Cajun Shrimp Linguine with Thai Peanut Salad

Shrimp Linguine. So often chock-full of calories (aka smothered in Alfredo sauce) and only edible in small amounts. But this recipe slashes the fat, adds a bit of interesting spice, and presents a healthy and delicious meal that will satisfy that creamy urge.

I paired this simple yet great pasta with a Thai Salad. It uses peanuts and a homemade peanut dressing, which nicely complement the creamy pasta sauce, but also adds a bite which slashes through and leaves a crisp feeling in your mouth. While these two dishes would not be paired together traditionally, I found that they worked quite well together and would make this meal again in a heartbeat.

Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy

Thai Peanut Salad

Time: 15 mintues
Neither of these pieces takes very long to make, so I would recommend getting the salad all ready but with the dressing on the side, then cooking the linguine, and then pouring the dressing on at the last minute. This way you will be ready to go but your salad won't get soggy.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp green onions, diced
1 tbsp peanut butter (low fat)
1 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp dry roasted peanut bits
4 cups mixed baby salad greens
3 tbsp red onion, sliced
2 tbsp mint leaves, diced
2 tbsp cilantro, diced
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

(this recipe is based upon one from Cooking Light)

Put 3 tablespoons of water in a food processor. Add the rice wine vinegar, green onions, peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil. Pulse until smooth. Add the peanuts and just pulse for a few seconds. You want these broken up a bit more but not ground fine. This will be your dressing, so you can set it aside for now.

Toss the salad greens with the red onion, mint, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. When you're ready to serve pour the dressing over and toss well.

Cajun Shrimp Linguine
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
linguine (uncooked - 1 box)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1.5 tbsp butter
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 cup fat free half and half

(this recipe is based upon a similar one from Cooking Light)

Bring water and broth to a boil in a pot. Break your linguine in half and place it in the pot. Cover the pot and turn the heat down so you have a nice simmer. Let the pasta simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the tails from the shrimp and add them to the pot. Let them simmer for 3-4 minutes. They should be pink and curled. Drain the pasta and shrimp and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium high heat. I used real butter here since it will make the sauce creamier. Add the mushrooms and zucchini and saute for about 5-7 minutes or until the liquid evaporates and the vegetables are tender. Add the flour and Cajun seasoning. (The flour will serve to help thicken the sauce.) Stir well and cook for just 30 seconds.

Add the half and half. (Yes, I love fat free half and half!) Stir constantly and cook for 2-3 minutes. The half and half should thicken. Turn the heat off and add the pasta and shrimp to the pan, keeping it on the burner. Toss well. As soon as everything is well mixed remove the pan from the heat and eat immediately.