Saturday, April 9, 2011

Green & Black's Prize Pack Giveaway Winner...and Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp

Happy weekend...Saturday means that it's time to announce the winner in my Green & Black's chocolate giveaway. The lucky winner of the Green & Black's Ultimate Chocolate Recipes cookbook and two bars of chocolate to bake with is:

#12: Lizzy from the blog That Skinny Chick Can Bake.

Congrats, Lizzy...I can vouch that you definitely have mad baking skills, so I can't wait to see what you decide to cook from the cookbook!! I'll be in touch via e-mail to get your shipping info so I can forward it to Green & Black's this week.

My brother spent the past couple of days with us while he was doing some research for a grad-school paper. One of his favorite foods is chicken with peanut sauce, so I decided to try my hand at making peanut noodles for dinner last night. The verdict? We all loved it! The general consensus is that it's as yummy as anything we've eaten in a restaurant. Even better? It's easy to whip up, and it's very adaptable. My brother had his noodles with chicken breast, while Michael I opted for shrimp since it was Friday.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp
adapted from Cooking Light


Step 1:   Peel 1 lb. large shrimp and place in well-salted water for at least 30 minutes while you prep the rest of the meal. A little trick I learned: this will brine the shrimp and give them a fantastic flavor and texture.  

Step 2:  Cook 8 ounces of fettuccine according to package directions. While you're waiting for the pasta water to boil and the shrimp to brine, make the peanut sauce. Combine the following ingredients in a bowl: 1/3 cup peanut butter, 1/3 cup chicken broth, 2 tbs. soy sauce, 2 tbs. honey, 1 tbs. red wine vinegar, one finely minced garlic clove, 1 tsp. ground ginger, and 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper. Whisk well to combine and set aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Step 3:  Add 1 tbs. olive oil to a skillet over med-high heat. Remove shrimp from brine and pat dry with a towel. Add your favorite seasoning to them. Last night, I used a chipotle salt blend. Add 2 sliced green onions, 2 tbs. minced shallot, and 1 carrot cut into thin strips using a veggie peeler. Stir fry until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. This took about 3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add the cooked fettuccine and reserved peanut sauce to the pan. Toss well with tongs to combine.




Step 5:  To serve, place each serving of noodles in a shallow bowl. Top with chopped peanuts and more chopped green onions.


These noodles are seriously GOOD! The peanut sauce infuses the noodles with flavor...peanutty, salty, spicy, and a little sweet and sour thanks to the honey and red wine vinegar. The shrimp were the perfect addition for us, but you could leave them out or sub in tofu for a veg-friendly option. Or use leftover chicken to save a little money. The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to make this recipe again!!

16 comments:

  1. Oh, gosh, I was so excited to see I won your blog give away!!! AND it's chocolate!!! Hooray! Thanks so much...can't wait to whip up something special with it :)

    I came over to see what you had whipped up lately...and your shrimp and pasta dish

    ounds incredible. I love your hint about brining the shrimp first. I will have to try this during Lent (my excuse to feed my children seafood!).

    Thanks again! I'll wait for your email :)

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  2. OMG this dish looks so stinkin' delicious!! MMM!

    Congrats to the winner of the giveaway!

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  3. @Liz...Just sent the e-mail. I learned about brining shrimp from Thomas Keller in one of his cookbooks. It makes such a difference in flavor and texture that I do it all the time now!

    @Sommer...Hi! I tweaked my blog layout so I could make my pics a bit larger. I think it helps them pop a bit more. When it comes to food, bigger is always better...yes?

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  4. Girl, I LOVE seeing your pictures this size! This dish is making me hungry. It looks amazing :)

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  5. Made this tonight, with a few modifications. Used rice noodles and added some tri-color bell peppers. Great recipe. Thanks!

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  6. @Wendy - I'm so glad you and Jen enjoyed it! I can't eat bell peppers, but I'll bet it was a nice and colorful addition. That's the best thing about recipes...most are adaptable to fit whatever you have on hand.

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  7. This looks beautiful! Rice noodles would be delicious too, and some cilantro- yum!! Great site! Can't wait to see more!

    passthecayennepepper.com

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  8. Wendy, this looks absolutely delicious! Your photos have my mouth watering.
    I really look forward to visiting your blog; thank you!
    KCintheKitchen

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  9. I am a big fan of noodles with peanut sauce but the addition of shrimp is over the top. Your blog looks great, will be following your kitchen adventures here.

    Be well.

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  10. This looks amazing. I love shrimp and pasta dishes. I cannot wait to try this twist of ingredients. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Kyle said it was great! I will try your recipe. I always add different things every time i make a peanut sauce so i will try yours and see how much i love it!:)
    xo

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  12. Hi Wendy-Thank you so much for your kind and caring words...it meant a lot for me re: Lora's surgery. She is on her way to recovering, and getting better now.

    I'm in "awe" of your shrimp with the sweet and spicy peanut sauce...so generous of you to share the recipe from Cooking Light. I subscribe to the magazine, and have cookbooks as well from them.
    Your photos have changed, they're large, and so crisp, and bursting with amazing color.
    Your shrimp dish is a "keeper" on my list...totally beautiful, and incredible! Yumm!!!
    xoxo

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  13. I almost forgot to congratulate Lizzy! Yeayyy!
    Congratulations!!!
    Now it's her turn to win your fabulous giveaway.I'm still loving mine, from you, and also from Lizzy's giveaway winning. Can't beat that!

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  14. @Elisabeth: I tweaked the layout of my blog last week to allow me to post bigger pictures. All I did was make the right border margin a bit smaller. I'm still shooting with my trusty Panasonic Lumix point-and-shoot, but the larger sizes seems to show more details.

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  15. Wendy,
    We love peanut butter and shrimp, so we'll have to try this one. Looks so good! We finally had the TEx-Mex Fiesta so it will be om my blog.

    Congrats to Lizzy on winning the chocolate. I'm still enjoying my TEx- Mex products.

    I have Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6 that I'm using. what model do you ahve I made the right border smaller also.

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  16. Oh, Wendy... this dish is simply amazing!! I've already had dinner and I'm seriously wishing I had some. I've been craving shrimp lately, but I just don't usually make shrimp very well. I'm going to give this one a go though!!

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I love hearing your feedback!!!