Dining Debbie's Way Hamming it Up

Sat here trying to decide what to do with a 2lb ham roast I had sitting in the freezer. Since I keep hoping that spring is right around the corner, I focused on something springy!  I decided to roast my ham together with pineapple, onions and butternut squash and this is what I came up with:

2 lb ham
1 butternut squash, cored and chunked
1 onion, chunked
1/2 pineapple, chunked
2 cloves garlic
1 spring of rosemary
5 fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup of Strawberry Rhubarb jam
ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

Place the ham into a grease baking dish, surround it with the chunks of squash, onions and pineapple.  Chop up your cloves of garlic, rosemary, and mint leaves then sprinkle on top of the ingredients.  Top it with the jam, nutmeg and salt/pepper to taste.  Place in a preheated 375 oven for about 45 minutes and serve.

Photo prior to baking:

Dining Debbie's Way Stuffed Green Peppers

Had some fun with green peppers last night.  I wanted to have a bit of Mexican taste, but didn't want all the calories of tortillas.  So I thought Taco Salad, then decided, nah boring.. something more exciting.  So I was wandering through the grocery store and decided stuffed peppers.  Started looking for Poblanos and sure enough my commissary didn't have any in stock, so what next.. Good ole' Green Peppers.  I'll just spice up the meat a little more, and still get the crispness of a pepper.  Off I went, home to throw the recipe together.

Ingredients:

4 Green Peppers, Caps and insides removed and cleaned
1 lb of 92% lean ground beef
1/4 of onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, cleaned and chopped (leave the seeds in for extra heat)
1 can of Ro-tel (Hot)
1 package of Knorr Fiesta Sides Mexican Rice
1/4 c Shredded Cheese
Shot of Texas Pete Hot Sauce

Extra Shredded Cheese for topping

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
Clean out peppers and place them in a baking dish.  Brown the beef, onions and jalapenos in a pot and drain the grease.  Make the Mexican Rice as directed on the package and place it in a mixing bowl, add the browned ground beef mixture, can of ro-tel, 1/4 c of shredded cheese and shot of Hot Sauce.  Mix it all together and stuff the filling into the peppers, topped it with the extra shredded cheese and place it in the oven for about 20-25 mins until the cheese browned on top and the pepper skins softened slightly.  Enjoy! Serve with a side of salsa for extra snap!

Photos prior to baking:

 

With the leftover filling, I decided to stuff some Poblano peppers once I found some at another grocery store and whipped up a quick Jalapeno Cheese Enchilada sauce for the top.  I just replaced the green peppers with Poblano and left off the shredded cheese for the top and made the enchilada sauce.

To make the quick enchilada cheese sauce, I melted 3 Jalapeno flavored weight watchers cheese triangles (or laughing cow works too) in a pot with 1/3 can of green enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup of Mexican shredded cheese, once the cheese started to melt, I continued to add the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce and kept whisking to keep it smooth.  Once the peppers had cooked in the over (as directed above) I topped the casserole dish with the warm cheese, threw it back into the oven for about 10 more minutes until the cheese browned on the top..

Dining Debbie's Way Spicy Shrimp Dish over Rice

A favorite recipe that was given to me by my husband's Aunt, was her Spicy Shrimp dish over rice that we fell in love with the first time we had it.  It became a family favorite and it's very creamy, spicy and filling.  It great to serve on a cold evening when you just need that extra something to warm you up a little bit.  It's very quick to make and many changes can be made to personalize the dish to your families tastes.


What is needed?
1 T Chopped Onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green pepper
1 box of sliced mushrooms
2 T Butter or margarine
1/4 t salt
1/4 t red pepper
1/4 t white pepper
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t black pepper
1 1/2 c Heavy whipping cream (or for those trying to eat lighter 11/2 c fat-free half and half)
4 T grated Parmesan cheese
4 T Ketchup (I prefer Heinz)
1 1/2 lbs of Shrimp

Rice - 3 Cups made as directed by package

Optional additions -- Canned Clams, Canned Crab, Canned baby shrimps (Turns it into Spicy Seafood over Rice)  For more spice - add a jalapeno or two with the other vegetables.

In a medium saucepan, saute onions, garlic, mushrooms and green pepper in the butter.  Add the salt and 4 pepper seasonings  Stir in the whipping cream, parmesan cheese and ketchup.  Bring to a slow boil, whisking occasionally.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until it starts to thicken.  Add your shrimp (other seafoods, if you like) and serve over hot cooked rice.

This recipe is great served with a Parmesan Garlic toasted loaf of bread or garlic bread sticks and a side salad with your favorite dressing.  Try a nice Pinot Grigio to go along with theme.

Enjoy and Cook on!

Dining Debbie's Way Weight Watchers Fiery Shrimp with Bok Choy and Rice

As I mentioned in a past recipe, we have been following weight watchers points on a regular basis and I recently came across one of their recipes that my kids and friends wanted to know how to make it.  I figured I would post it in my blog, but I must give credit where credit is due (Thanks Weight Watchers)

Fiery Shrimp with Bok Choy and Rice

3 tsp Canola Oil (I used Olive Oil)
1lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1c matchstick-cut carrots
2 baby bok choy, quartered lenthwise
6 scallions, cut into 11/2 inc lengths
2 Tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2c Jasmine Rice
11/2 c chicken broth
1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4-1/2 t red pepper flakes ( I replaced the flakes with 1 1/2 t Asian Chili paste)

Heat 1 1/2tsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and stir-fry until just opaque in center, 3 minutes.  Transfer to medium bowl.  Add remaining 1 1/2tsp oil to skillet, add carrots, bok choy, scallions, ginger and garlic, stir-fry until fragrant, 2 mins.  Add rice tossing to coat.  Stir in broth, soy sauce and pepper flakes; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 20-22 minutes.  Add the shrimp back to the skillet, cook stirring frequently, until heated through, 3 mins.

Delicious! Points Plus Value 6 per serving, makes 4 servings.


Weight Watchers Magazine Jan/February 2012 pg 131

Dining Debbie's Way Buffalo Chicken/Shrimp Taco

I have to get this recipe down somewhere, since I flew by the seat of my pants on this one.  My husband and I have been on Weight Watchers for over a year and I try to come up new and exciting recipes.  I really had a taste for buffalo chicken wings last night, but the are high in fat, so it was time to get creative.  Then I started thinking less chicken and more seafood and that will help the calorie count also, but still getting my chicken taste.  Here is what I came up with..

8 oz of chicken breast tenders, cubed
5 oz of shrimp, raw cleaned tail and shells removed, chopped
1 Tbl Olive Oil
1/2 c carrot matchsticks
1 jalapeno
1/3 red onion, chopped
Texas Pete hot sauce
lettuce, shredded
tomato, diced
Shredded reduced fat mexican cheese (I use Weight Watchers brand)
6 soft corn tortilla shells, warmed
Dash of Light Ranch dressing (optional)

Cube the chicken breast and place in a small baggie with Texas Pete sauce to marinate.  Do the same with the shrimp in a separate baggie.
Heat the olive oil in a fry pan, add the chicken, carrots, jalapeno, onion and saute' when it starts to soften add the shrimp until the chicken and shrimp are cooked through.  Add more Texas Pete sauce to turn the mixture a nice orange color.  Take your warm tortilla shell, top with mixture, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and a dash of light ranch dressing (for the full buffalo chicken affect)  This recipe will serve about 2 people (3 soft tacos each)  So double it up!

They turned out extremely tasty and fun.  Enjoy and Cook on!

Dining Debbie's Way Ribs

Everyone has their own way to make ribs and I have tried making them many different ways from wet rub to dry rub, to crock pot bakes.  The one I found to work the best for me and my family really enjoys is starting with a dry rub, then baking in the oven at a very low temperature, then basting on the grill with BBQ sauce.  It is a time consuming process, but it is well worth the wait.

Dry Rub Ingredients:
In a small bowl, combine the following -
1 c  Brown Sugar
1 Tbl Old Bay Blackened Seasoning
1 Tbl Garlic
1 Tbl Red Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbl Creole Seasoning
2 tsp Ground Fresh Nutmeg
2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Salt


Ribs:

4 lbs of Pork Spare Ribs

Wet Mop:


1 1/2 c Ketchup (I prefer Heinz)
3/4 c Brown Sugar
2 Tbl honey
2 Tbl Soy Sauce3 Tbl brown mustard
3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Texas Pete hot sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Place all the ingredients in a small sauce pan on the stove over medium heat, whisk until smooth and saucy.

Place the rack of ribs on a large piece of tin foil, coat one side of the ribs with a dry rub, turn over and coat the other side.  Wrap the tin foil around the ribs to form a tent. (You may need to use several pieces of foil, to avoid leakage)  Place on a cookie sheet and put in a 250 degree oven for 5 1/2 hours.  Place in the refrigerator to store until grilling.  When you are ready to grill, let your ribs come to room temperature, while preparing your wet mop sauce.  Preheat your grill until hot and place the ribs (foil removed) straight on the grill.  Mop on one side and let it sit on the grill 10-15 mins, turn over and mop the other side, let it sit an additional 10-15 mins until the mop sauce sets into the meat and the meat is starting to fall off the bones.  Remove from the grill and serve with the leftover mop sauce you did not use.

Serving suggestions - Serve with corn on the cob, baked beans, cole slaw and garlic toast.

Dining Debbie's Way Shrimp Boil

Who doesn't like easy?  I love making a shrimp boil because you can do everything in one pot and it makes a complete meal in a matter of minutes.  We made the shrimp boil on New Years day this year as it was quick and easy to feed 10 of us after a long night on New Years Eve.  We did grill some ribs to add to the plates to make it a surf and turf meal, but the ribs were prepared at an earlier time and just placed on the grill to warm up.  To make this boil, all you need is the following:

1 Zatarain Shrimp Boil Bag
2 bottle of beer (any kind)
8 small red potatoes, quartered
8 small frozen corn cobs
4 lbs of Raw peeled, tail-on shrimp
1/2 c of butter melted
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the Shrimp boil bag in a 15-qt stock pot filled with about 5 qts of water, add the bottles of beer.  Bring to a nice steady boil, add the potatoes, cover and continue boiling for about 6-8 minutes, add the corn cobs, cover and continue boiling for about 5-6 more minutes, add the shrimp, cover and boil for about 3 mins.  Your shrimp will be a nice orange/pink color indicating they are finished cooking.  Strain the shrimp out into a large bowl. Strain the corn and potatoes, discard the boil bag and place in the same bowl as the shrimp.  You can reserve about 1 cup of the broth for a bread dip (recipe below).  Drizzle the melted butter of the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste  Makes 8 servings.

Suggestion for the reserved 1 cup of seafood boil broth.  Whisk into the broth; 1/4 c of olive oil, 1 t garlic and sprinkle with ground pepper.  Serve along toasted baguettes slices for dipping.