Dear friends,
It's true. I'm on, what I affectionately call, "The Chicken Diet". I call it that simply because the protein I eat most often is chicken. Here's the good news for you: I'm still trying new things AND they'll be yummy and good for me (and you!). Just in time for spring and summer. So, let's try some stuff that's healthy and not boring! Here are some of the dishes I plan to try and blog about:
Springtime Barley (includes marjoram for flavor)
Rice with Summer Squash
Skillet Arroz con Pollo (there's cilantro and lemon peel)
Shrimp with Yellow Rice (turmeric!)
Lemon Mushroom Chicken
Also, I find that I'm getting kind of good at making up my own creations... who would have thunk it!
Finally, my new habits include no sugar, and no fat. So for about 6 weeks there won't be much in the way of desserts. However, the hard-core part of "the chicken diet" lasts only 6 weeks, and after that I'll be adding those things back in... slowly and occasionally.
So for now, let's be happy and healthy! Yay!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
"Shrimp Dish"
I hate seafood. Basically the only way I'll eat it is if it's fried and covered in so much tartar sauce that you don't even know there's fish in your mouth. However, I can tolerate shrimp. NOT raw shrimp that involves preparation and touching it and smelling it - YUCK - but already cooked and frozen shrimp, tails off and deveined! Therefore, I can make this dish :) The "recipe" was given to me by my neighbor and friend, who, by her own admission, doesn't cook. (She recalls it from one of the morning shows on network TV and I don't remember which show or who the chef was, so if some exec from the channel it was on or the chef reads this, I'm sorry. Let me know and I'll give you all the credit in the world.) It's easy, it's yummy, and it's light and fresh and good for you! We call it "Shrimp Dish".
RECIPE:
1 lb shrimp, frozen, tails off, deveined
1 lb spaghetti (it's best with the good ol' fashioned kind, but use whole wheat if you're on a health kick)
1 pt cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (I like the cherry tomatoes better)
1 bag baby spinach (or a bunch of spinach with the stems cut off)
grated lemon peel of 1 lemon (or two if you like it extra lemony like we do)
2T olive oil
3-5 cloves minced garlic (we're all about garlic around here)
1.Make the spaghetti according to package directions. When you add the pasta to the boiling water, begin with the preparation of the rest of the recipe. If you fail to do this, you will be kicking yourself because the shrimp mixture takes almost exactly the same amount of time as the spaghetti does to cook.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sautee garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until heated through.
3. Add halved cherry or grape tomatoes and heat until the skins on the tomatoes begin to wrinkle (2-3 minutes?).
4. Tossing constantly (I like to do this over low heat or no heat), add spinach - spinach really shrinks when heated, so you'll think, "Oh man, I will only need like a quarter of this bag," but you really need the whole bag. NOTE: if you cook the spinach too long, your dish will taste like seaweed. Not really the outcome you're looking for.
5. Turn off heat, add lemon zest and stir until evenly mixed. Add pasta to sauce (which is what the chef said to do because the dish will retain the most flavor that way, but my skillet isn't big enough to do that, so into the big pasta pot it all goes!!).
6. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
This is a great, light, and fulfilling meal, and it's also great the next day. It's even good for you, so try it (even if you hate seafood).
RECIPE:
1 lb shrimp, frozen, tails off, deveined
1 lb spaghetti (it's best with the good ol' fashioned kind, but use whole wheat if you're on a health kick)
1 pt cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (I like the cherry tomatoes better)
1 bag baby spinach (or a bunch of spinach with the stems cut off)
grated lemon peel of 1 lemon (or two if you like it extra lemony like we do)
2T olive oil
3-5 cloves minced garlic (we're all about garlic around here)
1.Make the spaghetti according to package directions. When you add the pasta to the boiling water, begin with the preparation of the rest of the recipe. If you fail to do this, you will be kicking yourself because the shrimp mixture takes almost exactly the same amount of time as the spaghetti does to cook.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sautee garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until heated through.
3. Add halved cherry or grape tomatoes and heat until the skins on the tomatoes begin to wrinkle (2-3 minutes?).
4. Tossing constantly (I like to do this over low heat or no heat), add spinach - spinach really shrinks when heated, so you'll think, "Oh man, I will only need like a quarter of this bag," but you really need the whole bag. NOTE: if you cook the spinach too long, your dish will taste like seaweed. Not really the outcome you're looking for.
5. Turn off heat, add lemon zest and stir until evenly mixed. Add pasta to sauce (which is what the chef said to do because the dish will retain the most flavor that way, but my skillet isn't big enough to do that, so into the big pasta pot it all goes!!).
6. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
This is a great, light, and fulfilling meal, and it's also great the next day. It's even good for you, so try it (even if you hate seafood).
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