Food In Many Forms

I truly believe in food destiny . These shrimp, marinated in Chesapeake Lemon dressing , and tucked away in the freezer, were meant to meet yellow grits . Today, that destiny became a reality . I had the hardest time finding a recipe that even resembled my mental image of Shrimp & Grits. I imagined creamy, salty, bright yellow grits, with colorful veggies and perfectly seasoned shrimp . I wanted peppers, and onions, softened and perfectly blended with the shrimp.  But so many recipes saturated the grits with cheese, packed in the bacon, and ignored the vegetables altogether. I think all the cheese, bacon grease and mounds of butter take away from the simple, delicious taste of this meal . My mother's side of the family is from the south, and we eat our grits with a little bit of milk and salt and it is perfection . When costing out this recipe, I was caught unaware by the price of the shrimp (especially since I bought and froze this particular shrimp back in ...

I always tell my patients, the worst thing that can happen to their diet is complacence . When you stop working to improve your diet, it will inevitably go in the opposite direction . So I recently set some goals for myself to improve my own diet. 1) Eat more meals at home 2) Cook more meals at home 3) Use more home-cooked meats , rather than processed/packaged meats 4) Bulk up on vegetables at lunch and dinner 5) Use only whole grain products at home A lot of this has to do with finding products and recipes I enjoy, but also making time to prepare meals ahead of time. At first, this meant using a lot of frozen vegetables and microwaveable rice, and cooking meat in large batches for several days. But eating 90-second brown rice and frozen broccoli everyday can get a little boring, even if it does help me meet my goals. So now that I have a regimen that I am comfortable and happy with, it's time to shake it up a bit . Asparagus is going to be in season in Maryland ...

Didn't I just say I would cut back on the alcohol in my last post? Well, I guess I'll keep trying. These delicious clams and mussels were just too perfect with a few glasses of white wine.  Maybe wine doesn't count... Anyways, I really lucked out with these little sea creatures because out of the 48 total clams and mussels I bought, only 1 was bad and didn't open up. It was probably because I bought them and cooked them on the same day and the lovely seafood lady at Whole Foods sent me with two heaping bags of ice to keep them cool. Although the mussel experts say you can store mussels in the fridge for several days, covered with a damp cloth. Giada, from the Food Network, is one of my favorite chefs. Every recipe I have made from her has been outstanding. This one was great because the crushed red peppers spice up the entire broth and give all of the seafood that little bit of kick. The recipe is supposed to serve 6, but the two of us ate all of the mussels...

Last night I was hungry, there was no fresh food in the house , and I went into a food frenzy . Immediately, I pounced on the frozen shrimp and canned tomatoes, and before I knew it I was cooking Giada's Shrimp Fra Diavolo recipe. Of course there are a few small differences. No fresh food means no fresh onions, so those were nixed, but it actually made the recipe ten times simpler. Ingredients 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 cup dry white wine 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 1 tablespoon chopped  Italian parsley leaves 1 tablespoon chopped  basil leaves Directions Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for abou...

It's starting to get cold outside, and food that sticks to your insides are starting to look more appealing. Paula Deen's Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole was just what I needed to warm me up before going out for Halloween! (Just a few alterations) Ingredients 1 (8-ounce) package wild rice 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 teaspoons butter 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/2 onion, chopped 1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of potato soup 1/4 cup freshly grated Pepper Jack Cheese Salt and pepper Directions 1. Cook the rice. 1/4 wild rice, 3/4 basmati rice with 2 1/4 cups water for 45 minutes. 2. Cook the onions, peppers, and shrimp together with a teaspoon of butter. 3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 4. In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1/4 cup of cheese,shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. 5. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glasscasserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan a...

This is a great convenience meal because most of the ingredients can be frozen - I ate it several times during exams ! This is a great way to get vegetables, and saves time because the pasta is precooked. The whole bag of veggies is only 270 calories so load up! Recipe Courtesy of  Birds Eye ( see product website ).  Ingredients: Birds Eye Asparagus Stir Fry (w/ Asparagus, Carrots, Cauliflower, Noodles, Green Beans) Frozen, Uncooked, Peeled Shrimp Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder Sesame Oil Directions: 1. Cook shrimp in a skillet in 1-2 Tbsp of sesame oil until pink, being sure to flip them occasionally 2. Pour in as many vegetables as you want (you may need to add some more oil too!) 3. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste 4. Cook until hot

Finals are around the corner, but no matter how many times I try to convince myself to stop cooking for a while, I always slip back... I went to the grocery store yesterday, my biggest inspiration for cooking, and I was excited to try a new sauce I bought - Bertolli's Four Cheese Rosa . I normally don't love cream sauces , but this version of Alfredo Sauce has added tomatoes and four different cheeses (In case you couldn't tell from the name). When I opened the jar, the cheesiness was a little overwhelming, and I felt kind of nauseous. As I was cooking, I couldn't decide whether I should use the sauce or not. Luckily, I had made enough vegetables for two meals, and I set one aside before adding the sauce. However, with all my concerns about the sauce being totally gross and inedible, it was actually really good! My Shrimp Campanelle Recipe Serves 2-3 Ingredients Campanelle (or other fun-shaped pasta) 1 small bag of Frozen shrimp 1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa sauce 1 ...