One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta                                                                      by Samantha Tingey

Ingredients

                  1 pound spaghetti

                  1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

                  2 zucchini, thinly sliced and quartered

                  2/3 cup peas

                  2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

                  2 sprigs thyme

                  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

                  1/3 cup grated Parmesan

                  1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

         In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, combine spaghetti, mushrooms, zucchini, peas, garlic, thyme and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

                  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and heavy cream.

                  Serve immediately.

Shrimp Boil For Four

by Samantha Tingey

The best thing about this meal is NO PLATES. Just put newspaper or butcher paper on the kitchen table, dump the perfectly seasoned deliciousness in the middle of the table, and go for it! So fun for a summer dinner with friends!

* 5 Tbs. creole seasoning (I used Tony’s)
* 2 lemons, quartered
* 4 cloves garlic
* 2 1/2 tsp cayenne, divided
* 8 – 10 small red potatoes, halved or quatered
* 2 andouille sausages, sliced
* 1 pound shrimp
* 3 ears corn, cut into 3-inch pieces
* 1/3 cup ketchup
* 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
* 2 Tbs. bottled cream horseradish

In a large pot of boiling water, squeeze the lemon juice, then stir in the lemon quarters, creole seasoning, 2 tsp cayenne, garlic, potatoes and a few good pinches of salt. Boil about 12 minutes, until the potatoes start to soften.

Add the sliced sausage and boil another 5 minutes.

Then stir in the shrimp and corn, boiling another 3 to 5 minutes. Put your head over that pot for a good creole face steam.

Carefully drain the liquid from the pot, leaving all the goods in it.

In the meantime, whisk together the ketchup, yogurt, 1/2 tsp remaining cayenne and horseradish in a small bowl. Taste it. ooooooooommmmmmmgggggg.

Then dump the boil out on a large table (you don’t have to do this part if messes ick you out), sprinkle some parsley over the whole shebang and serve with little dipping sauces for everyone.

Dig in!

*extra lil’ something to know. If you WANT, which you should want, you could toss the boil contents (why does that sound so serious?) with a little roasted garlic lemon butterafter you drain the liquid. We did and there was world peace. Well, living room peace.

Lentil Soup

by Samantha Tingey

Great for your budget and your waistline! So yummy!

INGREDIENTS

                  3 tablespoons olive oil

                  1 large onion, chopped

                  2 stalks celery, chopped

                  3 carrots, peeled and sliced

                  3 cloves garlic, chopped

                  6 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped

                  1 cup dry white wine (optional)

                  8 cups vegetable or chicken broth, homemade or low sodium

                  2 cups lentils, sorted and rinsed

                  3-4 sprigs fresh parsley

                  3 sprigs fresh thyme

                  2 large bay leaves

                  2 large handfuls baby spinach

                  squeeze of fresh lemon juice

                  salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

         .      In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, celery and carrots just until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and the sun dried tomatoes. Continue sautéing for just a minute.

         .        Raise the heat to high and add the white wine, if using. Reduce for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and the lentils.

         .        With kitchen string, tie the parsley and thyme into a bouquet garni (basically, a bunch of herbs). Drop the bouquet garni into the pot with the bay leaves. Give it a stir. Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering.

         .        After one hour, check the lentils for doneness. If you'd like them softer, they should only need another 10 minutes or so.

         .        Remove the pot from the heat. Fish out the bouquet garni and bay leaves and discard.

         .        Add the handfuls of spinach, give it a stir, cover the pot and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Finally, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the pot to give it a bright freshness.

Change-your-life-shrimp-tacos                                                                     *If you don’t like shrimp, sub in fish or chicken.                                                                                          by Samantha Tingey

INGREDIENTS

For the Garlic Cilantro Lime Sauce

         •        ¼ cup oil

         •        ¼ cup water

         •        ½ cup chopped green onions

         •        ½ cup cilantro leaves

         •        2-3 cloves garlic (less if you're sensitive to garlicky things)

         •        ½ teaspoon salt

         •        juice of 2 limes

         •        ½ cup sour cream

For the Shrimp Tacos

         •        1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

         •        1 teaspoon each chili powder, cumin, and southwestern                        seasoning (see notes)

         •        ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

         •        2-3 cups shredded green cabbage

         •        8 small corn tortillas

         •        1-2 avocados

         •        Cotija cheese and additional cilantro for topping

         •        lime wedges for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

         1.   Pulse all the sauce ingredients except the sour cream in a food processor. When mostly smooth, add the sour cream and pulse until combined. Taste and adjust as needed. Set aside.

         2.      Heat a drizzle of oil a large skillet over medium high heat. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with the spices. Add the shrimp to the hot pan and saute for 5-8 minutes, flipping occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through.

         3.      Toss some of the sauce (not all) with the cabbage until it the cabbage is coated to your liking. It should resemble a coleslaw - you want it to be enough sauce so the cabbage is weighed down a little bit. Use leftover sauce on top of the tacos or in other recipes.

         4.      To serve tacos, smash a spoonful of avocado on the tortillas, top with a few pieces of shrimp, top with coleslaw, and finish with Cotjia cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges.