Guys, it’s September, the pools are closed, and it almost hit 100 degrees F this week. All I want is for it to be fall already. Since that doesn’t seem to be in the forecast, I might as well make a fun and healthy transition meal that has fall favorites with summer flavors.
I bought most of the ingredients at my local farmer’s market (including the shrimp). If you have access to local meat and produce, I recommend picking up the stuff for this dinner there for added freshness.
The Drink:
While wandering around my local supermarket’s drink isle, I noticed a new mocktail brand. Mingle has 0% ABV, less than 100 calories (the cucumber melon mojito has 60), and claims to be a good mocktail that you can make into a cocktail if you so chose. I chose to keep it without alcohol.
Despite the claim that it uses 73% less sugar, I still found it’s 12 grams a little on the sweet side. I did like the refreshing mint and melon combination. Its a nice twist on a mocktail and I can see it easily being a good alternative for people who really like mojitos.
The Food:
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of fresh shrimp (frozen is fine if you have it)
- 1 small spaghetti squash
- 1 zucchini
- 2 cloves of garlic
- About a 1/2 Tbs butter
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Red pepper flakes
- Parsley (optional)
Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut your spaghetti squash in half. Place on a baking sheet face up and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle over salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
While the spaghetti squash cooks, remove the shells from your shrimp and devein them. On a separate cutting board, mince your garlic and slice your zucchini into chunks.
Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven. Using a fork, create your spaghetti squash noodles by raking along the squash’s sides. In a skillet, heat up some butter and about a tsp of olive oil. Add in your garlic and sauté for a few minutes, then add your shrimp with a little more salt and pepper. The shrimp will only take a couple of minutes to cook on each side.
Remove from skillet and add in the zucchini and spaghetti squash (add in a little more olive oil if you need to) along with the red pepper flakes. Sauté the zucchini and spaghetti squash for a few minutes or until the zucchini begins to brown, then add back in the shrimp.
Serve with parmesan cheese and your optional parsley.
The Pairing:
This was a good pairing for a warm late-summer evening. The spaghetti squash is a little crunchy (not quite unlike al dente pasta) and the pasta overall has a little kick from the pepper and red pepper flakes. The drink’s sweetness does a lot to tame the heat and is refreshing next to the shrimp and zucchini. I love how fresh the meal is.
Level of Recommendation: When the weather is still hot, but the fall produce is in.
Cooking with Spirits 