for Natalie, I started sampling the olives myself, just to ensure they were still as terrible as I remember. Slowly, the more I ate them, the more I started to actually enjoy eating them. This little toddler was turning her ways on me! Then I started buying even more olives, because now I had to feed both of us! I found myself sneaking them in the middle of the night, craving just a salty bitter bite. Her favorite, the black olives kalamata style, are now my favorite too.

One day, by chance, I happened to see a recipe for Olive Bread. I thought to myself, perfect! She will love this! I researched through a few recipes and found two different ones I really liked. I took pieces of each and combined them into my own. I liked the addition of Rosemary in this one and the addition of sugar in this one. I omitted ingredients like molasses and cornmeal that I felt I didn't need nor have on hand. I also added some sauteed onions and garlic which were a great compliment to the bread. The bread was a hit - crispy outside and soft and moist inside. Great flavor!

 

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 30 Min
 
Ingredients

- 2 1/2 cups of warm water
- 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast (your bread flour should come with one packet)
- 1/4 cup of onions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbs of olive oil
- 1 tbs of evaporated cane sugar (or white sugar)
- 7 1/2 cups of bread flour (I used Pamela's Gluten Free, but you will need 2 bags for this much)
- 2 tbs of Rosemary
- 1 1/2 cups of pitted olives (I used 1 can of low sodium organic black olives and then 1/4 a cup of briny kalamata style black olives.)

Directions

- In a large mixing bowl, combine water and dry yeast. Allow to stand for a few minutes until milky.
- Meanwhile, sautee onions and garlic with a little olive oil until tender. Add to yeast mix.
- Add olive oil and sugar too
- Add flour, 1 cup at a time until dough is stiffened

 

- Chop olives then add to bowl along with Rosemary

 

- Dough will be sticky, you can continue to sprinkle more flour on it as you knead it
- Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes until well mixed
- Coat a large bowl with olive oil or cooking spray
- Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to sit and rise in a warm spot for about 45 minutes. I placed it in the oven, turned off, to keep it slightly warmer than room temperature.

 

- Once dough has risen in size, remove from bowl and punch down. Cut (don't tear) it into two pieces.
- Form each piece into a round loaf.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
- Place the loaves on the sheet and allow to rise for another 25 minutes
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Bake loaves for 25-30 minutes until golden and hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes, then slice. Eat warm or toast and top with a little butter and chopped olives. Enjoy!

*NOTE* I used the low sodium olives that came in a can because I was worried that the briny ones from a jar might add to much salt to the bread. I had about 1 cup of low sodium olives and than about 8-10 briny kalamata style ones and the bread was perfect. I recommend using a mixture of both.

 

Apple Pecan Macaroni with Smoked Gouda and Fig Sauce

 

Apple Pecan Macaroni with Smoked Gouda and Fig Sauce.

Served with Maple Chicken & Apple Sausage

This is the kind of recipe that I love! Entirely my own, inspired and re-invented from something completely different, something whimsical from my imagination that was absolute creamy savory perfection!

I got the idea for this macaroni after a long weekend in Chicago. I was downtown, across from the John Hancock building, having lunch with a friend at The Oak Tree. By the way, that place is fabulous. I would definitely recommend a stop there for brunch or lunch. I had a delicious and refreshing Cucumber Lime Cooler and for lunch, the sandwich that inspired this entire dish, the Apple & Brie, Havarti & Fig Epicurean Cheese Sandwich. Yum! After our delicious meal we stopped by the bread counter to sample their Artisan Breads and took a couple loaves home. Can you say Raisin Pumpernickle and Onion Foccacia?!

 I had made plenty of baked macaroni with various cheese like havarti, gouda and fontina but never had I thought to add fig or preserves to the dish. So when we got home, that is exactly what I did. I highly recommend this dish, it was creamy, sweet and savory all at the same time. One of my new favorites!

Prep: 15 Min
Cook: 20 Min

Ingredients

- 1/2 lb of Conchiglie Pasta or Shells

- 4 tbs of fig preserves

- 1 large apple, peeled and diced

- 1/4 onion, chopped

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- olive oil

- 3/4 cup Hazelnut Milk (you could substitute regular milk or cream or a combination of both)

- 1 package of Smoked Gouda cheese

- 1/2 package of Sharp Cheddar (you could substitute Havarti or Fontina)

- 1/4 cup of pecans, crushed

- Salt/pepper to taste

- Grated parmesan, topping

-1 package of Chicken Apple Sausages ( I like Al Fresco or Applegate Organics) - OPTIONAL SIDE

- 1 tbs of maple syrup

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Grease a medium casserole dish
- Cook pasta according to directions
- Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, saute onion and garlic with a little olive oil, about 5 minutes on medium
- Add salt, pepper, fig preserves and hazelnut milk
- Chop the gouda and cheddar, add to the pan

- Saute on medium low heat until cheese and preserves are melted. Stir periodically

- Add the apple to the pan and continue to stir periodically for about another 3-4 minutes
- Once pasta is cooked, drain and pour in casserole dish
- Pour cheese sauce over top and stir a little to coat all of the noodles
- Top with pecans and parmesan cheese

- Cover with aluminum foil or lid and bake for 15 minutes.
- To create a golden topping, you can broil for 1 minute on high. Just be sure to watch it so you don't burn the top.

- Meanwhile, slice chicken sausages on an angle. In the same saute pan as the cheese sauce, saute sausage with 1 tbs of olive oil and 1 tbs of maple syrup. For about 7 minutes on medium heat, turning occasionally until golden brown.

- Serve sausage with macaroni. Enjoy!