Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Cajun Shrimp Pasta...AKA: GOODNESS on a plate

Well, after much deliberation I've decided to share one of my most secret recipes on one condition......NEVER claim that it looked better than mine! Deal?

Start off with these ingredients..This serves 3, or one wife plus a husband who skipped lunch (our case)

* 2 Tbs Cajun Seasoning (I make mine homemade, but you can buy some at the Grocery store..aka: blackening seasoning) just mix paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion salt, garlic salt, & some oregano.
*1 Tbs of italian seasoning
*Alfredo sauce (sorry, but this is one thing I refuse to attempt from scratch)
*Pasta (this brand has TONS of fiber making it a bit better than regular pasta, and actually the same as wheat while being WHITE) woop woop (smart taste/purple box)
*FRESH (I cannot stress this enough) LARGE uncooked shrimp (a little under a pound....or heck, as much as you want)
*parmesan cheese
*FRESH basil (I was out tonight and could tell it was missing :( ....)
*Olive Oil
Toss the shrimp in a container with the italian and cajun seasonings. Only add 1 Tbs of cajun seasoning if you are not into a little kick
sear on both sides in about a tablespoon of Olive Oil
Flip the shrimp to sear the other side, and allow it to begin to blacken a bit & cook through (about 3 minutes if heat is on medium)....meanwhile, be boiling that pasta. I recommend thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair rather than something thick. The thicker the noodle, the more Alfredo sauce you'll need, and the more alfredo, the more junk in your trunk....
once the shrimp is cooked, turn the stove down to low and add about 1/2 to 2/3 a cup of Alfredo sauce to the pan (this is your decision...this is the fattening part, so I always compare calories and fat grams bc there are HUGE differences between brands...trust me). I only added half a cup which was MORE than enough in my opinion
pour the mixture in a bowl and toss with pasta to fully cover the noodles. Serve with fresh parmesan and basil (lacking here) and I'd recommend some greens to go along with it. yummers

Skim the fat?
This recipe is honest to goodness NOT bad for you believe it or not IF you only have one plate, use the diet noodles (SUPER high in fiber) I recommended, and pick an alfredo with 7 grams of fat or under. I used diet cooking spray with a drop of oil rather than a full Tbs and skip the cheese for me. It's all about the corners you can cut when it comes to a meal like this....and I fill up on salad and asparagus before diving into the pasta! Shrimp is low in fat and calories so fill your plate with that and a small portion of the noodles....

Bon Appetite!

xxx

2 comments:

paula said...

I am learning how to cook, maybe you could teach me a few things!

Sunny Jones said...

oh paula it is my absolute favorite thing! and since you're so tiny you can make such fun things!!! yummm....