Spicy Crab Noodles

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 20 min

Serving Size: 4 Entrée Portions

This is a super quick and flavorful dinner that you can whip up in a pinch with just a few ingredients.

The Crab

Food only tastes as good as the ingredients you use. This can be no truer than when it comes to seafood. I would not recommend using canned crab for this recipe. Instead, look to lump crab in your store’s refrigerated seafood section. The larger the lumps of crab, the better.

Shrimp would also be a good substitute if crab is not available in your area.

The Noodles

I used instant ramen noodles, without the soup base packet, for this recipe. You can use any type of light pasta that you have in the pantry.

Special Equipment

Microplane/Zester

Wok – an all-purpose pan or sauté pan would also work well

Ingredients

• 4 – 3.5 oz Packages of Instant Ramen

• 1 Cup Canola Oil

• 6 Cloves Garlic

• 1/4 Cup Ginger

• 2 Tbsp Thai Red Chili Paste

• 1 Lb Shitake or Cremini Mushrooms

• 1 Cup Chicken Stock

• 4 Tbsp Soy Sauce

• 12 Oz Lump Crab – Fresh, Not Frozen

• 1 Lime

• ½ Cup Peanuts

How To

1. Put 4 cups of salted water into a pot and heat on high until boiling. Remove the ramen noodles from their bag and cook per the package instructions, about 3 minutes typically. Drain and run cold water over the noodles to stop the cooking process.

2. In the wok, heat ½ cup of oil on medium high until hot. The oil is ready when a drop of water sizzles in the oil. While the oil is warming up, prepare the garlic and ginger.

3. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger, chili paste, and mushrooms. Make sure to turn the mixture often as garlic can burn quickly, leaving an unpleasant bitter taste.

4. Add the cooked ramen to the pan and toss to coat. Spread the noodles out evenly in the pan and pour ¼ cup of the oil over the top of the noodles. Let the noodles sit 3-4 minutes until they
   begin to become crispy at the edges. Mix everything together and let it sit for another 3 minutes. Mix it one more time, add the last ¼ cup of oil, and let it sit for another 3 minutes. Toss one more time, and let it sit for 3 minutes one more time.

5. Zest and then juice the lime into the noodles. Add the chicken broth and soy sauce, toss to coat.

6. Add the crab and mix everything together, continue cooking for 2 minutes.

7. Serve warm, topped with chopped peanuts. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from Food & Wine’s Spicy Wok-Fried Crab Ramen.

Lemon Thyme Infused Beet & Orange Salad

Prep Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 60 min

Serving Size: 4 Side Salads or 2 Entree Salads

This recipe is fresh, colorful, and packed with flavor!

The Beets

Look for beets all about the same size, to ensure even cooking time. Beets that are 3 to 4 inches in diameter would be a good size for this recipe.

Special Equipment

Vegetable Peeler

Rubber Gloves – These come in handy to avoid staining your hands, but you can of course work without them if you don’t have any.

Tin Foil

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Beets

• 1 Lemon

• 8 Sprigs of Thyme

• 2 Medium Oranges

• Greens, such as spinach

• Feta or Other Mild Cheese

• Smoky, Spicy, & Salty Nuts

How To

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Cut off the greens and the room of the beet, scrub off any excess dirt under cold water. Put on those rubber gloves and peel the beets.

3. Slice the lemon into 4 slides, you will have extra.

4. Place a lemon slice on each side of the beet and 4 sprigs of thyme on top. Wrap each beet individually in a piece of tin foil. Put the beets in the oven and baked for 45 – 60 minutes. Pull the beets out at 45 minutes and check for doneness. You can slice one in half and check the
   middle. It should be soft, but still firm.

5. When the beets are done, open the foil and let them cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2" inch thick slices.

6. While the beets cool, cut the rind off of the orange and slice into ½ inch thick slices, removing any seeds.

7. Place your bed of greens, I like using spinach or mixed baby greens.

8. Place beets and oranges, alternating. Top with the nuts and a sprinkle of crumbled cheese. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

I didn’t include a dressing here as the salad is definitely good on its own. If you’d like a dressing, a lemon vinaigrette would pair splendidly.

This goes great with chicken, fish, or shrimp. Recently, I brined chicken breast overnight and then marinated it in our favorite marinade 30 minutes before we put it on the grill.

Smoky, Spicy, & Salty Nuts

Prep Time: 5 min

Cooking Time: 10 min

Serving Size: 3 cups

I love this recipe because there is so much flavor in such a small bite. You can use any type of nut, recently I used it with pumpkin seeds to create a tasty salad topping.

The Nuts

You can use any type of nut or seed with this recipe. If you are using a seed, use raw seeds as they’ll be roasted during the cooking process. If you’re using large raw nuts such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts, I recommend roasting them before following the recipe below to ensure good texture. This quick pan fry isn’t a substitute for roasting the nuts. If you’re using pre-roasted nuts, go ahead and follow the recipe without any additional steps!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 3 Cups Nuts, Unsalted

• 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

• 2 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder

• 2 Tbsp Butter

• Salt

How To

1. Warm the olive oil in a nonstick pan on medium high until warm. Add the nuts and toss to coat. Let the nuts begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes depending on the seed or nut.

2. Add the brown sugar and mix with the nuts. Stir occasionally so that the sugar does not burn, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the butter and let it melt into the nuts and mix with the sugar, careful not to let the butter and sugar burn, 2 minutes.

4. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the chipotle powder and mix everything together. Continue to cook about 1 minute to bring out the smoky chili flavor. Turn off the heat.

5. Salt to taste. You want to taste the saltiness but not be overwhelmed by it.

6. Put the nuts on a plate or cookie sheet and spread the nuts out, they will clump a bit as they dry. Let cool completely and serve!

Serving Suggestions

This is great as a snack, a salad topping, an addition to granola, and really anything you’d like!