Cajun Shrimp Cauliflower Alfredo Linguini

Cajun Shrimp Cauliflower Alfredo Linguini

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals Cajun and Creole Cauliflower Food Gluten-free Main Course Pasta Recipe Seafood Shrimp

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Today I have a tasty cajun style blackened shrimp cauliflower alfredo linguini dish for you! This is basically an alfredo pasta dish with the alfredo sauce made lighter by using cauliflower rather than cream and it's just as nice and creamy and good! Some cajun seasoning is added to the sauce to add the cajun flavours and the shrimp is also seasoned with it before it is quickly blackened, by cooking it in a heavy bottom pan/skillet at a fairly high temperature, and added to the pasta and the creamy cauliflower alfredo sauce. Even with the extra step of steaming the cauliflower, this cajun shrimp cauliflower alfredo linguini comes together in no time making it a nice and quick and easy meal that is perfect for busy week nights and it's also impressive enough to serve to guests!

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Salmon in a Tomato and Feta Sauce (aka Salmon Saganaki)

Salmon in a Tomato and Feta Sauce (aka Salmon Saganaki)

30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Food Gluten-free Greek Low-carb Main Course Recipe Seafood

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With spring finally here I have started to think about lighter meals and this salmon baked in a tomato and feta sauce, inspired by the flavours of shrimp saganaki, was at the top of my list! Shrimp saganaki is a Greek style dish where the shrimp is baked in a tasty tomato and feta sauce that is just begging to be accompanied by crusty bread to soak up all of the extra sauce. It is commonly served as an appetizer but it also makes for a great meal and I had been thinking that serving salmon topped with the same tomato and feta sauce would make for a really nice meal! For this recipe you pretty much just make a simple tomato sauce, spread it out over the salmon, top with the feta and bake until the salmon is ready. I often like to add a splash of ouzo (a star anise/black liquorice/fennel flavoured liqueur) to the tomato sauce to add that hint of something exotic to it but a more pantry friendly version is to use ground fennel seeds which are perfect in this sauce! Parsley is the main herb in the tomato sauce which adds an amazing freshness to it and I also like to add a touch of dill as it also adds that something special to the sauce! You could mix the feta into the tomato sauce but I like to sprinkle it on top and that way it gets all nice and slightly melted and a little bit charred on the top! This salmon baked in a tomato and feta sauce (aka salmon saganaki) is a perfect light spring/summer meal and right now it's great when served with some of the fresh locally grown asparagus!

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Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

30 Minute Meals 6 Ingredients Bacon Best of 2013 eBook Chicken Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Recipe Texmex

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Today is Cinco de Mayo and I wanted to take the opportunity to update one of my favourite recipes, this bacon wrapped jalapeno popper stuffed chicken with some new photos! The basic idea was to stuff chicken with all of the flavours of jalapeno poppers and then to wrap them in bacon and grill, fry or bake them. Jalapeno poppers are commonly filled with cream cheese and/or cheddar cheese and they are either coated in bread crumbs and fried until crispy or wrapped in bacon and grilled or baked until the bacon is cooked. I like a simple mixture of cream cheese, cheddar or monterey jack cheese and diced jalapeno peppers for the filling and the jalapenos can be roasted, fresh or even pickled. These bacon wrapped jalapeno popper stuffed chicken tastes just like jalapeno poppers and makes for one really tasty light meal! Who says you can't have your favourite game day snacks for dinner any night of the week?

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Taco Lime Grilled Shrimp

Taco Lime Grilled Shrimp

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals Gluten-free Grill Low-carb Main Course Recipe Seafood Shrimp

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The taco lime grilled shrimp from the creamy avocado zucchini noodle pasta with taco lime grilled shrimp was so good that I just had to break it out into it's own recipe! I mean it's so nice and easy to make and oh so finger licking good! You can use it is a ton of different recipes from tacos, to quesadillas, to pastas, etc. or you can even just eat straight off the skewer (that's where the finger licking comes in!)! You pretty much just need to marinate the shrimp in a mixture of lime juice and a tasty homemade taco seasoning, skewer it and grill it up! There is just no way to go wrong with grilled meat on a stick and this taco lime grilled shrimp is sure to please!

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Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Goat Cheese Skillet Chicken

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Goat Cheese Skillet Chicken

30 Minute Meals Chicken Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Recipe

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One of my favourite flavour combinations is sweet roasted red peppers with creamy and tangy goat cheese which is simply divine in this creamy roasted red pepper and spinach goat cheese skillet chicken! This dish is so quick and easy to make that it's perfect for weeknight dinners and yet it's also great for entertaining, not to mention that's it only uses one skillet! The recipe is as simple as grilling some chicken, sautéing some onions and garlic and then creating the tasty sauce with a combination of pureed roasted red peppers, goat cheese and chicken broth which is simmered until the goat cheese melts completely making the sauce oh so nice and creamy! I often like to add some vegetables and fresh spinach is my veggie of choice but lots of other ones work just as well! Serve this creamy roasted red pepper and spinach goat cheese skillet chicken over quinoa, rice, pasta, etc with a side of steamed veggies or a salad and you have one tasty dinner that is perfect for any night of the week, even a busy work night!

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Thai Peanut Chicken Avocado Burritos

Thai Peanut Chicken Avocado Burritos

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals Avocado Chicken Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Mexican Recipe Texmex Thai

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After teasing you a while ago with photos of these tasty Thai style peanut chicken and avocado burritos on Instagram, I finally bring you the recipe and it was well worth the wait! (I often post previews of upcoming recipes on Instagram so follow Closet Cooking on Instagram to see what's coming!) These burritos were inspired by the thai peanut chicken saute that I made recently and I could not help but think that succulent chicken would be simply divine in grilled burritos along with cool and creamy avocados and of course the tasty spicy Thai peanut sauce not to mention plenty of ooey gooey melted cheese! Oh my! If you are starting off with already cooked chicken and you have the peanut sauce made (or store bought) then these burritos come together in no time flat making for quick and easy meals or even midnight snacks! :) I hope that you enjoy these peanut chicken and avocado burritos as much as I do; my only recommendation would be to make a double batch because if you are like me you will practically inhale them!

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Thai Peanut Chicken Saute

Thai Peanut Chicken Saute

30 Minute Meals Chicken Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Recipe

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I have been a little obsessed with Thai style dishes with peanut in them ever since I came across them and here is a new recipe, a thai peanut chicken saute, that is both super tasty and quick and easy! You just need to cook some chicken and make the peanut sauce which consists of a base of red curry paste, peanut butter and coconut milk. The peanut sauce is seasoned with the perfect balance of sweet, salty, tart and spicy with the toasted palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and chili sauce! I like to add veggies like red peppers and peas to this thai peanut chicken skillet and serving it over a bed of rice, quinoa, pasta, etc. makes for a perfect 30 minute, one-pan weeknight meal!

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Spinach and Artichoke Skillet Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes

Spinach and Artichoke Skillet Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes

30 Minute Meals Chicken Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Recipe

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Quick and easy one-pan chicken dinners are always good and since there is so much that you can do with chicken it never needs to be boring! This spinach and artichoke skillet chicken with sundried tomatoes is my new favourite way of making a chicken dinner and it has all of the flavours of spinach and artichoke dip! I mean who doesn't love spinach and artichoke dip and who wouldn't want it for dinner? The recipe is really simple and it's kept pretty light by using a combination of low fat cream cheese and chicken broth as the base of the sauce and it is further flavoured with parmesan cheese and garlic along with a touch of spicy heat from red pepper flakes. I sometimes like to add sundried tomatoes to my spinach and artichoke dip so they were a must and of course there is plenty of both spinach and artichokes to finish things off! You can serve this spinach and artichoke skillet chicken with sundried tomatoes by itself or over pasta, rice, quinoa, etc and combined with a simple veggie side you have a complete, and supper tasty, meal in under 30 minutes!

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Reuben Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)

Reuben Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)

30 Minute Meals Beef Food Gluten-free Main Course Recipe St Patricks Day

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Got leftover corned beef from St Patrick's Day? How about some reuben boxty? Boxty are Irish style potato pancakes that are great when you top them with or fold them over something, in this case all of the flavours of a reuben sandwich including corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese and either russian or thousand island dressing. These reuben boxty are super quick and easy to make and I like to take the extra few minutes that it takes to throw them under the broiler, just before adding the dressing, to melt the cheese! What a great way to enjoy some corned beef!

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Butter Chicken Noodle Soup

Butter Chicken Noodle Soup

30 Minute Meals Chicken Food Gluten-free Main Course Recipe Soup

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I always enjoy a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup but I also like to change things up and this time I decided to turn one of my favourite pub foods, butter chicken curry, into a butter chicken noodle soup! This recipe is nice and quick and easy! The soup has a creamy tomato based broth with chicken, preferably tandoori chicken, noodles, veggies and of course curry seasonings. Butter chicken, as it's name implies, is buttery and creamy and typically you would get that creaminess with plenty of butter and heavy/whipping cream but to keep things lighter I replaced a lot of that with cashew milk (almond milk would be just as good) and greek yogurt which adds an extra layer of flavour as well as making the soup so nice and creamy. The curry is typically served on rice so I went with rice noodles and I wanted to have some vegetables so I added baby spinach and peas. The final resulting butter chicken noodle soup was amazingly tasty and the flavours and textures were a perfect reminder of butter chicken curry!

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Creamy Brie Mushroom Sauce

Creamy Brie Mushroom Sauce

30 Minute Meals Food Mushroom Pasta Sauce

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This creamy brie mushroom sauce from the mushroom and peppercorn crusted steak in a creamy brie mushroom sauce was so good that I felt that I had to break it off into it's own recipe. I mean this mushroom sauce is amazing all by itself on the afore mentioned steak, pork chops, simply tossed with pasta or smothering vegetables like cauliflower, mashed potatoes, green beans etc. In addition to being addictively good, this sauce only takes about 30 minutes to make so if you are serving it on pasta, steak, pork chops, etc. it's done in time to make for a nice quick 30 minute meal! The brie in this mushroom sauce makes it so nice and creamy and it lets you cut back on the amount of heavy/whipping cream at the same time. I like to add a bit of white miso paste to add some extra umami but it's completely optional. Once you try this creamy brie mushroom sauce you'll be using it on everything, that is when you can stop yourself from just eating a bowl full all by itself!

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Mushroom and Peppercorn Crusted Steak in a Creamy Brie Mushroom Sauce

Mushroom and Peppercorn Crusted Steak in a Creamy Brie Mushroom Sauce

30 Minute Meals Beef Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Mushroom Recipe

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With Valentine's Day just around the corner I have been thinking and testing out some new recipes and this tasty Mushroom and Peppercorn Crusted Steak in a Creamy Brie Mushroom Sauce is the front runner this year. Steak is always a favourite and it goes so well with mushrooms and it's even better when you crust the steak with mushrooms by coarsely grinding up some dried mushrooms and pressing them into the steak before searing it, grilling it, etc. Steak done crusted with mushrooms like this is so amazingly good but I could not stop there so I grabbed my favourite mushroom sauce and I took it to a whole new level by using brie cheese to make it even creamier and oh so good! You can use any mushrooms that you like in this sauce and for this one I used a combination of button, oyster, portobello and enoki mushrooms to make it extra special! No matter how you slice it, this Mushroom and Peppercorn Crusted Steak in a Creamy Brie Mushroom Sauce is perfect for any occasion and there won't be any leftovers!

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Quick and Easy Beef and Pepper Stir-fry

Quick and Easy Beef and Pepper Stir-fry

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals Beef Chinese Food Gluten-free Low-carb Main Course Recipe

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Today is the Lunar New Year, also sometimes called the Chinese New Year, and since it's a work night I thought that I would share a recipe for a tasty, quick and easy beef and pepper stir-fry! This steak and pepper stir-fry takes only 20 minutes to make, that's just as much time as it takes to cook the rice to serve it with, so it's definitely a great meal for a busy work night! Despite being nice and easy to make this recipe is just packed with flavour starting with the usual suspects including soy sauce, garlic and ginger with some chili sauce for heat and a finish of sesame oil for those amazing aromatics! I also like to throw in a not so secret ingredient that adds something special and right now my favourite is sweet soy sauce which has a caramel-y sweet flavour that just makes the dish shine but other equally great ingredients include hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar or even molasses; so change it up for something new every time! No matter how you make it this quick and easy beef and pepper stir-fry is sure to please!

Enjoy the Lunar New Year!

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Sriracha Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

Sriracha Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

30 Minute Meals Appetizer Chicken Food Gluten-free Japanese Main Course Recipe

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Up next I have some spicy sriracha teriyaki chicken meatballs that are just perfect for both snacking on while watching the game and for dinner. Anything teriyaki starts out with a teriyaki sauce and I like to make my own, especially when it's a simple combination of salty soy sauce with something sweet like mirin or in this case brown sugar. (Teriyaki sauce usually also contains sake but it's ok to omit it here.) These meatballs begin as you would expect with some ground chicken along with an egg and breadcrumbs as binders and they are seasoned with green onions, garlic, ginger and a touch of the tasty homemade teriyaki sauce. When I think about things teriyaki I often think about adding pineapple since it's such a fabulous combination so these meatballs also contains some crushed pineapple and the teriyaki sauce uses pineapple juice! Once the meatballs are assembled they just take a few minutes in the oven to bake, then you toss them in the teriyaki sauce and you are in teriyaki chicken meatball heaven! Serve with toothpicks and extra sriracha chili sauce if desired!

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Creamy Parmesan Sundried Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Cauliflower Soup

Creamy Parmesan Sundried Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Cauliflower Soup

30 Minute Meals Cauliflower Food Gluten-free Main Course Pasta Recipe Soup Vegetarian

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It's time for another comforting soup recipe to stave off the chill weather and this time is a creamy parmesan sundried tomato and spinach tortellini cauliflower soup! When I hear the word creamy in a soup I immediately think of copious amounts of heavy/whipping cream but in this soup I get the creaminess by using pureed cauliflower which gets things nice and creamy while keeping it light and healthy! Up next is the sundried tomatoes and I use a jar of oil packed sundried tomatoes where I puree half of them to infuse the soup with their flavour and I slice the remaining tomatoes so that you gets hits of their intense flavour when chewing on them! Of course there is plenty of freshly grated parmesan melted into the soup along with wilted spinach and fresh basil to finish it off. Whether you are looking for a comforting of soup to shake off the chill of a cold day or a soul warming bowl to curl up in your favourite chair with at the end of a long day this creamy parmesan sundried tomato and spinach tortellini cauliflower soup is just what you are looking for!

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Butter Chicken Poutine

Butter Chicken Poutine

30 Minute Meals Appetizer Canadian Chicken Food Gluten-free Indian Main Course Recipe

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The other day I was eating some butter chicken (an India dish with chicken in a creamy, mildly spicy, tomato sauce/gravy) and as I was enjoying it I thought, wouldn't this be great served over fries and cheese instead of rice? (aka Butter Chicken Poutine) Poutine is a dish where fries are served topped with melting cheese and gravy and I was thinking that the butter chicken 'gravy' would be amazing in poutine form. I mean you really can't go wrong throwing a really tasty gravy on top of fries along with cheese that is all melty and good? It didn't take long for me to whip up a batch of butter chicken and make the butter chicken poutine and it was amazing! This butter chicken poutine is definitely going to be on my recipe list for my next football party!

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Balsamic Honey and Mustard Pork Chops

Balsamic Honey and Mustard Pork Chops

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals Food Gluten-free Main Course Pork Recipe

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For todays recipe I use what I sometimes feel is an under appreciated ingredient, pork chops, and these balsamic honey and mustard pork chops are far from ordinary and certainly not boring! The pork chops are marinated in a tasty sauce that starts with the classic honey and mustard flavour combo to which balsamic vinegar is added along with garlic, soy sauce and sriracha for some heat. The 'secret' ingredient in the sauce is some blackberry jam which adds a hint of fruitiness and since you can change the flavour of the jam whenever you want you get a completely new dish each time.

To make these pork chops, you just need to marinate them in the sauce, cook then in a pan (or on the grill) and then cook the remaining marinade down into a thick and tasty sauce to serve over the chops. Not including the marinating time this recipe takes less that 20 minutes to make so if you marinate in the morning then dinner is ready in less than 15 minutes at night! I've made these balsamic honey and mustard pork chops so many time recently and I'm sure that they will become a staple in your meal rotation!

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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

30 Minute Meals Chicken Crockpot Food Gluten-free Italian Main Course Pasta Recipe Side Dish Slow Cooker Soup

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With the colder weather I have been thinking about soups more and I thought that I would start out with this nice and hearty, light and bright lemon chicken orzo soup. This soup is essentially a take on a chicken noodle soup using orzo as the 'noodle' and it emphasizes brightness by the use of lemon juice and zest along with plenty of fresh parsley. In addition, I like to add a touch of thyme for some earthiness and a bit of tarragon which perfectly complements the bright flavours of the soup and adds a hint of the exotic with its anise-y and vanilla-y undertones! This soup is pure comfort food that is absolutely amazing on a cold winter day, it's hot, filling and it adds a bit of summery sunshine to your day! What's even better is that it takes less than 30 minutes to make and it will fit into your New Year's diet resolutions!

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

30 Minute Meals Chicken Crockpot Food Gluten-free Main Course Recipe Side Dish Slow Cooker Soup Tasty Soups eBook

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Chicken noodle soup has to be the definition of comfort food, especially on a cold winter day and it is super easy to make at home from scratch! A flavourful homemade chicken broth or chicken stock is essential for a tasty chicken noodle soup and both are easy to make! Once you have your chicken broth or stock ready chicken noodle soup does not take too long to make where you are just cooking the vegetables followed by adding the broth or stock, chicken, seasoning and finally the noodles. At this point you have a pretty tasty chicken noodle soup but I like to add a few extras to make it even tastier! A while ago I figured out that you can enhance a chicken broth or stock by adding a parmesan rind while it simmers and why not do the same for chicken noodle soup? Since the chicken noodle soup is not simmering for a long time to bring the flavour out of the rind, I like to add some finely grated parmesan to the soup and let it melt in and disappear. I am a big fan of miso soup and I have found that miso works very well in a lot of soups including chicken noodle soup! Finally, I like to hit the chicken noodle soup with a splash of lemon brighten it up and add some freshness.

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Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese Sandwich

20 Minute Meals 30 Minute Meals Food Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe Sandwich Turkey

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Now that the Thanksgiving dinner is done with it's time to get to the fun part, enjoying the leftovers in tasty new dishes! I am a big fan of grilled cheese sandwiches and I was thinking that it would be nice to make a Thanksgiving leftover grilled cheese sandwich except instead of using slices of bread, why now use the stuffing/dressing? The basic idea was to press the leftover stuffing/dressing down into the pan in the basic shape of a slice of bread, top it with cheese, leftover roast turkey, cranberry sauce etc. and grill it up until the cheese has melted and the outsides are nice and golden brown and slightly crispy! I was thinking that the whole idea was based on the stuffing/dressing as bread so it was not going to hold up that well so why not sprinkle even more cheese on the outside so that it would melt and caramelize and hold the 'bread' together a bit more. Even with all of the cheese holding this grilled cheese sandwich together it's still going to be one monstrous sandwich that is eaten with a knife and a fork! I topped the Thanksgiving leftover grilled cheese sandwich off with some gravy and cranberry sauce and a side of garlic mashed potatoes making for one really tasty lunch for the day after Thanksgiving!

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