Cooking – Page 5 – Singing about Cooking

Hot Chocolate in 5 Minutes (Momentum 4/ PointsPlus 4)

Posted on March 21, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

What’s better for relaxing you when you’re all twisted up over a man? Sure, it’s a trick question. For me, though, warm, rich hot chocolate is the best medicine, especially when it’s after dinner and approaching bedtime and I’m probably wishing he was with me.

Oh, sure, you’ve probably got packets of hot chocolate mix in your cupboard. It may even be the premium stuff. But if you’ve read my perspective on natural ingredients, you know what I’m about to say. Icky-poo icky to all of those chemicals created in a laboratory to taste and smell like chocolate but aren’t chocolate at all. Especially when it takes the same amount of time and effort to make your own rich, creamy hot chocolate.

Seriously! In the same time it would take to wait for the water to boil in the kettle to mix with your packet, you can have real, homemade, ingredient-controlled hot chocolate…and you guarantee that it’s exactly the strength and sweetness you want it!

Ingredients:

8 oz of your favorite kind of “milk” (cow, soy, almond, rice, goat)
1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon of instant espresso
1-2 tablespoons of sugar (or equivalent artificial sweetener of your choice)
optional: 1 teaspoon natural vanilla, hazelnut, almond, or cinnamon extract (especially if you use cow milk and/or unsweetened versions of soy, almond, or rice milk)

Start with your milk, cocoa, espresso and extract in a small saucepan on medium heat. Whisk briskly to blend the ingredients and loosen any lumps in the cocoa or espresso (or sift these if you feel like taking the time). As you blend and see the brown and white gradually transform into a beautiful chocolatey color, you will notice a light bubble foam developing on the top; this is normal and should not be confused with the beginnings of a boil-over.

Stop and taste the mixture with a teaspoon to check for the sweetness level. If you are a true “dark” chocolate person, you will not desire any added sweetness; the “edge” of the unsweetened chocolate and the espresso will tickle your tastebuds just right. But if you are like me and need sweetness to untangle your evening nerves, begin by adding 1 teaspoon of sugar (or equivalent artificial sweetener). Again, whisk briskly and taste. Continue adding up to 1 tablespoon of sugar in small sprinkles until you achieve your desired flavor.

Remember, never allow the chocolate to boil…EVER! If you do, you will burn the milk, create a skin from the carbohydrates in the milk (all milks have carbs!), and the drink will become slightly (or more) chalky.

I like to use a combination of 4:1 of organic vanilla almond milk to skim organic cow milk for optimal creaminess for me. Others will appreciate the slight tang of goat milk. Regardless of which milk you use, please use organic, non-gmo milks and go very light on soy milk, which in significant quantities (more than 2 oz per day) can accelerate puberty in girls, delay puberty in boys and lead to a number of later life health problems, which have been confirmed by long-term studies only recently concluded.

Momentum Points (using 7 oz almond milk, 1 oz skim milk, and 2T real sugar) = 4

PointsPlus (using 7 oz almond milk, 1 oz skim milk and 2T real sugar) = 4

Being Healthy, Cooking

Quick and Easy Hummus (Momentum 1; PointsPlus 2)

Posted on March 21, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

I’ll go for long periods of time not even thinking about hummus, but as soon as someone says the word, I start craving it. What’s not to love…a lightly flavored bean blended into a rich creamy dip, with whatever add-in you’d like.

It’s cheap…perhaps .89 per can of chickpeas.

It’s low-fat…at most 3 grams of fat for the whole can.

It’s low-carb…only 15 or so complex carbs per serving…that’s one of four complex carb servings for your day.

NOTE: the above three statements are decidedly NOT TRUE about store-bought hummus.

And it’s soooooooooo simple.

Ingredients:

2 cans of garbanzo beans (or chickpeas), with juice drained into a cup or container
2-3 roasted garlic cloves
1/2 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Dump all of the ingredients into your food processor or blender; doesn’t really matter which you use, but I happen to prefer the food processor. Blend until the mixture gums up and sticks to the sides of the processor.

Pop the lid off and scrape down the sides. Then blend again, this time adding about half of the juice from the beans (about 1 cup).

Pop the lid off again and see where you are. At this point, your hummus is pretty well blended for flavor, but a little thick and textured. If this is how you like it, you’re done.

If you want a thinner, smoother hummus, blend some more, adding more of the juice, but much more slowly. It won’t take much now to thin and smooth. For this batch, I added about 1/2 cup more juice, and my hummus slides nicely off of a spoon, but in a “scoop”. You can also test with the chip you plan to eat it with; I can easily load up a bagel chip with some of the hummus hanging but not dripping off of the side.

Now, sure, you could go all authentic on me and insist on tahini and olive oil as essential ingredients. Unless you are looking for the nutty flavor from the tahini and you find that using the liquid from your beans doesn’t get your hummus smooth and loose enough, then fine, insist on tahini and olive oil and call mine bean dip. But if you add those two ingredients, be sure to account for the added fat and carbohydrates WITHOUT a balance of fiber and protein.

Momentum Points = 1 point per half cup serving

PointsPlus = 2 points per half cup serving

NOTE: Store-bought hummus is on average 1 point per tablespoon of hummus, which would be 8 points for the equivalent 1/2 cup serving.

The plated picture shows a single 2 oz serving of homemade bagel chips, for a Momentum 4-point snack or a PointsPlus 6-point snack.

Alternate 0-point flavorings: 1 can of artichokes, 1 package fresh or thawed frozen spinach, 1 package thawed frozen asparagus, 1 jar roasted red peppers, 6-8 cloves roasted garlic, 2 fresh roasted tomatoes, handful of fresh basil, crushed red pepper,

Alternate 1-point flavorings: 1 oz olives, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese, 1 tblsp sugar (with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger) for a sweeter option

Being Healthy, Cooking

Crock Pot Happiness: Frozen Turkey Breast (Momentum/PointsPlus 1 pt/oz.)

Posted on March 13, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

My crock pot has been in storage for over three years, ever since I moved back to my hometown from New York. And since, when I cooked something large enough to need the crock pot, I was cooking for my whole family, I typically used my mom’s crock pot. Until she dropped hers after making mulled cider in it for a Christmas gathering.

Since then, we’ve used her small 3 qt. crock pot, which has worked just fine…until now.

I spent last weekend with my favorite country family. The mom and I talk cooking a lot! And she told me her daughter (my friend) had told her about putting a frozen solid turkey breast in the crock pot with salt and pepper, and it was delicious. Funniness abounds when I share with my friend what her mom told me, and she (the friend) says she heard it from her mom.

Regardless of where this notion comes from, I gave it a try for Sunday dinner today. You see, my brother LOVES Thanksgiving dinner, so we end up making pared down versions a couple times a year. When he asked for it recently, I suggested we give this a try, which required me to take my 8 qt crock pot out of storage.

Now you KNOW I love to skip the whole thawing step and get right to cooking with a frozen piece of meat. It couldn’t be simpler.

Put a frozen solid turkey breast into the clean, dry crock pot. Salt and pepper generously. Set to cook for 8 hours.

Now if your 5.5-6 lb turkey breast is anything like mine, it isn’t shaped just right for sitting in the crock pot while still frozen. The fix is simple: wrap the top of the pot tightly in foil until the turkey is thawed and fits nicely under the lid. Mine took about two hours to thaw and fit without the foil.

You may also be asking “why didn’t she put any liquid in there? I mean, a turkey needs basting when you cook it any other way, right?” Well, it’s simple, really. The turkey already has fluid/water/juice (whatever you want to call it) inside. When you cook the turkey in the oven, the juices run out of the turkey and into the bottom of a pan…away from the turkey; if you don’t baste it, it comes out dry. In the crock pot, the juices still run out, but collect in a much smaller space and form a sort of “soup” for the turkey to continue to soak up the juices, keeping your bird moist and delicious. In fact, this preparation produces more of a “shredded” turkey; don’t even think you’re getting nice slices out of this. It’s so juicy and fall-apart-ish that it’s nearly impossible not to eat the whole thing!

Now this is the simple version of this dish, as I’m just trying it out for the first time. I can imagine doing jerk turkey, cajun turkey, mexican turkey, margarita turkey, and more using this same strategy…just different flavorings.

I’m also tempted to try this with other cuts of meat…straight from the freezer. So stay tuned!

Being Healthy, Cooking

I want a “real” dinner (Momentum 7; PointsPlus 8)

Posted on March 10, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

So this morning as we passed each other in the kitchen, my mom says “Tonight, I want a “real” dinner.” What the heck? Oh, yeah, well, I haven’t exactly been around for a couple of weeks to be with my family for dinner. So we review what we’ve got frozen and settle on a pork loin, part of one that we bought at Costco and divied up for a couple of meals. I suggested braised spinach with it and for some reason that made my mom want glazed carrots; weird, but whatever. Keeping it in the simple vein, we agree on herbed egg noodles as our final side selection.

So the menu is

Roasted Pork Loin
Braised Spinach
Glazed Carrots
Herbed Egg Noodles

in case you didn’t catch that part already.

So, as you know, you want to start with the item that will take the longest to cook. Now, contrary to past posts, I will recommend that you completely thaw your pork loin before cooking; there’s just something difficult about keeping pork moist that calls for it to be treated special.

Okay, roasted pork loin is really easy. You have a piece of pork loin. You coat it with a dry rub. You put it in the oven. And, viola, roasted pork loin. So what’s this dry rub thingy? Nothing more than your choice of an herb combo. Please feel free to use whatever combo you have on hand (like Greek seasoning, poultry seasoning, pork seasoning, anything already combined that you like); me…well, if you’ve read anything of mine, you know I’m a sucker for the simple song herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Tonight, I combined about 1.5 teaspoons of each along with salt and pepper in a mortar and blended them all into a fine powder rub with the pestle. Don’t know what a mortar and pestle are? Click here. Don’t have a mortar and pestle? You can also use a spice or coffee grinder (one reserved for spices) or just combine the herbs as they are.

Coat both sides of the pork loin, rubbing the spices in with your fingers. If you don’t need to wash your hands, you’re not done. Set the loin fat-side up on a rack placed inside a foil-lined baking dish (9×13). Here’s my rationale: foil-lining the dish saves a lot of time on clean-up; using the rack allows excess fat to drip away rather than greasing up the loin; and placing the loin fat-side up helps keep the meat moist and crisps up the remaining fat (that didn’t melt down the sides) for those who enjoy it.

Roast uncovered at 350 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check it for doneness and either set it out and cover for its resting period or put it back in the over for a little while longer (try 15 minutes at a time). Generally, you want your pork to read 155 on a thermometer before you pull it out of the oven for the resting period; 160 is your goal.

When the pork has about 30 minutes left to cook, you’ll get your sides going:

Set a large sauce pot on to boil, with some salt in the water. This one is for the noodles.
Set a large skillet (one that has a lid that fits) on a high-heat burner with a drizzle of olive oil. This one is for the Braised Spinach.
Set a medium skillet on a high-heat burner with a drizzle of olive oil. This one is for the Glazed Carrots.

As the water works on coming to a boil, you will quickly set the other two dishes to cooking.

In the medium skillet, drop in one clove of minced garlic and chopped carrots. Salt and pepper lightly and stir quickly for about 1 minute to coat the carrots with the little bit of oil in the pan; it’s on high heat, so watch carefully that you don’t burn the garlic. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the carrots and again stir quickly for about 1 minute to coat the carrots and dissolve the sugar in the oil; this allows the sugar to begin carmelizing just a tiny bit. Add 1/3 cup of water, stir, and bring to a boil. Let the carrots and sauce boil until the carrots are as “done” as you like them; I like mine with bite still, so for me it’s about 7 minutes. And they’re done.

While the carrots are glazing in their boil, you’ll start dropping in ingredients for the Braised Spinach. Start with 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 whole sliced red onion. Stir continuously to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn and to cook the onions through without carmelizing them. Drop in 2 bags of baby spinach and snap the lid on tight; turn off the cooking heat and let the dish sit for about 5 minutes. Lift the lid and stir using a folding motion. Salt and pepper and drizzle with good quality balsamic vinegar.

With these two dishes just about done, the water is probably boiling for the noodles (use Lehmans if you need a gluten free, corn free option). Just drop them in and cook like the package says. When they are done, drain, drizzle with olive oil, and add herbs: salt, pepper, and herbs de provence are our favorite and a good complement to the pork rub.

By now, the pork is probably done and resting on the counter. Just slice it into nice sized servings (about 4-5 oz each, perhaps 1/2-inch thick).

And tonight I decided to try a new beer, one on sale at the grocery store (so if it’s not good, I haven’t lost that much). But it’s really nice. I chose Pyramid Breweries Apricot Ale, hoping to marry the sweet notes in the beer with the sweeter flavor of white meat pork loin. I wasn’t disappointed!

Weight Watchers Momentum Points:

5 oz roasted pork loin = 5 points
1/2 cup herbed egg noodles = 2 points
braised spinach = 0 points
glazed carrots = 0 points
beer = 3 points

Weight Watchers Points Plus:

5 oz roasted pork loin = 5 points
1/2 cup herbed egg noodles = 3 points
braised spinach = 0 points
glazed carrots = 0 points
beer = 5 points

Being Healthy, Children, Cooking

Rescue Meal–what to make when a friend is dealing with an emergency situation

Posted on February 21, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

This is in the freezes beautifully section of my cookbook, and I wanted to bring something that freezes beatuifully. ~Annelle (Daryl Hannah) in Steel Magnolias

So I just signed up to make a meal for a friend dealing with a medical crisis with her daughter. Over the weekend, a high school classmate posted on FaceBook that one of her daughters had fallen out of her second-story bedroom window. After a terrifying trip to the ER, the family brought their daughter home, only to have to rush her back to the ER, suspicious of internal bleeding.

Luckily, a close friend of theirs has taken an active role in organizing dinners for the family, and I signed up for Tuesday. Here’s what I have to work with:

The dinner audience: tired, anxious, terrified mom and dad, older sister (10-ish) and younger sister (6-ish)
Food preferences according to the kids: peas, chicken, pasta are all things they like (separate of course :)), pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, salad, fruit salad, pancakes/eggs/bacon, hamburgers & fries, steak, porkchops.

So here’s what I’m thinking is a good meal to take over already cooked, still warm, and easily re-heatable (and still good):

Roasted Lemon and Garlic Chicken: whole split chicken with extra drumsticks, with lemon and garlic stuffed under the skin for roasting
Seasoned Bowtie Pasta: you don’t always have to put sauce on pasta; it’s really nice to enjoy it with some light seasoning like salt and pepper and herbs de provence with an olive oil drizzle. And I’ll include some mix-ins like a can of artichoke hearts, a jar of roasted red peppers, olives, and feta cheese, which would make a great lunch for the next day if there’s any leftover. And don’t be afraid to use gluten free pastas if someone in the family has an allergy.
Loaded mashed potatoes: who doesn’t like this…homemade mashed potatoes mixed with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon
Seasonal fruit salad: since it’s still winter-ish, I’ll do a plum, nectarine, pineapple, banana and raisin salad with a cinnamon-date balsamic creme-lemon dressing (on the side in case the kids don’t like it)
Clemson Tiger Paw Sugar Cookies: my dessert specialty is sugar cookies, and I know this family is completely devoted to Clemson University (as are quite a few friends of mine)

And here’s what I think are the keys to preparing and taking a meal over for friend to enjoy at their leisure or in a stressful time:

choose meats that are easy to keep or make moist during reheating–for the chicken, cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave for 2 minutes (direct from fridge)
choose sides that are as good cold as they were warm–pasta salads, vegetable salads, fresh fruits–in case the family is just too tired to heat things up
put sauces and mix-ins “on the side”–for two reasons: 1) you never know just what someone else likes (unless you cook for them alot) and 2) it gives them options for sprucing up any leftovers
make enough servings for one night and maybe lunch the next day; avoid making “double” especially if you know someone is organizing meals for each night. The buildup of leftovers and dishes can be just as overwhelming as having to come home and cook for yourself
use disposable containers. Aluminum pans or the Glad bakeable plastic pans are great. I also save the very nice take-out containers that my grandmother’s resort kitchen uses, as they are great for single meals and lunch packs as well as for keeping hot and cold dishes separate but not bulky.
include reheating instructions, since you never know when they’ll get around to eating or will want to have leftovers for lunch the next day.
and finally, don’t forget dessert and some beverages. If they haven’t been home long enough to cook, then there’s probably not fresh iced tea made or even lemonade much less a quick bite of sweet.

Leftover Suggestion: cut up leftover chicken, artichokes, red peppers, olives, and feta into bowtie pasta for a fabulous pasta salad lunch to take with you on Wednesday.

Other Meal Ideas:

The Casserole–this is such a classic primarily because it uses just one dish (avoiding the bulk in the fridge) and can be frozen until a later time. Also, pretty much any standard meal can be “casserolized”:

Spaghetti, ziti, canneloni, lasagne
Any stirfry over rice
Jambalaya, Baked Shrimp/Chicken Creole
Shepherd’s Pie
Chicken Pot Pie
Mexican chicken/pork and rice (with salsa and queso)
Italian chicken/pork and rice (with marinara and parmesean)
Cuban chicken/pork and rice (with black beans, corn, plantains, and sason seasoning)
Indian chicken/pork and rice (with couscous, raisins, curry, and garam masala)
Hawaian chicken/pork and rice (with some pineapple)

The Restaurant Gift Certificate–especially for a restaurant that has great curbside pick-up

The Holiday Meal–give them some real comfort food by making Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter dinner with classic trimmings

Soups and Stews–paired with a simple salad and bread, a soup or stew or chili is one of the simplest and most comforting meals folks can enjoy during a stressful time when they might not be very hungry but still needs nourishment; it is heated quickly, managed in one container in the fridge, and is easy to pair with a variety of sides.

Cooking

The Simple Tiramisu

Posted on February 19, 2011February 19, 2011 by singingaboutcooking

Friday night before dinner, I was watching Cake Boss and then Kitchen Boss with my BF Summer (5 years old); she LOVES to watch the cooking shows. And that night Buddy was making classic Tiramisu, which has to be the simplest dessert ever…until you look at how you make the special creme.

So I thought to myself…self, how can I make this yummy, simple dessert even simpler without sacrificing the unique flavor of an authentic marscapone creme?

Here, check out Buddy’s recipe for Tiramisu; you’ll see that the creme is made in two steps:

cream together eggs, sugar, marscapone, and liquer (either marsala or brandy are traditional)
whip 1 cup of heavy cream into whipped cream (the real stuff)
fold egg mixture carefully into whipped cream

That’s a lot of fat and sugar, well deserving as it may be, for a flavor that can easily be accomplished with a simple (and cheaper) shortcut: stir Bel Gioiso Tiramisu Marscapone into a tub of cool whip. They are both already sweetened and thickened and flavored correctly, but with a lot less fat and calories all around. And for cooks with little people, you don’t have to worry about serving something with raw egg in it.

So here’s how I make Tiramisu; you’ll need from the grocery store

1 8-oz container of Bel Gioioso Tiramisu Marscapone Cheese at room temperature (32 points)
1 8-oz tub of light whipped topping (0 points)
1T complimentary liquer: marsala, brandy, khalua (2 points)
2 cups of very strong coffee or espresso (I use instant espresso) (0 points)
1 package of Alessi Lady Fingers (18 points)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (0 points)

When the marscapone is at room temperature, add the liquer you have chosen and stir it well, letting the liquer loosen the thick cheese. Add the whipped topping while it’s still a little bit frozen and firm, and stir. Yep, stir, not fold. Whipped topping (as opposed to real whipped cream) does not depend on air to keep it light and fluffly.

Very quickly dip each lady finger into the espresso and layer these in a 9×9 glass or porcelain pan. DO NOT let them sit or soak; they will instantly become spongy and be impossible to work with. Just a quick, light dip is what you want.

Spread half of the marscapone and whipped topping over the lady fingers, smoothing the layer with a spoon or flat spatula. Dust with cocoa powder using a small sieve.

Now do a second layer.

That’s it! Your part of this dessert is done. What is left is for you to cover the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate the Tiramisu for at least 2 hours or as much as 3 days.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus:

for 12 servings: 5 points
for 9 servings: 6 points (serving size shown above)
for 8 servings: 7 points

NOTE: if you had made the Tiramisu using Buddy’s authentic Italian recipe, your points per serving are 7, 8 and 9 points, respectively.

Tip: Tiramisu is the perfect dessert for a dinner party. Use a matched or mismatched set of glass dishes…wine glasses, champagne glasses, brandy snifters, sorbet cups, pudding cups…anything that will let you show off the beautiful layers of the Tiramisu. And since this dessert requires being made in full ahead of time, it’s one less thing you have to worry about when your guests arrive. If you use a glass or dish with a narrow lip, just spoon your creme into a baggie, cut the tip, and “pipe” the creme into the glasses

Being Healthy, Cooking

Classic Weight Watchers Taco Soup

Posted on February 2, 2011 by singingaboutcooking

Last Thursday night at the Weight Watchers meeting in Mount Pleasant, there was a request for a refresher on Taco Soup, a filling, nutrious, very tasty soup…and most importantly LOW in points.

So Jan, the leader, went over the recipe while I wrote it up on the board. Then discussion ensued regarding the possible points change from Points to Points Plus. Well, let’s find out.

Ingredients (classic):

1 lb ground beef (95% lean) = 16 points
1 large white/sweet onion, diced at whatever size you like = 0 points
1 can black beans with juice = 10.5 points
1 can red/kidney beans with juice = 7 points
1 can white/northern/cannelini beans with juice = 7 points
1 can corn, drained or 1 cup frozen = 3 points
3 cans Rotel tomatoes =0 points
1 package dry ranch dressing mix = 0 points
1 package dry taco seasoning = 0 points
salt, pepper, and additional taco-ish spices to your liking

Total soup points =43.5

Approximate # of 1 cup servings* = 8

*tested using the Weight Watchers 1-cup ladle and a soup tureen to count the servings.

Saute the onions in cooking spray right in your big soup pot until clear (or carmelized if you like, which I do). Dump in the ground beef and cook thoroughly. Dump in everything else: black beans, red beans, white beans, corn, tomatoes, ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning, and any other seasonings. Simmer for 30 minutes on medium low for flavors to meld together.

Old Points for WW Taco Soup = 4 points per serving

New PointsPlus for WW Taco Soup = 5.5 points per serving

Alterations:

1 lb ground turkey breast = 16 points
1 lb ground or shredded chicken = 16 points
1 lb shredded pork (bbq) = 16 points
1 can hominy (instead of corn) = 6 points

Being Healthy, Cooking

Salmon Croquettes, a southern classic

Posted on January 29, 2011May 10, 2017 by singingaboutcooking

Go to any traditional southern brunch location (like Rick’s in Greenwood, SC), and you’ll find salmon croquettes on the menu: a delicious salmon cake deep fried and served over grits.

You see, most folks only hear about shrimp and grits as the classic Charleston breakfast (or any other time) dish, but salmon and grits is far more common and delicious. The restaurants don’t bother to “put their own spin” on salmon and grits like they do with shrimp (usually ruining a simple shrimp and gravy dish).

Plus, this is one of my grandmother’s classics, a special dinner treat, usually when it’s just us girls. So as I make these little fish cakes tonight, I will set aside a couple to take to her to enjoy.

The Menu: Salmon Croquettes, Dijon Roasted New Potatoes, Braised Spinach

First, I’ll get the potatoes ready and in the oven. The Dijon Roasted New Potatoes is a recipe right out of the Weight Watchers Weekly this week, but for those who don’t participate, here it is:

Quarter or halve 1.5 lb new potatoes; we leave the skin on, but that is up to you.
Whisk together 2T Dijon mustard, 1t olive oil, 3/4 t paprika, 1/2t salt, 1/4t thyme (I use more cuz I love it!), 1/4t pepper; toss the potatoes in this dressing.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes; then stir them well and bake for 15-20 minutes more until they are tender (stick ’em with a fork!).
Tip: if they aren’t crispy enough for you, spray them with a little cooking spray and put them back in for a couple of minutes.

Makes 4 1.25 cup servings at 4 PointsPlus each.

With the potatoes in the oven, it’s time to mix up and form the Salmon Croquettes. Here’s how it goes, with attention to getting the mixture to hold together rather than exact measurements:

2-3 cans of salmon, drained (about 1 lb)
1/3 cup of cornmeal (for coating only; for GF, substitute rice flour)
pinch of baking powder
1 egg, beaten before you pour it into mixture (yes, that is important when you use egg as binding)
1/2 cup very finely diced onion
1T Worchestershire sauce (make your own GF/CF/SF with this recipe)
1T lemon juice
splash of Tobasco sauce
salt and pepper, as you like it

Mix this all together with your hands; yes, that is an essential part of making these. You can’t know if the mixture is at the right consistency if you can’t feel it. The mixture will be “tacky” when you make a ball in your hand, but will not actually stick. It’s also very important that when you roll it into a ball and then flatten it into a patty that the “stuff” sticks together easily, without you having to push it back together. If it’s too loose (wet) or to thick (dry), it will all fall apart in the skillet and just become salmon hash, sort of.

When you’ve got your mixture just right (with a slight, wet squishing sound when you squeeze it into a ball), form eight 4 oz patties; if you’re not actually weighing these, this will be about a small 2-inch ball of mixture in your palm. Roll the mixture into a ball and then flatten the ball into a patty, lightly patting the edges into shape if needed.

Dust each patty in cornmeal, very lightly. This is optional as some don’t like the gritty coating. An alternative for helping them not stick to the skillet is to dust them with rice flour, which will not create a coating like regular wheat flour does.

Salmon Croquettes — Smoking away in a cast iron skillet

Now the original recipe calls for deep frying, which is wonderful and delicious and easy, but completely unnecessary. Just spray a skillet with cooking spray to prevent smoking and cook the patties over medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Since the salmon is already cooked, you are focused on cooking the egg and the onions and heating the whole patty through for great flavor. You may also choose to bake the patties on a cookie sheet at 350 for 20 minutes.

As I put on the patties to cook in the skillet, I’ll start the final dish of Braised Spinach. For this, you’ll need

1 clove garlic, crushed or diced or sliced
1 red onion, halved and sliced
1 large bag of spinach, baby or regular as you like
really good balsamic vinegar (should be sweet and syrupy)*

Heat the garlic on medium in just a touch of oil (or use cooking spray); raise the heat to medium high and cook the red onions until soft and lighly carmelized. Pack the spinach into the pan, salt and pepper the pan, shove on a tight lid, and shut off the heat; this will wilt the spinach, and takes just about 3 minutes. Remove the lid, stir just a little to toss everything together and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus:

Salmon Croquettes (makes 8) = 2 points each
Dijon Roasted New Potatoes (makes 4 servings) = 4 points per serving
Braised Spinach (makes as many or few servings as you like) = 0 points

Cooking

A Surprise Family Favorite: Spaghetti Shrimp

Posted on January 25, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

Back last summer, my mom found this super easy recipe for spicing up plain ‘ol spaghetti. No one remembers where it came from or what it’s really called, but we’ve named it “Spaghetti Shrimp”.

Now here in Charleston, we locals are committed to buying and eating fresh local seafood, but it’s out of shrimp season right now. BUT, we are never without some local frozen shrimp in the freezer. You’ve heard me say don’t worry about thawing your meat…just throw it in raw. Um, that won’t work for shrimp because they cook way too quickly. Be sure to allow for a full thaw.

Preparation:

Thaw and peel 1 lb shrimp
Dice 1 large onion (your choice) and as many mushrooms (whatever variety you like) as you like

Tip: I take a LARGE cutting board into the living room with my bowls and pots and veggies and knives and do this prep work on the ottoman while watching a little tv.

Cooking:

Okay, to keep the number of dirty pots and pans down to just 1, here’s what you do:

cook 4 servings of your favorite pasta, not the whole box; this can be any shape, color, or gluten level! Look at the nutrition label; it will tell you how much is a serving given the nutritional content of your preferred pasta. Just cook the right number of servings, and you don’t have to worry about overeating the carbs!!
in the same pot as you cooked the pasta (which is now hanging out in the colander), saute your onions and mushrooms in just a teeny tiny bit of olive oil. Keep in mind that the mushrooms will “spill” liquid as they cook and you’ll want to wait til you’ve cooked out that liquid before dumping in a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (we use homemade marinara that we put up during tomato season). Spice it up with a little more garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes…to your family’s taste tolerance.
stir in a little more than 1 lb raw shrimp, which will cook in the simmering sauce and be flavored by your spices.
stir in your cooked pasta
serve with a simple side salad and bread.

Yep, it’s as simple as that and so delicious. And you can substitute any other meat…chicken, steak, pork…just be sure to cook it first.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus:

1 lb cooked shrimp = 8 points
20 oz Ragu Old World Style Traditional Sauce = 12 points (to give you an idea if you use jarred spaghetti sauce)
2 medium sweet onions = 0 points
1 container baby portabella mushrooms = 0 points
1 teaspoons olive oil = 2 points
4 servings Barilla Plus Multigrain Angel Hair pasta = 20

4 servings (1.5 cups) of Spaghetti Shrimp at 11 points each.

Note: if you make your own marinara or make sure that your jarred spaghetti sauce is fat free, that item drops to 0 points and drops the serving points to 7.5 points each. You can also find lower point pasta in both wheat and gluten free varieties. I’d have used homemade, but I’m not great at making yet.

Being Healthy, Cooking

On a Black Bean Kick

Posted on January 19, 2011December 29, 2016 by singingaboutcooking

So this week, seems I’ve been on a black bean kick. Shhhh…it’s the ONLY bean I like and eat willingly.

But, let’s see…there was a Qdoba night with black beans on my naked burrito, then my friend Danielle tried to make black bean soup but simmered all the broth right out and ended up with a most delicious black bean dip.

Tonight, though, is Wednesday. And Wednesdays are for fish in my house. Family pick for tonight: mahi mahi. So now I have to figure out what to do. In an unusual twist, I pick the side first: black beans and rice, paired with spicy cajun mahi mahi and pickled asparagus. The earthy sweetness of the beans with the spice of the fish with the tang of the pickled asparagus make for a wonderful “party in your mouth”!

With some leftover rice from the other night (my dad cooked and made waaayyyy too much), I’ll start with the black beans and then cook the fish while they are simmering.

Black Beans and Rice…recipe from Marsha Mikell (my mom) as published in the St. John’s Lutheran Church Cookbook (long time ago)

1/2 small onion, diced small
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1 hot pepper (base “hot” on your family’s preferences)
1 16 oz can black beans, with juice
1T granulated sugar
Spices to taste: pepper, oregano, garlic powder (if not using fresh garlic), 1-2 bay leaves
Splashes of: apple cider vinegar, white wine

Saute on medium high the veggies, garlic, and pepper til soft (or carmelized if you like that), dump in beans, sugar, spices, and splashes. Stir well and simmer on medium low until the fish is done.

Once the beans have gone into the simmer stage, season the fish liberally on both sides. My family likes the Frontier Organic Cajun Seasoning, which we find at Whole Foods. Sear on high on each side for about 3 minutes each; if your fish is thick, then it won’t be quite done in the middle (if you cut it with a fork it’ll still be grey and translucent). I like to pour in about 1/4 cup fruit juice (pineapple tonight since it was leftover from a can I ate earlier today) and “poach” on high for about a minute; pour out the juice and continue cooking til the fish is very firm when poked (no give or bounce). When I use a spicy seasoning, I like to use a sweet fruit juice to give the dish some balance so the heat isn’t so overwhelming.

And, um, that all takes about 20 minutes, from start to plate and eat. Yep, this is my favorite Wednesday night meal for just me and my mom as we try to be healthier with lean protein, nutrious carbs, and yummy flavor combinations!

Weight Watchers PointsPlus

6 oz cooked mahi mahi = 3 points
1/2 cup texmati brown rice = 3 points
1 cup black beans = 3 points
pickled asparagus = 0 points

For a grand total of 9 points for this delicious, flavorful meal!