3 Picnic Worthy Sandwiches

Independence Day is this weekend! I can hardly believe it. If you’re packing up for a picnic on the fourth or any summer day this weekend here are 3 of my favorite picnic worthy sandwich recipes:

1. Crab Salad & Mango Sandwich
2. Num Pang Tiger Shrimp Sandwich
3. Sweet & Crunchy Wasabi Tuna Salad Sandwich

What are you doing &/or making for the fourth? I'd love to know, so comment below! If you make any of these sandwiches be sure to snap a pic & then tag me in your photos on instagram (@mrshoh or #HeatherOMade)!

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps + Sesame Peanut Ginger Dressing

TACOS. There I said it again. I wanted to make tacos again this week (shocker) but I opted for a lighter twist. I swapped out my go-to corn tortillas for big pieces of butter lettuce. In actuality I made lettuce wraps (like I did here) but I used shrimp. They were just as easy to make & fun to eat as regular tacos except I felt a little bit better about the extra helpings.  I loaded mine with veggies & some sesame peanut ginger dressing. Click through to get the recipe for the tasty shrimp I made for these, plus the dressing! Yep you get two recipes today. You can use them together like I did or just make one or the other (ex: make the dressing to serve with salad all week long or make the shrimp & toss with some quinoa).

Crispy Beer Battered Fish Tacos

I’ve recently been really into cooking cod. I mainly pick it up from the super market because it’s wild caught & on sale - win win. We love tacos at our house. They’re fun to eat & to make & I can’t wait to make these again. They’re fried, yes but it’s fish - that makes it healthy right? Regardless they're super pretty & taste AMAZING & the textures are just soooo good.

Spicy Beef & Acorn Squash Winter Stew

I’m not a huget meat eater but I’ll have the occasional burger or meatball if the mood strikes me. If you’ve been following my blog (thank you!) you’ll probably notice that most of the recipes involve veggies, chicken & fish with very little meat in between. Which means that that’s what my husband eats too. Last night I opted to throw Chris a bone & make a beef stew. Given his positive reaction I may have to make this & meat more often.

Num Pang Tiger Shrimp Sandwich

I know I've mentioned Num Pang before. In fact I made the watermelon juice they serve there (here… remember?). To refresh, Num Pang is a delish Cambodian sandwich shop. My sister & I always laugh about how when we asked them to cut a sandwich in half for us (so we could share two different kinds - because choosing is just so difficult!) the cashier kindly pointed the the sign "no substitutions." We cut the sandwiches ourselves - no big deal. The truth is they really don't need any substitutions & the tiger shrimp sandwich is no exception.

I found a recipe on the VillageVoice.com for said sandwich & had to give it a try. It was surprisingly simple as well as delicious. There will be no leftovers.

PS: Happy birthday Dawnie :)

Easy Pickled Carrots

I love pickles & I've been known to like other pickled things like asparagus (that you can garnish a bloody mary with - thank you Vegas). These pickled carrots go great in a salad or on in a sandwich & they just get better the longer the carrots sit in the pickling liquid.  It's way easier than you think.

Baked Root Vegetable Frites

Yesterday, I posted about mussels. Other than great bread to soak up the yummy sauce you should definitely eat them some some sort of "frites."  Instead of your traditional pomme frites (potato french fries), Chris & I munched on a tasty alternative: root vegetable frites.

Lately, I'm trying cook more with coconut oil. It's a bit lighter then olive oil & has some really great benefits too - whether you eat it or rub it on like a body lotion - it can help boost your immune system, help you to lose weight & does wonders for skin care. Check out more about these benefits here.

Click through for this tasty & guilt-free recipe.

Saffron Rice with Carrots & Spinach

I really owe my rice skills to the cuban rice recipe I'm always talking about.  Lately, I seem to be a little short on specific ingredients for certain recipes so I find myself improvising.  This is my rendition of a saffron rice with carrots & spinach based on my favorite rice recipe.

What's your favorite rice reicpe?

Get the full recipe after the jump!

P dot S: Happy birthday to my gorgeous friend, Dawnie! I love you!

Shrimp Boil

Hi from the beach! Sorry for the radio silence but I've been busy with some r & r as of late.  Each year it's tradition to spend time at the beach with our family.  Along with said tradition is the food we cook & eat together.  As of last year we've started the shrimp boil tradition (using this recipe).  It's a one pot wonder (or two if you opt for a veggie pot like we do) that appeals to people with all different tastes (no really you'd be surprised!).

You basically boil all of the ingredients together, drain them & throw them on to the table that's been covered with newspaper & then you dig in with your hands - no utensils necessary.  We opt to eat outside & to keep it super casual with a simple salad & some cornbread (& lots of paper towels!).  When we're finished we crumple up the newspaper  & toss (there will be no leftovers I promise). 

This dinner is even easier to eat, make & clean up if you have super helpful family members like I do that help you peel, chop, drain, pour, melt butter & clean the pots, so make it a family affair.  Huge thanks to my fam for helping out!

What's your summer tradition?

Read on for some more pics & helpful tips.

Carrot Curl Salad

My mom makes this salad with blanched carrots cut into long rectangular pieces. I haven't mastered these long rectangle shapes & I'd rather skip cooking (a salad) all together in the summer. So my spin on this flavorful salad is to skip the cooking and just stick with making carrot curls with your veggie peeler (you have to peel the carrots anyway so just keep going!). The curls are thin enough to make them easy to eat and they give the feel of pasta so it's a satisfying salad texturally too!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb carrots (wash, peel & peel again!)
• 1/2 large onion (cut into strips)
• 1 cup fresh basil (chiffonade)

Dressing:

• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 large garlic cloves (grate these if not using a food processor or blender)

Make it!

1. Blend the dressing ingredients together in a food processor or blender. 
2. Toss dressing, carrots, onions & basil together. 
3. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Easy Carrots

I made these carrots on a Monday night - which means they have to be quick to cook to make it to the table on a Monday.  They were THAT easy & super tasty!

Ingredients:

• 8-10 carrots, peeled & chopped (or save some time and use baby carrots)
• 1 shallot, halved & sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or you can use butter)
• salt & pepper
• foil

Make it:

1. Place all ingredients in the middle of a large piece of foil.
2. Fold the short ends of the foil in & crimp together. Then roll up the other ends to form a foil pouch but leave enough room to steam the carrots.
3. Throw the whole foil pocket on the grill for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from foil & serve warm.