Shrimp & Grits

Tried this Paula Deen recipe, slimmed down by Hungry Girl, and it is delish and easy! My Texan husband had never heard of this dish (but, he's southern?!?), but now he loves it. Definitely a winner.

For Grits

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking grits
• 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
• dash salt

For Shrimp

• 8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled, tails removed, deveined, patted dry
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts)
• 2 tbsp. precooked real crumbled bacon (like the kind by Hormel)
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• Optional: Tabasco sauce (not optional for me!)

In a medium pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil on the stove. Add grits and salt and stir well. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Stirring occasionally, cook until water has been absorbed, about 6 - 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese, cheese wedge, and butter. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add shrimp and cook until pink and just done, about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. Add scallions, parsley, lemon juice, bacon and garlic. If you like, add a dash or two of Tabasco. Stir well and remove from heat.Serve grits topped with shrimp and bacon. Eat up, y'all!
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe, 1 large serving): 380 calories, 8g fat, 900mg sodium, 40g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 1g sugars, 40g protein -- POINTS® value 8

Potato Crusted Fish Sandwiches

I love, love, LOVVVEEE this recipe for a lot of reasons. It is easy to make, it gives you all the brain-feeding goodness of fish without a huge points value or big expense, and tastes terrific. It's even great the next day. I can truly think of no better use for instant potato flakes (certainly not to make fake potatoes). Again from the WW 20 min cookbook.

• 3/4 tsp grated fresh lemon rind
• 1 TB fresh lemon juice
• 3 TB light mayo or reduced fat coleslaw dressing (I used lite Miracle Whip)
• 2.5 c shredded cabbage
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
• 4x 6 oz cod fillets (1" thick)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 TB instant potato flakes
• 1 TB salt free greek seasoning (I use Nantucket's Mt Olympus Rub from HEB grocery store)
• 1.5 TB olive oil
• 4x 1.6 oz wheat hamburger buns

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine first three ingredients in a bowl, stir in cabbage and half of pepper. Cover and chill.

Sprinkle both sides of fish evenly with salt and remaining pepper. Combine potato flakes and greek seasoning in a shallow bowl or dish. Dredge fish in potato flakes and press firmly to coat.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add fish to pan, cook 2 min, turn over, place pan in oven. Bake at 425 for 8-9 min or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Place 1/4 c cabbage mixture on the bottom of a bun, then fish, and top half of bun.

Yield: 4 servings, 7 points each

(327 cal, 11.2g fat, 5.9g fiber)

Pork Chops with Mustard Caper Sauce

Yum, great recipe, and one of the best pork chop dishes I've had. Low points value, too, so you can make a potato or corn side dish and still come out allright. Nice tangy flavor, and not bad as leftovers. From the WW 20 min cookbook.

• 8x 2oz boneless thin cut pork loin chops
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 c chopped shallots
• 1c dry white wine or chicken broth
• 2 TB dijon mustard
• 2 TB fresh lemon juice
• 1 TB capers, drained
• 1 TB chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle pork chops evenly with salt and half of pepper.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over med-hi heat. Coat with cooking spray, and add pork. Cook 3 min on each side. Remove from pan, set aside, cover to keep warm.

Add shallots to pan, saute until soft. Add remaining pepper, wine, and next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil, cook 2 min or until reduced by half. Return pork to pan, cook 1-2 more minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with sauce over pork.

Yield: 4 servings (2 chops each), 4 points

(174 cal, 6.4g fat, 0.3 g fiber)

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

Haven't posted any recipes for a while, need to catch up! This one is a terrific summer barbecue recipe, and super-quick. Leftovers are also good. I've made this two or three times this Summer and my family loves it.

• 4x 4oz boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (look for the ones that say, "thin sliced for Milanesa" in the supermarket, or pound regular chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap to flatten)
• 4x .5" thick slices fresh pineapple
• 1/4c spicy teriyaki marinade (or regular teriyaki marinade with a pinch of red pepper flakes)
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 c light mayonnaise
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• 4 green lettuce leaves
• 4x 1.8 oz whole wheat buns

Preheat grill. Brush chicken and pineapple with teriyaki marinade. Coat grill rack with cooking spray, then place chicken and pineapple on grill. Grill 3-4 min on each side, or until chicken is done and pineapple is carmelized.

Combine mayo and red pepper - set aside.

Place 1 lettuce leaf on each bun, top with 1 chicken breast and one slice pineapple. Spread 1 TB mayo on top halves of buns, place top half on sandwich.

Yield: 4 servings, 7 points each (328 cal, 10.2 g fat, 6.1g fiber)

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken

I made this one for the first time last night from Cooking Light's "20 Minute" section. And, it was indeed very simple and quick, though I do have to say it used a lot of pots and pans, and created some work for me on the dishwashing front. It was really nice, though, and a great, easy light meal. It's also a little high in points for every day, but I'll make this one again. FYI, I used a Thai chili sauce I had in the cupboard for the spice instead of the item suggested below, and it worked just fine.

• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
• 1 (6.75-ounce) package thin rice sticks (rice-flour noodles)
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan; cook 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Place in a large bowl. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon oil, chicken, and next 6 ingredients (through sambal).

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain. Cut noodles into smaller pieces. Add noodles to bowl; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Yield: 4 servings, 8 points each

Calories: 381
Fat: 8.1g (sat 1.5g,mono 3.2g,poly 2.7g)
Protein: 27.5g
Carbohydrate: 47.1g
Fiber: 2.3g
Cholesterol: 60mg
Iron: 3.1mg
Sodium: 614mg
Calcium: 55mg

Country Captain Chicken

The recipe is delicious, but difficult to classify. It's called "country" chicken, but it's got a lot of Indian spices and ingredients. Whatever, however, this one tastes good.

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1.25 lbs chicken breast, trimmed and cut into small chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 TB minced garlic
• 1 TB minced, peeled ginger
• 1 TB Madras curry powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1c reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 c dark raisins
• 1TB sliced or slivered almonds, toasted (to toast almonds, put in a skillet over medium heat - cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the almonds are lightly browned, then transfer immediately to a plate, or almonds will continue to brown)

Heat one tsp of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally until browned, about 6 min. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining tsp of oil to the Dutch oven and reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, apple, bell pepper, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are softened, about 5 min. Stir in the curry, cinnamon, and salt. Cook, stirring, 1 min longer.

Return the chicken to the Dutch oven along with the tomatoes, broth, and raisins. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors are blended, about 15 min. Serve sprinkled with the almonds.

Yield: 4 servings, 6 points each

Chili Pasta With Beans

This one's yummy and seriously easy. Very filling, lots of leftovers and it tastes good. From Cooking Light magazine.

• 1 TB canola oil
• 3/4 c chopped onion
• 3/4 lb ground sirloin
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2c water
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz uncooked ruote (wagon wheel pasta)
• 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Glen Muir), undrained
• 8 oz can no salt added tomato sauce

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and beef to pan, cook 4 minutes or until onion is softened and beef is brown, stirring to crumble. Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook one minute, then pour in water and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 min or until pasta is cooked through.

Yield: 6 servings, 1 1/3c each, 6 points (294 cal, 8g fat, 4.6g fiber)