Lemon Butter Shrimp

 

When I was in college, I was a waitress at Carrabba's throughout the summers.  One of my favorite dishes was their Spiedino de Mare.  It was shrimps and scallops lightly breaded and thrown in a lemon butter sauce.  That sauce I have always found pretty difficult to replicate and I could never put my finger on it!  While this still isn't an exact replica, I found that it comes pretty close!!  This is a very forgiving recipe so feel free to play around with the portions and add/omit the different seasonings.  The lemon juice at the end makes a difference so don't skip that step!

Yields: 2 - 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb organic shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tbsp organic olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 organic lemon
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) organic butter, cut into two to three pieces
• 1 tsp organic dried oregano
• 1 tsp organic dried basil
• 1 tsp organic rosemary

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a bowl, toss shrimp, olive oil, salt and pepper to coat.

 

Cut 1 lemon into slices.

Line a baking pan with foil and add butter.

Place pan in the oven for 2 -3 minutes or until butter is melted (one or two small pats of butter remaining in the pan is ok).

Place the lemon slices in the melted butter.

Place the shrimp on the lemon and the butter.

Season the shrimp with oregano, basil and rosemary.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until shrimp is done.  Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon on top of the shrimp dish.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Cheesecake

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cheesecake

This is one of my favorite stories.  Long ago my college roommate, Alana, and I decided to try out Weight Watchers.  Everything was going well until the day we decided to try baking a non-fat cheesecake.  We were pretty excited because the entire cheesecake would have only come out with 4 points which of course meant that we could eat the whole thing.  We used I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Butter Spray to hold together the crust, fat free cream cheese, splenda and any other fat-free ingredient we could find.  Once we were done we were so anxious to try it -- could barely wait for it to cool down -- we both took a big bite...and spit it out immediately!  It was SO GROSS.  This time we decided to go for a full fat cheesecake and have one slice.  I believe we redeemed our cheesecake karma!  This was so incredibly delicious!  Enjoy!

*Note: You will need a springform pan. 

Yields: 10 - 12 servings

Ingredients
Cheesecake base:

• 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs (or pre-crumbled graham crackers)
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon cocoa

Cheesecake filling:

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped small
• 2 1/2 cups cream cheese 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs 
• 3 large egg yolks 
• 2/3 cup sour cream 
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

Sauce:

• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 1 teaspoon dark corn syrup 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the base, process the graham crackers to make rough crumbs and then add the butter and cocoa. Process again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs and then tip them into the pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan to make an even base and put into the freezer while you make the filling.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, and set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the cream cheese to soften it, then add the sugar, corn starch and vanilla extract, beating again to combine. Beat in the whole eggs and then the yolks, and the sour cream. Finally add the cocoa dissolved in hot water and melted chocolate and mix to a smooth batter.

Take the springform pan out of the freezer and line the outside of the tin with a good layer of cling wrap, and then another layer of strong foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Sit the springform tin in a roasting pan and pour in the cheesecake filling. Fill the roasting pan with the just boiled water to come about half way up the cake tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the cheesecake should be set, but the underneath should still have a wobble to it.

Peel away the foil and cling film wrapping and sit the cheesecake in its tin on a rack to cool. Put in the refrigerator once it is no longer hot, and leave to set, covered with plastic overnight. Let it lose its chill before unspringing the cheesecake to serve.

To make the chocolate sauce: very gently melt the chopped chocolate, cream and syrup. When the chocolate has nearly melted, take off the heat and whisk it to a smooth sauce. Let it cool a little, and pour it over the chocolate cheesecake on its serving plate

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This is a perfect side dish to any meal.  Low calorie, no carbs, crunchy and delicious!  And to top it all off -- incredibly easy!  I usually like to serve these alongside any meat.  

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb brussel sprouts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F

Cut brussel sprouts into halves.

Mix the brussel sprouts in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pour them on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until crisp on the outside.  If desired, sprinkle with more salt when finished, and serve!

Feds Get Fit

In April of 2010 I was selected amongst 180 participants as one of the final five contests in OPM's (Office of Personnel Management) Feds Get Fit Cook Off Challenge!  The challenge was to cook a naturally healthy dish within one hour.  I chose to make Indian Style Kabobs (recipe to come soon!) and got Honorable Mention.  Top Chef Finalist Carla Hall was a guest judge.

http://archive.opm.gov/news/opm-deputy-director-christine-griffin-announces-the-winners-of-the-feds-get-fit-healthy-recipe-challenge-in-the-dc-area,1557.aspx