Gab's Caprese Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes (Guest Post)

Today I'm honored to have my youngest daughter back here on the blog to share her latest experiment with all of you. AND...she chose seafood since I don't prepare it very often myself. It looks great and the rest of the family really loved these tomatoes. Take it away Gab.... xo 

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Hello everybody! It’s Gab again and I’m happy to be back on the blog. Ever since I was on the blog two summers ago with my Homemade Gnocchi with Sausage Bolognese Sauce, I could not wait to get back into the kitchen to share another original recipe with you. This summer I was busy learning kitchen basics with my mother and helping her on the blog. My favorite task was to pin fantastic looking food to all of her Pinterest food boards and I can't wait to try some of them in the coming months!

I knew what I wanted to make as soon as I tasted my mom's Spinach, Mushroom & Brie Stuffed Tomatoes. They were SO good and I wanted to make my own unique version. These Caprese Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes were DELICIOUS and had such a rich flavor, but not too "shrimpy" tasting. It made me feel like I was back in Italy and eating such wonderful Italian foods. This recipe can also be made without shrimp if you dont like shrimp or seafood. I had so much fun making this recipe, but the fun part is eating it together as a family. I hope you like it as much as we did. Bon Appetit! 

Gab’s Caprese Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes

Prep Time:  15 minutes           Yield: 4
Cook Time: 15 minutes            Serving: 1 each
Total Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 Large Tomatoes
• 12 Extra Large Shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
• 1/2 c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (I used part skim)
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 c. of Italian Flavored Breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Add the oil to a small saute pan, heat over medium heat; then add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp is cooked through and pink for approximately 3-5 minutes(should not be clear or gray). Remove from pan, allow to cool slightly and cut in half. 
3. Place your tomatoes on a flat surface, slicing a thin slice off of the bottom if necessary so it sits flat; then take a sharp knife and cut a circle in the top of the tomato. Remove the inside pulp and even out the inside of the tomato shell using a spoon. 
4. Chop the tomato pulp and place in a bowl; then add the shrimp, garlic, basil, both cheeses and the breadcrumbs. Mix well. (You may need to adjust your breadcrumbs if the mixture is too dry/moist, it depends on how much tomato pulp/juice each tomato yields). 
5. Stuff the tomato mixture into the tomato shells and place in an oven safe baking dish. 
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the breading is lightly brown. 

Enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 228, Carbs 24.5g, Fat 7.8g, Protein 7.6g, Fiber 2.8g, Sugar 1.5g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

Gab's Caprese Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes Shopping List

Week 20: Seafood Frenzy Friday

Welcome to the first day of June (can you believe it!) and Week 20 of Seafood Frenzy Friday where I select seafood recipes from some of my food blogging friends to showcase for all of you since I don't eat any fish myself. Simply click on the name of the recipe underneath the picture to be taken to the author's original post. 


Today, it's all about SHRIMP! Here is some helpful information I found on LIVESTRONG: 

Shrimp is a shellfish that is in the crustacean family. It is either caught wild by net trawling or can be raised in aquaculture farms. The tail meat of shrimp is eaten and can be boiled, steamed, grilled, fried, baked or broiled. It can be prepared as a main course or as an ingredient in chowders and soups, salads, appetizers and sushi. It is widely available throughout the United States as fresh or frozen shrimp.

Contents

Per 100g serving--approximately 3 1/2 oz.--shrimp provides 106 calories with only 16 calories from fat. The same serving size also has around 20g of protein, around 2g of fat and 1g of carbohydrates. Shrimp delivers vitamins D and B12 and also contains minerals, including phosphorus, copper and especially selenium.

Benefits

Shrimp is an excellent source of protein. Shrimp also provides omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce the risks of heart disease by reducing triglyceride levels in the bloodstream. Shrimp also contains selenium, essential for proper thyroid and immune system function.

Misconceptions

Shrimp has a reputation of raising cholesterol levels. However, it has been determined that eating shrimp increases HDL cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol. Also, shrimp decreases LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.

And now for today's recipes... 

Amee's Savory Dish

Citrus and Balsamic Marinated Shrimp

Skinnytaste

Bangin' Grilled Shrimp Skewers

Culinary Carrie

Quinoa & Fresh Herb Shrimp Salad

Mels Kitchen Cafe

Coconut Shrimp Curry

Everyday Mom's Meals

Teriyaki Shrimp Lettuce Cups

Tasty Appetite

Prawn Masala

I Breathe...I'm Hungry

Shrimp & Cauliflower Salad with Lemon & Dill

For the Love of Cooking

Garlic Basil Shrimp with Penne in a Spicy Basil Marinara

Serious Food for the Soul

Fiery Shrimp and Jicama Salad

Closet Cooking

Crispy Rolled Shrimp Tacos

Thank you for allowing me to share your wonderful looking recipes. 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Chef Contest-Sweet Creamy Shrimp Delight (Hidemi Walsh)

Welcome to the first every CEK's 2012 Home Grown Chef Contest! 

A few months ago, I challenged my readers to submit their favorite recipes and what a great response I had!  It is up to each recipe contributor to engage their friends/family/etc to view their recipe on this blog post and the 5 most popular recipes (determined by the number of page views it receives) will be added to a poll for everyone to vote on.  (For complete rules of the contest click HERE.) Good Luck!


Recipe Contributor: Hidemi Walsh from Plainfield, IN

Bio: I am Japanese and moved to IN 3 years ago from Tokyo to marry my husband. I used to live in San Francisco as well (almost 10 years ago) so this is not my first time to live in the US but I find lots of new, exciting and interesting things. Food is one of things and I have been learing American traditional dishes which is very fun. I started to cook when I was in mid 20s because I wanted to lose weight. I was overweight and tried lots of METHODS to lose weight. I found out that what you eat is the best way not only to lose weight but also to stay healthy. I stopped to eat out, buy food from stores. Now I cook healthy yet delicious (try) food for my husband and myself every day.

Sweet Creamy Shrimp Delight
3/4 lb Shrimp, deveined, peeled with tails on 
2 Potatoes (about 2/3 lb)1 cup Lima beans (canned beans),  drained
4 tablespoon Mayonnaise
4 teaspoons Lemon Juice5 tablespoons Milk
2 teaspoons Grated Garlic Clove
2 teaspoons Sugar
3 tablespoons Flour
3 tablespoons Corn Starch
Olive Oil for deep fry
 



Directions:

1. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch thick round slices and heat in a microwave for a couple of  minutes or until tender.
2. Make sauce. In a bowl, combine milk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, grated garlic clove, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. In another bowl, combine flour and corn starch. 
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper over shrimp and potatoes. Then coat them with flour mixture.
5. Heat olive oil in a skillet, deep fry shrimp and then potatoes. Drain both shrimp and potatoes with papaer towel and put them into the sauce bowl. Then add lima beans to the bowl and toss to coat. Sprinkle miced parsley on top.

Potato Encrusted Fried Shrimp with an Onion Sherbet Dipping Sauce

When Hilary from Baking Bad posted a month ago that she wanted to do a Chopped Challenge on her blog I was all over it. I don't watch many cooking shows (or much tv before 9pm for that matter) but I was introduced to the show Chopped on The Food Network when visiting my Mom in FL last year. Her and her husband are AVID TFN watchers and this show came on during one of our visits. I have to say that the show really intrigued me. The contestants are given 4 ingredients (most of the time they're really "out there") and they have to make an appetizer, meal and dessert course. With each course, one contestant is eliminated, leaving only 2 contestants to make the dessert course where the panel of judges get to decide who gets Chopped and who is the winner. I love to watch the creative juices flow as they decide what it is they're going to make with what they are given. 


So with this challenge, we were given 4 ingredients. 
1. Instant Mashed Potatoes (which I've NEVER purchased, let alone eaten in my life...well except for the time we had to make them at Johnson & Wales while I was in college for the dorm students!)
2. Shrimp...Which was going to be a little tricky since I don't eat any fish/shellfish. I had to rely solely on my "guinea pigs" ;)
3. Fruit Roll Ups...Here we go, this was going to be the tricky part
4. Pearl Onions...Again, don't eat these either. 


So this is what I came up with. The Verdict was that the shrimp were INCREDIBLE and the potato coating was extremely tasty. The Onion Sherbet Dipping Sauce was "ok" but a little sweet for my family's taste. This is what I used, so you be the judge! :)

Potato Encrusted Fried Shrimp with an Onion Sherbet Dipping Sauce
1lb. Extra Large Shrimp (21-25), cleaned and deveined
1-7oz Box Instant Mashed Potatoes
1 Orange, zest only
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
Egg Wash (2 eggs + 1/4 c. 2% Milk)
1 c. All-Purpose Flour
Canola Oil, for frying

Prepare three separate bowls. One for the flour and one for the egg wash. In the third bowl, mix together the instant potatoes, orange zest and thyme. Dip each piece of shrimp first into the flour, then egg wash, then into the potato mixture. Pour approximately 1" of oil into a large frying pan and heat. Carefully place shrimp into the hot oil and fry until both sides are golden brown and shrimp is white in color and cooked through. Drain on paper towels or brown paper bag to remove any excess oil. Serve with Onion Sherbet Dipping Sauce.


Onion Sherbet Dipping Sauce
1-9oz. Package Frozen Pearl Onions in Cream Sauce, defrosted
4 Fruity Ice Cream Fruit Roll Ups (Orange, Strawberry, Raspberry)
1/4 tsp. Dried Thyme
1/2 Orange, juice only
1 tbsp. Balsamic Pear Vinegar


In a small saucepan, add all of the ingredients and stir until the fruit roll ups have melted. Pour into a blender and liquify. Strain the sauce through a sieve and reheat sauce. Serve with shrimp. 


This recipe will be judged by anyone that goes to the Baking Bad website. This week she will be featuring all of the contestant entries. So head on over there this week grab a cup of coffee or tea and plan to stay a while because Hilary has some wonderful recipes of her own over there. You will be able to vote for the entries and I'll keep you posted as to when the voting will begin! (JUDGING OVER)




Enjoy!