And they were so simple it’s scandalous: peel some shrimp, slice some peppers and onions, toss everything with oil and spices, then roast for 20 minutes. It really was just that simple.
The Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas that we enjoyed Thursday night came courtesy of Melissa from No. 2 Pencil and I’m sure could be adapted to any number of variations. I have a feeling we’ll be making it again, too, because it was just that good. On the side was a bowl of Rice and Gandulas (leftovers from Thanksgiving), guacamole, sour cream, and salsa, plus the flour tortillas. I decided to try out one of my more recent iHerb purchases: the Sunfood Superfoods Raw Vegan Coconut Wraps (affiliate link). I have to say, I was just as surprised by the wraps as I was by the fajitas!
If you’re not a fan of coconut flavored items I wouldn’t suggest them, but if that doesn’t bother you then I would definitely urge you to give them a try. They are thin but very flexible–no cracking the way a lot of wheat-free wraps do–and they become even more pliable when combined with something warm or moist but they also retain their resiliency. The closest I could come to comparing them to another food is nori, but instead of tasting like the sea, it tastes like the beach.
What did the rest of the week look like?
I’d planned something slightly more interesting than leftovers for Monday night but leftovers is what we ended up eating. The Monday after Thanksgiving is the night of the Christmas parade here in Thomsville and we walked down to watch it with Duncan. With the exception of a pocket of kids getting a little wild and blocking the sidewalk, waiting for the parade to start, Duncan did extremely well. His favorite entry was definitely the soccer players–I think he wanted to chase the balls.
Tuesday night was a twist on the classic Steak and Eggs breakfast, but with Smoked Pork Chops from Bradley’s in place of the more traditional beef steaks. These suckers were thick–about an inch, each–and the smoking made them more akin to ham steaks than pork chops. Nevertheless, they were delicious, and went very well with sunny side up eggs. While I’d planned a slightly different side dish to begin with, I ended up making some red potato chips. I don’t normally fry things but I’d had the fryer set up from Thanksgiving (to fry the onion slices for the green bean casserole–yes, I make my own) and the oil was still very fresh. I think a higher oil temperature would have been advised, however, as the chips promptly wilted once out of the fat.
One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is the gumbo we make a few days later. This time it was almost a week, but Wednesday night was a good night for gumbo as it was rainy and muggy.
After the fajitas on Thursday night, Friday saw us sitting down to another bowl of soup, this time New England Clam Chowder (recipe from Wine and Glue). I appreciated Lisa’s nod to frugality by using stock instead of so much clam juice and really did not notice a change in the flavor of the dish.
I had one open night on the menu, this week, and it turned out to be Saturday. We met up with friends in Tallahassee for lunch (at an Indian place downtown, so good!) and then, since we were both in town during the day with noting else pressing, we made good on something we’d been noodling over for a while and went and got a Costco membership. Of course we walked around the store and picked up a few odds and ends, along with some meats and cheeses to make a grazing supper.
We finished out the week with homemade burgers and fries. Bacon cheeseburgers, to be exact, and I learned my lesson about the fryer, heating the oil to around 400 degrees before dropping in the potato wedges. Much better result!
That’s another week in the kitchen down for the count! Hope your week is just as tasty.