CO Blog

My mom and I love watching The Chew on ABC. I even got Charlie interested. It mixes 2 types of television that I enjoy – cooking shows and talk shows (yes, guilty pleasure). I was never a Jerry Springer type of fan, more of The View and the Tonight Show kind of girl. And Food Network? You know I was all over that (when I still had cable). So The Chew was one of those shows for me — I couldn’t resist it! I love all the hosts and every time they make something that makes my mouth water I bookmark it so I can give it a try. 🙂

Chef Symon’s Shrimp with Grilled Lemon and Mint looked so yummy I just had to try it! I didn’t have all the ingredients at home so I had to make some adjustments to his original recipe so that it would fit with the items I had on hand. Here’s the recipe that I made, you can view Chef Symon’s original recipe here.

What you’ll need:

• 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Avocado Oil (if you don’t have this on hand Michael Symon’s recipe calls for Olive Oil)
• Salt
• Korean Chili Flakes (Gochugaru)
• 1 pound Shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 Lemons halved (and zested)
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 cup julienned Snow Peas

1. Julienne your snow peas. Cut them on a bias and thinly (and watch your fingers!) and put aside.

2. Add apple cider vinegar, lemon zest, and garlic into a bowl.

3. Whisk in avocado oil, add salt, black pepper, and chili flakes.

4. In a separate bowl, take 2/3 of the mixture and add shrimp. Let sit to marinade and coat evenly. Side note: I had to use frozen shrimp (womp womp) since our local market didn’t have the size that would be good for grilling. The frozen ones still came out pretty good!

5. Take the remaining 1/3 of your mixture and add your snow peas. Mix and incorporate evenly.

6. Please lemons face down onto the grill and grill your shrimp for 1-2 minutes on each side (depending on the size).

7. Place a bed of snow peas onto the plate and your shrimp on top for a pretty presentation. Squeeze one whole grilled lemon and use the 2nd for garnish. Enjoy!

I had an enlightening, feel good conversation with one of my dear friends last night. This amazing woman has been a true light in

my life and I value her relationship so much! She’s just one of those friends where we can talk about life and just babble on and on and on. It’s hard to find relationships like these, where

you can be unabashedly yourself with no judgement attached. It’s a diamond in the rough and my friends that can let me be me are ones that I hold very closely to my heart. I know God just places them in our lives because He truly feels like we deserve a good friend.

During our conversation she reminded me a few things about life.

1. Life isn’t easy because we choose to make it hard. Our wants and desires are always what we don’t have, but we mustn’t forget that what we have in the present is pretty damn amazing.
2. Relationships are beautiful and are meant to help you grow and become a better you. Don’t take your relationships for granted and treat your relationships with respect.
3. There’s something beautiful about letting go. That freeing feeling of a weight being lifted off your shoulders and a burden being released from your consciousness is such a relief.
4. There’s a difference between letting go and giving up. Just because you let it go doesn’t mean you’re giving up on something.
5. Sometimes an impromptu plan can make your day much better. Be spontaneous sometimes, it’s fun!
6. The truth is 1 tiny thing can ruin your day, but try not to let it take over. Feel the hurt, the anger, the pain, and then move on and be positive.
7. Your job does not define you. Don’t let it be what your life is centered around. Take care of your faith, family, friends, and yourself before your job.
8. Always do your best and strive to be better. But remember that that’s all you can do, try.
9. In your own time, you will learn things along the way in life that will feel like a light bulb turned on in your mind. Things that you struggle with will make sense all of a sudden. Appreciate and revel in those “AH-HA!” moments.
10. Friends and family are SO important. Without a support system and connections with others, you are nothing.

As promised, here is my Tofu Shirataki Noodle recipe I wrote in my Carb Diet Tips post.

You’ll need:
1 pack shirataki noodles
3 cloves of garlic, diced (add more or less depending on your preference)
1/2 an onion, diced
1 pack of firm or extra firm tofu sliced into cubes
1/4 of a pound of Chinese long beans, chopped (you can use green beans, baby bok choy, or broccoli as an alternative)
3 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 tbs. sesame oil
1 tbs. avocado or olive oil

Directions:

1. Remove the tofu and Shirataki noodles from their package. Rinse with water and strain for a few minutes.
2. Add avocado oil to a pan with medium heat and add tofu, cook to a golden brown on all sides.
3. Add noodles and long beans. Cook until all liquid has left the pan, stirring occasionally.
4. Add garlic and onions and stir until onions are transluscent.
5. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

Voila! Simple and easy peasy. 🙂 Enjoy and let me know how it turned out!