Spicy Shrimp and Grits

I have always loved Southern food and since moving to Florida, I have been surrounded by it.  Yes, I know a majority of it is awful for you so I stay away from most of it.  But my family is a HUGE fan of grits and a dish I had been dying to try was shrimp and grits.  So, I went on a search for recipes.  It took a while but I did find one that wasn't too bland or complicated.  You know, me I didn't follow the recipe exactly but I did stick pretty close.  This recipe fed my family of four perfectly but the amounts could easily be adjusted up or down.

For the grits:

1 1/2 cups quick cooking grits (Yes, I know Alton Brown would have my head but it's what I had on hand.)
4 1/2 cups of chicken stock (I use low fat/low sodium.  I'm sure you could also use water)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (I used low fat Mexican but you could use whatever you like)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Shrimp:

1 lb. shrimp (I used 31/40's)
3 carrots, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 of a small sweet onion
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 cup white wine (I used chardonnay.  Beer or stock would work too)
Olive oil
1 tbs. parsley, chopped
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Spice mix:

1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (You can adjust this to taste)
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (This can also be adjusted to taste)
1 tsp. salt.

In a medium sized saute pan, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom.  Heat the oil over medium high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery, onion and jalapeno.  Season with salt and pepper.
















After about 3 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and saute for 2 or 3 minutes more.

 Add the spice mix.

Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes to toast the spices being careful not to let them burn. The onion should be translucent and the other veggies should be soft.

While the veggies are cooking, you can start the grits by heating the stock in a saucepan over high heat.

As the stock heats up, add the wine to the softened veggies and bring to a boil.

Once the wine comes to a boil, add the shrimp, lime juice and parsley.  Stir until the shrimp and incorporated.

Lower the heat to medium low and cover.  While the shrimp cook, slowly whisk the grits into the stock.  Lower the heat to medium low and cook the grits for 5 minutes.  Add the grated cheese at the end of the cooking time and stir until melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the grits into a bowl and serve the shrimp and sauce over the top.

I was surprised at how easy and good this recipe was.  It was a hit with the entire family and it will definitely go into the meal rotation.

Adapted from My Husband Cooks.

I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Earth

I’m bbbbbaaaaaccccckkkkkk! Yes, I know, it’s been almost 5 months since last posted. Things got a bit hectic for a while and I found myself just falling back on reliable recipes and not trying anything new. Well, like everyone, we’re cutting back and I’ve been trying new recipes to make up for the fact that we’ve had to cut back on going out to eat. I’ve also tried to get back into buying fish and other seafood, wild caught and sustainable, of course since it is a favorite around here.

Hubby loves swordfish. I could take it or leave it but it is good on the grill so I went looking for new recipes to jazz things up. And I found this one from one of my favorite chefs, Giada DeLaurentiis. The recipe can be found here if you would rather see it that way.

GRILLED SWORDFISH WITH LEMON, MINT AND BASIL

1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (5 to 6-ounces each) swordfish steaks

Prepare the grill (medium-high heat). Whisk the oil, mint, lemon juice, basil, and garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Season the lemon and olive oil mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Brush the swordfish steaks with 2 tablespoons of the lemon and olive oil mixture. Grill the steaks until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side (depending on thickness of steaks). Transfer the steaks to plates. Spoon the remaining sauce over and serve.

This got high marks from the whole family. Of course, my 2 ½ year old thought it was chicken, but who cares! I loved that it gave me a reason to use herbs from my garden.

Well, that’s all for today (since I have both kids home for the summer) but I have a bunch of recipes I have already tried as well as some that I will be trying in the next couple of weeks. I promise I will be posting regularly again.

Asian Inspired

I love Asian food of all kinds…Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai…you name it and I like it and for me, spicier is better. So, here are some of my favorite recipes for when I feel like just staying in but have a hankering for Asian inspired cuisine.

The first recipe is actually a combination of 2 separate recipes. The marinade comes from a recipe that I cut out of the July 2005 issue of Cooking Light. I have never made the sauce that accompanied that recipe but I am sure it’s delicious. The sauce recipe came from the Weight Watchers recipe forum on the Weight Watchers site. I got it years ago and I have no idea where it originally came from. First I’ll post the recipes as they are and then I will add my note at the end.

Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce

Sate:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 8 strips
1 tbs. light brown sugar
2 ½ tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. bottled fresh ground ginger (such as Spice World)
1 tsp. grated lime zest
2 garlic cloves, minced.

Combine the chicken with the marinade ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes. Thread chicken onto skewers and grill or broil until cooked through.

Peanut Sauce:

¾ C fat free sour cream
1 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs. reduced fat peanut butter
2 tsp. dark sesame oil

Whisk ingredients together and serve with sates for dipping.

Notes: Now first off I will say I use chicken tenderloins for this (I buy them at Costco). The only things I did differently with the marinade was I used fresh ginger and I let it sit more than 10 minutes. For the sauce, I do not use fat free sour cream. I used reduced fat and I also use a smaller amount, probably closer to ½ cup or maybe a little less. If you use the full amount, you lose the peanut flavor. But this is a favorite of the whole family. Even my kids love it. If you want the full recipe from Cooking Light, you can find it here.

The next recipe is a flank steak marinade I got from my next door neighbor back in CT but I have no idea where she got it. It seems to be Korean in origin but that do I know! Again, I’ll post the recipe as is then add my notes.

Flank Steak Marinade

3 1/2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. maple syrup
1/2 C light soy sauce
1 ½ tbs. mushroom soy
6 tbs. roasted sesame seeds, ground
4-5 tbs. sesame oil (I use 5...I love the stuff)
2 cloves garlic,minced
2 scallions, finely chopped

Pour all ingredients into a Ziploc bag with a flank steak and marinate for AT LEAST 2 hours but preferably overnight…the longer the better.

Notes: I have never used mushroom soy. I just leave it out. I know it can be found in Asian markets but in CT I didn’t have access to them and here in FL, I just haven’t gone to one yet. Sometimes I grind the sesame seeds, sometimes I don’t. I also usually just crack the garlic and thrown it in so I can pick it out before I grill it. I use scallion when I have them but I’ve also used chives, regular onion and dried onion. No one has complained.

I also wanted to share links to 2 recipes by Tyler Florence. I’ve made them both and while they take a little effort, it is SO worth it. The first are his Shrimp and Pork Siu Mai Dumplings. The second is his Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice. I have made both for guests and got RAVE reviews.

So the next time you feel like Asian food but don’t feel like going out, try these. I hope you like them.