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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Crispy Smashed Potato Pancakes with Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Bacon and Eggs

Crispy Smashed Potato Pancakes with Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Bacon and Eggs

Avocado Bacon Breakfast Egg Food Main Course Mexican Recipe Texmex

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Tomorrow is Cinco de May and these crispy smashed potato pancakes with guacamole, pico de gallo, bacon and eggs are a great way to kick off the celebrations! The idea here is that you take some cooked potatoes and smash them down into pancake like discs, brush them with oil and bake them until the are nice and golden brown, crispy and all sorts of good! I give them a "Mexican" kick by topping them with plenty of melted cheddar cheese, guacamole, crispy bacon, a fried egg with a runny yolk and finally a fresh tomato salsa, aka pico de gallo! There are just so many amazing flavours going on in these crispy smashed potato pancakes with guacamole, pico de gallo, bacon and eggs which are great for breakfast lunch or dinner!

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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 Avocado Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Taco Lime Grilled Shrimp

Creamy Avocado Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Taco Lime Grilled Shrimp

Avocado Food Gluten-free Main Course Mexican Recipe Seafood Shrimp Texmex

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Up first for this years menu of new recipes for Cinco de Mayo is a light, healthy and oh so tasty creamy avocado zucchini noodle pasta with taco lime grilled shrimp. This dish starts with a creamy avocado sauce with roasted tomatillos and a touch of spicy heat from a jalapeno chili pepper. Up next is the star of the show, some simple, finger licking good, taco lime grilled shrimp! The shrimp is marinated in a mixture of lime juice and a home made taco seasoning before being skewered up and grilled to perfection. Up next are some cherry tomatoes that are roasted until they are charred and tender but still burst in your mouth juicy! Everything is tossed with some light and healthy zucchini noodles, though this would also be amazing with regular spaghetti noodles! This creamy avocado zucchini noodle pasta with taco lime grilled shrimp is nice and light and healthy in addition to being sensationally good and it's bound to be the star of your Cinco de Mayo menu, though there's no reason to wait arourd for Cinco de Mayo to enjoy it!

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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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Bacon and Cheese Corned Beef Burgers with Guinness Caramelized Onions and a Fried Egg

Bacon and Cheese Corned Beef Burgers with Guinness Caramelized Onions and a Fried Egg

Bacon Beef Burger Egg Food Main Course Recipe Sandwich St Patricks Day

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Looking for one last recipe idea for St Patrick's Day? I've got a great one for you! Bacon and cheese corned beef burgers with guinness caramelized onions and a fried egg! Instead of throwing all of your corned beef into the pot or slow cooker today, set some of it aside to grind up in your food processor and use it to make some really tasty burgers! Now you could easily go with the standard reuben sandwich flavours for corned beef burgers but this is my favourite way to dress them up, with bacon, cheese and Guinness caramelized onions along with a fried egg; because everything is better with a runny egg yolk! These bacon and cheese corned beef burgers with guinness caramelized onions and a fried eggs are now my new number one burger! Yum!

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Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) with Bangers in a Guinness Mushroom and Onion Gravy

Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) with Bangers in a Guinness Mushroom and Onion Gravy

Breakfast Food Gluten-free Irish Main Course Pork Recipe St Patricks Day Vegetable

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While planning your St Patrick's Day menu don't forget about breakfast! Start St Patrick's Day off right with some boxty, an Irish style potato pancakes! Boxty is great all by itself, I mean what's not to love about potato pancakes that are fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside, but why not suff them full of some thing tasty like sausage and a guinness mushroom and onion gravy? The pancakes themselves are super easy to make, consisting of shredded potato, mashed potatoes, flour and milk (I like to add cheese!) that is mixed and then cooked just like any other pancake! The gravy is also pretty easy to make where you simply saute some onions and mushrooms, add Guinness, dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce to make the gravy and you're good to go! This would be a great dinner or breakfast and since I'm thinking breakfast I would be remiss if I did not top it with a fried egg with a runny yolk! I don't know about you but I can't think of a better way to start St Patrick's Day than with these boxty stuffed with bangers in a guinness mushroom and onion gravy!

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Steak and Guinness Stew with Irish White Cheddar Cauliflower Mash

Steak and Guinness Stew with Irish White Cheddar Cauliflower Mash

Bacon Beef Crockpot Food Gluten-free Irish Main Course Recipe Slow Cooker Soup St Patricks Day Stew

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With St Patrick's Day coming up I have been thinking about recipes and of course recipes with an Irish beer like Guinness come to mind and it's the perfect base for a beef stew! This steak stew is a pretty basic beef stew with some of the beef broth replaced with Guinness for extra flavour! I also like to season the stew with thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and a hit of fish sauce for that extra depth of flavour! This steak and guinness stew is amazing all by itself but I often like to top it with cheese, Irish white cheddar cheese of course, and alternatively mashed potatoes, almost like a shepherds pie! This time I was thinking why not combine the two for a steak and Guinness stew topped with irish white cheddar mash and instead of using potatoes I used cauliflower to keep things light! Whether you serve this steak and Guinness stew by itself or topped with the Irish white cheddar cauliflower mash, it's a great choice for your St Patrick's Day menu!

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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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Venezuelan Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

Venezuelan Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

Food Gluten-free Main Course Pork Recipe Side Dish Soup Venezuelan

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I was at a Venezuelan restaurant recently and I ordered the black bean and chorizo soup, since I always enjoy a tasty bean soup. I was expecting to get a more Mexican style spicy soup but to my surprise the first bite was slightly sweet with hints of molasses and that took me back for a second. Then I took a second bite, this one including a piece of the spicy cured chorizo sausage, and I was amazed at how well the combination of the slightly sweet black bean soup worked with the spicy chorizo sausage! Of course I knew that I would have to try making the soup at home! :)

The recipe pretty much wrote itself, being a standard black bean and chorizo soup with the addition of molasses and a bit of brown sugar to sweeten it; I know that there is a special kind of sugar that is traditionally used but since I could not find it here I made some simple substitutions. The resulting homemade version was phenomenal! I am still a little surprised at how well the slightly sweet and spicy combo works so well in a black bean soup like this but this is definitely my new favourite soup!

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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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