Greek Quinoa Salad- Quick. Easy. Greek.

I love Greek Food!

Olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta...a little tang, a little spice, a little creamy from the olive oil or yogurt...it's just delightful!

On one particularly sunny day, I made this Greek Quinoa Salad. It was light, refreshing...and very Greek!

Oh look- its our Uncorked wine glass in the background!
Uncorked is an event supporting our local symphony and opera.
The Hubs and I attended Uncorked last year. Mason and I used to go to the opera,
so it was a nice way to remember and honor her.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I love all of the fresh herbs and produce in this dish. It would be perfect on a hot day!

Lemons!

So here is what you need:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup diced tomatoes (I used halved cherry tomatoes)

1 cup diced cucumber (peeled and seeded)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 tsp fresh chopped mint

1 tsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp fresh dill

juice of 2 lemons (3-4 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

coarse salt and fresh black pepper to taste

*I added cooked shrimp to mine to increase the protein.

What you need to do:

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Allow to cool.

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours for flavors to mesh.

That's it! Really- that is it. 

You will be amazed by the wonderful flavor in this dish. And all you do is cut, cook, cool, mix!

Look at all of that fresh goodness!!!

There you have it. Quick, Easy, Greek.

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Thai Shrimp Soup

I love Thai food! 

It just feels like a warm hug...the warmth of curry spice and the sweet of coconut...it's just wonderful.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it cannot be easier!

Here's what you need: 

1 cup uncooked basmati rice

2 Tbsp butter

1 lb medium shrimp (peeled and deveined) (We used the large shrimp that was on sale.)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 onion (minced)

1 red bell pepper (diced)

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 Tbsp red curry paste

2 (12 oz) cans of unsweetened coconut milk

4 cups vegetable stock

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

I melted the butter in a stock pot and cooked the shrimp with salt and pepper until it just turned pink. I then removed them from the pot, and added the onion and bell pepper and cooked until tender. I added the garlic and ginger cooking just until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

In the meantime, cook the rice according to package directions.

I then whisked the curry paste into the onion mixture and added the coconut milk and veggie broth. It's important to whisk constantly until well incorporated.

I brought it to a boil; reduced heat and simmered for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened.

I stirred in the rice, shrimp, lime juice and cilantro. The smell was heavenly!!!

We served ours with multi-grain crusty bread.

This made a big pot of soup.

The recipe states that it yields 6 servings; which is likely correct as the Hubs and I ate on it for a few nights. It gets better over time as the flavors mesh.

This is a perfect winter time soup!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Easy Week Night Shrimp Rolls

So the Hubs and I are dreaming of sun and sand and all things beach. 

I was looking through my Coastal Living magazines and found this super easy Shrimp Roll recipe to help with our summer dreaming!

Here's what you need:

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

1/2 finely chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped and peeled, and seeded cucumber

2 Tbsp chopped shallots

2 lbs peeled and cooked medium shrimp (we used 1.5 lbs of large shrimp)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded Romaine lettuce

4 (8-inch) baguettes, ends trimmed and wedge removed from top (actually, we used multi-grain pita pockets)

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

We boiled our shrimp, and then ran cold water over them.

We also removed the tails before mixing them in the delicious dressing we just made.

We stirred our shrimp into the dressing and seasoned it with salt and freshly ground pepper.

I bought a bag of freshly chopped Romaine salad mix for these sandwiches.

I stuffed the Romaine in the bottom of the pita pockets and filled them to the brim with the shrimp mixture.

For further tropical dreaming, we added freshly cut pineapple!

While the chopping requires a bit of prep work, this truly is a very easy dish to throw together on a week night.

So while it is cold outside, this easy week night dinner transported me to somewhere warm by the sea.

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

***Welcome Back! 

As you can see, we have moved back to Blogger. I believe that it suits our needs the best....for the time being anyway. 

Thanks for sticking with us! 

We will continue to cook, eat, drink, travel and keep this little diary to tell about it.

It's All Greek to Me!

This Greek Style Shrimp Scampi and Linguini is a Rachel Ray recipe. It is quick and easy- perfect for a week night dinner!

Ingredients: I used 1 box of whole wheat linguini, a little over a pound of large shrimp (deveined, peeled and tails removed), 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 cloves garlic (I minced mine- she calls for sliced), couple of pinches red pepper flakes, 1/2 lemon (zested and juiced), 2 sprigs oregano (I used dried and eyeballed it- its what I had available), 1 jar capers (she calls for chopped kalamata olives- but the Hubs doesn't like olives...I know, I know...), 1/2 cup dry white wine, 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 cup feta cheese crumbles

I cooked my pasta to al dente with a bit of salt. I reserved 1 ladle of the starchy broth when I drained the pasta.

I cooked the oil and garlic until the garlic was fragrant. I added the shrimp (which I seasoned with salt and pepper) and allowed them to cook about 3 minutes. I then added the red pepper flakes, lemon zest, oregano, capers, and wine and let it cook a bit more.

It was time to remove it from the heat and stir in the ladle of starchy broth and add the lemon juice.

I added the pasta, parsley and feta and let the pasta soak in the sauce before serving.

This was delicious...and it was ready in less than 30 minutes!

I love the tangy, bright flavors of Greek food. 

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

*******

By the way...some exciting changes are coming for La Bonne Vie!

I'm not sure if you have noticed, but we now have our own domain...labonneviecookingdiary.com

The site will be changing a bit to reflect more of who we are and what we are doing. 

I began this blog as a way to deal with the loss of a dear friend (Mason), to connect with something we loved to do together (eating and celebrating things), and to engage with something in me that she always encouraged (writing).  

Updating this site should lend itself even more into that dream.

I picked the name La Bonne Vie for many reasons, but paramount to them all is that Life- true LIFE- is Good; and even though we have experienced death or loss (like with Mason), or hurt or pain, or sadness...there is good...there is LIFE.

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."  John 10:10 AMP

 "[What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!" Psalms 27:13 AMP

These two verses are the reason behind La Bonne Vie.

I would love to have you continue journeying with me. If you have the time and wish to- would you leave me comment on what you have liked about this site so far? It would really helps me out!

Blessings,

Tracy

Dinner in Less Than 25 Minutes- Spicy Shrimp & Grits!

This is a Southern Living recipe from 2004. It is a keeper- its ready in less than 25 minutes and makes a heaping 4 servings! 

This is another easy one- Spicy Shrimp & Grits!!!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups quick-cook grits, 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar, 1.5 Tbsp butter, 4 Tbsp hot sauce (we use Frank's Red Hot), 1 lb peeled medium sized shrimp, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 bacon slices, 1/2 cup chopped green onions, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

I tossed the shrimp with the salt and 1 Tbsp of hot sauce. Cook bacon until crisp. Add shrimp and onions and cook in the reserved drippings from the bacon. Saute' until shrimp just turn pink. Add lemon juice.

At the same time, cook grits according to package directions. (Note- I think when I make this next time, I will add a bit of cream to make them smoother!)

Pretty pink shrimp!

This is our Go-To hot sauce!!!

I removed the grits from the heat and added the cheese, butter and 3 Tbsp of hot sauce and blended until smooth.

I sprinkled the shrimp with parsley and placed it on a bed of cheesy, spicy grits.

Cheesy! Spicy! Delicious!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Still need those tickets to support Wally's Friends? Click Here!

You Know That Shrimp Salad From Coastal Living...I Made It!

Originally it was called Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta Salad...but I made a few changes.

They call for 3 Tbsp of fresh lime juice (I used Nellie and Joe), 2 Tbsp Olive Oil,
1 1/2 tsp of honey, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 pepper

2 drops of hot sauce... Whisk all of these
ingredients in a small bowl...

Mix 1/4 cup thinly sliced or small mint leaves, 1/2 small red onion,
very thinly sliced

1 lb of jumbo cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp with tails...
Royla Reds were on sale so I opted for those!
4 cups seedless watermelon, cubed or cut into small wedges

Stir together all of the ingredients, place on a bed of arugula ( I used a Spring Mix with Spinach), and top with Feta...I used goat cheese because I had some left over from another recipe. Still delicious!

La Bonne Vie Ya'll!

C'est La Semaine De La Mer- It's Seafood Week!!!

I've decided that the next 3 blogs will feature seafood! It's seafood week!!!

Seafood Cataplana in this month's Coastal Living!

This pretty dish was ready in less in 20 minutes. It's easy, it smells great while cooking, and I've got to be honest...I did a fist pump when all the clams opened up.

This is a Portuguese dish. Cataplana is the name of both the recipe and the pan that it is cooked in. A Cataplana is a Portuguese clam shaped pan. I didn't have one of those, but a large saucepan will work just fine.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

6 to 8 ounces chorizo sausage

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp paprika

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp dried crushed red pepper (optional)

1 (14 ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup white wine

18 small clams in shells, scrubbed

1/2 lb peeled and deveined large raw shrimp with tails

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage
and cook until lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Add onion
and the next 4 ingredients (and red pepper if desired).
Cook 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Stir in tomatoes (I used
diced instead of crushed) and wine; bring to a boil.

I got little neck clams from the Publix seafood counter. The were
already cleaned and ready for cooking.

Add clams and shrimp to the boiling sauce.
Close the lid and cook, shaking pan
occasionally, about 7 minutes or until clams
open.

Open the lid very carefully- lots of steam. (Discard any clams that do not open.)

Sprinkle with parsley and serve. It makes 2 servings.

We added a little rice to a bowl and covered it with half of the seafood and sauce.

I think this could easily make 4 servings if I added more rice to the bowl and included a crusty bread and a side salad.

I'm kinda proud of this one!

We're off to a great start on seafood week!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!