Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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Home > 308
KitchenKatalog: Blog 308
Friday, July 27, 2012, 10:46 PM
I had read a few recipes on shrimp and grits and they were all basically the same: make grits, make shrimp, combine. I figured that was easy enough. Some recipes called for grits to be made in just water while other wanted heavy cream. I made 3/4 cup of dry grits which calls for 3 cups of water. So, I did 1 cup of water and two of unsweetened almond milk for more creaminess. I also threw in some Smart Balance "butter."
I have been a fan recently of putting extra veggies in food, even if you won't taste them much. So, while that started cooking, I julienned (with the mandolin) half a zucchini and then I thinly sliced small sweet peppers. I sautéd them to get them semi cooked and then I added them to the grits.
I cooked the peeled shrimp (about 1/2 pound) in the sauté pan with a tiny bit of old bay. When the grits were ready, I added everything together. I also added some onion and garlic powder and crushed red pepper
I also added a small amount of low-fat mexican cheese mix and two ounces of goat cheese. That was probably the largest source of points in the meal and ended up not adding much flavor.
Anyway, it was extremely tasty, though as I just noted, you barely tasted the goat cheese. I did notice the peppers and zucchini though not much. The grits (which were from the Whole Foods bulk bin, BTW) came out very creamy and everything melded well. I would absolute make it again, but skip the goat cheese to save points. I do not know about the mexican cheese mix. I could probably skip that too.
Points Plus: I just guessed how much smart balance and mexican cheese I used
3/4 cup grits...8.7
2 cups almond milk...2.2
2 oz goat cheese...4.2
Smart Balance...2.6
Mexican Cheese mix...3.2
8 oz shrimp...4.5
-----------------------------------
25.4
So the whole meal was pretty large at about 25 points plus, but it made a lot of food and could be cut down to less in the future. Also, considering how many points I have a day, this isn't too bad.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2145, 2012-07-27_224644
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, 10:44 PM
I made salmon burgers and steamed edamame. It was fast and easy_!_I let the salmon burgers cook for about 4-5 min on each side. I think I like them more cooked. They taste less juicy, but have a better texture.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2141, 2012-07-25_224426
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 11:02 AM
I kind of just threw this together. I sautéd some kale for a bit, then took it out of the pan and cooked shrimp. I resisted the urge to actually add oil and just used pam. While the shrimp was cooking, I threw in a bunch of crushed red pepper. Finally, as it was nearing completion, I added back the kale and let everything cook together. As the pasta was almost, but not completely done, I threw it in to let all the flavors meld. I also added salt, pepper, garlic powder and probably some other seasonings.
It ended up being pretty good and certainly eclectic looking. It probably could have used a big heaping thing of garlic but I didn't feel like chopping it. What I really loved was that it was a lot of food for very few points. There was half a pound of shrimp (which is a large serving) at 5 points and 1.5 servings of pasta (the "plus" kind with whole grain and extra protein) for about 7 points. Figure 1 point for the pam (if that) and I had a nice sized meal for 13 points (plus).
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2136, 2012-07-24_110219
Monday, July 23, 2012, 03:18 PM
This was the standard taco stew. I kept it pretty darn close to the recipe. I think the only thing was I just put the whole seasoning packet in for extra flavor and ease.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2130, 2012-07-23_151807
Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 03:17 PM
I made baked falafel, however, it would be more correct to call this baked bean patties. I was distracted as I was making it and opened a can of great northern beans instead of chick peas. Oh well, it still came out pretty good. I actually prepared the whole thing the night before since I knew I was going to be getting back on the later side. So, all I had to do was form them into balls, and bake.
They came out pretty good. They were easier to make and mash with the beans but also a bit wetter. I wouldn't aim to use the northern beans again, but it wasn't a big deal.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2127, 2012-07-18_151748
Sunday, July 15, 2012, 09:54 PM
I made the normal zuchinni fritters using the standard recipe. I wasn't overly hungry so this was all I had. I did a few thing differently. Most notable is that I put about a tsp o salt on the zucchini before pressing it. This was the draw pi more moisture. As usual, I added a bunch more seasonings including garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, etc. Oh, I also used a lot of minced dried onion in place of onion all together. It was different and certainly easier not having to chop and drain onion.
I had to scrape them off but I am getting pretty good at that and it wasn't all that difficult. They were pretty good and a perfect low point meal since I wasn't too hungry
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2123, 2012-07-15_215425
Friday, July 13, 2012, 06:47 PM
I made the roasted veggie thing with chicken sausage from here. I went light on the potatoes. I also put in some broccoli instead of using artichoke hearts. It came out pretty good!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2114, 2012-07-13_184756
Thursday, July 12, 2012, 06:47 PM
I made the lentils in what is now becoming pretty standard. I sautéd half an onion and added lots of veggies. I added chopped mushrooms (lots) carrots, celery and parsnips. The latter being new this time. There were so much vegetables.I then added a 1/5 cups dry lentils (about 18 points plus). Then I added about 5 cups of water (more than regular ratio) and let it cook down until it was mostly dry and the lentils were cooked. Probably about 45 minutes. Oh, and a crapload of onion and garlic powder, plus lots of other seasoning. And crushed red pepper for some heat
The thing made two HUGE portions. I would say each portion was about 10 points plus to account for anything else I added.
They were so good. I do not know what the main trick is, but it makes a lot of food and only 10 points! That is really not too bad
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 2111, 2012-07-12_184739