Do you ever have a problem overcooking your meal portions, particularly dinner sometimes, which usually leads to overeating? Well I do. A few months back, I was browsing the book section at Target and discovered this book: T he Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook written by America's Test Kitchen.

The title of this book really jumped out at me because 90% of the time I'm generally cooking for...TWO. So why not save a little more money on the groceries by purchasing just the right amount of what you'll need as well as cutting back on portion sizes. That's always my problem, portion sizes! My eyes are ALWAYS too big for my stomach and I tend to serve way more than I should. So, this was the perfect answer to my problem (dinner time is the hardest for me). Right when I got the book, I immediately opened it up and skimmed through the recipes and decided I wanted to make something out of the book for dinner each night that week and see if this could help my little portion size problem. These were the recipes that spoke to me:

1. Mushroom-Miso Soup with Shrimp and Udon

2. White Chicken Chili

3. Stir-Fried Shrimp with Lemon-Ginger Sauce

They were all SO good! The nice thing about this book is if the recipe is a lighter recipe, they make sure to mark it "light" for you to easily identify. They also provide you with all the nutrition information in the back of the book for those "light" recipes which makes it even nicer to see exactly what you're putting in your body. The three I chose above were all "light" recipes. My favorite of those three probably would have to be the first one, the Mushroom-Miso Soup with Shrimp and Udon. <-- (Those are noodles)

This dish was so incredibly easy to make and has SO much flavor! The first time I made this dish, I made it exactly how the recipe called for it. The second time I made it, was more on a whim, so I didn't have the fresh ginger or spinach in the house, so I used some dried ginger and Kale instead and it turned out JUST as good! I loved making this dish because it's not something I'd normally make and it made me feel like I was dining out. The portion they recommended was perfect; super filling and just the right amount.

I am definitely looking forward to trying out more recipes from this book!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 2 (LIGHT)

4 ounces dried udon noodles
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 1/4 cups water
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
4 ounces crimini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 cup white miso
6 ounces extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined and tails removed
2 ounces (2 cups) baby spinach or kale
1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra for seasoning
salt and pepper
2 scallions, sliced thin for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 4 cups water to boil in large saucepan. Add noodles and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain noodles and rinse under warm water to remove excess starch. Drain noodles well, then portion into individual serving bowls.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, 1 cup water and mushrooms. Bring to simmer and cook until flavors meld and mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together miso and remaining 1/4 cup water. On low, stir miso mixture, shrimp, and spinach or kale into soup. Cover and let simmer until shrimp are opaque throughout and greens are wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat off, stir in sesame oil and season with salt and pepper, and extra sesame oil to taste.
Ladle soup into prepared bowls and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.
ENJOY!

Recipe inspired by America's Test Kitchen.