Cracked Crab w/Herbed Avocado Sauce

by Irene Lindvall

Oh crab how I love thee. I've said it before and I will say it again, I am a crab purist, but this experiment of trying new recipes has taught me there are many great ways to eat crab and this one is no exception. I've made it once before a couple years ago, but for whatever reason have forgotten about it until now. I like this one because you get to choose whether or not you want to dip your crab so my purist side can have a few bites without sauce as well. That said, the sauce is amazing and using fresh cut parsley and chives didn't hurt either. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

The sauce separated a little bit so a quick mix before serving and while eating doesn't hurt.

Shoutout to my favorite local grocery store Central Market. I bought a whole cooked crab and they cleaned, cut and cracked it for me all while I was doing the rest of my grocery shopping. The sauce needs to sit for 30 minutes and takes about one minute to make and having the crab already done meant there was really nothing to do to make this great meal.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe

Shrimp and White Bean Salad w/Harissa Dressing (lunch)

by Irene Lindvall

We have dinner plans tonight so I went with one of the numerous quick salads I have waiting to be made. I've had this one saved because I wanted to see what harissa seasoning tasted like. I chose to have Eric grill the shrimp rather than pay fry them so I could get the rest of the salad together while the shrimp were cooking. The timing worked out perfectly and I think we prefer the taste of the shrimp from the grill. As for the dressing, it was quite spicy and by the end maybe a little too spicy. Eric liked the taste of the dish, but I actually thought the dressing needed something else, like more lemon juice or some type of vinegar taste to make the dish more well balanced. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

Harissa is a common spice in Tunisia, Libya and Algeria. 

Would I make this recipe again?:

No

The recipe

Miso-Glazed Scallops w/Wilted Kale (main dish)

by Irene Lindvall

The recipe had me at "miso-glazed". I will jump at the chance to make anything that has that in the title. The marinade tasted delicious and I liked that the dish utilized it all. My favorite part was cleaning the pan with the reserved marinade and getting up the little pieces of char that had stuck to the pan and then adding that to the scallops as a sauce. Quite tasty. The downside to the dish was the use of a frying pan plus a Dutch oven. I originally thought all of it was going to be cooked in the Dutch oven, but it turns out that it was just for the kale. Other than having more dishes to clean, I thought the dish was great.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I think where I went wrong with a previous scallop recipe was not having the heat turned up high enough and not having it on the correct burner. I have a "high output" burner that I used this timed and followed the directions of having it on medium-high heat and cooking them three minutes on each side - they came out perfect.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe:

Another one from my trusted 15-Minute Superfast Recipes from Weight Watchers. Here is the link to another magazine I think is worth buying. 

Green Bean, Hazelnut, and Mint Salad with Lemon Dressing (side dish)

by Irene Lindvall

I was very excited to make this recipe not only because I had fresh beans from the farmer's market but that it was another opportunity to use the hazelnut oil I purchased for a recipe many months ago. I unfortunately forgot to take a finished photo, but I got another one of them cooling in ice water - my new favorite method after cooking. I still prefer steaming to boiling but I followed the recipe's instructions and I went with the lower end of cooking - four minutes.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I thought it was funny how this recipe wanted me to bake the hazelnuts to remove the skin and the last one I made with hazelnuts had me boil them. Both were equally effective which is not saying a lot. It's still a pain.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe

Vietnamese Night (4 recipes)

by Irene Lindvall

I have no idea why it is taken me over seven years to really delve into Vietnamese dishes, but better late than never. Tonight I made two dishes and two condiments and they were all amazing. A word to the wise, either be comfortable with garlic breath or make sure to have breath mints on hand after eating these dishes - I used almost two full bulbs of garlic.

Peppery Grilled Shrimp (Tom Nuong Toi Xa Ot)

The peppery grilled shrimp were the standout and I was glad I made the last minute decision to  cook some rice noodles to go underneath the noodles. The marinade for the shrimp smelled out of the world, and Eric said the smell from the grill was amazing. I'm sad I forgot to add the fresh mint before serving, but honestly, it was just fine without it. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I think I could've eaten five more of these shrimp, but five + the noodles really was the perfect amount. 

Would I make this recipe:

In a heartbeat.

The recipe

Sautéed Tofu (Dau Hu Xao Dau Hao) 

While the shrimp was grilling I was pan sautéing the tofu. I taste-tested a cube right before they were done and it tasted amazing. I definitely thought these were going to be the tastiest thing of the night, that was of course until we bit into the shrimp. The recipe suggested adding carrots and mushrooms if you had them, and I of course took the opportunity to add what shredded carrots I had in the refrigerator and the rest of my green onions that didn't get used up in the shrimp marinade. Good call on both. I definitely think the tofu could be added to rice noodles and served as a dish on it's on, but as we ate it, it was delicious as a side dish to the shrimp.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I had another case of something not quite cooking right because the recipe called for a non-stick pan. The tofu definitely didn't brown-up like the photo suggests they should. I haven't a had chance to read-up on what I wanted to, but yet another sign that I should.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe

Fried Sliced Garlic (Toi Chien)

I have always wondered about these crispy little slices of heaven. They are normally strategically placed in all of my favorite Vietnamese dishes and I've often thought about how they get them to taste so delicious. Apparently it takes oil + garlic and three minutes to make them. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

Some things really are that simple.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Definitely

The recipe

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc cham)

I love nuoc cham and can't get enough of it when I eat rice noodles. It was extremely simple to make and I ended up adding a couple extra splashes of fish sauce because I didn't think it was potent enough after taste-tasting. It was the perfect addition to the shrimp & noodles. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I'm not sure what a green or red bird chile is but I used a serrano which the recipe said was also acceptable. I think a red Thai chile may have brought a little more heat to the sauce.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe