Shrimp and Tuna Heart Healthy Pasta

Happy Valentine's Day from the cook! ♥

Why eat out? When you can make in?

I'm not a Valentines Day hater at all and I think it's great to have a day dedicated to showering your beloved with love but the thing is, It is just like any other day but not really celebratory, If you are in love every day matters not just valentine's day right? I'm just not down with all the fuzz about the so called "v-day". The main reason I cook a special meal on Feb. 14 is

Because the birthday of my partner falls on this day. Now we are not really into Hallmark holidays, but I usually cook at home something fun, quick, and easy to fix, which leaves plenty of time for more loving. Practical reasons make me more creative in the kitchen. I always come up with something new, heart healthy dish to celebrate the day of hearts.

On a day when restaurants offer more priced menus, crowded malls, long lines even on fast food joints plus the crazy traffic and all sorts of gimmicks associated on this over-rated, over-priced holiday for lovers. I keep it simple, I prefer to learn new dishes online and cook for that day, I’d much rather cook at home and enjoy a quiet evening afterwards.

For this recipe, I am using the latest spaghealthy offering of El Real Pasta, Healthy Spaghetti, with malunggay and carrot bits. I find it's good and cooks faster, has no bitter vegetable aftertaste of malunggay, made of durum wheat semolina, high fiber, tasty and budget friendly. It's perfect pasta to use for the health conscious ones; I paired it with the use of seafood on this recipe, making a balanced full meal fit for a perfect occasion about hearts. I hope they come out with other pasta versions of this, on penne, linguine and macaroni.

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo white shrimp, deveined

2 cup shrimp stock, from pounded shrimp heads

500 Gms El Real Healthy Pasta

1 can Century Tuna Flakes in oil

250 Gms Hunt's Tomato Basil and Cheese Sauce

2 small can Evaporated Milk

1 pc white onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pc tomato, seeded and chopped

2 stalks chopped celery, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 pc. Bay leaf

1 tsp. dried oregano

I tsp. dried thyme leaves

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Grated cheese or parmesan

Procedure:

Cook pasta according to package directions, set aside once cooked.

Sear shrimps in olive oil and garlic, for 5 minutes or till it turns light orange, set aside. Shrimp has the tendency to become rubbery if it's overcooked.

Mirepoix, or sauté Tuna flakes in celery, onion, garlic and tomatoes, stir for 2 minutes, and then add 2 cups of shrimp stock. Simmer then add the Spaghetti sauce.

Add one can Evaporated milk for a creamy and pourable pasta sauce, allow to simmer and keep stirring until it reach a desired thickness and consistency, mix in the pre cooked shrimps at this point, add bell pepper strips, grated cheese, chopped parsley and it's done.

I thank God for another year and chance in life. I always pray for the best life has to offer you, may we both grow in faith and love. After nearly losing each other more than once, every day is Valentine's Day for us. To my loving partner and best friend in life, Happy Birthday!

Love is like wine the longer it ages, the better....cheesy as it may sound but when you are in love, truly... all days matter.