Valentine’s Day Salad

Valentine’s Day Salad with Red Bell Pepper Hearts

Valentine's Day Salad

Make this salad for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.  Simply carve up some red bell peppers into heart shapes and add them to salad greens, sprinkle on some grated carrots and cheddar, and serve with your favorite dressing.  This Spicy Thousand Island Dressing is an excellent choice.

Sweethearts Valentine's Day Salad

Red Pepper Hearts Salad for Valentine's Day

Serve with a special Valentine’s Day Dinner.  They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  This will win over both!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Romantic Valentines Day Dinners

Happy Valentines Day!

Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas

Are you staying in for Valentine’s Day and are looking for something special to cook for your sweetheart?  Here are some ideas for making a memorable Valentine’s Day dinner at home.

Coconut Shrimp

coconut_shrimp

Sweet (Pepper) Hearts Salad

Red Pepper Hearts Salad for Valentine's Day

Seafood Baked Ziti

Seafood Baked Ziti

Red Velvet Poke Cake

Red Velvet Poke Cake

Have plenty of candles lit and wine chilled.  Use your Valentine’s Bouquet for the table centerpiece.  Have a wonderful, romantic Valentine’s Day!

 

Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken & Pasta

Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken & Pasta

Bang Bang Chicken Pasta or Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta

Tonight I had a craving for something out of reach – Bang Bang Shrimp.  So I decided to make something like it, at home.  Since I didn’t have enough shrimp to make a decent meal for 3, I used chicken breast instead.  The result was fabulous!  Introducing my Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken Pasta recipe!

bang_bang_sauce
Bang Bang Sauce Recipe

This sauce is so tasty, I’d love to have it on everything!  Well, almost everything.  It’s sweet, spicy, garlicky and citrusy (is that a word?), all rolled into one.  It nicely coats the pasta and the shrimp or chicken, and brings this one dish wonder to a level of it’s own.

This is a quick meal to prepare, great for a weeknight dinner.  Fast, easy clean up and delicious – a busy, working mom’s dream.  This recipe is a keeper so be sure to pin it!

Here’s how you make my delicious Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken Pasta Recipe:

First, prep your shrimp or chicken.  Julienne 2 carrots and slice 2 green onions.  Bring a pot of water to boil for cooking your pasta.

Mix together the Bang Bang Sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Set aside.

Saute the chicken or shrimp, as instructed below.  Add carrot and onion to frying pan and lower heat to low.

Bang Bang Chicken

Boil pasta until al dente’.  Drain.  Add to cooked chicken or shrimp, top with Bang Bang sauce, stir and Enjoy!

Here is the recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken Pasta:

INGREDIENTS

3/4 – 1 lb of fettuccine, linguine, thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 1/2 lbs of diced chicken breast or shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp – coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp Paprika
2 green onions, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bang Bang Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise or light mayonnaise to lower calories
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp of lime juice
1/8 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta and drain well.

Place the uncooked chicken or shrimp in a medium sized bowl and add the paprika, 3 cloves of garlic and pepper.

Heat the coconut oil on medium high heat and add the coated uncooked chicken or shrimp. Stir constantly while cooking until shrimp is pink for approx. 7- 10 minutes, or chicken is no longer pink inside.

Remove from heat and set aside if pasta is not ready.

In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, shrimp and sauce mixture and toss.

Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken & Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Bang Bang Shrimp or Chicken & Pasta

Ingredients

3/4 – 1 lb of fettuccine, linguine, thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta

1 1/2 lbs of diced chicken breast or shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Tbsp – coconut oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp Paprika

2 green onions, sliced

2 carrots, julienned

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bang Bang Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise or light mayonnaise to lower calories

1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp of lime juice

1/8 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta and drain well.

Place the uncooked chicken or shrimp in a medium sized bowl and add the paprika, 3 cloves of garlic and pepper.

Heat the coconut oil on medium high heat and add the coated uncooked chicken or shrimp. Stir constantly while cooking until shrimp is pink for approx. 7- 10 minutes, or chicken is no longer pink inside.

Remove from heat and set aside if pasta is not ready.

In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, shrimp and sauce mixture and toss.

Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

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