Tuesday, April 30, 2013

1 Pan Vegetable Stew



Hi Everyone!
I just began the final leg of my nutrition internships yesterday! I am still going to try to post as much as a I can but make sure you keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for  items as I make them. This stew was inspired by my friend Marielle. We share a lot of similar food interests; she is a more strict vegetarian than I am and has made her own version of this twice recently. She always sends me pictures and I decided that I was going to tackle it today! In total, this really only took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I happened to have all of these items on hand but this would make for a beautiful post-farmer's market meal! Not pictured, I enjoyed this with a nice triangle of ciabatta! Mmmm!

Ingredients
1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz)
1 can chick peas, drained (15oz)
4 stems kale, chopped & including stems
3 large portobello mushroon caps
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
~ 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4-5 stems scallions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

1) On medium heat add olive oil, onion and garlic. Allow to brown slightly.
2) Add kale and tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes until becomes wilted.
3) Add chick peas, mushrooms, scallions and garlic. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Sauce will reduce slightly.
4) Zest the 1/2 lemon and squeeze juice into mixture. Add parsley.
5) Cook on medium low for 4-5 minutes more.
6) Rest for 2-3 minutes.
Enjoy!

It is really the easiest meal to make! The most time is spent chopping everything up!

Options:
1) If you are not a vegetarian simple add meat. Chicken or ground turkey would be fabulous.
2) If you don't have parsley, basil would be a great substitute. I would imagine dried herbs would also work well but not provide the fresh flavor.
3) If you don't have scallions they can be omitted entirely. They are a member of the onion family and mine were going to go bad if I didn't use them.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Shrimp & Grits

Hi everyone!
It's been a bit since I posted a recipe because we moved and I really haven't been cooking! :( Anyway, lst month we went to Florida to visit my brother and Joe went crazy for this Shrimp & Grits dish at this cute little seafood joint near St. Augustine. Fast forward to today, I decided to make his favorite dish for our 7 year anniversary! I looked up some recipes because Shrimp & Grits is foreign to me as far as making it. I found a Paula Deen recipe and lightened it up a lot because she is butter fiend!

This recipe clocks in at 1,170 calories, 42gm fat and 1,699mg sodium but serves 4-5. At 4 servings, its 292.5 calories, 10.5gm fat, 425mg sodium each!

Going without the ham? You save 1180mg sodium! Woohoo!

 ***I had all of the following ingredients in my kitchen. Will post even lighter options in the tips at the bottom of this post! ****

So here goes!

Ingredients:
2 small green peppers, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
24 small shrimp,thawed, peeled & deveined
1/2 cup cubed ham (try using a leftover pork chop)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced
2 tsp sriracha
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup grits
1 tbsp & 2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tbsp butter

1) Add 1 tsp olive oil to a large skillet on medium heat and saute ham. When slightly browned, transfer ham to a bowl and set aside.
2) Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the same skillet and add onions & peppers. Saute through until peppers are wilted and onions are caramelized. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
3) Add 1 tsp olive oil to same skillet and cook shrimp until shrimp is pink and slightly browned. Flip frequently so all of shrimp is cooked through. Should be 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
4) Add diced tomato, sriracha, white wine, 1 tsp salt to skillet. Scrape browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and allow to reduce slightly. After 4-5 minutes the mixture will thicken slightly.
5) Add onions and peppers and stir for 1-2 minutes.
6) Add shrimp and ham and mix.
7) Add milk and stir well. Reduce heat to medium and allow sauce to thicken slightly. Make take a few minutes.
8) Add 3 cups of water to a pot and bring to boil. Slowly add grits, stirring continuously.  Remove from heat and allow to thicken. Add 1 tbsp butter and mix.

Scoop 3/4 cup cooked grits into a bowl and top with shrimp and ham mixture! Enjoy!!! Mmmmm!

Tips:
a) I am a vegetarian, so the ham is a no for me. You can easily use your favorite meatless ham in this recipe.
b) You can use 99/1 turkey as a great alternative, too!
c) The original recipe called for canned, crushed tomatoes, so feel free to use that instead of a fresh tomato.