Shrimp

Shrimp, naturally gluten free, high in protein, and low fat (although high cholesterol) may just be one of Mother Nature's best gifts to us. And, when they go on sale around $5/lb, they're not too bad on the wallet either. Regardless of whether we want to eat junk food, comfort food, or healthy, low-calorie diet food, shrimp is always a good bet to have in the freezer. Bonus: When stored in an airtight freezer bag, it defrosts quickly and easily in a cold water bath.

Typically, we like to keep 1-2 lbs of frozen, raw med-large shrimp in the freezer. I also buy the small, pre-cooked salad shrimp when Price Chopper has them on BOGO specials, because they're pretty versatile and can be used in a lot of dishes.

Looking for some ideas of how to use shrimp? Here are a few, ranging from super-healthy to super-unhealthy (but incredibly yummy). If you have a favorite way to serve shrimp, please share in the comments!

• Shrimp cocktail. One of the easiest shrimp dishes to make, cold boiled shrimp dipped in cocktail sauce is incredibly yummy, and so good that it's easy to forget it's not that bad for you. 
• Grilled shrimp skewers, basted with fat free Italian dressing. Serve with grilled veggies (I usually do portabella mushrooms, white mushrooms, red peppers, Vidalia onions and yellow squash), basted in the same dressing. 
• Buffalo shrimp. I dredge raw shrimp in egg whites, gluten free Bisquick, and repeat. I then pan fry them in a bit of olive oil until they're fully cooked and golden brown - when they're done, I pour warmed-up Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce over them and serve them as an appetizer - spear with fancy toothpicks and eat (these work best with medium shrimp). 
• Sauteed shrimp with basil over angel-hair pasta. 
• Shrimp summer rolls. Rice paper, lettuce, and vermicelli. I haven't quite gotten this recipe down yet, but I use the salad shrimp for it. 
• Jambalaya - shrimp, andouille sausage, chicken, veggies, lots of cayenne pepper, and rice. I use the recipe from America's Test Kitchen.  
• Shrimp fried rice. I add egg, and whatever veggies I have on hand. Usually something like peas, carrots, onion, mushroom, etc. Salad shrimp can easily be used here in a pinch.
• Shrimp alfredo over penne pasta. I use Classico alfredo sauce, and my special finish is to top with a bit of mozzarella/cheddar cheese (just a tiny bit) and sprinkle liberally with black and cayenne peppers. 
• Coconut shrimp. Serve with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.
• Shrimp dip. Canned or salad shrimp with cream cheese, a bit of soy sauce, and scallions. Mix together. Good "plain" on rice crackers or rolled up in rice paper wrappers and deep fried, served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. 

YUM!

Recipe: Baked coconut shrimp with dipping sauce

This evening, in an effort to escape the dinner rut my husband and I tried a new recipe that I'd found online for baked coconut shrimp.

I didn't have everything on hand and modified it to suit our preferences, so here's what I made:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I had about 30)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rinse & dry shrimp. 
3. Mix cornstarch and seasoned salt together. 
4. Dredge shrimp in cornstarch, then egg, then roll in coconut. Place on sheet. 
5. Bake for approx. 16 minutes, turning halfway through. Shrimp will be pink and cooked through and coconut will be brown. 

I served with the following dipping sauce (a variation of one of my own concoctions):

• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 3/4 cup orange juice (pineapple would be better)
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp oil (I was out of sesame so used canola) 

Heat in a saucepan over med-high heat until thickened to the desired consistency, and serve.

Overall the shrimp went over very well. It's a bit rich and might be better off as a party app, but made a very satisfying dinner. I served with baked potato and steamed broccoli (mostly because that's all that was left in the house for veggie options).

Monster cookies!

Some girlfriends and I started a monthly book club a little over a year ago. For December we selected The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman, and we decided that, to go with the theme of the book, it would be nice to bring cookies and wine and do a holiday cookie swap. (Okay, so full disclosure, we decided to do that before selecting the book, but it fits in very nicely).

As you can imagine, most holiday treats aren't gluten free. However, one of my girlfriends brought monster cookies which can very easily be made gluten free -- no recipe substitutions, just using gluten free oats! The recipe for monster cookies can be found on the Food Network website, and here it is:

Ingredients

* 3 eggs
* 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
* 1 stick butter, softened
* 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
* 1/2 cup chocolate chips
* 1/4 cup raisins, optional
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

To make this recipe gluten free, make sure to use gluten free oats (and gluten free vanilla extract, non-contaminated peanut butter, etc. etc. etc.) and that's pretty much all that you need to do! It's nice to have another recipe that doesn't need a lot of modification. The cookies are absolutely delicious and I'm adding them to the list of cookies we're planning to make.

The one modification that I'm planning to make is omitting the chocolate candies and chocolate chips from the cookies -- since my husband doesn't eat chocolate and I want to be able to share these gluten free goodies! We may just make plain cookies, but I'm going to try them this weekend with some shredded coconut. Yum!!!

Simple, Light Chicken Dish

When I'm trying to eat light, my go-to recipe and one of the staples of my diet (literally - I'll have this twice a week) is based off a chicken in wine sauce recipe I downloaded from AllRecipes. For people who care, it's a South Beach Diet friendly recipe (Phase 2), and if I recall correctly it was 3 or 4 Weight Watchers points (my mother and I debated on that, I counted the olive oil and tallied it at 4 while she tallied it at 3)

This is a great dish because it's simple, doesn't cause too much of a mess, and really healthy for you!

I usually buy a package of thin-sliced, boneless chicken breasts at the grocery store for this recipe - the chicken is already cut thin so you can use it "as is" which is really nice.

I also like to add a lot of seasoning - the garlic, salt and pepper is nice (and it's worth the time to chop up the fresh garlic), but I like to add onion powder and seasoned salt instead of regular salt. And of course, since the secret to cooking with wine is to use something marginally drinkable I usually use Barefoot chardonnay.

What I love about this recipe:

• It's simple - you can come home from a long day at work and have dinner ready in less than half an hour
  
• It's super-healthy for you and a great diet recipe at approx. 250 calories per serving
  
• You can make it in one dish - yay!
  
• You can substitute/add almost any veggies that you already have on hand. I love making this dish with red pepper slices, sweet onion and portabella mushrooms!

In the winter I like to pair this recipe with mashed potatoes and peas, or a nice salad. It goes very well with pinot grigio or riesling as well!

However if I'm trying to eat healthy - like now, try it paired with:

• Summer squash (best in season), steamed, with a tsp. margarine and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
• A nice organic baby romaine salad, and a baked potato with some plain yogurt if you insist on having a starch. A side note on the salad, Price Chopper brand light bleu cheese dressing is awesome, cheap and pretty decent as far as calories and fat go!
  

Do you have a "healthy" go-to recipe of your own?