Zesty Lobster + Shrimp Spaghetti Squash Scampi

So summer is right around the corner and everyone is on their “fitness tip”. Although working out is always great for your mind, body, and spirit, eating right is honestly the most important element (80/20). In this recipe you can still get your fix for seafood and Italian without cheating your body. Spaghetti squash is an amazing option to any “pasta” needed dish, and it’s a vegetable, so it has to be good for you right!? Here’s my spin on a zesty limone lobster and shrimp scampi. Lets get it!

What you will need: 

  • 1 cookie sheet
  • 1 Medium/ large sauté pan
  • 1 Fork and large knife

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon and a half salt
2 whole spaghetti squash (each one serves 2 people)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1-2 lobster tails
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat the oven on broil at a high heat. While the oven is warming up, you will need to cut your squash in halves. cutting them in half the long way. Gut out all of the seeds and the stringy excess, think pumpkin carving on Halloween. Place them cut side up on the cookie sheet and glaze them with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Don’t be shy you want to season them because they have no flavor like regular noodles, trust me. Your tastebuds will thank me later.
Let the halves broil face side up for 10-15 min. Remove the cookie sheet with squash. No you will flip your squash halves so that they’re now face down. and adding water to the base of the cookie sheet to steam them for the remainder of their cooking process. Another 10-15 minutes. DONT FORGET to switch your oven from broil to bake once you flip them over, you do not want to burn them.
Once the squash has baked for a total of 20-30 minutes in the oven you’ll know they’re ready because you can stick a fork in them all the way to the skin, plus you’ll start to see your spaghetti form, yumm!
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Now you can remove all of your “pasta” and put it in a separate container to cool, adding a little bit more olive oil and salt and pepper.
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On a cutting board you will chop you lemon, parsley and garlic, remember always vegetables before meat/ fish.
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Now for the seafood! You will need to devein and remove the shell on the shrimp leaving the tail and remove your lobster meat from it’s tail.
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Now this is when you’ll need your skillet. Place your shrimp, lobster meat, garlic, butter and lemon juice in the pan and turn it on to medium heat.

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As your meat starts to turn pink you’ll know its almost ready, at this point add your fresh parsley.

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Keep your sautee’ing active always turning making sure your flavors are mixing well together. Now you can add the chili flakes, were almost done! Just give this another 2-3 minutes.

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Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the heat. Now, while the food it still hot, plate your spaghetti and Enjoy!


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Salsa Verde Chicken Tamales

Tamales in the summer opposed to the holidays?! Probably a damn delicious idea. Living in L.A. there’s so many taco trucks and stands that sell tamales, but finding them is the hard part! Plus, if you do find them, the quality isn’t up to (my) standards. Therefore it shouldn’t be for your’s either! This recipe will keep you in the house and have your neighbors knocking at the door. Hey, make that money, don’t let it make you! Continue reading “Salsa Verde Chicken Tamales”

Drunk Orange Chicken

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of orange chicken. I don’t understand the concept of breaded chicken, deep fried, tossed in sauce, then fried and served over rice… I’m no health coach but I’ll take my carbs into consideration when thinking of this meal but what I will say is the flavor is like no other and when you add this secret ingredient it make just the magic touch.  Continue reading “Drunk Orange Chicken”