Monthly Archives: August 2020

Seafood, Vegetables & Salads

Crispy, Cool Salad for Warm Evenings

Photo: Shrimp Salad

As we move into the dog days of August, I think about cool and easy to prepare dinners. That often means a salad. In this instance, it’s a lovely combination of shrimp, asparagus, avocado, and cucumber over a nice bowl of mixed salad greens. Requiring only a little cooking for the shrimp and asparagus, this dish comes together in about thirty minutes or less. The lemon vinaigrette can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve.

For the salad:
8 oz Shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups Spring Mix Greens
10 spears Asparagus, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
1/2 Avocado, cubed
1/4 cup Red Onions, sliced
1 small Cucumber, peeled and sliced
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For the lemon vinaigrette
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 large Lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Sugar-free Honey
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1-2 cloves minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Make the vinaigrette first. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk together. Taste to see if it needs more honey, salt, or pepper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. Whisk again before serving. You can store any excess dressing in the refrigerator for about one week.

Heat a medium-sized pot to boiling and add the shrimp. Cook for about three minutes, then drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add the asparagus spears. Cook for about three minutes. Drain the shrimp, pat dry with a paper towel, and add to the pan and stir fry them for a couple of minutes to get slightly browned.

Remove the shrimp and asparagus to a pan or bowl to cool. Using two salad bowls, divide the spring greens and arrange half the onions and half the cucumber in each bowl. Divide the shrimp and asparagus between the bowls, then add avocado pieces. Spoon about two tablespoons of the lemon vinaigrette the ingredients in each bowl.

Serves two.

Tip: Buy pre-cleaned and deveined  frozen shrimp to save time, and it make less mess in the kitchen. If you don’t have a fresh lemon, use 6 tablespoons of lemon juice. 

Image: Nutrition Information: Shrimp Salad

Breads, Recipes

Simple Cheese Bread Rounds

Photo: Cheese Bread Rounds

As bread for sandwiches or a snack, these easy-to-make cheese rounds are sturdy enough and quick to make. The recipe came from DCC Carb Counters using their Bakesquick for the small amount of flour they use. Although I haven’t tried any other flour options, I believe any low carb baking mix, or almond or coconut flour will also work. If you use coconut flour, use half the amount and add another egg white.

You can add any number of spices or seeds to the recipe to vary the flavor. Use hard cheeses, such as cheddar or Swiss for at least one of the options.

I used two of these rounds to make a chicken salad sandwich, and they worked beautifully. They cool to a sturdy, but still soft cheese bread round that holds up to the meat, mayo, lettuce, and tomato. I don’t know if it will work with a hamburger, but it might.

Two cheese bread rounds hold a chicken salad sandwich together.

Cheese Bread Rounds

1/3 cup Carb Counters™ Bakesquick™
1/4 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan or your favorite blend of shredded cheeses
2 Large or Extra Large Egg Whites or 6 tablespoons Liquid Egg Whites
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning *

Preheat Oven to 350°. Spread a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet or pizza pan (or coat the surface with non-stick cooking spray.)

In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and stir until they are blended together. Separate into 6 tablespoon-sized pieces and roll into balls. Place each on your cookie sheet, allowing 4″ between balls.

Use a piece of plastic wrap to press balls down to 4″ wide rounds. A plastic baggie works well to put your fingers in to do this. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Makes 6 flat bun-size rounds.

* You can use any add-ins to enhance the flavor that you like. Suggested seasonings are Italian, dried chives, dried onions, dried dill, and Mexican blend herbs for a spicy flavor. You can also add in sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

Image: Nutrition Information

 

Product Review

Product Review: Win-Co Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Photo: Pizza slices
Sausage and pepperoni pizza built on Win-Co Foods cauliflower pizza crust. Excuse the paper plate. Dinner was casual, after all.

Since I’ve been on a pizza kick lately, I decided to try Win-Co Foods brand for Cauliflower Pizza Crust with pre-done toppings from my favorite pizza place. The price for the crust is very reasonable, under $4.00, and it’s about 9-inches in diameter. The recommended servings per pizza are 6. I quartered it, then sliced each quarter into two pieces, so the net carb per serving of 2 slices is about 2.25 g.

Simply load the pizza with your toppings, then pop it in the oven on a tray. I usually cover my baking pan with foil and use that. I would not recommend putting this directly on the oven racks. When the mozzarella holding the pizza crust together heats up, it goes limp, so the pizza would sag through the racks. If you have a pizza pan with a screen, it would be okay on that. The crust bakes to a beautiful brown color, but it is not exactly crisp. It doesn’t hold up to being picked up and eaten until it cools down quite a bit and the cheese firms up enough to hold the shape. Although the crust seems thick and sturdy before it’s baked, it is actually quite thin once it cooks.

Photo: pizza slice side view
Side view of the pizza slice show how thin the crust is.

The biggest issue I have with this crust is that it lacks flavor. Both cauliflower and mozzarella have mild flavors, so the crust is more like a cracker without any seasoning. If you want to try it, I would suggest adding seasonings on top of the crust before you add the pizza sauce, but I’m not sure that would be enough. When I’ve made cauliflower crusts from scratch, I’ve added garlic, salt, pepper, a bit of flaked red pepper, and a little Italian seasoning into the mix when the crust is formed.

I would rate this about 3 spoons out of 5. Not the best I’ve eaten but serviceable.

I have not been paid or rewarded to review this product. I am sharing my personal opinion of it. I am generally a fan of Win-Co Brands products, but this one isn’t on my favorites list.

Nutrition Information isn’t printed on the package, but I found it on the internet:

Image: Nutrition Info

 

Main Dish, Seafood

Quick to Fix Garlic Cajun-Style Cod

Photo: Garlic Cajun Cod Fish

As I move through the heat of August, I am looking for less cooking in the kitchen and more salads. But an easy and quick cook meal I made recently was this spicy and delicious dish of one of the few kinds of fish I enjoy eating.

Cod is a sturdy white fish and takes well to this spicy seasoning. Use any Cajun blend seasoning to rub into the fish before you cook it in a skillet. The Cajun Holy Trinity of cooking includes bell pepper, onion, and celery. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any celery in the house, but feel free to add it to the dish.

Garlic Cajun-Style Cod Fish

2 fillets Cod Fish (about 4 oz. each)
1/2 Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 Red Onion, sliced
1/4 cup Celery, sliced
4 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun Spice mix

In a skillet, add oil and heat. Add onions, and garlic, and sauté for about 2 minutes, then add bell pepper and celery. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Remove to a bowl or a plate.

Season cod with Cajun spices. Reduce heat under the skillet to a medium high, then add the cod. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until the cod is white all the way through. Add vegetables and stir together for about two minutes to warm them up.

Serves 2.

Nutrition Info