Who you calling shrimp salad?

Eat too many chocolates for Valentine's? Yep, me too. This recipe will get you back on track with eating right.

Many times, I'm left with bits of vegetables at the end of the week prior to grocery shopping. Not enough to make anything substantial, but just enough to enjoy. My Spicy Shrimp Salad puts all those good veggies to work. The best thing about this salad is that it's low in Weight Watchers points, but high on flavor.

Only 2 things in the recipe I bought at the commissary or had shipped to me. However, you may have canned black beans at your local supermarket. The salsa is important as well, as we'll use this to make a dressing. If you absolutely cannot get salsa, try some canned tomatoes, canned chilies or something else that is low in calories.

Spicy Shrimp Salad - makes1 good sized serving
Lettuce, chopped/shredded
1/4 cup cucumber, diced
1/4 cup red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4-1/3 cup tomatoes, diced (the tiny grape sized ones are in season here right now and are especially good for this recipe)
1/4 cup of canned or frozen corn, rinsed (I prefer the canned variety on the local market since it tastes fresher)
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed (Fiber, fiber, fiber)
1/2 cup medium frozen shrimp, thawed and diced
1/4 avocado, peeled and diced
1 piece of turkey bacon, crumbled (Yeah, yeah...I had some leftover from the weekend. Who can resist avocado and bacon?)
1 TBsp of sour cream and 2 TBsp of salsa, mixed

Combine everything. The sour cream and salsa serve as the salad dressing. If you want, use low fat or fat free sour cream for even more dressing. The salad is 7 Weight Watchers points.

Hope you enjoy this one because I certainly have :)!

Yummy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Gotta love when the scale tells you that you need to 'scale' back your portions and eat a little better. One step that I usually take to start eating healthier is to eat soup. It makes a GREAT lunch with a side salad or all in itself. A recipe that has worked for me over and over again is out of Hungry Girl's recipe book (check out her website at www.hungry-girl.com ) for her Chicken Tortilla Soup. Oh, and by the way, I can't buy canned soup here, so this is a real winner!

I was able to get most of the ingredients here, with the exception of the Mexican seasoning. However, staying true to my Texan roots, I keep a steady supply of taco seasoning on hand and use it anytime the recipe calls for any sort of TexMex, chili, fajita or other miscellaneous mixed seasoning. Thanks Mom, for the use of your Sam's Club card!

Oh, and one other thing...if you are on Weight Watchers, this soup is only 2 points per cup and it turns out to be a hearty 2 points at that! I'll show some optional throw-ins should you choose to beef it up a little. This recipe makes about 4 - 1 cup servings.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 - 4 ounce breast of chicken, poached and shredded
1/2 cup of diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBsp of fajita or other Mexican seasoning (trust me, taco seasoning works great if that's what you have in stock!)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
3 cups of fat free chicken broth (you can substitute in water with bouillon cubes like I did or use vegetable broth)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of canned corn (you can also defrost frozen corn)
1 TBsp lime juice (I used lemon...it worked great)
1 TBsp of jalapeno pepper, chopped finely (I ended up throwing in some chili flakes because I forgot to buy this item at the store. You can also leave it out if you are scared of a little heat.)

On medium/high heat, saute onion, garlic, seasoning, and spices in a soup pot for about 3 minutes until onions are soft. Add the broth and and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and canned tomatoes. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Finally, add chicken, jalapeno, and lime juice and simmer for about another 5-10 minutes.
Optional add ins: 2 crushed tortilla chips (what is tortilla soup without the chips?), 2TBsp of Shredded cheddar cheese, 1 TBsp sour cream or creme fresh, chopped green onions, 1/4 cup black beans (this adds great fiber and is very filling), more corn

Promise, promise, promise, you will love this one. Soup's on!!

Curried Pumpkin Carrot Soup

When it starts to get cold outside, I tend to put the soup on. While Chicken Noodle remains a favorite, sometimes it's nice to shake things up a bit. I've discovered a fun and easy soup that is quick to make, tastes great and is really healthy. Put your seat belts on--it's about to get a little wild in the kitchen.

You will need:

1-2 cups fresh pumpkin, diced into small pieces

two cups chicken broth

3 carrots, diced

1 onion, shallot, leek (whatever you can get your hands on)

1/4 tsp. curry

1 tblsp. butter

To start: Heat butter in a pan over low to med. heat. When melted, add diced onion, and saute until transparent. Add pumpkin and carrot pieces and give a toss in the onion-butter mixture, then add the chicken broth. Add the curry. Turn up heat to high until it comes to a boil, and then turn heat to simmer, cover with a lid, and wait until the pumpkin/carrots become soft. This is the longest part of the process, usually taking about 15 minutes. Once the veggies are softened, remove from heat, and set aside.

The next step requires a Cuisinart, blender or hand held food processor. I plug in my hand held food processor and blend the soup directly in the pot. After the veggies are processed, the consistency of the soup will become creamy. At this point you may want to taste the flavor and add salt and pepper, if you choose. Depending on how much spice you like, you may also want to adjust the amount of curry. Once the soup is of a creamy consistency, you can serve it into bowls, OR you can return it to the stove top and stir in cream, milk, or creme fraiche. Milk products aren't necessary, but if you want a super creamy soup, this will make it so.

This soup is hearty enough to be a meal in itself. Just pair it with a crusty bread and you're set.

Happy New Year Chicken Salad

The holidays and over and you jumped on the scale January 4. Ey, ey, ey! Did all of the cookies, drinks and oh-so-good casseroles really catch up to me like that? New Year's Resolution time.



The big joke is that most people who commit to losing weight at this time of the year won't follow through with it. Good for those who do!! I have a salad that I make regularly that is low in calories and if you've decided to follow Weight Watchers like I have, it's low in points. If you are like me and like to have a lighter meal later in the day, this is a great recipe for you.



All ingredients can be found locally with the exception of the ranch dressing (commissary) and for those of us in the Muslim world, bacon (commissary). If you are lucky enough to be able to find these locally, I commend you! Also, the serving size is for 2...adjust as needed for your family.

By the way, there is another variation of this recipe that I can't wait to share with you next month. It's our Chicken Wing Salad and one of hubby's favorites! OK, maybe I'll post it sooner than that!

Happy New Year Chicken Salad

Lettuce or other greens, torn or chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion or 1/4 large onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced or 1 cup bite-sized tomatoes, cut in 1/2s (the mini tomatoes are probably my favorite discovery here in Tunisia for the winter season)
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed (fiber, fiber, fiber)
2 slices of cooked bacon (don't think I'm crazy...I had some left over from Sunday's B-fast)
1 hard boiled egg, diced
Sprinkle of cheddar cheese
2 chicken breasts, pan cooked and diced
Optional toppings: diced carrots, chopped celery, 1/4 diced avocado (just a little goes a long way), other low-calorie veggies
Ranch dressing (or any other creamy dressing)

**I know what you are thinking, Ranch dressing is loaded with calories and fat! A trick that I like is to take 1TBsp of dressing and water it down a bit. I'm only able to get the full calorie stuff here and it works for me! I'd like to dedicate this 'trick' to my years of eating in restaurants and having friends who were waiters in college.****

Add lettuce and layer other veggies in 2 bowls. Split up remaining ingredients into bowls. Pour dressing on top and toss salad. You are ready to eat.

For this recipe, most of the time is spent in the preparation before putting it together. One time saving trick I love is to chop a little more of the veggies or cook extra chicken and stick the stuff into baggies to use later in the week for this salad. This works well especially with the chicken breasts.

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Happy New Year LLOR readers!
Keep an eye out for more 2010 recipes!

This Ain’t Your Mama’s Mini Meat Loaves

My friend Nana sent me this recipe after it was a big hit for dinner one evening with her hubby. Meat loaf normally gets a bad rap, but these are really fantastic. Pair them with some potatoes, and you've got yourself a meal that will please any meat-n-potatoes fan in your house.

Many of the ingredients that are listed are interchangeable for local ingredients. If you're on the newer side of cooking, try my Substitutions link on the main page. Also, if you make the full recipe, they can be frozen and the directions on how to reheat are listed. What a fabulous solution to a mid-week meal crisis!

Mini Meat Loaves

• 1 cup ketchup
  
• 3 to 4 tablespoons packed brown sugar (regular sugar or Splenda can also be used)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard (try yellow or brown mustard if you don't have the dry stuff)
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  
• 3 cups Crispix cereal, crushed (I've used Rice Krispies, but any other 'rice' cereal can be subbed---Fitness, Rice Chex, etc)
  
• 3 teaspoons onion powder (again, use real onions or even dried)
  
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (steak seasoning works great!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (fresh garlic works great)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  
• 3 pounds lean ground beef
  

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Remove 1/2 cup for topping; set aside. Add the eggs, Worcestershire sauce, cereal and seasonings to remaining ketchup mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes. Crumble beef over cereal mixture and mix well.
  
• Press meat mixture into 18 muffin cups (about 1/3 cup each). Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes. Drizzle with reserved ketchup mixture; bake 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°.
  
• Serve desired number of meat loaves. Cool remaining loaves; freeze. Transfer to freezer bags; seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
  
• To use frozen meat loaves: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Place loaves in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through, or cover and microwave on high for 1 minute or until heated through. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.
  

Enjoy these tasty treats with your family soon. Because isn't meat loaf truly American?

Mark’s I Want My Baby Back Ribs

While in Texas for RandR, my brother graciously hosted a Football watching party complete with all the Texas type food you could want. Mark is a great cook, and he has far fewer epic fails in the kitchen than I do. He had been bragging about these ribs for a while and decided to finally make them. When he told me that these were done mainly in a CrockPot, I thought, OK, it's possible, since I did my Thanksgiving turkey in one 2 years back. Anyone who thinks good ribs have to be done on a grill will be sorely mistaken with this recipe. It's just plain ol' good.

As for ingredients, if you are not like me in Tunis, you should be able to readily find pork ribs. However, you can also sub in beef ribs and have them cut down by your butcher to fit in your CrockPot. I've bought 2 different kinds of rubs from my local BBQ place in Houston (shout out to Carl's BBQ in Cypress, TX!!), but you can look up some made from scratch rubs online at http://www.allrecipes.com/. As for BBQ sauce, I always keep some on hand because I am a TX girl, after all.

Oh, and I almost forgot: CROCK POT ALERT!!!

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Mark's I Want My Baby Back Ribs

Equipment:
- slow cooker or crock pot at least as deep as width of ribs
- oven
- oven pan or broiler pan
- knife

Ingredients:
Baby Back Ribs (as many as you want and can stand on their bone end in a crock pot or slow cooker)
2-3 T dry rub per rack (I like Head Country but I think any smoky type sauce should work)
1/2c + 1/4-1/2 c BBQ sauce per rack

Prep: Take silver skin off the back of the baby back ribs. The easiest way to do this is take a knife, insert it under the skin, work your fingers under the skin and slowly work your finger under it down the ribs until it's all off. On the meaty side, trim any excess fat or any silver skin that might be there.

Rub ribs with a dry rub on both sides. I've let them sit overnight and I've done that right before, I'm sure over night lets it sink in more but life doesn't always give you the call for ribs a day in advance.

Cooking: Put the ribs under the broiler for 15-20 minutes flipping once. You want them to get a little cooked on the outside. My oven is gas and I'm not sure it works as fast as an electric so keep any eye on them... no burning should happen.

I pour maybe 1/3-1/2 cup off bbq sauce and maybe 1/2-1 cup of water in the bottom of slow cooker or crock pot and arrange the ribs where they stand up on the bone end. My crock pot only fits 1 rack so I cut it into 3 pieces. You don't want them soaking in the liquid while cooking, that'll make the meat fall straight off the bone when removing. I've cooked them on low for 6 hours, or 4ish on a combination of high and low, just depends if you're around the house or not.

Finish them: Pull them out of the slow cooker, put them on sheet pan or broiler pan, put a thin layer of bbq sauce on them and put them back under the broiler until the sauce is bubbling a little bit but watch to not burn. I'll start them on meat side down, then flip to bone side down.

Enjoying: For the neat freaks, you should be able to eat these with a fork and knife. For the real deal, get in there with your hands. If you need more bbq sauce, have a little warm sauce nearby for individual bite dipping purposes. If anyone criticizes you on this, just tell them "The ribs told me to do it."

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Impress your friends with these. They will thank you for it.

Are you ready for some Football Chili?!?

To all you football widows out there, this recipe is for you! It will get your hubby and his friends away from the flat screen on Sundays and into the kitchen to dig in. You can double for more people and add your own flair, but this is the basic recipe. Most ingredients you'll be able to find locally and put your crock-pot to use (bonus appliance use!!). And in my house, crock pot= fall=football season. You do the math.

This recipe is dedicated to my friend Tracy who hates to measure stuff.

Crock Pot Football Chili

1 regular package of ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 onion (red, yellow or white), diced
1 or 2 bell peppers, diced (I like red, though green are readily available in Tunisia)
Garlic cloves, minced (1 or 2 will do)
1 packet of Chili seasoning (Sorry, this is something you may have to get at the commissary or on Netgrocer. You can also use taco seasoning).
1 big a** can of diced tomatoes
1 normal can of kidney beans
1 regular can of pinto beans
Optional: jalapeno peppers, red chili flakes (If you like your chili hot, use 'em!)

Cook veges in pan for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add ground beef to pan and cook until brown. Mix seasonings and stir. Dump the mixture into the crock pot. Add diced tomatoes and beans to mixture and set on high for 1-2 hours or until heated throughout. Serve plain or with cheddar cheese, Frito's, tortilla chips, saltine crackers, or sour cream.

I love the beans in this recipe, but you can leave them out if you don't. Also, if you can't get your hands on onions or peppers, that's ok too. The seasoning packet usually has dried onions in it. When you use both the beans and the veges, the recipe is super hearty.

Cloudy with a Chance of BBQ Meatballs

This next recipe comes from my friend Julie who is currently back in the states for a tour. She definitely remembers the trials and tribulations of cooking in Tunis! No BBQ sauce, no problem!!!

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BBQ Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (These can easily be made if you don't have them. Think day old baguette or bread!)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
1/4 cup of milk

Combine meatball ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls and bake on foil lined baking sheet for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a sauce pan:

1 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar (you can substitute honey as brown sugar is not available locally in some locales)
Tabasco/hot sauce to taste (you can substitute a little harissa if you want)
Worcestershire sauce (good, but not necessary)

Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes.

This recipe is easy to double, triple or quadruple for parties. It can be made ahead and reheated in a crockpot. The longer the meatballs are in the sauce, the better they taste.

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Thanks Julie for submitting to LLOR. This sounds like an excellent bunco or party recipe, though meatball-lovin'-hubbies around the globe would certainly enjoy for an ordinary Wednesday night.

Keep those recipes coming to my email address! New recipes will be coming to LLOR soon. Stay tuned!

Curried Chicken Salad

No leisurely lunch menu is complete without at least one chicken salad recipe. It's a versatile medium--start with good quality white chicken meat and add in what you like. I've chosen to post this curried version, which is my husband and sister's favorite. You can tweak the spicy factor to your liking and play around with different textures that appeal to you. Here's the basic template:

1 lb. chicken breasts, skin and bone still intact

1 cup mayonnaise

1-2 tbls. curry powder (depending on how much spice you prefer)

1/2 cup apples, diced

1/4 raisins

2 celery stalks, diced

salt to taste

**If you prefer a low-fat option, you can substitute plain yoghurt for the mayo. If you'd like to increase the zing, try adding a tablespoon or two of sour cream.

Wash the chicken breasts and place in medium saucepan. Cover chicken breasts with water, salt, and cover with lid. When water starts to boil, lower the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Using a knife, cut into the chicken to check to see if it is white throughout. Poaching the chicken slowly is important, as you want the meat to be tender. It's worth cooking it more slowly than continuing to boil at a high temperature, as the slower the poaching, the more tender the chicken. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from the water and place on a cutting board. Remove the skin and discard. Separate the chicken meat from the bones and discard the bones. Using two forks, pull apart the meat so as to shred it. Once fully shredded, place the chicken in a medium-sized bowl.

The meat should be cooled before continuing with the recipe. You can let it rest a bit before continuing, as you don't want the heat of the chicken meat to do funky things to the mayo. Once at room temperature, add one cup of mayonnaise to the shredded chicken. Use your fork to whisk in the mayo, adding more mayo if you prefer moister chicken salad. Once the mayo and chicken are mixed, add the tablespoons of curry powder. As you start to mix in the curry, the salad should take on a yellowish hue, which darkens with the more powder you add. At this point, toss in the apples, celery and raisins. You may also want to add a dash of salt for extra flavor.

I love this salad on home-made raisin bread, but any bread works just as well. This is also especially tasty served in a melon half. A light and fruity lunch alternative to the basic sandwich. Bon Ap!