Dinners, Salads

Recipe—Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

During the hot summer months my body craves lighter refreshing meals and I just hate running the oven when it is 105º outside. We eat a lot of salads and tacos to keep it quick and simple, but it is always fun to mix it up with some new flavors. 

I just absolutely LOVE this peanut sauce with all the other ingredients coming together. You have this flavor medley of peanuts, garlic, and ginger which are so good together and then you get this nice sweetness from the mangos and a little kick from the jalapeño, and that is all just in the sauce and toppings! Don’t forget about all those flavor packed veggies and shrimp in the layered in the lettuce cup too.

This recipe is incredibly versatile. While I myself enjoyed these as lettuce wraps, my husband and son had theirs in a flour tortilla as more of a fusion style taco (they like their carbs) but this would make an amazing entrée salad too if you just wanted to chop up the lettuce and use the sauce as a dressings. Either way, you will not be disappointed!

Note: These take less than 15 minutes to cook and assemble but there is a little bit of prep time needed to slice and dice all the veggies. If you have a busy week ahead, you can absolutely prep ahead of time by chopping up all the veggies and storing them in some sealed containers or bags.

PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp rice vinegar 
2 tsp coconut milk  
3 tbsp soy sauce 
2 tbsp honey 
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic, minced

SHRIMP LETTUCE WRAP INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil  
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 zucchini, julienned
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp crushed red pepper  
1/2 tsp cumin 
1 jalapeños, seeded and sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 mango, diced
1 head butter leaf lettuce, leaves separated 

STEPS

  • In a small bowl whisk together all the peanut sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.
  • In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
  • Add the onion, carrots, and bell pepper to the skillet and cook until they begin to soften, about 3–4 minutes.
  • Add the shrimp, zucchini, and soy sauce to the skillet and cook until the shrimp are golden and almost cooked through, about 3–4 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic, ginger paste, crushed red pepper, and cumin and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from the stove top and set aside.
  • To prepare, scoop some of the vegetables into the lettuce cups and top with a few of the shrimp. 
  • Garnish with a couple of jalapeño slices, some green onions, and diced mangos and then drizzle with the peanut sauce.
  • Grab a napkin or three and enjoy!
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Individual Peanut Butter Mousse Pies

I’m baaaaack! And with a bang at that! What? Were you getting worried? My apologies for taking another long break from the word of blogging but life has been crazy and busy and I just needed to step away for a bit. But I am back and with a lineup of some great recipes for all my wonderful followers. And I have some very exciting news that I will share in a few weeks if all goes as planned. Still working on fine-tuning so keep your fingers crossed for me would you please?

So even though I wasn’t posting recipes over the past couple of months I was still cooking up a storm and making sure to photograph my delicious meals so that when I was ready to get back to posting I was prepared with some great materials. So here we go, let’s get to it!

Individual peanut butter mousse pies=a heavenly dessert in super cute little mason jars. As my followers know I LOVE mason jar desserts. And if you didn’t know that then you must be new here. Welcome! Mason jars are perfect because there is no serving involved other than getting out a handful of spoons and they travel great! I made these for a bbq we went to over the summer and they were very well received. Right, Sabrina and Sandy? 😉 The peanut butter is so light and just the perfect amount of sweet. And then you get this yummy crisp chocolate crust to add in a little texture. Nom nom nom! I actually ate one of these a couple of days after I initially made them and it was still great! It didn’t separate or get funky so they will hold up for a few days if you have leftover or even if you want to make them the day before you plan on serving them. Well it is great to be back and thanks for all the continued support! I will be in touch soon!

Xoxox
The Diva

Note: The number of “pies” you get will depend on the size of your jars or serving dishes. I was able to make 12 half pint jars. If you are planning on traveling with them be sure that you don’t fill past the brim so that you can get the lids on them.

INGREDIENTS
20 Oreo cookies, crushed
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 pint heavy cream
1 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar, divided
2 tsp vanilla, divided
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c creamy peanut butter
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

STEPS

  • In a medium sized bowl mix together the crushed Oreos and melted butter.
  • Distribute the crumbs evenly among the jars leaving about a 1/4 cup for garnishing.
  • Using the back of a spoon gently pres the crumbs into the bottom of the jars.
  • Pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl and add in a 1/2 cup of the confectioner’s sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla.
  • Beat the whipping cream using an electric mixer on high until it begins to thicken and peaks start to form.
  • Put the prepared whipping cream in the fridge for the time being.
  • Place the cream cheese, peanut butter, and remaining cup of confectioner’s sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until well combined.
  • Add in the condensed milk and the remaining tablespoon of vanilla and continue beating until mixture is creamy and smooth.
  • Remove the prepared whip cream from the fridge and add about 1/3 of it to the peanut butter filling and fold in using a rubber spatula.
  • Transfer all of the peanut butter filling to a one-gallon Ziploc bag, seal, and cut off the corner.
  • Pipe the filling into the jars filling up about 2/3 of the way.
  • Next, transfer the whip cream to a one-gallon Ziploc bag, seal, and cut off the corner.
  • Top each mousse cup with some whip cream.
  • Garnish each jar with leftover oreo crumbs and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Peanut Butter Cookies

With the holidays taking up so much of our time I love having a quick and easy cookie recipe that I can whip up in no time. Plus, these are inexpensive to make. You can probably even find all of the ingredients in your pantry at home. This is a classic peanut butter cookie that goes fantastic with a big cup of milk. These cookies turn out soft but still have a slight crumble. The fork marks add a nice decorative touch, but aren’t necessary. I hope you and your families enjoy these melt in your mouth cookies!

Note: For a little extra something try adding in peanut butter chips, M&Ms, or topping each cookie with a Hershey’s kiss. 

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Sugar for sprinkling on top

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 375º.
  • Mix together the first six ingredients.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  • Roll into balls and place at least an inch and a half apart on a greased cookie sheet.
  • Press down with a fork leaving hatch marks on top.
  • Sprinkle cookies with sugar.
  • Bake for 8–10 minutes.