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Garlic Lemon Shrimp Pasta

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Garlic lemon shrimp pasta anyone?  I know, we love it too!  This recipe is so off the hook, you are going to freak out!!  Talk about bursting with flavor, holy moly.  Then add in the fact that it’s literally one of the easiest dinners to prepare and well, not sure it needs much more justification than that.  We love this dish and so do our families so that’s a super duper win!

Shrimp is so perfect for a busy weeknight because it cooks up so quickly and it literally goes with so many different flavor combinations making it the perfect versatile seafood.

Begin by cooking the pasta according to the directions.  You can use any kind of pasta you prefer.  You can even substitute with zucchini noodles if you are doing the low carb thing.  Let’s put it this way, you are adding lemon, garlic and cheese so it’s all going to be amazing.  Once the pasta is cooked and set aside, heat up some olive oil and butter in a large saute pan.  Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute. Toss the shrimp into the pan and cook until it’s a pretty pink color.  This will only take about 2-3 minutes per side.

Now, you can add the pasta to the saute pan and toss it all together.  Add in the remaining butter, the parsley and the fresh parmesan cheese.  Top with some freshly cracked pepper and serve immediately.  Try not to eat the entire dish yourself. ha ha This makes a lot so you can share it with your favorite people!  They will be so happy!


Garlic Lemon Shrimp Pasta
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb linguine or spaghetti pasta
  • 1 Tbsp good quality olive oil
  • 5 Tbsp butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes,
  • 1½ lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • juice of 1 medium lemon
  • ½ C romano cheese
  • ¼ C parsley, chopped
Instructions
  1. Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta in a collander and set aside.
  2. Heat a large sautee pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp, cook each side until pink - approx 2-3 minutes per side.
  3. Add pasta to the pan, add remaining butter and parsley, stir until melted. Add lemon juice and stir again. Top with romano and serve immediately.

Lentil Bruschetta Dip

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We would like to introduce you to our latest creation, lentil bruschetta dip.  It’s literally the easiest, most delicious, crowd pleasing and knock your socks off recipe you’ll ever taste.  It’s a perfect appetizer.  Just serve with your favorite chips, crackers or pita bread.  You could even just eat it with a spoon!  We don’t ever judge for those kinds of things.

Now I’m not kidding when I tell you this dip is easy to make.  All you really need to do is head to your local Trader Joe’s for the following ingredients.  If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s by you, I am sure you can find these items at your local grocery store.  I mean, I really hope you can.  If not, you can improvise and cook your own lentils and make your own bruschetta but we clearly didn’t do any of that for this recipe.  We let our friend TJ do all the work!

All you need is steamed lentils.  (They come in this fabulous vacuum packed casing) TJ’s pre-made bruschetta (if you’ve never had this, you will freak out, it’s so dang good),  Feta cheese, kalamata olives, fresh basil and a cucumber.  In our true GTK fashion, we like to keep our recipes really simple and this one is no exception.

All you are going to do is add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir it together.  Seems easy enough right?  Add this one to your list for your next entertaining event and your guests will love you forever!  This is also delicious to have on hand in the fridge for a couple days for some healthy snacking.


Lentil Bruschetta Dip
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 lb package Trader Joe’s steamed lentils
  • 14.5 oz prepared bruschetta sauce - we used TJ’s
  • 1 english cucumber, seeded and chopped
  • 1 C kalamata olives, halved
  • ½ C crumbled feta cheese
  • ½ C fresh basil, juilienned
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl add lentils. Use the back of a spoon to separate and break apart. Add bruschetta, cucumbers and olives and stir to mix. Gently fold in feta and basil.
  2. Serve with crackers or eat on its own!

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Balls

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It’s ball time again!  Our go-to snack for on the go, a quick breakfast or an afternoon pick me up.  It’s October so naturally we had to create a pumpkin ball to celebrate the month.  Pumpkin puree is crazy healthy, it’s loaded with fiber, vitamin A and iron….so eat up!  These pumpkin balls are also packed with rolled oats, toasted pecans and just the right amount of dark chocolate. Making them is a piece of cake too.  Just simply add the oats to your food processor and pulse them a few times, add in the dates and pulse a little more, finish with the remaining ingredients in the food processor and once everything is mixed stir in the dark chocolate chips.  Sound easy enough??

You probably want to double up on the recipe to make sure you have enough to get through the week.  One batch lasted two days at my house, my kids LOVE these pumpkin dark chocolate balls.

Check out some of our other favorite ball recipes:

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/almond-roca-balls/

http://www.goodthymekitchen.com/coconut-cookie-dough-bites/

 

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Balls
 
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Serves: 12-14 balls
Ingredients
  • 1½ C rolled oats
  • ½ C toasted pecans
  • 4 medjool dates, pitted
  • ½ C pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • pinch or kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp mini dark chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a food processor add oats and pecans and pulse until broken down. Add pitted dates and pulse again 5-6x. Add remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Turn on the food processor and process until incorparted, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally.
  2. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Add chocolate chips and fold in with a spatula. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Roll mixture into balls and place in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 7-10 days.

No-Bake Granola Bars

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These no-bake granola bars are so easy to make and are a family favorite for us.  I promise you, it literally takes minutes to whip these guys up and the family will thank you.  For us, things like oats, nuts, peanut butter and chocolate are always on hand which is where the inspiration for this particular recipe came from.  It all happened on a beautiful, chilly, rainy afternoon which always means time in the kitchen. Especially in Arizona because those kinds of cool weather days are few and far between.  However, experimenting in the kitchen is a favorite past time for both of us here at GTK any day of the week.

We are also firm believers in the “homemade”  method.  That’s not to say that everything has to be homemade, it’s just that when you make things yourself, you get to be in control of what goes into the recipe.  There are no weird or scary additives or preservatives going on in these granola bars.

The no-bake recipe is also the way to go.  Some homemade granola bar recipes require you to cook the mixture but not these guys!  You simply add the first six ingredients into a bowl, heat up the peanut butter to make it really smooth and thin, then pour it over the ingredients in the bowl.  Add the honey and the vanilla and give it a stir.  Once it’s all nicely combined, spread it evenly on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper then top it off with the delicious chocolate chunks and toss it into the fridge to set.  Allow the bars to set for at least two hours then remove from fridge and cut into squares.  You can store the bars in the fridge or freezer.  Be sure to line the layers with parchment or wax paper to prevent them from sticking together.  These are a perfect, on the go homemade snack.


No-Bake Granola Bars
 
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Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 2 C gluten free rolled oats
  • ½ C lightly chopped cashews
  • 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds
  • ½ C unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 C peanut butter (we used Skippy Natural)
  • ¼ C raw honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • kosher salt to taste
  • ¼ C dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl mix the first 6 ingredients together. Add peanut butter to a small microwave safe bowl, microwave about 20 seconds until runny. Add peanut butter, honey and vanilla to the oat mixture. Mix together with a spatula, add kosher salt to taste.
  2. Line the base of a 6X12 inch jellyroll pan with wax paper. Press mixture into the pan firmly with your hands until packed down and even. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks over the top, pressing them firmly into the mixture.
  3. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Cut into equal pieces. Store in the freezer in a large tupperware container with wax paper lined between the layers.

Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Ginger Dressing

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I can pretty much guarantee that when I go out to lunch, if there is an Asian chicken salad on the menu, I will almost always order it. There is something about the combination of chicken, lettuce, crispy vegetables and peanut sauce. Let me back up…I can pretty much guarantee if there is something with peanut sauce on the menu I will be ordering it. I mean who can resist peanut sauce? Clearly I can’t! I have created so many different variations of this type of salad over the years, mixing in different vegetables, or different types of greens and of course experimenting with ingredients in the peanut sauce. Courtney and I have come up with our own version of Asian chicken salad and not to toot our own horns (Is that even possible?) but we think it’s pretty close to perfect. Toot, toot!!!

asianchickensalad

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Serve this salad deconstructed or toss together and serve!

kcchopsaladconstruction

Stephanie Heymann Photography

Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Ginger Dressing
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Salad:
  • 1 chicken breast cooked and shredded
  • 3 C thinly sliced Napa cabbage
  • 1 + C thinly sliced purple cabbage
  • 1 C grated carrots
  • 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • ½ C cooked and shelled endamame
  • ½ C loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 green onions sliced thin
  • ¼ C peanuts
For Peanut Sauce:
  • ⅓ C creamy natural peanut butter
  • 3 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
  • Juice from 1 large lime
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp warm water
Instructions
For the Peanut Sauce:
  1. Combine all ingredients together in a blender or with an immersion blender and process until completely smooth. Can be made ahead.
For the Salad:
  1. In a large salad bowl toss all ingredients together. Drizzle the peanut ginger dressing over the top and toss until mixed thoroughly. You will have some dressing leftover. Store the leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

 

Zucchini Noodle Veggie Lasagna

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Zucchini noodle veggie lasagna might literally be one of our new favorite recipes.  There is a chance that we say this a lot but we can’t help it.  We just love good, healthy food.   This carb free lasagna is so delicious, we promise that you won’t miss the heavy pasta that is the norm for lasagna.  Well, okay, there’s always a place for the traditional noodle lasagna and we are by no means saying you should never have it, but if you are looking to cut the carbs, this is the answer for you.  You have to try it!  We use zucchini in place of pasta quite often and absolutely love it.  It does a great job as a stand in and is loaded with health benefits.  It also soaks up lots of yummy flavor.

Check out how easy this lasagna is to make:

We start by sautéing some mushrooms and spinach in a little olive oil.  Once  the veggies are cooked, then just remove them from the heat and set aside.  Next comes a really fun part.

You get to make these beautiful long thin strips of zucchini.  We use a mandoline to get these perfectly uniform strips but you can certainly use a nice sharp knife if you don’t have a mandoline.  It will be a bit more challenging but we know you can do it.  And, don’t worry if they are not perfect…we don’t wan to overthink this.  It’s just lasagna.

Get going on the ricotta mixture now.  It’s really easy!  Just mix the ricotta cheese, garlic, egg and salt and pepper in a bowl and set it aside for the layering process.

Start by spreading some of the marinara on the bottom of the baking dish, then follow with he zucchini noodles, smear some of the ricotta mixture, then place a layer of the veggies.  Repeat the layers until you have used up the ingredients.

Top with marinara sauce and then fontina cheese and pop it into the oven.  Bake for 30 minutes until it’s nice and bubbly and the cheese is a pretty golden color.  Be sure to let it rest for about 10 – 15 minutes so it has time to set before you serve it up.  This is so delicious.  We hope that you love it as much as we do.


Zucchini Noodle Veggie Lasagna
 
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp good quality olive oil
  • 4 C crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • 5 oz fresh spinach
  • 2 large zuchinnis - sliced on madoline (see instructions)
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 15 oz lowfat ricotta cheese
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp cracked pepper
  • 2½ C marinara sauce
  • 1½ C fontina cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sautee for 7-8 minutes. Add spinach, cook down for about 1 minute until wilted. Remove from burner and set it aside.
  3. Cut ends off of the ends of the zucchinis. Using a mandolin set to the 3/16 inch setting, slice zucchini lengthwise.
  4. In a medium bowl add garlic, eggs ricotta and S&P and stir until mixed.
  5. Spread ½ C marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 casserole pan. Lay half the zucchini slices lengthwise over the sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the top followed by half of the spinach mixture. Spread 1 C marinara sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle with ½ C fontina cheese. Repeat with remaining zucchini slices, ricotta, spinach, marinara and top with fontina.
  6. Bake for 30 mins until bubbly. Turn the heat uo to broil and continue cooking for approx 2-3 minutes until the cheese turns golden brown.
  7. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 mins before serving.

NuttZo Blondie Bars

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Holy Nuttzo blondie bars!!  Have you ever tried Nuttzo??  This stuff is absolutely amazing!  We could be a smidge biased as we love peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter…etc.  You get the point? Well, this stuff is all of those and then some. I mean, they even add in chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and some sea salt.  You want to try it yet?  Well, what if we told you that we took this beautiful jar of deliciousness and made it into a brownie, well, blondie? And, what if we also told you that they are gluten free and dairy free?  I know, right?  You are like, “what?”  Get outa here!  Yep, not a joke people.  It’s the real deal and I’ll share with you just how easy these yummy blondie bars are.

We buy our Nutzzo at Costco (because we are lucky enough that our’s carries it) but you can find it online as well as on their website directly.  You can go to their website and put in your zip code for a local store locator.  So. now that we got that out of the way, let’s whip it up real quick so you can get to eating this happy happy!

Preheat the oven to 450 real quick.  Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.  In a medium bowl, mix together the Nutzzo, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla.  Then add the baking soda, salt and chocolate chips.

Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and top with some more chocolate chips.  Pop it into the oven for and bake for 20 minutes.  Once it’s all pretty and golden, remove from oven and allow to cool before cutting into squares.  Then share the love with the people!!


3.7 from 3 reviews
NuttZo Blondie Bars
 
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Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • 1 C NuttZo
  • ⅓ C pure maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ C chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together NuttZo, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and coconut oil.
  3. Add baking soda, salt and ¼ C chocolate chips.
  4. Transfer to the pan and spread evenly. Top with remaining chocolate chips.
  5. Bake 20 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Mint Chocolate Chip Balls

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These mint chocolate chip balls are literally our version of a “healthy Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie.”  I know, you are skeptical about this but just trust us, these balls are so unbelievably delicious you won’t believe they are healthy.  We’ve even converted the “I don’t care for chocolate mint” people.  If you can relate to that person, we encourage you to try because you just never know.  You might think you don’t like chocolate mint but these balls could change your mind.

The beauty of the ball is that they are really easy to make. If you have a food processor, it does all the work for you.  You need to take a few minutes to roll the balls but that’s really it!  Just start by adding the oats and cashews to the food processor and pulse until broken down.  Then add in the dates, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut oil and mint extract.  That’s it!  Let the food processor do all the work for you.  Turn that puppy on and let it go for about a minute, until everything is nicely combined into like a dough consistency.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in the chocolate chips.  Stir to combine then start the rolling process.  Roll into equal sized balls and pop them into the fridge.  They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or you can freeze them for a later date.  They freeze really well so you may want to make a double batch!  Have fun and enjoy!

 

Mint Chocolate Chip Balls
 
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Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 1 C rolled oats
  • ½ C raw cashews
  • 6 medjool dates, pitted
  • 2 Tbsp cacao powder
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • ¼ tsp peppermint extract
  • 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Using a food processor pulse oats and cashews until completely broken down. Add dates, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut oil and peppermint extract and let the food processor run until completely combined - about 1 minute.
  2. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in chocolate chips with a spatula. Roll into equal size balls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Guiltless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

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Who didn’t love to lick the spoon when mom was making homemade chocolate chip cookies when you were little?  Wasn’t it just  a right of passage when you were a kid?  Well, we have come up with a healthier version of your traditional cookie dough that absolutely hits the spot when you have that sweet tooth that just won’t quit.  This stuff is literally off the hook delicious and you seriously won’t believe us when we tell you that it’s made with garbanzo beans!!  I know, you are like “wait a minute…what?”  “Garbanzo beans in cookie dough?”  “There’s no way!” But you just need to trust us.  The beans are just a secret added health benefit that you can’t even taste.  They are literally masked by the creamy peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla however, they do provide the perfect amount of delectable consistency.  The kids have no idea that there are garbanzo beans in this treat and we are not telling them any time soon.

This happiness literally takes minutes to make.  The kids request it and they think I’m like the most amazing mom ever when I can whip this up in less than 5 minutes.  I keep my efforts on the down low so they don’t see the secret bean ingredient. Maybe you won’t have to do that but I sure do.

To whip up this recipe, you just add the beans, peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup to a food processor and pulse until it’s nicely combined.  Transfer to a bowl and mix in the chocolate chunks or chips.  Season with a little salt to your liking.

Try not to eat the whole bowl.  You need to share it with the rest of the people!

 

Guiltless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
 
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Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
  • ½ C natural peanut butter - we used Skippy natural
  • ¼ C pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • kosher salt to taste
  • ¼ C dark chocolate chunks or chips
Instructions
  1. Add garbanzo beans, peanut butter and maple syrup and vanilla to a food processor. Pulse on high until completey broken down and smooth. Season with kosher salt to taste.
  2. Transfer to a small bowl, mix in chocolate chunks and serve.

Fresh Fig & Goat Cheese Salad

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If you love fresh figs like we do, then this salad is probably going to make you really happy.  Not only is it the most delicious salad ever, but it’s super easy to make and that is always a good thing!  When figs are in season, we like to make as many recipes as we can to use them up.  That’s pretty much how most of our recipes are created actually.  We love to be inspired by what fruit or veggie is in season and make it the star of the show.  So, today it’s figs.  What are the health benefits of figs you ask?  Well, let us just enlighten you really quick and tell you that figs are high in fiber and calcium!  Woohoo!  Bring on the fiber!  Add that with the spring green mix in this salad and you’ve got a fiber party going on.  Sound like your kind of party?  Well, either way, let me just give you the low down on this easy peasy recipe.

Obviously we start with these gorgeous black mission figs.  Just clean them and cut them into quarters.

Then just add the spring mix to a large serving bowl, top with the goat cheese, the slivered almonds and the fresh figs.

For the dressing, add the vinegar, dijon, honey, and olive oil to a small jar and shake it up until it’s nice and emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper then drizzle over the top of the salad.  Give it a nice toss and you are ready to serve.  Yum!  We can’t get enough of this one.  It’s also really pretty to serve when entertaining!  Your guests will love this recipe.


Fresh Fig & Goat Cheese Salad
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 5 oz spring mix or aragula
  • 6 fresh black mission figs, quartered
  • ¼ C goat cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ C toasted slivered almonds
  • 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • ⅓ C good quality olive
  • kosher salt and cracked pepper to tastea
Instructions
  1. In a large low bowl add spring mix. Top with figs, goat cheese and slivered almonds.
  2. Add vinegar, dijon, honey and olive oil to a small mason jar. Shake vigurously until combined. Season with S&P to taste.
  3. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.