today was a great day. i'm just going to lead with that. nothing crazy got accomplished. i didn't earn a bunch of money. no jobs were secured. but, it was a great day. 

after teaching my usual tuesday morning class, i headed to a swim lesson with two of my favorite little boys. we just started back up now that it is warming up and they pretty much have me in stitches for a solid hour. i followed that up with a few hours at the beach with wesley (who has a rare day off now that nobu is open) which lead into a really solid beach nap. there aren't too many things better in life than a beach nap. my nap was followed up with some really great news about a job we have coming up and finished off with one of my all time favorite dishes in the garden. with rose. mic drop. 

if you are like me, and don't give a shit about garlic breath, this is a great meal to serve for date night. it is light, zesty and delicious. not to mention, it cooks up quickly so you have plenty of time to actually enjoy yourself. 

shrimp scampi
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: .5lb peeled and deveined shrimp (i found and argentinian red shrimp at my local fish guy that was delicious). .5lb spaghetti pasta (fresh if you can get your hands on some). 4 garlic cloves, minced. .25 cup grated parmesan cheese. zest of 1 lemon. 4 lemon slices. 2 tbs lemon juice. 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp oregano, finely chopped. 1 tsp red pepper flakes. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. 

start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. cook your pasta to the package instructions. try to time the completion of the pasta around the time you complete your shrimp (pay attention to the cook time on your pasta) while your water is boiling and you are cooking your pasta, work on the rest of your dish. pat your shrimp dry and season it well with half the salt and pepper. 

in a large pan, heat you butter and oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium high heat. you want the butter to start to sizzle, but not burn. be careful as garlic can burn quickly. 

once the garlic is fragrant and the butter is bubbling, about 2 minutes, add in the shrimp. cook until the shrimp is cooked through (slightly firm to the touch) about 5 minutes. 

add in your lemon wedges, juice, lemon zest, oregano and the rest of the salt and pepper. stir well to combine. cook until the liquid starts to bubble. 

toss in half the parsley and the cheese. stir well to combine. 

toss in the cooked pasta and toss everything together. 

serve on a platter or plated topped with the rest of the parsley and cheese. 

xo, a

shrimp scampi
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: .5lb peeled and deveined shrimp (i found and argentinian red shrimp at my local fish guy that was delicious). .5lb spaghetti pasta (fresh if you can get your hands on some). 4 garlic cloves, minced. .25 cup grated parmesan cheese. zest of 1 lemon. 4 lemon slices. 2 tbs lemon juice. 2 tbs butter. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs parsley, chopped. 1 tsp oregano, finely chopped. 1 tsp red pepper flakes. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper.
start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. cook your pasta to the package instructions. try to time the completion of the pasta around the time you complete your shrimp (pay attention to the cook time on your pasta) while your water is boiling and you are cooking your pasta, work on the rest of your dish. pat your shrimp dry and season it well with half the salt and pepper. in a large pan, heat you butter and oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium high heat. you want the butter to start to sizzle, but not burn. be careful as garlic can burn quickly. once the garlic is fragrant and the butter is bubbling, about 2 minutes, add in the shrimp. cook until the shrimp is cooked through (slightly firm to the touch) about 5 minutes. add in your lemon wedges, juice, lemon zest, oregano and the rest of the salt and pepper. stir well to combine. cook until the liquid starts to bubble. toss in half the parsley and the cheese. stir well to combine. toss in the cooked pasta and toss everything together. serve on a platter or plated topped with the rest of the parsley and cheese. 

even though we are only on the third day of twenty-seventeen, i feel like so much has already happened. 

i've never really been someone who is good at "relaxing." maybe that's why i like yoga so much. even in my relaxed state i like to move around. unless my butt is parked in the sand somewhere, i'm terrible at sitting still. so after two days off at home, celebrating our anniversary and a new year, i was ready to attack. 

in two days i've already filled january's calendar. i picked up a few more yoga classes and a couple more spin classes as well as a cooking demo. and somehow i still found the time to cook and shoot this tasty salad as i prepped and planned for two collaborative photo shoots today. and i topped it off this morning by teaching my first class of this week's 13 classes i'm teaching. 

basically, i'm going for it this year. when planning to start our own business, we always knew that the first couple of years would be intense. and here we are. in the middle of it all. and i'm embracing it. 

i've declared this the year of growth. growth in my personal life, my yoga practice, my cooking, my business, my family. growth in everything. and the first things i'm working on are more quick, easy and satisfying dishes. gone are the days where i get to spend all day barefoot in my kitchen making stews and all day sauces. i need low work, high impact here people! and i'm starting out with a bang. this shrimp packs a huge flavor punch, is healthy and quick and easy to prepare. triple threat. 

spiced shrimp salad
serves: 1
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 12 minutes
ingredients: 5 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (4 oz if you need to get another size). 2 cups mixed greens. handful of cherry tomatoes, halved. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 1 tbs lemon juice. 1 handful seasoned croutons. 

start by mixing half your salt and pepper, all the cumin, paprika and mustard together in a small bowl. 

whisk in 2 tbs of the olive oil until it makes a paste. 

pat your shrimp dry and remove the tails. you can easily remove the tails by pinching the base of the tail, lightly squeezing and then pulling it away. 

discard the tails and rub the shrimp down with the spice rub. 

in a pan, combine the shallot, 1 tbs of the olive oil and a pinch of remaining salt and pepper over medium heat. cook the shallots until they are starting to brown. stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 

while your shallots are cooking, make your dressing. in a small bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and whisk to combine. set aside. 

in a salad bowl, combine your lettuce, croutons and tomatoes. drizzle with dressing and toss well to combine. 

when your shallots are cooked, add in your spiced shrimp and cook till pink and cooked through, flipping once. about 3 minutes total. 

top your salad with shrimp and salad and serve warm. 

xo, a

spiced shrimp salad
serves: 1
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 12 minutes
ingredients: 5 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (4 oz if you need to get another size). 2 cups mixed greens. handful of cherry tomatoes, halved. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 1 tbs lemon juice. 1 handful seasoned croutons.
start by mixing half your salt and pepper, all the cumin, paprika and mustard together in a small bowl. whisk in 2 tbs of the olive oil until it makes a paste.
pat your shrimp dry and remove the tails. you can easily remove the tails by pinching the base of the tail, lightly squeezing and then pulling it away.
discard the tails and rub the shrimp down with the spice rub.
in a pan, combine the shallot, 1 tbs of the olive oil and a pinch of remaining salt and pepper over medium heat. cook the shallots until they are starting to brown. stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes.
while your shallots are cooking, make your dressing. in a small bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and whisk to combine. set aside.
in a salad bowl, combine your lettuce, croutons and tomatoes. drizzle with dressing and toss well to combine.
when your shallots are cooked, add in your spiced shrimp and cook till pink and cooked through, flipping once. about 3 minutes total.
top your salad with shrimp and salad and serve warm.