::spicy:shrimp:&:rice:soup::

I have something that I wrote the other day from bed that I will have to post later on since it is for this blog. Lol.

I was home sick yesterday as I wasn't feeling too well at all and it doesn't seem to be letting up - although I did end up going to work to try and tough it out. I am just exhausted. I am getting these weird brain zaps...waves of nausea...ugh. I just don't know why I even bothered getting out of bed. Alas...it must be done. 

If I don't feel better anytime soon then I am going to just leave at lunch or something. We shall see....if I don't puke or anything then I will just suck it up. 

Anyways...I've pretty much exhausted all recipes from the Everyday Food site...and thankfully I have such awesome friends on Twitter. Mark {@markukleaf} suggested the BBC Food website and it's amazing! I am going to peruse the site and try and find more recipes to try out and share with you guys.

Other then that, it's a great friend of mine's Birthday today so Happy Birthday to Kevin! Hope he has himself a wonderful day today. I tried calling him to tell him this over the phone but he has decided not to pick up. Lol. Oh well, I shall call later.

Also, just want to say a HUGE thank you to him for getting me the cookbooks that were on my wishlist as an early Christmas present. I am beyond grateful for them and I just opened up the Amazon box and took a brief look through them and they look amazing! I am so excited to share the recipes in these books with you guys along with some reviews. :) 

Since I'm not feeling 100% today I just hope that today goes by super fast and smoothly. 

I guess I will start off with a recipe that I found on the Cooking Light website - just want to point out that the Cooking Light books are beyond amazing! They have a tun of recipes in there that are quick, easy and very healthy. 

This recipe sounds quite appealing and I might end up making this for dinner tonight. If I do, I will maybe start taking pictures while I cook and post up my review of the recipe. I gotta start being a little more creative. ;) 

Spicy Shrimp and Rice Soup

Fine-tune the taste of this filling soup as you wish ~ intensify the flavor with cilantro, add heat with jalapeños, or provide a crisp bite with fresh bean sprouts. Serve with spiced baked wontons on the side. 

Yield: 4 servings {serving size: about 1-1/2 cups soup and 1 lime wedge}

Ingredients

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

1 cup instant long-grain rice {such as Minute brand}
1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1-1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 lime wedges

Bean sprouts {optional}

Sliced green onions {optional}

Chopped fresh cilantro {optional}

Sliced jalapeño pepper {optional}

Preparation

Combine chicken broth and water in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir in instant long-grain rice, and bring to a boil. 

Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red pepper, and shrimp; saute 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in shrimp mixture into broth mixture. Divide soup evenly amoung 4 bowls, and serve with lime wedges. 

Top each serving with sprouts, onions, cilantro, and jalapeno, if desired.

There you have it. A super simple and healthy recipe on a cold and rainy weeknight. :) 

-S.*

{Source: Cooking Light, December 2005}