Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta

Oh the things one makes when there is no food left in the apartment. I know it seems pretty fancy to to say that I eat shrimp and asparagus when I have no food but really, I don't have any food. No chicken, beef, anything. All I have is salmon or shrimp. Which, now I don't have any shrimp. Time to hit the grocery store!




Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta

2 oz small pasta (I used Gemelli)
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 shrimp, deveined
1/4 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup store-bought garlic alfredo sauce
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 Tbsp white wine

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, toss the shrimp and asparagus together with salt and pepper until shrimp is just cooked, about 2 minutes per side. Add the garlic and turn off the heat. Stir for one minute then remove from heat.
3. In a medium pot, heat up the alfredo sauce, heavy cream, and white wine. Add the pasta, shrimp, and asparagus and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Serves 1

Chicken and Asparagus

Last night I played Rockband for the first time. I play Guitar Hero pretty well and really get into "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" but Rockband is a whole different story. I don't understand how to play the drums unless the notes are on the lines and spaced out really far. The notes that are really close together? Nope. Can't do it.



But something I can do is make this chicken. I've made it several times before and like to vary the cheeses. Fontina is good. This time I used Gruyere. It's super simple to make because the oven does all the work and you can cook vegetables alongside the chicken too. Simple and yummy.

Chicken and Asparagus

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 squares Gruyere cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a sheet pan with foil.
2. For each piece of chicken, place a square of gruyere cheese on one side and fold the other side over so the cheese is covered. Arrange all 4 pieces of chicken on the sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken pieces and sprinkle with the minced garlic and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
3. Arrange the asparagus on the sheet pan next to the chicken. Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake the chicken and asparagus for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Serves 2

Seared Tuna and Asparagus

Warning: college-student-unfriendly recipe ahead.

Now that I've warned you, I can tell you that I have an obsession with onions. I love them. They are my absolute favorite vegetable and I could eat them everyday. But I don't. I don't want to smell like an onion. So when I do cook with onions, I make sure to use as much as possible. I was going to order a pizza tonight since I'm home alone but decided that since I hadn't had onions in a while, tonight would be the perfect time to stink up the house with them. Also, I went to the Mavericks game last night and ate a foot-long chili cheese dog and loads of fries so I felt like I should eat something a little more healthy and a little less fried (even though pizza is not fried).



Seared Tuna with Soy-Onion Sauce and Garlic Asparagus

Tuna with Soy-Onion Sauce:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp butter
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 sushi-grade ahi tuna steak
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1. Heat olive oil in small skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add butter and soy sauce to pan and stir until mixed. Remove from heat and transfer to small bowl.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the tuna.
3. Heat small skillet to medium-high heat. Melt butter in skillet. Place tuna in skillet and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip tuna steak over and sear on other side for 1-2 minutes. The middle should still be rare and very pink.
4. Remove from pan and serve with sauce.

Garlic Asparagus:
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Place onions and asparagus in pan and cook until asparagus is tender and onions are lightly browned, 5-10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, mix, and turn off heat. Let sit for 1 minute.
3. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

1 serving