Garlicky Shrimp

2 servings

1/2 C butter
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 t crushed oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
Dash of lemon juice
1 lb medium – large raw shrimp
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Melt butter in 3-quart pot of skilled with lid. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients. Toss well. Set aside for 30 minutes (butter may solidify), stirring occasionally.

Place pot over medium-low heat and allow to come to gentle bubble. Stir. Cover and cook shrimp 5 minutes or just till they turn bright pink.

Spoon shrimp into 2 serving bowls. Divide pan juices between servings. Serve immediately.

Pie and Sauce

Flour
1 T butter
1/4 C celery, finely chopped
1/2 – 3/4 lb ground beef or cubed steak
2 T onion, finely chopped
1/4 C carrots, finely chopped
1 C beef stock
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Roll beef cubes in flour, or sprinkle 1 T flour over ground beef. Saute beef in butter with onion, carrot and celery, until meat is brown and vegetables bright in color. Cover with beef stock, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer, covered, until meat is tender.

Place in greased 9″ pie pan and top with pie crust made from ingredients below. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes at 425 degrees or until pastry is golden brown.

Pastry ingredients:
2 C self-rising flour
1 pinch salt
1/2 lb shortening or butter
1/3 C water

Jamie Oliver’s Hardly-Any-Prep Shrimp Stir-Fry

This is the kind of recipe where you can swing by the grocery store on your way home from work, pick up a few bits, and have a great meal on the table within ten minutes of arriving in your kitchen. Just get all your stuff ready for this one–when you start cooking, it all kicks off! Good luck.

Serves 2.

a thumb-sized piece of ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1 fresh red chile
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 lb large shrimp, raw, peeled
1 heaped teaspoon five-spice powder
1 t cornstarch
1/2 C fresh corn kernels
a small handful of snow peas
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
1/2 t honey
1 t sesame oil
a handful of frozen peas
7 oz rice sticks or vermicelli
a small handful of beansprouts
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To prepare:
Put a large pan of water on to boil.
Peel and finely slice the ginger and garlic.
Finely slice the chile.
Pick the cilantro leaves from the stalks and put to one side, then roughly chop the stalks.

To cook:
Preheat a wok or large frying pan on a high heat and once it’s very, very hot add a good lug of peanut oil and swirl it around.
Stir in the cilantro stalks, ginger, garlic, chile, shrimp, and five-spice powder, and fry for a minute.
Add the cornstarch, corn, and snow peas and give them a good toss or stir for another minute.
Stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, honey, sesame oil, and frozen peas.
Add the rice sticks (or vermicelli) to the pan of boiling water and use a wooden spoon to break them up a bit.
Cook for just 2 minutes, no longer.
Drain the rice sticks in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water.
Add a large spoonful or ladleful of the cooking water to the wok and cook for a further minutes or two.

To serve:
Use tongs to divide the rice sticks between your serving bowls, or to lift them on to one large serving platter.
Spoon the shrimp, veggies, and any juices over the top and sprinkle with the beansprouts and cilantro leaves.

Any Veggie Coconut Curry

Makes 6 servings

The vegetables listed below are favorites, but any vegetables you have on hand can be used along with the coconut milk and spices. If you decide to use coconut milk, it is important to note that this product has a high fat content and should be used in moderation. Try lite coconut to get the sweet nutty coconut flavor without all the fat. Cauliflower, squash, and sweet potatoes are other tasty choices. This is a great way to use up “going-bad” fresh or frozen vegetables! Serve over rice or your favorite whole grain.

1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups water
1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
3 large carrots, chopped
¼ cup vegetable broth or water
1 ½ tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
pinch cayenne pepper
1 medium potato, chopped (peeling optional)
3 cups chopped kale
2 cups chopped broccoli florets, or 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli florets
8 mushrooms, sliced
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed, or 1½ cup of cooked garbanzo beans
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 cup lite coconut milk, or 1 cup non-dairy milk + 1 teaspoon
coconut extract
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
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Bring rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Lower heat and simmer, covered, until all the water is absorbed (about 30 minutes).

In a large saucepan, sauté onion, garlic, and carrots in vegetable broth or water on medium-high heat until onion becomes translucent. Add curry, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Add potato, kale, broccoli, mushrooms, beans, peas, and coconut milk or non-dairy milk mixture. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potato can be pierced easily with a fork. Sprinkle with soy sauce before serving.

Per serving (1/6 of recipe): 320 calories; 5.2 g fat; 2.5 g saturated fat ; 14.7%
calories from fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 12.3 g protein; 59.3 g carbohydrate; 5.9
g sugar; 12.3 g fiber; 407 mg sodium; 115 mg calcium; 4.7 mg iron; 37.7 mg
vitamin C; 6312 mcg beta-carotene; 1.7 mg vitamin E

Recipe by Jennifer Reilly, R.D.

Coconut Curry Tofu

Prep Time: 25 Min
Cook Time: 15 Min
Ready In: 40 Min
Serves 6.

2 bunches green onions
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chile paste
1 pound firm tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 cups chopped bok choy
salt to taste
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1. Remove white parts of green onions, and finely chop. Chop greens into 2 inch pieces.

2. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and chile paste. Bring to a boil.

3. Stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and finely chopped green onions into the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil and bok choy. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Serve over rice. Garnish with remaining green onion.

Variation: If bok choy is unavailable, substitute a bag of spinach for it.

Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 20 Min
Ready In: 40 Min
Serves 6

1 pound fettuccine pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound uncooked shrimp – peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup half-and-half
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
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1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. In a large skillet, saute shrimp and garlic in the butter for about one minute. Pour in half and half; stir. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. After all Parmesan is added, mix in parsley and salt. Stir frequently making sure it does not boil. Sauce will take a while to thicken.

3. When sauce has thickened, combine with cooked pasta noodles; serve hot.

Harvest Frittata

2 to 4 servings

1 1/2 C diced zucchini
1 C fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 C chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 C chopped onion
1/4 t oregano, crushed
1 T water
4 eggs
1/4 C skim milk
1/4 C (1 oz) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
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In 10″ non-stick, ovenproof skillet, combine vegetables, oregano and water. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender.

Thoroughly blend eggs and milk. Pour over vegetables. Cook over low heat until eggs are almost set. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil about 6 inches from heat until cheese is melted.

Cut into wedges and serve from pan or slide from pan onto serving platter.

Ham and Asparagus Strata

The savory bread pudding called strata has become one of America’s favorite egg casseroles. Strata means layers and layering is almost all you have to do to make one. Once you’ve poured on the custard, bake or microwave the strata right away or cover and refrigerate it for several hours or even overnight. With a cold mixture, allow a little more cooking time to serve up a quick meal whenever you need it the next day.

Makes 6 Servings

Cooking spray
12 to 16 (1/2″ thick) slices French or Italian bread (about 4 oz)
1 C (4 oz) shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella or Italian blend cheese, divided
1 C (4 oz) chopped cooked lean ham, divided
8 oz fresh asparagus spears, cut into 1″ pieces (about 2 C)
6 eggs
1 C skim or low-fat milk
2 T lemon juice
1/4 t garlic powder
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Even coat 8″ square baking dish with spray. Layer half of the bread slices on bottom of dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 C of the cheese, 1/2 C of the ham and 1 C of the asparagus pieces. Cover with the remaining bread slices, laying them flat or in a shingled pattern. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, ham and asparagus pieces. In medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, lemon juice and garlic powder. Pour evenly over layers. Cover with plastic wrap.

Microwave on full power 5 minutes. Microwave on 50% power until thermometer inserted near center reads 160 degrees and/or knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 10 to 12 minutes.

OR

Cover dish with aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until thermometer inserted near center reads 160 degrees and/or knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Greek-Style Skillet Supper

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Makes 6 servings.

1 lb ground beef
1/2 C chopped onion
2 t oregano
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t garlic powder
1 (14-1/2 oz) can beef broth
1 (14-1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 T tomato paste
1 1/2 C uncooked penne pasta
1 1/2 C frozen leaf spinach or cut green beans, thawed
3/4 C crumbled feta cheese, divided
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Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Add oregano, cinnamon and garlic powder; mix well.

Stir in broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pasta is nearly tender. Stir in spinach and 1/2 C of the feta cheese. Cover. Cook 5 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C feta cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 4 servings.

1/2 of a 16 oz package linguine
1 C fresh or frozen broccoli florets
2 T butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C milk
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t ground black pepper
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1. Prepare the linguine according to the package directions in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of the cooking time. Drain the linguine mixture well in a colander.

2. Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through, stirring often.

3. Stir the soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

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