Bang Bang Shrimp

We've had a Bonefish Grill in town for about 3 years now. I had never been there, though, until about a month ago when we were invited to dinner there. I was under the assumption that it was very expensive, food that was just okay, and overall very "chain"-y. Boy, was I wrong! The first thing that I loved about the restaurant was when we walked in and had a 20 minute wait, they had servers walking around with samples of their most popular appetizers, including Ahi Tuna Sashimi and Bang Bang Shrimp. I am not a fan at all of anything mayonnaise based, but I absolutely loved the Bang Bang Shrimp, and they definitely convinced me to order it as an appetizer for our table.

By the time dinner was over, if I wasn't already convinced that I would be returning, on our receipt there was a coupon for a free Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer for our next visit. Mr. Z and I returned the next week and got our free appetizer. Yum!

While we will continue to go back from time to time, I really wanted to find something similar to make at home. That way, I could try to make it a little healthier (Ha! It's still not healthy, but I bet a lot better than Bonefish Grill's version!), as well as being able to have that delicious dish without having to spend $75 on dinner for the two of us. I struck gold when I found this recipe- with a few small tweaks that I made, it tastes very similar to the original version (I made double the sauce because Mr. Z likes a lot of sauce on food). I served it over jasmine rice, because that's what I had on hand- delicious!

Bang Bang Shrimp
from FoodNetwork.com, written as I made it

Ingredients:
1 c. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. rice vinegar
vegetable oil (enough to cover about 1/2" of the pan)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. flour
1/2 plain breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Mix mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Mix flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl. Working in two batches, dip half the shrimp into the flour mixture, then in the beaten eggs, then back into the flour mixture, making sure to coat completely. Place shrimp in the hot oil; cook about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel to let the oil drip off. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Put shrimp into a large bowl, then pour sauce on top and toss to coat completely.

Crab Cakes

I either love crab cakes or hate them. Crab cakes are one of those things that are very easy to mess up. The number one way to screw them up is to put too much filler. If I can't even tell that there is crab meat in there, that's a problem. But, if you don't put enough other ingredients in there, they'll fall apart, which also creates a problem. I've made crab cakes before, and they've always turned out pretty good, but these...these are pretty amazing. They're very simple, but that's the way I like it so you can really taste the crab. Seriously, these are definitely going to become part of my regular rotation of meals. I may or may not have already made them twice in the past two days! I came up with this recipe on my own, after flipping through a bunch of recipes that were not exactly what I was looking for. Also, I made this recipe only for myself- it only made two decent sized crab cakes, so if you are cooking for more than one, you may want to at least double it.

Crab Cakes
Original Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 stalk of green onion
6 oz. can of crab meat, drained
1 egg
1/2 c. Italian style panko
pinch of salt and pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. paprika
sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Heat 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add green onions and saute until they are soft. Set aside and let cool slightly.

Put crab meat, egg, panko, salt and pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and cooked onions in a mixing bowl. With a spoon, stir gently until well mixed. Divide mixture into two equal parts with your hands and make a patty out of each.

Heat the remaining 1/2 tsp. of olive oil in the same pan you cooked the onion in, over medium-high heat. Add crab cakes and cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, turn over, and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side.

Potstickers with Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce

I've never actually tried potstickers until about a year ago. Actually, I think what I first tried was a dumpling (I always get them steamed from restaurants). Whatever they were...when I finally did try them, I was disappointed that I waited so long! They have quickly become one of my favorite foods. About 6 months ago, I got curious and decided to try my hand at making them. I was pretty impressed with myself, I must say. These are so much better than the ones I've tried from restaurants.

These would be great for an appetizer (that's what we order them as from Chinese restaurants), but usually Mr. Z and I eat about a million of them as a meal by themselves. These are pretty simple to make, but extremely time consuming, compared to most meals I make. I have made them several times since the first time I tried them, but every time, Mr. Z helped me. I wouldn't dare try them by myself! I usually prepare the mixture and make the potstickers, and Mr. Z cooks them in the pan. These should definitely be on everyone's "must try" list! I read through at least 10 different recipes and mixed and matched them to come up with my own recipe.

Potstickers with Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce
Original Recipe, adapted from several recipes

Potstickers
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork or chicken (I used chicken)
4 Napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced
1/2 c. bamboo shoots, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 pkg. wonton wrappers (~48)
oil (vegetable or canola) for frying

Mix all ingredients except wonton wrappers in a large bowl. Place a heaping teaspoon of mixture in the center of wonton wrapper. Brush edges of the wrapper with water and pinch closed. Heat 2-3 tbsp. of oil on medium high heat. Place potstickers in oil, fry 8 minutes (flipping halfway through), or until golden brown. Add 1/2 c. water and cover. Turn burner on high and cook until water has boiled away. Uncover, reduce heat to medium, flip potstickers, and cook for 2 more minutes.

Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
a few drops of sesame oil

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Heat in microwave for about 1 minute.

Crispy Cauliflower with Parmesan Dip

Last night I was feeling lazy and did not get home until almost 8pm. When I'm feeling lazy or I don't feel like making dinner, the go-to dinner is a meal completely made up of appetizer type foods. Last night was no exception.

Any vegetables roasted in the oven are a-okay with me, but I had never tried cauliflower. I've had this recipe saved since the day it popped up on my Google Reader, but for some reason, had not made it until last night. Well, that was a mistake! I loved this recipe. I will most definitely be making both the cauliflower and the dip again, maybe together, maybe separately. The dip, as Jessica suggests, would be great with bread, crackers, other vegetables, and probably a lot of other things. And the cauliflower is delicious on its own too.

Crispy Cauliflower with Parmesan Dip
from How Sweet It Is, written as I made it

Crispy Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Chop cauliflower into small florets. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes or until brown.

Parmesan Dip
Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
1/3 c. parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Divide mixture between two ramekins. Bake for 10 minutes or until top starts to brown.

Stuffed Mushrooms: Two Ways

I think mushrooms are my favorite vegetable. They are so versatile. I eat them with steak, in scrambled eggs, or in soup. They're good in potstickers, in salads, or on pizza. But my absolute favorite way to eat mushrooms is stuffed. Stuffed mushrooms are one of those things that I have been making for several years now. For parties we go to that I'm asked to bring something, I make stuffed mushrooms. If we have people over for dinner, I make stuffed mushrooms. Or if we are sitting around watching American Idol and don't have anything else to make for dinner (which may or may not have been the case tonight), I make stuffed mushrooms.

When I make stuffed mushrooms, I decide on the stuffing according to what I have on hand. These two recipes are ones I came up with according to what sounded good at the time. I really liked the spinach and cheese ones, but I loved the crab stuffed ones. The opposite was true for Mr. Z. Both of these recipes are super quick and easy to make last minute. I had leftovers of both of the fillings- I think I could have probably doubled the number of mushrooms made with each of the them.

Right: "Crab" Stuffed Mushroom; Left: Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Mushroom

Stuffed Mushrooms: Two Ways
Original Recipes

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. whole white mushrooms, stems removed
1 pkg. frozen T.G.I. Friday's Spinach and Artichoke Cheese Dip
1/4 c. plain panko
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave dip according to package. Mix in panko and parmesan cheese into the dip. Spoon mixture into each mushroom (a little more than enough to fill the cap). Bake for 20 minutes.

"Crab" Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. whole white mushrooms, stems removed
4 oz. imitation crab meat, chopped into small pieces
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
garlic salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crab, cream cheese, cheese, and garlic salt in a bowl. Spoon mixture into each mushrooms. Bake for 20 minutes.

Toasted Ravioli

I know, I know. It's been a little while. But we really have had so many things going on these past couple weeks that have prevented me from blogging, and even cooking. I think today was the first time in a week I've actually done anything that resembles cooking. Even so, I wasn't sure whether or not to post this 'recipe', because it is so easy I'm not sure it qualifies as a recipe. The other day I heard someone mention fried ravioli, and thought about these. These aren't fried, but they sure taste like it, minus all the extra calories. I've made these several times before, but this is the first time since I've started this blog.

Toasted Ravioli
Original Recipe

Ingredients:
20 frozen cheese raviolis (I used them straight out of the freezer)
1 egg
1 c. Italian style breadcrumbs
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg in a shallow bowl. Pour breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip raviolis in egg, a couple raviolis at a time. Let egg drip off a little and place in breadcrumbs. Cover well with breadcrumbs. Place on cookie sheet; spray top of raviolis with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Serve with marinara sauce.