Category Archives: recipes

Eating, recipes

On the Beach

If it seems like a long time since I’ve put up a recipe, it’s because it has been. I started the South Beach Diet about a month ago, and while the recipes aren’t bad, they haven’t had me dancing in the streets. Tonight’s dinner, though, was good enough to share. For lunch, we had Red Leaf, Avocado and Apple Salad. For dinner, we topped the leftover salad with Shrimp Scampi. I had my doubts about the mustard-garlic-apple combination, but it turned out just fine. I think the shrimp will be even better in a few weeks when we can have it with whole-wheat pasta.

Both recipes are from the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook, and they’re both Phase I. For those of you on Weight Watchers, it’s 5 Points for the shrimp and 4 Points for the salad.

Red Leaf, Avocado and Apple Salad
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse-grain Dijon mustard
1 (1-pound) head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine oil, lemon juice and mustard in a jar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, close tightly and shake vigorously to combine.
Toss dressing with lettuce; add salt and pepper to taste. Distribute salad among plates, top with avocado and apple slices, and serve.
Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Scampi
1 1/2 pounds fresh or thawed frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons trans-fat-free margarine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Rinse shrimp under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat margarine and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until melted and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp and stir to coat.
Add lemon juice, parsley and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook or the shrimp will be tough. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.
Makes 4 servings.

Eating, recipes

3.14159265

What’s that? You’d like another pie recipe? How convenient!

I found this recipe at 101 Cookbooks. It’s incredibly good — and I didn’t even make it right. I strongly suggest giving it a try and, if you do, thawing the puff pastry correctly. And using bowls that the pastry will cover. I did neither, and the “crust” was more of a dumpling texture. But! Still delicious! It was mighty spicy, though. I’ll probably cut back a bit on the adobo next time.

Sweet Potato Pot Pies
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 to 3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies (or more to taste)
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 cups cold whole or low-fat milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 box puff pastry dough (allow 20 to 30 minutes to thaw)
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the oil, onion, garlic, sweet potato and salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the adobo sauce and corn.

In a small bowl, combine the milk and cornstarch, then pour the mixture into the sweet potato pot. Leave the heat at medium-high for a few minutes to bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until the filling starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season with more salt to taste. Pour the filling into small ovenproof bowls, each three quarters full.

Cut a piece of puff pastry dough to fit over each bowl, with some overlap. Place the dough on the bowls and fold over the edge of the dish. Brush the dough lightly with egg white (this creates a golden crust).

Using a fork, poke a few holes in the top of each pie to allow steam to escape, and bake until the crusts are tall and deeply golden, about 15 minutes. Tip: Bake the potpies on a baking sheet lined with foil in case some of the filling bubbles over.

Serves 4 as a main course.

Eating, recipes

More pie!

The beauty of pie is that it’s good for any meal. I used some leftover pot roast on Monday to make a Pot Roast Pot Pie. I’ve tried the following recipe using chicken, turkey and roast. I’m sure you could make a veggie pot pie, too, if you were so inclined. So far, I haven’t been.

Pot Pie
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup warm broth
2-3 cups cooked meat
1 1/2 cups cooked peas and carrots
Pillsbury pie crust (for a two-crust pie)
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Line pie plate with crust. Place ingredients in crust.
Melt butter in a saucepan; whisk in Wondra, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in warm broth until smooth. Slowly stir in milk. Stir over low heat until thickened and smooth.
Pour gravy over ingredients in crust.
Cover with top crust; cut away excess and crimp edges. Cut vents in top of crust.
Place pie plate on a cooking sheet (to catch drips) in the oven. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer.