Return, & Shrimp and Pineapple Curry

      I'M BAAACK! I guess its been a couple years now. Things got in the way, work, study, school, new relationship, all awesome things but they took up time. Well... study and work paid off. I am now in med school year 2! Also, now engaged to a most wonderful person who makes me inadvertently smile all the time (D). More about those things later (I feel like I could write a book on these past two years)! 

      I have recently decided that it would be a great outlet to have something creative in my life, that can break up the endless hours of studying (okay I havent actually studied hours in about a week... but back to it tomorrow!). I remembered my old rusty food blog, with its mediocre pictures and Im-too-tired-and-not-creative-or-verbose-enough descriptions, and I had a glimmer of an idea. Maybe I could do a couple GOOD posts a month, and not stress about content or frequency? Use the blog for ME and if anyone loves it along the way... well thats just icing on the [gluten free] cake! I do hope some of you love, or at least like, the blog. If nothing else I hope you find it instructive in at least one thing. Extroverted and Socratic by nature, I hope nothing more than to bring smiles, joy and learning to myself and those around me! 

      The pictures may not be any better, and I am trying harder at making it worth reading a little but... its mine. Its mine and there may be others like it, but this one is mine. On to the recipe part...

Taste and Create #4: One little Corner of the World.

I was paired with Katie of One Little Corner of the World. Katie has a very nice blog where she seems to focus on making awesome family meals for her kiddos. I have no kiddos, and I cook for myself... but luckily her blog is chock full of things I can use! Heck yes! I was debating on making wings because she has a "quest for the perfect wing" going. Actually, I am going to try her marinate and grill method this weekend! I ordered my organic chicken wings today! I have a mini-quest going on right now regarding primal cooking. I am trying to get into cheaper and more creative cuts/parts of meat. She has a tongue post that got me thinking "I should really try to make some tongue". I mean if her kids liked it, I should too right? I'm no stranger to strange foods (need I remind you about eating ants and guinea pigs?) but I think the tongue shall wait for another day.

What I decided on was the Montauk Seafood Salad she featured by Ina Garten. She made some tasty additions and changes that I followed and was very happy with! The seafood salad is simply cooked seafood (shrimp, mussels and scallops) in a sauce, zested up with some celery and parsley.

Here is the recipe, with my changes:

Montauk Seafood Salad

Ingredients

1 16-oz bag mixed seafood (from Trader Joes) featuring calamari, shrimp and scallops.
1 shallot, minced

2 T olive oil

2 T avocado oil
1/2 t thyme leaves
1 t minced garlic
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 T white wine vinegar

6 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup medium-diced celery

handful chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat oils over medium heat and add shallot. Saute for about 2 min. Add garlic and thyme. Saute for 1 min.

2. Add lemon zest and juice, mustard and vinegar. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add seafood mix and mushrooms, cover. Cook for about 3 mins. Stir and cook for about 3 more mins or until seafood is cooked through.

4. remove the seafood and mushrooms to a dish. Add celery and parsley.

5. The seafood and mushrooms will have released a bit of liquid. Turn heat up to med-high and reduce sauce for a few mins, until about half its original volume. This took about 5 mins for me b/c I used a good, heavy, wide pan.

6. Add sauce over salad, mix and eat!

The salad all finished. Yum yum. All mine.

Look at all that yummy seafood. Just look at it!
Wait... whats this? Mr. Octo-souvenir-magnet man is coming to claim vengeance for his cousins.. the squid who became the calamari. He really is just a power hungry little guy, he wasted to be king of the seafood trifecta. Made a crown out of his cousins. Hmpf. You win this time, sir.

The salad was so light and refreshing... I will definitely be making it again. I could simply add some more veggies and this would become the ultimate primal meal!

Thank you Katie!