Crave Wednesdays: Pan-Seared Shrimp Po' Boys

It's so hard to go back to work after a vacation, isn't it?  After a lovely 4 days of eating, running, and shopping, it seems unfair to have to return to normal. 

I hope your Thanksgiving made it equally as difficult to roll out of bed Monday morning!

We started bright and early with The Turkey Trot.  Due to the timing of the race, we ended up missing out on the first hour of the Macy's Day Parade.  As soon as we got to Thatmom's house, I found myself a place on the couch, pulled a throw over myself, and settled in.

After the parade, Thatboy, Thatkid, and TMIL headed to the movies while I made a quick lunch for Thatbaby and I.  Then it was naptime for him, and ice cream making time for me! 

We set up the tables, the moviegoers came home, and before too long the house was filled with family and food.

There was turkey, and stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry relish.  And even a challah shaped like a turkey~

We're also on to the next generation of the kids table.  The last member of the last kids table has graduated from college.  So now these guys get a table of their very own.

Having Thanksgiving at Thatmom's house means that there wasn't any leftover Thanksgiving food hanging around our house.  So we were right back into regular eating the very next night.  A lot of people do turkey sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving.  Here we did shrimp sandwiches!  You can't get much farther from turkey than that! 

Po' Boys are a traditional American food of a different sort.  Native to New Orleans, this sandwich is rumored to have been passed out to "poor boys" for free.  And though it's not tied to any particular holiday, it seems fitting to pair it with Thanksgiving, a holiday typically associated with feeding the hungry. 

It fed the hungry in my house this week.  Both the little guys LOVE shrimp.  Thatbaby can often be found sneaking shrimp off his brother's plate.  In this instance I left the hot sauce and Cajun seasoning off of their portions.  The rest of us got spiced shrimp paired with a sweet sauce and crusty bread.

Pan-Seared Shrimp Po' Boys (From Cooking Light)

1/2 cup canola mayonnaise

2 Tbsp  sweet pickle relish

1 Tbsp chopped shallots

1/2 tsp capers, chopped

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt-free Cajun seasoning

1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp

2 tsp olive oil

4 hoagie rolls

1/2 cup shredded romaine lettuce

12 thin slices tomato

4 thin slices red onion

1. Combine mayo, relish, shallots, capers, and hot sauce in a small bowl. 
2. Combine Cajun seasoning and shrimp in a bowl and toss well.
3. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and swirl to coat.  Add shrimp to pan and cook 2 minutes each side until done.
4. Cut each roll in half horizontally.  Top the bottom half of each roll with 2 Tbsp lettuce, 3 tomato slices, 1 onion slice, and one-fourth of the shrimp.
5. Spread top half of each roll with about 2 Tbsp mayo mixture and place on top of sandwiches.