14-ounce can diced 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes fire-roasted tomatoes

5.

cups cups chicken stock chicken stock .

cup cup heavy cream heavy cream (optional) (optional)

Hot sauce, to taste

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, twice around the pan. Add the onions, three fourths of the garlic, the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions are tender, stirring frequently.

While the onions are cooking, in a shallow dish combine the remaining garlic, the remaining 3 tablespoons of EVOO, the red pepper flakes, lime zest, parsley, and a little salt. Add the shrimp and coat them thoroughly in the mixture. Let the shrimp sit while you move forward with the spicy black bean soup.

Add the black beans to the skillet with the onions. With a potato masher or the back of a rubber spatula, smash the equivalent of half of the beans-the mashed-up beans will thicken the soup. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, and heavy cream (if using) to the pot, stir, and turn the heat up a bit to bring the soup up to a bubble. Once at a bubble, turn the heat back down to a simmer and let it cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Give the pot a stir every now and then to ensure that it is not sticking.

While the soup is simmering, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot add the shrimp and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side. Flip the shrimp, add the lime juice, and continue to cook them for 2 to 3 more minutes or until the shrimp are opaque.

Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. To serve it, place a few ladles full of the spicy black bean soup in shallow soup bowls, and arrange 4 shrimp standing up in the center of each bowl.

Note: Cut along the shrimp where it has been deveined, separating it without cutting all the way through it. Press it open a bit, or "butterfly" it. When the shrimp cook, they will continue to open and curl, allowing you to arrange them literally standing up in the soup. If you prefer to serve the shrimp on the side, skip the butterfly process.EXPRESS LANE SHOPPING LIST - [image]16 jumbo shrimp jumbo shrimp And make sure you have the following On Hand: - EVOO - Onion - Garlic - Chili powder - Ground cumin - Salt and black pepper - Red pepper flakes - Limes - Flat-leaf parsley - Canned black beans - Canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes - Chicken stock - Heavy cream (optional) - Hot sauce

Sweet Soy-Soaked Salmon Fillets Over Noodle-y Veggies Guilt-free pasta? Everything is a pasta-bility when you add fresh fish and lots of veggies.

4 SERVINGS.

Salt .

pound of the thinnest pound of the thinnest long-cut pasta long-cut pasta you have on hand you have on hand

6.

tablespoons tablespoons tamari tamari

3-inch piece fresh ginger fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Juice of 1 lime, plus more to taste .

teaspoon teaspoon red pepper flakes red pepper flakes (eyeball it) (eyeball it)

4.

salmon fillets salmon fillets

1.

large bundle large bundle broccolini broccolini

1.

large large carrot carrot

4.

to 5 to 5 garlic cloves garlic cloves

1.

large red large red bell pepper bell pepper

4.

scallions scallions, trimmed

4.

tablespoons tablespoons vegetable oil vegetable oil

2.

teaspoons teaspoons sugar sugar .

cup cup chicken stock chicken stock

Place a large pot of water with a tight-fitting lid over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it comes up to a boil, add salt and pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. Drain thoroughly.

While the pasta works, in a shallow dish combine the tamari, ginger, lime juice, and the red pepper flakes. Add the salmon fillets, turn to coat, and marinate for about 5 minutes.

Trim the broccolini ends. Place 2 to 3 inches of water in a large nonstick skillet; add salt to the water along with the trimmed broccolini. Cover with a lid or some aluminum foil and bring up to a bubble; simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender.

While the broccolini is cooking, chop up the rest of the veggies and reserve them on your cutting board or on a plate: peel and grate the carrot, finely chop the garlic, seed and thinly slice the red bell pepper. Thinly slice both the white and green parts of the scallions down to the roots and reserve separately.

Drain the broccolini and reserve. Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, twice around the pan. Remove the salmon fillets from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and add the salmon to the hot skillet, skin side down. Cook the salmon until it has just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Remove the salmon to a plate and cover it with a piece of aluminum foil to keep it warm. Wipe the skillet out and return it to the stove over medium-high heat; add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and grated carrots, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the sugar to the reserved salmon marinade, stir it to combine, then add it to the skillet. Add the cooked broccolini and the chicken stock, bring the liquids up to a bubble, and let them simmer for 1 minute. Add the cooked, drained pasta and the scallions and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more tamari and lime juice to taste if the flavor is not strong enough for you.

To serve, divide the noodles and veggies among 4 serving plates and top with the salmon.

EXPRESS LANE SHOPPING LIST.

- [image]3-inch piece fresh ginger fresh ginger - [image]4 salmon fillets salmon fillets, 6 ounces each - [image]1 large bundle broccolini broccolini (1 to 1 pounds) (1 to 1 pounds) - [image]1 large red bell pepper bell pepper - [image]1 bunch scallions scallions And make sure you have the following On Hand: - Salt - Long-cut pasta - Tamari - Lime - Red pepper flakes - Carrot - Garlic - Vegetable oil - Sugar - Chicken stock

Lamb Chops and Spaghetti Salad with Raw Cherry Tomato Sauce I recently ate at a wonderful little bistro in Montreal called Chez L'Epicier, or "house of the grocer." The menus are written on what look like grocery sacks. Well, supper here was so good, I went out and got a sack of my own groceries to make a 30-Minute Meal knock-off of their gourmet lamb shank served with "raw spaghetti," which turned out to be pasta with raw sauce. Hey, Montreal is a favorite getaway of mine, but I can make this meal any night I like and my market's a lot closer!

4 SERVINGS.

EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) for drizzling plus about cup, eyeball it (extra-virgin olive oil) for drizzling plus about cup, eyeball it

2.

pounds pounds loin lamb chops loin lamb chops, 1 to 1 inches thick

Salt and and black pepper black pepper