2011 July

Bays English Muffins for Anytime

July 30, 2011 By Fran 2 Comments

A few days ago I received a package from the Bays English Muffin folks. Bays was one of the sponsors at the BlogHer Food conference in Atlanta in May. I eat English Muffins sometimes. They used to be a staple in our kitchen for breakfast when growing up and now that I’m working on losing weight, they’ve become a regular in my kitchen too. I’m not a cereal eater and sweet breakfasts aren’t my thing. A home made Belgian waffle, especially a savory one is something I like on weekends, but while I work hard at losing weight, it’s not something I indulge in right now.

My carb choices for breakfast are Deli Flats, a half a bagel or an English Muffin. All come in at between 3 and 4 Weight Watchers Points Plus values or between 100 and 140 calories. Not a bad point or calorie distribution for breakfast with something light on top.

Bays muffins are not kept in the bread aisle and that’s probably why I was not familiar with them. They’re kept in the refrigerated section and in my local Harris Teeter, they were right there below the eggs. I never look down. No, seriously, if I’m reaching for eggs, I’m intent on finding a container with no broken shells and other than perhaps looking to the left to see the Cream Cheese display, I just don’t look down.

I’d never have known to look in the refrigerated section if the Bays rep hadn’t told me when I stopped by their table at the conference. In any event, my muffins came neatly packed in a box and I broke them out the very next morning for breakfast. Nothing complicated, just a toasted English muffin and an ounce of Italian Black Truffle Cheese from Trader Joe’s. Hey now! I had a package in the fridge and who says black truffles can’t be eaten at breakfast?!

Anyway, I made a ThinRecipes version of a Maine Lobster Roll using shrimp last night. It was darn good, although the bread wasn’t authentic and any true “Mainer” scoff at it, dinner was fabulous and I didn’t feel at all deprived. These English Muffins are somehow fresher tasting than the brand I usually buy and I like that they aren’t quite as “wholly.” They are a little more dense which is, I suspect, why this brand of English muffin is 4 points rather than the typical 3 points, but I like a more dense bread and this does the trick for me. Look at how beautifully golden brown the edges are. What’s better than a crispy edge to an English Muffin?

They held up well to the shrimp and it made a great dinner after a busy workday.

I had a happy accident in the kitchen while making this sandwich on a baguette last weekend, one which I think you will probably be interested to hear if you’re trying to find ways to lower your point or calorie intake.

I was rushing around the kitchen in that whirlwind of ravenous dinner desperation. I didn’t even take the time to change into more comfortable clothes after rushing in after work, putting my bags down and getting to the work of making dinner. Who has time for relaxing when a meal is in the very near future? Clearly, I had no time.

I pulled out all the ingredients and got to chopping and cleaning. I chopped the shallots, olives and parsley and set it aside. Next, I cut the 4 large shrimp into chunks and put them in a bowl. The mayonnaise, a delicious olive oil and lemon emulsion with perhaps a bit too much lemon was perfect for shrimp. In goes a tablespoon and one more time. WHAT?! WHY would I have done that? Now what was I going to do. This perfectly calculated Weight Watchers Points dinner was suddenly adding up to be not so frugal in points. hmmm… Shrimp lives in the ocean. It gets cleaned when being peeled and deveined. What harm can another rinse do to it? I’d just start over. I gave it a quick rinse and low and behold, not all of the mayo came off. I put it back into the bowl, added the shallots and olives and low and much to my amazement, it was PERFECTLY dressed! Not too much mayo, not too little. Well seasoned and lemony, the shrimp flavor was able to shine through. Wonderful!

And just when I thought I’d been so clever and invented a great new way to save on Points or calories, my Sunday morning friends at Weight Watchers let me know that Lisa Lillien, of Hungry Girl fame recommends this method too! Looks like I’m in good company.

Writing this post, I suddenly have a classic craving. I’ve got eggs, Canadian bacon and more muffins in the fridge calling my name. Eggs Benedict, anyone? Not me. With this week’s weigh-in just 36 hours away, there’s no hollandaise in my near future. Rather, I’m feeling a crispy toasted English Muffin with a beautifully poached egg on top.

And we’re back! Before I leave you I thought I’d show you how I woke up and got over my Eggs Benedict craving, sans hollandaise. Who needs the sauce when you have a perfectly poached egg like this? A small one ounce round of Canadian Bacon, a quick Salsa Fresca and one beautifully Poached Egg on top of an English Muffin and you’ve got a delicious 7 point or 279.5 calorie breakfast.

Breakfast anyone?

**NOTE: Bays English Muffins provided me with the English Muffins. This is not a sponsored post, nor was I compensated for this post. The opinions are my own and are for information purposes only.

Filed Under: All Posts, Totally American Tagged With: Bays English Muffins, Hungry Girl, Poached Egg, Shrimp

No Calorie NO oodles and Peanut Sauce

July 23, 2011 By Fran 25 Comments

Have you ever heard such a thing? Noodles with no calories. Yes, I said ZERO calories – No Fat. No Net Carbs. No Soy. No Gluten!! How can this be? Have I lost my mind? Is there such a thing as a food with NO Calories?

Well, I’m putting my faith in the packaging and it says ZERO. From what I’ve read, it is fact. These calorie free noodles from the No Oodles company are made from yam fiber have no nutritional value other than a negligible 1g of carbohydrates.

I spotted these noodles on a trip to Whole Foods and as soon as the NO calorie label caught my eye, I knew a package was coming home with me. When I opened the package and took a look, my initial reaction was that they looked just like rice noodles or as they’re also called, Glass or Cellophane Noodles.

Actually, my first impression was that they were a little ~~yammy~~ ~~Asian~~ unfamiliar smelling, but I read the package and followed the directions which said to rinse them in cold water for a minute and it quickly dissipated and smelled like … well … absolutely nothing and frankly, tasted like nothing. But that’s not a bad thing when the sauce takes center stage.

I didn’t know what to do with them. The noodles are bright white and rather flimsy and in an already cooked state, but hold up to handling. It left me a little at a loss for what kind of preparation to use. I couldn’t imagine them in a Western style dish so I did what came to mind … Noodles in Peanut Sauce. Yes, these no calorie noodles suddenly ended up costing me some Weight Watchers Points, but it was well worth it. Here’s how it stacks up:

1 Package of NO 0odles = 0 Points Plus
Sauce = 4 Points Plus

A couple of ounces of Udon noodles in place of the NO oodles would have cost an additional 5 Points Plus making the dish 9 Points+. That said, this dish has won me over and I’ll be heading to the market to pick up another package of No Calorie NO 0odles on Saturday. During my search for information on No Oodles, I found a site that offers No Calorie Rice as well! I can’t wait to try it, although I don’t know what to think about the texture. I’ll keep an open mind.

If you were to try No Calorie Noodles, what would you do with them?

No Calorie NO oodle Recipe

Recipe Type: Side Dish

Serves: 1

These noodles have ZERO calories! The ingredients add just 4 Weight Watchers points or just 133.9 calories!

Ingredients

1 Package NO oodles, rinsed according to package directions
1 tablespoon Peanut Butter — creamy or chunky
1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar — if you don’t have Rice Vinegar, any White Vinegar will work
1 teaspoon fresh, minced Ginger
1 teaspoon fresh, minced Garlic
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce — or according to heat preference
1 Green Onion, sliced

Instructions

While the noodles are draining, heat a small saucepan on the stove.
Add all other ingredients and stir to combine
When the peanut butter is “melted” remove from the heat
Let sit for 2 minutes
Pour over noodles and combine
Serve

Serving size: 1 package Calories: 133.9 Fat: 8.2g Carbohydrates: 10.4g Fiber: 1.2g Protein: 6.0g

Notes

These delicious noodles will cost you 4 Weight Watchers Points +

Filed Under: All Posts, From Asia Tagged With: No Calorie NOodles, Peanut Sauce, Weight Watchers Points Plus, Yams

Summer Vegetable Variety and an Easy Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

July 19, 2011 By Fran 4 Comments

Summer produce is like artwork. Mother nature almost makes it too easy to photograph. And it’s so much easier to come up with meals and snacks that will fit into a weight loss plan like Weight Watchers, South Beach, or just a generic low fat, low calorie diet.

As you know, sometimes it’s important to have a lifesaver around in summer. You need it on hand at the pool. If you head out on a boat, you may very well be wearing one and when you’re fighting a craving to graze, having fresh fruits and vegetables in the kitchen can be one of the most important lifesavers you can have around during the dog days of summer — like we’re experiencing right now.

As you know, I’ve been on a something of a beet craze recently, but I think I’m about over it. No, it doesn’t mean I won’t eat a beet again, but I’ve made beet salad too many times to count in the last month so it’s onto other vegetables.

But first, one more look at these jewels.

And anyway, I don’t think beets are a summer vegetable anyway, so although I cut them into stars for the 4th of July and for a Spring Salad in June, it was time to hit up the Farmers Market.

Beets were in the past. This weekend it was eggplant. And how could I resist with these colorful spheres of goodness? I picked up two varieties at the farmers market that I haven’t seen before. The large purple eggplants are like the elongated purple ones I’m familiar with, but those little orange orbs are a first for me.

I watched as a couple ahead of me made their purchase and asked them what they were buying. I had no idea. I was told that they are eggplant with a less sweet taste than the typical eggplants we’re all used to and that they have a lot of seeds, but I thought I’d give them a try.

They were a bit bitter — in that way eggplant is when it’s not cooked thoroughly, but not offensive.

I also saw a bin of beans without a sign and had to ask the vendor how to prepare them. She looked at me and said they should be cooked just like black eyed peas — in that tone that said … you know, just like you always make black eyed peas. Not wanting to look like a Jersey transplant in the south who should know how to make black eyed peas but had no idea, I responded with a nod of acknowledgement and came home to look for recipes. I’ll get to it soon.

Basket-of-Produce

I picked up beautiful fresh apricots and juicy, cure the sweet craving, nectarines as well.

But it’s been the eggplant that’s captured my attention and I think my tummy is telling me to STOP! I have just one of the little orange ones left, so I’m on the downward swing of my eggplant extravaganza. Whew!

There’s not much to this Eggplant Parmesan recipe. Cook eggplant slices, spread on marinara sauce, top with cheese, cook and voila! Eggplant parmigana.

I know it’s blurry, but I wanted to you to see that there really was marinara sauce beneath the melty Provolone cheese.

Easy Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

This eggplant parmesan recipe has just a few steps and does away with breading and frying, which is great for a weight management plan

Ingredients

1 Eggplant, sliced into 4 portions
3 tablespoons Marinara Sauce — your own home made or your favorite store bought
4 slices Provolone Cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil Spray

Instructions

Spray a nonstick skillet with olive oil with about 10 sprays
Spray one side of each eggplant with olive oil spray to just cover — about 3 – 4 pumps each
Place the eggplant on the pan, oil side down
Spray the topside of each eggplant slice with 3 – 4 pumps of olive oil
Cook until beginning to brown
Turn, cooking on the other side until no longer opaque and very tender
Spoon a tablespoon of marinara sauce on each slice
Top with one slice of cheese each
Cover loosely with a lid or loosely with aluminum foil for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese
Remove from the pan and serve

Serving size: 2 slices Calories: 293.2 Fat: 16.3g Carbohydrates: 21.5g Fiber: 7.4g Protein: 17.7

Notes

This cheesy dish, worth 8 Weight Watchers Points Plus values will have vegetarian friends and family clamoring to get to the dinner table.

Filed Under: All Posts, From the Ground, Internationally Inspired Tagged With: Beets, Mexico, Recipe, Red, Salad, South Beach, Vegetable, Weight Watchers

Hot Summer Night Chicken Dinner

July 17, 2011 By Fran 3 Comments

Putting together dinner at the end of a workday is not something most people enjoy. As a matter of fact, many of my friends dread it. As a result, dinner in a restaurant, delivery or take out are the answer for them. It’s rare for me to go out to eat on a weeknight. Actually, I don’t often go out to eat on weekends either.

The majority of restaurants around me are chains operated by big conglomerates with pre-portioned, often partially cooked, salty, not necessarily fresh ingredients. Sure, I go because the fun of it for me is spending time with my friends and once in a while a jewel is found, but I’d much rather play around in my kitchen and cook something I know I’ll like without all the extraneous stuff going on around me.

My answer is cooking at home. Sure, I’m often tired and once I come in and sit down to relax for a few minutes, getting up off the couch and into the kitchen can take a little push, but I’ve yet to not make dinner. Missing a meal is just not something that’s in my DNA, even if it’s a small bite.

I like that I can control the ingredients that go into my meal and I know just how many Weight Watchers points or calories I’m going to consume. I’m not leaving it to someone behind a door in a kitchen I can’t see. I like the control. And if you think making dinner has to be a time consuming activity, that’s not the case with a dish like this. You can do some planning to ensure you have the ingredients you need to make a meal that won’t soon be forgotten.

Having a few key ingredients in the kitchen at all times gives me the variety to whip up something like these chicken burgers in no time and using the grill is a bonus. Who wants to heat up the kitchen on those days that top 100º?

I grind the chicken myself in my food processor and reach for a jalapeño pepper, a bottle of cumin seeds, the last of a fresh bunch of cilantro and onions and a fabulously flavorful, low in calories and points burger is on my plate in short order. I’m not sure why, but once I began to grind my own chicken, I found that the packages of ground chicken or turkey are not quite the right texture. It seems “mushy” to me.

The inspiration for this meal came from my weekly stroll through Trader Joe’s after my Sunday morning weigh in where I spotted the mini buns in the bread department. As soon as I saw them and checked the nutritional values so that I could calculate the Weight Watchers Points I knew I’d make a chicken burger ,although I didn’t know what flavor profile I’d feel like having that night. It wasn’t until I pulled into the kitchen and put the chicken breast into the food processor that I knew what I wanted to reach for.

So, flip through the site and find some recipes you like that will get you through a weeknight meal. In the meantime, get a chicken breast and pull out your food processor and get to grinding some burger meat.

Grilled Chicken Burgers

Chicken makes a much lighter, yet flavorful burger for a those hot summer nights. Fresh cilantro and ginger add a bright flavor to the burger.

Ingredients

1 Chicken Breast, cut into chunks
1 clove Garlic
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
2 tablespoons Onion, coarsely chopped
Jalapeño Pepper, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh Cilantro
Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup shredded low fat Cheddar Cheese or 1 slice for each burger or any cheese you prefer
2 mini Burger Buns

Instructions

Heat the grill or grill pan
Put the chicken in a food processor and pulse until just ground. Do not over process.
Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño and cumin seeds and process until well combined.
Add the cilantro, salt and pepper and pulse until just combined.
Form into patties and put on a hot grill or grill pan. Cook for 3 minutes and turn. Cook for another 3 minutes, or until done.
Serve with your favorite topping

Serving size: 1 Burger Calories: 108.3 Fat: 1.4 Carbohydrates: 1.9 Fiber: 0.3 Protein: 18.1

Notes

These chicken burgerswill cost you 3 Weight Watchers Points a piece, inclusive of the cheese. The mini buns, which I picked up at Trader Joe’s cost just 2 points. I topped my burgers with my home made Aji Verde, but you can use mustard, ketchup, salsa … the options are endless.

Have you ever ground your own meat, pork or poultry? I highly recommend it. There’s nothing like a burger made with home ground brisket. You’re sure to love it and find yourself grinding your own meat often.

Filed Under: All Posts, Chicken Tagged With: Burger, Chicken, Grill

A Creamy Breakfast Tortilla With a Little Bit of France Included

July 13, 2011 By Fran 3 Comments

It’s funny. I received a Tweet from a friend on Sunday wishing me a happy birthday and noting that she hoped I’d allow myself something NOT tortilla-related.

I came back from my usual Sunday Weight Watchers meeting excited about achieving the 10% milestone, made breakfast and sat down to see what was going on in the world online.

And there it was, a message from my friend Casey of Good.Food.Stories.

But it was too late. It didn’t take me more than 2 minutes during the meeting this week to decide what I was going to have for breakfast. The topic for the meeting this week was about produce — how to make fruits and vegetables more fun, interesting and delicious to eat. These things are not problems in my world, but I know this is an issue for many. We were talking about all kinds of produce and had an exercise to come up with fruit and vegetable recipes. That was a no-brainer for me. When asked to team up to come up with creative recipes, the Annatto Seed Infused Oil and Roasted Cauliflower and Beet Salad recipes fell right out of my mouth along with the recipe for a Grilled Nectarine from my very first blog.

Nothing earth-shattering there, but, when talk about avocados came up and the grumbling about how many points an avocado has began, it became and instant challenge. My first thought was — how about cutting an avocado in half and “stuffing” it with shrimp and making it a 10 point lunch? A little while later, while walking to the car, Susan, another Sunday regular stopped me to talk about how much she loves the little 2 point Brie Bites from Trader Joe’s and how she uses them as a meal with a cracker or bread for a quick, easy and delicious meal.

And that’s when the light bulb went off! I had a perfectly ripe avocado in the house and would pick up another package of those one portion Brie Bites and make myself a luxurious Breakfast Tortilla. More French than Mexican. A Corn Tortilla filled with Brie Cheese, Chunks of Avocado, diced Tomato and Onion all topped with a splash of that Aji Verde sauce I can’t get enough of.

No real recipe here … just a few ingredients and 5 points later and you have breakfast! How can you go wrong with that?

So, the good news is that you don’t have to shy away from avocados. This is all about portion control and keeping fun, flavorful foods IN your diet, not avoiding them. Be good to yourself, don’t avoid the things you like, just make wise choices about how you will add them to your day.

A Litte Bit of France in this Breakfast Tortilla

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

A breakfast tortilla with Brie cheese and Avocado makes for a decadently creamy 7 point treat

Ingredients

1 6″ Corn Tortilla
1 Trader Joe’s Mini Brie Bites, cut in slices
1/4 ripe medium Avocado, chunked
3 Cherry Tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon diced Onions
1.5 tablespoons teaspoons Aji Verde Sauce, divided

Instructions

Toast the tortilla until slightly charred. You can do this over an open flame, on a grill, or under a broiler pan. Keep your eye on it to make sure you don’t torch the entire tortilla.
When the tortilla has toasted, heat a small skillet with 5 pumps of light olive oil spray.
When hot, place the tortilla on the pan.
Add the brie to 1/2 of the tortilla and let melt slightly.
Add the avocado, the onions and tomatoes and cook until the avocado is warm to hot.
Add a tablespoon of the Aji Verde on top of the tomato and onion mixture
Fold the tortilla and hold down with the spatula
Slide a remaining Aji Verde on top, remove from the pan and serve.

Serving size: 1 Tortilla Calories: 201 Fat: 12.4 Carbohydrates: 19.1 Fiber: 4.9 Protein: 6.8

Notes

This tortilla is good any time of day. It’s a filling breakfast, but also makes a wonderful appetizer. Cut into halves for a passed finger food.

Filed Under: All, All Posts, From the Sea Tagged With: Avocado, Birthday, Breakfast, Brie, Recipe, Tortilla

A Recipe for Fattoush; a Lebanese Salad

July 9, 2011 By Fran 3 Comments

The first time I had this salad, before I began making it for myself was in a small Lebanese restaurant in the Philippines. It was one of my first weeks in the country and although familiar food was tough to find, I knew what hummus and salad were. But this salad contained an unfamiliar ingredient; sumac and it included the bright flavor of mint. Don’t let sumac scare you. This isn’t the poison sumac that used to scare you in the summer when you were out playing in the woods. The sumac berry, when dried and ground adds a tart, lemony flavor to this salad and it’s dark red color adds interest to fattoush, hummus and even grilled meats and fish.

Just like Italy brings us a bread salad called Panzanella, Fattoush is a bread salad as well, usually with toasted or fried pita pieces being the star ingredient. I’ve adapted this salad to focus on the vegetables with pita as the surprise crunch in most bites and have added a few olives for texture and that briny flavor.

I keep a jar of Za’atar* in my pantry and it’s the perfect spice blend for this salad as well as many other dishes I like to cook. Za’atar* is a spice blend that you can make and keep with your spices, but if you’d rather not, you can find it in specialty or international markets in your area or online.

Fattoush is easy to put together and on warm summer nights it’s the perfect side dish to serve with your favorite grilled food. Serve it with a side of hummus and pita chips and you’ve got a summer dinner that’s tough to beat.

Change it up by adding some good quality, brine packed feta cheese and this salad can become a satisfying lunch-time meal. Just be sure to add points for the cheese. Just 1 point for each 1/4 cup of feta.

I’ve added olives for the texture and salty flavor. Olives or no olives, it’s a salad with many textures and flavors that’s not to be missed. I made this salad last year for an end of summer dinner I invited friends over to share with me and ever since, it’s been the dish I’m most often asked to make when I’m invited for dinner. Maybe that’s because when I cook at their house I ALWAYS — and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME — screw up the rice?

Fattoush; a Lebanese Salad

Recipe Type: Salad

Serves: 10

This salad is filled with flavor and texture. Adjust to suit your salad cravings.

Ingredients

1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh Mint, finely chopped — the amount is based on your preference for mint, but the salad should not be without this important flavor
2 English Cucumber, sliced in rounds or cut into quarter slices
1 medium Onion, very thinly sliced
2 pints Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Yellow or Red Pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
20 Black Olives, cut in half, lengthwise
3 Toasted Pita rounds, cut into pieces or 4 cups of Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked Pepper
2 teaspoons dried Oregano
1 teaspoons dried Basil
1 tablespoons ground dried Thyme
1 teaspoons dried Savory
1 teaspoons dried Marjoram
1-1/2 tablespoons ground Sumac
2 Tablespoons cup ground toasted Sesame Seeds (not the black ones)
2 tablespoons Za’atar* — See links above in body of post for detail
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tablespoons Vinegar or Lemon Juice

Instructions

In a serving bowl combine the parsley, mint, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and red pepper and toss.
Meanwhile, combine the spices in a bowl
Sprinkle the spice mix (or Za’atar* — See links above in body of the post for detail) over the salad and toss to thoroughly combine
Pour the vinegar or lemon juice into a separate bowl, slowly pour in olive oil, whisking briskly to combine
Pour over the salad, toss and let sit for 10 minutes before serving
Crunch up toasted pita or pita chips, add to the salad, toss and serve

Serving size: 1 Cup Calories: 282.6 Fat: 3.2g Carbohydrates: 17.1g Fiber: 2.6g Protein: 3.3g

Notes

Be judicious when dressing the salad. This is probably too much dressing for the quantity of salad you are preparing, but it will keep for a long time in an air tight container.

The Weight Watchers Points Plus value for this salad is 3.

Filed Under: All Posts, Internationally Inspired Tagged With: Clark Air-Force Base, Cook, Food, Philippines, Recipe, Salad, Weight Watchers

Pickled Shrimp Recipe for a 4th of July Treat

July 4, 2011 By Fran 6 Comments

From the torn and tattered pages of a book of recipes I started collecting when I was a young married woman, I revived the Pickled Shrimp recipe my mom used to make for dinner parties this morning to take to a 4th of July barbecue later this afternoon.

It’s a simple recipe. Just one bowl and a few steps, especially if you pick up already peeled, deveined and cooked shrimp. And if you click on the image, you’ll see that I didn’t even write any steps for making the dish. It’s that simple.

This recipe, in this book, has been following me around the world for decades and I had no idea where it originated. The recipe next to the hand written Pickled Shrimp recipe is a mystery as well, although I suspect it comes from Gourmet Magazine.

So I picked up the phone and called my mom and found out it’s from the original Gourmet cookbook which I don’t have any longer. I brought it to Goodwill a couple of years ago when I found myself with the two most recent volumes which is a shame, because I just looked for the recipe to see if it traveled with Gourmet through the years and like the magazine, the recipe has gone by the wayside. I’m just happy I have my hand written copy!

I usually cook my own shrimp, but when walking through Trader Joe’s for my weekly after Weight Watchers meeting visit, I spied bags of already cooked shrimp in the freezer section and said to myself — Self, break out of that — have to cook every part of a dish yourself — frame of mind and skip a step! The shrimp might actually be good — as good as or perhaps better than what you can do!

And so I did. Thee bags of peeled, deveined and cooked shrimp ended up in my basket and this is what I have to say — WOW! What a great thing these bags of shrimp are! I didn’t see what the count was, but these are large shrimp and not having to peel, devein, clean, boil and do the dishes was a real luxury.

You’ll need a bit of time since you need to “pickle” the shrimp, but the prep time is minimal and you may have all of the ingredients in the house already. Don’t confuse this with ceviche. The shrimp is not “cooked” in the vinegar. I am not sure, but I think the oil would prevent the “cooking” process, so the recipe calls for already cooked shrimp. It also has a different texture.

And finally, I’m not paid to plug Trader Joe’s, although that would be pretty damn cool, but let me just tell you — this shrimp was cooked so well. The package notes that they have come up with a new way to peel and devein shrimp by using a kind of pin or probe to pull out the veins. This made me SO HAPPY! I have a thing about shrimp veins and when I devein I remove both. Yeah, yeah yeah. I know it’s not necessary to remove both, but come on, each look unappetizing, don’t they? Anyway, the process Trader Joe’s uses means you don’t end up with butterflied shrimp. They are whole, in one piece. A beautiful thing.

If you need already cooked shrimp, run to Trader Joe’s and pick up a bag. Hell, go there now and make this recipe! It’s always a crowd pleaser and it’s perfect for a summer party or dinner appetizer.

Pickled Shrimp

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 8 hours

Total time: 8 hours 15 mins

Serves: A crowd

Pickled Shrimp is so easy to prepare. If you’re having company, put it together, throw it in the fridge and a before the guests arrive, pull it from the fridge, just in case the oil has congealed a bit. Pull out the tooth picks and serve to hungry guests to get the evening started.

Ingredients

1 large Onion
Shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
3 – 4 Bay Leaves, fresh or dried
1 cup Olive Oil
3/4 cup White Vinegar
5 teaspoons Celery Seeds
3 teaspoons Salt

Instructions

Using a mandoline or knife, slice onion thinly, but not paper thin and set aside
In a serving bowl (I like to use glass because it shows well) place a layer of shrimp
Add a layer of onions and a bay leaf
Sprinkle celery seeds and salt
Start with the shrimp layer again and continue layering until you’ve used all of the shrimp
Finish with a layer of onion
In a bowl, whisk the olive oil and vinegar
Pour over the shrimp, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours
Serve with toothpicks

Serving size: 4 Shrimp

Notes

This dish feeds a crowd so the vast amount of olive oil is not negligible, but is not consumed in amounts that will put you over the edge. I hesitate to put a Weight Watchers Points Plus value because much of the oil is left sitting in the bowl but after building the recipe using WW’s eTools, the Points Plus value for 4 shrimp came up at 7. I estimated high and think it’s probably more like 3 points, but to be safe, call it 7. These are large shrimp weighing about 3 ounces for 4 pieces.

Filed Under: All Posts, From the Sea, Totally American Tagged With: Cook, Food, Fourth of July, Pickled Shrimp, Recipe, Weight Watchers

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