Let's Call This Dreamy Shrimp

There are things in this world that belong together and should never be separated, especially in the kitchen! Cream, garlic and butter should come on the shelf at the grocery store right next to each other, in a little package, all nestled next to each other, ready for your next creation! It would make your grocery list shorter because you would just put "Dreamy Kit" at the top!

Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp
(Serves 8)

2 lbs Shrimp, raw, large
4 tbsp Butter
3 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 oz Cream Cheese
4 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Note: Leave the tail on or remove depending on how you want the dish presented.

1) Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp and garlic and saute quickly until all shrimp are no longer translucent, about 5 minutes. They should be a nice bright pink and white! Remove from skillet and set aside.

2) Add sundried tomatoes, white wine, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste, simmer for about 1 minute. Add cream cheese and stir until fully melted and incorporated.  Add heavy cream and simmer until slightly thickened for about 3-5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

3) Add spinach to skillet, placing it on top of the sauce. Not necessary to stir, just place the lid of the skillet on for a minute and the spinach will steam enough to wilt slightly. Remove lid and stir spinach into the sauce.  Add the shrimp back to the skillet and heat through for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to over cook the shrimp. Remove from heat.

4) Serve over steamed rice for children and guests, all by itself for you so you get more of the creamy goodness!! I eat mine with a spoon!

Calories: 227
Fat: 16g
Carb: 2g
Protein: 30g
Carb: 2g  Net Carb: 2g

Sometimes it's fun to be in the kitchen all day, melding flavors, prepping ingredients, skillfully slicing and dicing and basically hiding from the chaos of the world! Other times, like when you have a new grandbaby wanting your snuggles, it's nice to quickly, masterfully prepare something everybody thinks you slaved over! This is a quick, 20 minute masterful dish!  

Enjoy! 

Weekly Menu Change

Ever made something so good you want to have it at least once a week?  Something so warm and flavorful you know there's no way you could get tired of it?

If you answered no, then you haven't tried this recipe and I encourage you to head to the grocery store, or your freezer and pantry, and make this for dinner tonight!  I think I will!

Brazilian Shrimp Stew (Serves 6)
1 1/2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 14oz can diced tomatoes, with chilis
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 cups white rice, cooked

Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan.  Once oil is hot, saute onions until translucent; add garlic and peppers and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.  Add tomatoes, shrimp and cilantro and simmer until shrimp turns opaque.  Add coconut milk and hot sauce and cook until heated through, do not boil.  Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper.  Serve with 1/2 cup of prepared white rice on the side and garnish with fresh cilantro.  

The rich sweet and spicy flavor came as quite a surprise!  Each and every bite of this stew brings more flavor and discovery.  We like to add a spoonful of rice every couple of bites to absorb even more flavor and bring a new texture.  If not rice then I highly recommend bread sticks, you'll definitely want something to sop up any leftover broth in your bowl!

Here's the great part!  It's only 7 Weight Watcher points+ per serving (9 with rice) and it's also Paleo friendly!  How can something this good be THAT good?!

Enjoy!

Some recipes are worth it!

Sometimes a recipe seems like a lot of work so I break it down into smaller segments throughout the day.  Good thing is, I have that luxury!  Although at first glance this recipe appeared to be one of those types of endeavors, it ended up being relatively simple to prepare and extremely quick to cook.

As I continue my challenge through "Cuisine At Home" magazine with yet another delightful and tasty meal, let me say that all of the pictures I post are mine.  I'm appalled by some blogs that steal photos, especially if they have to scan them from a magazine, and claim they created the dish on a whim with what they had in their pantry.  The pictures and recipes from "Cuisine At Home" are not available online so if I see one and the person doesn't give credit where credit is due I'm immediately turned off by ALL of their recipes!  Although the challenge recipes I'm posting come from the magazine (slight changes due to my pantry) I'm cooking them and taking my own pictures!

Thank you for listening!!  I'm all done ranting so on to the decadent recipe I cooked up last week!

Crab & Goat Cheese Ravioli with Spicy Snow Peas
(makes 4 servings)

8 oz goat cheese, softened
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
2 cans (6.5 oz) lump crab meat
1 pkg Nasoya won ton wraps
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest
12 oz fresh snow peas, trimmed & string removed
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup water

~  Combine goat cheese, chives, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Stir in crabmeat with a fork, keeping lumps as large as possible.
~  If trimming or shaping won ton do so prior to filling to ensure sealing.  As shown in the picture, a round scalloped edged cookie cutter was used.
~  Lay out 16 won tons; scoop 2 tsp. crabmeat mixture into centers.  Brush top won ton with water and place wet side down over filling, pressing edges to seal.  Repeat with remaining won ton wrappers.
~  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add oil and ravioli in small batches; cook until brown on one side, 2-3 minutes.  Flip ravioli and cook an additional 2 minutes; remove to paper-towel lined plate.  Continue until all ravioli have been cooked.
~  Return ravioli to skillet and add 4 tbsp water; cover and steam until soft, 1-2 minutes.
~  For the sauce, saute garlic in butter in a small skillet, 1 minute.  Stir in cream, increase heat to high and boil until cream is reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
~  Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Add olive oil, snow peas and pepper flakes, cook 1-2 minutes.  Stir in water and cook until peas are tender and water evaporates, about 3 minutes more.  Season peas with salt.
~  Spoon 2 tbsp sauce onto plate; arrange 4 ravioli on sauce.  Layer several snow peas on ravioli; add 2-3 more ravioli, more peas and one more ravioli on top.  Spoon sauce lightly over all and serve.


This dish is very "gourmet" yet has such simple ingredients.  I questioned the preparation and presentation of the peas but wow, wow, wow!  They are a perfect pairing!  There's sweet crab meat, tart lemon sauce and a spicy crunch with the peas that will keep you taking bite after bite until you realize you have to get up and get more!

Enjoy!

Sense of Independence

The twins turned 18 which is said to be when children become adults.  Although that is yet to be seen, I'm taking that idea and running with it!  I now have a new found independence in my kitchen.  To heck with these little adults, from now on I'm going to cook what I want!  And I want seafood!

Shellfish Stew (serves 6)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth, fat free

1 cup red wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

18 littleneck clams

18 medium shrimp, tails on

6 large sea scallops

2 cooked Dungeness crab, legs and flesh

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, fennel and scallops.  Cook, stirring the vegetables until they begin to soften, and turning the scallops, searing on each side.  Remove the scallops and set aside.  Add garlic, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, broth, wine and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes.  Add the clams, cover and cook until they open, about 5 minutes.  Add the shrimp, partially cover, and cook until just cooked through.  Add the crab legs, crab meat and scallops and continue to cook until thoroughly heated.  Discard any unopened clams before serving.

Have plenty of napkins available and of course a few crab crackers for those claws!  

This was a fully satisfying meal other than the desire for some nice hearty crusty bread to sop up the amazing sauce!  Since we're doing so well we kept this at the 8 WW points+ that it is and just imagined ourselves dipping the bread!

So get ready family (including you new adults), the sky's the limit and we'll be sampling some new and exciting things!

Sometimes You Just Have To EAT!

In the beginning, when you first start "dieting" or "eating healthy" or whatever else you call it, do you have the same issue as me?  I never feel like I get to lift my fork to my mouth enough times!  By the end of the first week, I'm ready to eat, I mean really eat!  I want to keep putting food in my mouth until my tummy says stop, not only until my teeny tiny portion runs out.

That feeling led me to the discovery of this amazing salad!  Boy oh boy did it do the trick!  I was able to lift my fork as many times as I could and when I was done, I was really done eating.  Completely satisfied all the way to my toes!

Salsa Verde Chicken & Shrimp Salad

1 tbsp cilantro, dried

1 cup sour cream, fat free
3 tbsp Salsa Verde
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
13 oz raw chicken breast, diced
8 oz raw shrimp, small
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
6 cups Italian Lettuce mix
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11 oz) can Green Giant Steam Crisp corn, drained

Mix the first six ingredients until well blended.  Set aside while preparing the salad in order for the flavors to blend.  Season chicken and shrimp generously with Old Bay.  Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and cook chicken and shrimp on medium high heat until chicken is no longer pink.  Drain any liquid.  In a large bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, black beans and corn.  Add cooked chicken and shrimp and mix well.  Pour dressing into salad mixture and toss to completely cover every morsel!

Each serving of 2 cups is only 7 points plus on WW and will completely fill you up!  This recipe will serve at least 6 people, more if they are small eaters.

I have finally found a "diet" recipe that I can literally eat until I'm ready to stop!  Oh, by the way, I don't consider slurping soup "eating".  I want to chew, chomp, taste and savor when I get in this mood!  Now it's on to the next discovery until the urge hits again!

Healthy Stuff

I was looking through my cookbook and then browsing my blog when I realized that it doesn't quite fully represent our new way of healthy eating. Although most of the family doesn't realize it, we've gotten to the point where there's very little fat, if any, in our meals. They just enjoy all the amazing flavors and beautiful plates they're getting.

They also don't realize they're getting a lot more seafood in their diet! For a family that doesn't care for seafood (one will go to McDonald's instead of Anthony's) I've been managing to "sneak" it into the menu once or twice a week! Today I realized there's none on my blog! How will I ever remember all the successful sneaks if I don't document?!

Besides fish tacos, here's one of the favorites:

Herb Crusted Cod
2 lbs cod fillets
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
16 crackers, fat free, crushed

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Lay cod fillets on parchment with a small amount of spacing just so they don't stick together. In a medium bowl whisk together the melted butter, mustard, lemon juice, parsley, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the cracker crumbs and combine. If the mixture seems to dry, spray lightly with cooking spray and mix well. Divide the crumbs between the fish and use your fingers to pat it evenly over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. When fish is cooked through turn oven to broil. Check every 20-30 seconds and remove when tops of crust are a light golden brown. Serve with additional lemon if desired.

This recipe is so simple! And yet everybody will have seconds without realizing I just snuck more seafood into their diet! Will I ever get them to give up the red meat? That makes me chuckle just thinking about it...

During my chuckle I almost forgot to mention, this is only 6 points plus per serving leaving plenty of room for some Parslied Potatoes (coming soon)!

Taking Advantage

Tuesday nights have become a late dinner night because of a meeting that runs until 6:30 so we're eating at 7:00 instead of 5:30. Of course this makes everybody (mainly Barry) think they are starving to death! In order to stave off his hunger, I agreed to make some sort of appetizer or soup that could be served at 5:00. This seemed to make him and the rest of the family happy!

So on this Tuesday afternoon I decided to try my hand at flatbread! I envisioned these wonderful little panini appetizers with spinach, mango chutney and goat cheese. As the ripe mangoes sat before me I kneaded and rolled, rolled and kneaded. Then I baked and watched as these beautiful square flatbreads became golden and picture perfect! They came out of the oven smelling... like flatbread! They broke like crackers!! "Aha" I said, crackers and mango salsa!! So I threw together some salsa (mango, pineapple, red pepper, onion, cilantro and lime juice) and let that sit while I searched for something else to do with my final ripe mango.

And here's where taking advantage of the late dinner opportunity and a ripe mango rocked our world with flavor!

Curried Shrimp & Mango Stew
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp curry powder
1/8 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 Serrano chili, minced
2 cups chicken broth, fat free
1/3 cup white rice
7 oz. evaporated milk, fat free
1 ripe mango, diced
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, cook the onions in the oil over medium high heat for about 2 minutes, until softened. Add in the celery and garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the curry powder, allspice and diced chili and cook another minute. Add the chicken broth and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and cover the saucepan. Cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is tender. Add in all remaining ingredients and cook about 5 minutes until the shrimp is opaque.

This stew can definitely be a meal, not just a snack or appetizer! The recipe makes six 1/2 cup servings at only 3 points plus per serving - you'd need to double it to actually make a meal of 1 cup servings. It has a nice warmth to it but not too much so even those that don't like spicy foods can completely enjoy it.

Let's see how the Curried Chicken & Vegetables turns out for dinner...