Bachelorette Recipes

We had a fabulous trip to Jupiter last weekend for one of my bridesmaids bachelorette parties. I highly recommend the Ritz Jupiter, they took spectacular care of our every whim over the weekend and made our trip flawless. We enjoyed three days of sunshine, great food, many cocktails and endless laughter. The details we'll keep to ourselves but I do want to share two awesome recipes I learned over the weekend. Feel free to substitute more festive pasta if you're hosting a special event. Thanks to K for all the cooking!

T’s Bachelorette Guacamole 

15 Minutes

Serves 6-10 as an appetizer

3 ripe avocados

1 ripe mango

½ can black beans

Juice of ½ lime (more if needed)

Salt and pepper to taste

1.       Cut and mash avocados in medium bowl until mostly smooth but with some small chunks, leave one avocado pit in mixture until right before serving so avocados do not brown

2.       Peel mango and dice, add to avocado

3.       Rinse black beans, add to mixture and mix well

4.       Add juice from lime, ½ at a time, until just moist

5.       Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well

T’s Bachelorette Pasta Primavera with Shrimp

1 hour, including prep

Serves 6

2 medium or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips (1.5 inches wide, ½ inch thick)

2 medium yellow squash, cut into thin strips (same as above)

2 peppers, any color, cut into thin strips (1 inch wide)

Bundle of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces

Extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence

1 pound of small noodle pasta (I like farfalle, elbow, rotini or orecchiette)

1 pound jumbo shrimp (Best to buy already cleaned and deveined, with tails still on)

1 pint cherry tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup grated parmesan, with more on table if desired

½ cup toasted pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

1.       Spread all vegetables, except tomatoes, evenly on 1 or 2 large, heavy baking sheets.  Drizzle with olive oil to coat and toss with salt, pepper and dried herbs.

2.       Bake until vegetables begin to brown, stirring every 5-10 minutes, about 20-25 minutes total.

3.       Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite (see box for timing). Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

4.       While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add cherry tomatoes and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Add shrimp and sauté until cooked through and pink, about 4-5 minutes.

5.       Toast pine nuts (you can do this ahead of time) either in dry sauté pan on stovetop or dry cookie sheet in oven for 8-10 minutes, tossing frequently.  Watch carefully to prevent burning.

6.       Toss the pasta with the vegetables in a large bowl to combine.  Toss with the shrimp and cherry tomatoes.  Add reserved cooking liquid or another drizzle of olive oil to moisten.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan and pine nuts and serve immediately.