Passion Project: Baked Lamb Shank with a Veggie Couscous

Attention everyone, this is my last “meaty” recipe for a while! Lamb shanks mark the end of the first section of my passion project. I will now briefly turn to fish (and potentially shellfish) before returning to mostly vegetarian dishes. I feel like I’ve built up my protein reserves for a while over the past two months, so that shouldn’t be an issue!

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Acorn Squash, Brown Rice and Chickpeas Veggie Burgers

Every time I come back to the US, I’m mostly vegetarian. Why “mostly”? Well, because truth be told… I love meat! I really do. In fact I’ll even say that nothing comes close to a really well prepared, cooked, and seasoned steak. However, I do care about the ways in which animals are treated though, and since I don’t really know anything about this subject here in Philadelphia, I “mostly” avoid buying meat.

Roasted Rainbow Carrots Wrapped in Bayonne Ham

There’s something amazing about Rainbow carrots! I don’t know why, but I like them so much better than regular carrots. Kind of like how Heirloom tomatoes are tastier than regular ones. There’s something about their beautiful colors, that make them much greater.

Shaved Asparagus Spring Salad with a Parmesan-Lemon Dressing

Hi everyone, I have two announcements for you today! The first one is that for the rest of the summer (due to my internship) I will only be posting one recipe per week, on Wednesdays, instead of three.

The second one is that I will now be able to spend even more time on the recipes that I will share with you. So without further due, I present to you my new culinary crush: shaved asparagus salad!

Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad with Shrimp

As I’ve told you already, I’m a big fan of Asian gastronomy. As much as I enjoy going to the restaurant though, it’s always fun to try and recreate some classics at home. Today, the nice weather got me in the mood to try a thai inspired cold noodle salad. This was wonderfully refreshing and a nice change to my usual go-to lunch options. The spicy soy-lime dressing really makes the dish come together as it deliciously coats the noodles and veggies. I can think of a hundred ways to play around with combinations for this salad. It’s really up to your creativity and whatever is left in your fridge. Bon appétit!

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Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 1 bundle vermicelli rice noodles
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/4 yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup mixed shredded red and green cabbage, kale, brocoli and Brussel sprouts (I use Trader Joe’s “Cruciferous Crush” but any homemade combination would work)
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
• a handful of raw cashew nuts
• a bunch of fresh mint

Soy-Lime Dressing:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp agave nectar (or honey)
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice (with zest)
• 1/2 tsp sriracha

Directions:

1. To cook the noodles, put water to a boil. Cover the dried noodles with the boiling water and let it sit for 3-5 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Drain the cooked noodles, and let them cool down.
2. Meanwhile, cook the shrimp. I use frozen shrimp that I heat up in a pan with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes.
3. Next, use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons with the carrot and the bell pepper, and put them in a bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes sliced in half, the chopped fresh mint, and the shredded crunchy veggies. Toss it all together.
4. Make the Spicy Soy-Lime dressing by mixing all the ingredients well together.
5. To plate, put the half of the veggies in a bowl, followed by the cooked noodles, and the remaining veggies and the shrimp on top. Toss with the dressing and finish with freshly chopped mint, and raw cashew pieces.