Things I Am Loving This Week

Back again with the "Things I Am Loving This Week"--those (mostly) food related things that I am enjoying and want to share.

I enjoy a big plate of pasta as much as the next person, but I also crave a good spaghetti squash now and then. Since they were on sale, I bought one and decided it was in need of a nice meaty, but still full of vegetables kind of sauce, so I threw this Hearty Ground Buffalo and Veggie Ragu together and loved it. I made the sauce using what veggies I had in my fridge and it can be changed up to suit your needs/tastes. I used ground buffalo but any ground meat will work. Wanting to give it a kick, I added dried red chili pepper flakes and threw in some leftover olives and of course my true love, capers. Yum!

Hearty Ground Buffalo and Veggie Ragu

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

1 Tbsp olive or canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground buffalo (bison) or lean ground beef or turkey

1 tsp red chili pepper flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes, drained of 1/2 liquid (I used the no-salt)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup olives, pitted and chopped

2 Tbsp capers

2 cups baby spinach leaves

salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, red pepper and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ground bison and cook until meat is brown and cooked through. Add chili pepper flakes, oregano, basil, parsley, canned tomatoes with half their juice and tomato paste and stir. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add olives, capers and baby spinach and cook another 20-30 minutes until all veggies are cooked. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Serve over cooked spaghetti squash (see cooking directions below) or pasta with a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese if desired. Enjoy!

For spaghetti squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the squash several times with a small knife and bake until tender and skin can be very easily pierced with a fork. (About 45-55 minutes depending on size of squash). Let squash cool to the touch then cut it in half lengthwise. Remove seeds using a spoon, then using a fork, pull the strands of squash away from each half and place in a serving bowl. You can add a bit of olive oil or butter if desired, although with the sauce you really don't need it.

I think I have already shared my love for trolling the beverage isle of any good natural foods stores--so many delicious things to try like these Alodrinks I bought the other day. Made with aloe juice and pulp they are very refreshing and taste so good. I have tried two of the five flavors so far, Awaken (with wheatgrass) and Allure (with mangosteen and mango) and I am loving both of them. A little higher calorie and higher sugar than I want to drink regularly (about 60 cal and 15 g sugar in a serving--half a bottle), they still make a refreshing occasional treat to enjoy.

I have a penchant for pickles, especially dill pickles, so when I saw this recipe for Quick Indian Pickles in the November Sunset Magazine, I knew I had to try it. (BTW--loving this issue of Sunset too--so many good things in it!) The recipe combines my love for pickles with another love--Indian flavors and spices. I found some little Persian-style mini-cucumbers at Whole Foods so it was easy to whip up a batch. They are delicious and only 13 calories a spear so how can you not love that?

Quick Indian Pickles

Sunset Magazine, November 2009

(Makes 24 Spears)

Time: 1 Hour

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp each brown mustard seeds, black peppercorns, whole coriander seeds,whole allspice

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 cardamom pods, split

2 small dried hot red chilies, broken in half

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup lime juice

3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

1 piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, peeled, thickly sliced

6 Persian cucumbers, each cut into 4 spears, or 2 English cucumbers, each cut into thirds crosswise and then into 4 spears

Warm oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook, covered, until they pop, about 2 minutes. All at once, add remaining spices except for turmeric and cook, stirring, until spices are very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add turmeric and stir until just sizzling. Carefully add 1/2 cup water, the vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.

Pack cucumber spears into a deep bowl. Pour pickling liquid over them, weight with a small plate to keep them submerged, and let cool to room temperature, about 40 minutes. Lift pickles out of brine to serve.

Make ahead: Chill, covered,up to 2 days (pickles will get more flavorful).

Per Spear: 13 cal, 12% (1.6 cal) from fat, 0.3g protein, 0.2g fat (0g sat), 2.7g carb, (0.3g fiber), 181 mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol.

So these are the "Things I Am Loving This Week"--what things are you loving?

Don't forget, I am hosting Presto Pasta Nights this week (see this post for details). Hope to have you join us!

Almost-Raw Honey Cheesecake Bars with Cranberry Topping

My November/December Vegetarian Times Magazine came last week and I immediately began tabbing recipes, 12 to be exact. Everything looked so good, but the one I couldn't stop thinking about were these Almost-Raw Honey Cheesecake Bars with Cranberry Topping. They just looked so festive and I love experimenting with using ingredients like the cashews, (here soaked until softened and then blended until creamy), in different ways. Not only are these almost raw (except for the topping), they are also dairy-free and gluten-free--so good for everyone except those with nut allergies. I thought they would be fun to try out as a holiday dessert and I was curious to see how the texture would turn out--would it really be smooth and creamy like cheesecake?

Vegetarian Times says, "The only cooked ingredient in this creamy treat is a homemade cranberry topping. For a fully raw dessert, you can omit the topping and serve the bars plain, or garnish them with berries or sliced fresh fruit."

Almost-Raw Honey Cheesecake Bars with Cranberry Topping

Vegetarian Times, Nov/Dec 2009

(Makes 16 Bars)

3 cups raw cashews, divided

1 cup frozen cranberries

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw, unfiltered honey, divided

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup raw coconut oil, softened plus extra for greasing baking sheets

1 cup raw walnuts

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup raw macadamia nuts

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

Cover 2 cups cashews with cold water, and soak 3 hours, or overnight. Simmer cranberries, 2 Tbsp honey, and apple juice in saucepan over medium-low heat 10-12 minutes or until cranberries pop. Cool 15 minutes. Pulse in blender or food processor until sauce is thick and smooth. Cool completely.

Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square glass baking dish with coconut oil. Process walnuts, raisins, and remaining 1 cup cashews in food processor, until mixture begins to stick together. Press into prepared dish, and chill 30 minutes, or overnight.

Drain soaked cashews. Puree cashews, macadamia nuts, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 cup coconut oil, remaining 1/4 cup honey, vanilla extract, salt and 3 Tbsp water in food processor 5 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.

Spoon cashew mixture over crust. Spread cranberry mixture over top. Cut through cheesecake with small knife to swirl. Freeze cheesecake 1 hour before serving. Thaw 5 minutes, then slice into 16 bars.

Per bar: 308 cal, 6 g protein, 25g total fat (7g sat fat), 20g carbs, 0mg cholesterol, 77mg sodium, 2g fiber, 10g sugars.

Notes/Results: Very good! I was surprised at how creamy the pureed nut mixture was and it paired perfectly with the tangy cranberry topping and nut crust. Granted it isn't as smooth as a regular cheesecake and you definitely get a slight nutty-coconut vibe from these but they are pretty tasty. I like them on the slightly frozen side--as they warm up they get a little soft and don't seem quite as smooth. They went together easily and I like the fact they use honey as the sweetener rather than a bunch of processed sugar. I would make them again, as well as play around a bit with the different components like the crust, which was delicious and would be great in other recipes.

What sorts of experiments with different ingredients or ways of cooking do you like to try?

Curry Noodle Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays & Presto Pasta Nights

This week's recipe for Curry Soup comes from "Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook", relatively new to my collection. I like Reno's books and recipes as they are healthy, simple, and usually taste great and I have been craving this soup ever since I bought the book. With rice noodles, chicken, cashews and curry as the starring ingredients, it is exotic, hearty and full of flavor.

Reno says: "This is a traditional Indonesian soup recipe that combines the flavors of curry and chicken in a satisfying dish."

Curry Soup

"Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook"

(Makes 8 One-cup Servings)

Prep Time: 15 Minutes / Cook Time: 30 Minutes

1/2 lb / 227 g flat rice noodles

1 Tbsp / 15 ml coconut butter or best-quality olive oil

2 small sweet onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup / 60 ml cashews, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups / 1 liter chicken stock

2 small chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1/2 tsp / 2.5 ml sambal oelek or other chili paste

1 Tbsp / 15 ml Javanese curry powder or regular if you can't find this

1 tsp / 5 ml ground ginger

1 tsp / 5 ml laos--also known as galangal*

unrefined sea salt to taste

juice of one fresh lemon

Set noodles in a owl and cover with cold water. Set aside while you prepare soup. Place coconut butter in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat. Saute onion, cashews and garlic. Add a little stock if the pan gets too hot. Stir frequently. Cook until the onions become soft.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a Dutch oven, soup pot or stock pot. Add remaining chicken stock. Add cooked chicken, sambal oelek, curry powder, laos or galangal and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat. Add sea salt to taste.

Pour water off noodles. Rinse under cold water and drain. Add to soup and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls and drizzle each bowl with a squirt of fresh lemon juice.

*Other common names for Laos: Java Root, Galangal, Laos Powder. Description and use: Similar in appearance to ginger, galangal has a pervading perfume and pungency associated with Asian cuisine. It gives Thai food its characteristic flavor and goes well in all Asian curries.

Nutritional Value for 1-Cup Serving: Calories: 322, Calories from Fat: 113, Protein: 11g, Carbs: 39g, Total Fat: 12g, Sat. Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0g, Fiber: 1 g, Sodium: 413mg, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sugar: 4g.

Notes/Results: Really good, lightly spicy with great curry flavor--a nice warming bowl of soup. I looked for Javanese or Indonesian curry but didn't make it to the Asian grocery store and none of the regular stores nearby had it. Instead I used a regular curry blend and added a bit more cumin, coriander and turmeric and a touch of cinnamon. Maybe not authentic but it was delicious. You can adjust the spice level with the chili paste--I would say mine ended up fairly mild so I added a bit more to get it to a medium level. I tried some coconut butter/oil that was sent to me from Tropical Traditions to review (more on that next week), and I liked the slight coconut flavor it added to the soup. The lemon is essential, as it really brightens the soup and gives it a great acidic note. I just had whole galangal, so I bruised a couple of pieces and threw them into the broth as it was cooking. Regarding leftovers, the rice noodles soak up a lot of the liquid so if you want it more "brothy" the next day you will need to add more stock. I actually left it "noodley" and heated it up with a handful of baby spinach which was really good and changed it up a bit. I liked this soup a lot and will make it again.

Since the soup features rice noodles and rice noodles = pasta, it is a perfect dish for Presto Pasta Nights and even more perfect, guess who the host is for PPN #141 this week?! Yep, it's me! After popping in and out of Ruth's wonderful weekly event, I thought it was time I hosted a round. I will be posting the round-up this Friday so I hope to see some of you there. It is a busy week for many with Thanksgiving on Thursday, but what better time for a quick and easy pasta dinner? If you need the details for joining in Presto Pasta Nights you can find them at the site here. Otherwise just email me with your entry information and photo at debinhawaii@gmail.com. (Don't forget to cc Ruth at Ruth@4everykitchen.com). I'm looking forward to seeing some wonderful pasta creations.

Let's see who made it into the Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays kitchen this week!

Kait from Pots and Plots is here with a Cheeseburger Soup, made with some leftover ground beef meant for cheeseburgers. She says, "I opted for soup–a healthier version (I hope) of the cheeseburgers we WOULD have made with the ground beef originally. And this definitely fits the bill at 4 servings for 425 calories and 12.4 grams of fat–considerably healthier than a cheeseburger! Although I will say that this doesn’t exactly taste like a cheeseburger. More like a cheesy potato soup with ground beef."

Harvest Creamy Corn and Potato Soup is on the menu for Donna at My Tasty Treasures who says, "I just wanted to jot down this creamy corn 'choup' as Rachael Ray calls it, but I am renaming it chowder soup as I can't bring myself to use the word choup, it reminds me of the word chump. Takes less than 40 minutes (with prep) and you have a nice tasty bowl of chowder soup."

My good friend Kat from Our Adventures in Japan is here with a warming bowl of Tomato Miso Soup. Kat says, "One morning, I was watching a program and they mentioned that the "trend" nabe (hot pot) this season was tomato. Awhile back it was tonyu (soy milk) and then it was curry, but this year it is tomato. The way they cooked the hot pot on the program was closer to an Italian based soup with cheese topping the dish. I on the other hand, envisioned the tomato miso ramen at Hanamichi that I like. I didn't have any meat in my fridge, just a lot of veggies, so I ad-libbed and came up with this soup..."

Even recovering from dental surgery can't keep Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies away from her perfect Souper Sunday attendance record! This week she has a creamy, mouth friendly Roasted Apple and Acorn Squash Soup. Natashya says, "This was a delicious autumn soup, I love the sweetness that the roasted apples give to the squash, and how smooth they are when blended. I added a splash of brandy too, just for fun!" (Check out the gorgeous Pumpkin Pie Brioche she served with the soup on her site!)

Debs from Deb Cooks is back with a holiday-feeling Christmas Panini. She says, "Like most of us I guess, I've been thinking about Christmas lately. It was nearly lunchtime and I decided to try a little experiment. I love panini, usually with a filling of tomato, basil & mozzarella; but today I fancied a festive sandwich and having cranberry sauce & brie cheese in the fridge, what could be better? Brilliant. The cheese was perfectly melted and gooey, the cranberry tasted sweet against the brie and if I shut my eyes, it felt just like Christmas."

Joanne from Eats Well with Others has a seasonal sandwich and some deep thoughts on deconstruction (see her post) to share this week. She says, "So I bring you this Deconstructed Peanut Butter and "Jelly" Sandwich. Cranberry chutney instead of your traditional grape or raspberry jelly. Whole wheat pumpkin pie brioche because cranberries signify Thanksgiving and you can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. (Pumpkin pie brioche thus becomes pumpkin pie deconstructed.) And peanut butter because, well, old habits die hard. All assembled into a somewhat cohesive whole and then eaten open-faced. Piece by piece."

Mmm... I am feeling all cozy and festive with the wonderful hearty soups and sandwiches this week. Thanks to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich you would like to share, just click on the logo on the side bar to find out how to join in the fun. Maybe a wonderful creation from your Turkey-Day leftovers if you are celebrating this week.

Don't forget to join in Presto Pasta Nights this week too!

Have a wonderful week!

Cranberry-Apple Cider Shandy from Tyler Florence--A Perfect "Simple Saturday Sipper" for the Holidays

This week's "Simple Saturday Sipper", Cranberry-Apple Cider Shandies, are from Tyler Florence, via Oprah's website (here).

According to Wikipedia "Shandygaff or Shandy, a beverage first invented in the United Kingdom, is beer flavoured with ginger beer or ginger ale. Carbonated lemonade or citrus-flavored soda may also be used. The proportions of the two ingredients are adjusted to taste, normally half-and-half, although shandy that is sold canned or bottled is typically much weaker (about one part beer to ten parts sweet soda)." In this case, Tyler's Shandies are are great combination of fall flavors using cranberry juice and hard apple cider.

Tyler Florence's Cranberry-Apple Cider Shandy

Tyler Florence on Oprah.com

(Serves 4-6)

1 cup cranberry juice
2 cups ice
4 pints hard apple cider

In a food processor or blender, combine ice and cranberry juice and process for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture tightens up and takes on the texture of a slushy. Use an ice cream scoop to portion out among glasses, then top off with chilled hard cider. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve in mason jars for a fun presentation.

Notes/Results: Refreshing and good. I liked the combination of flavors as well as having the scoop of "slushy" cranberry juice with the slight carbonation of the hard cider. Since I used an unsweetened cranberry juice, I found that I needed to add a touch of agave to sweeten it just a bit. These were the perfect accompaniment to a slightly spicy curry soup I fixed (tune in tomorrow for that), and would be fun to serve at a holiday party. I would make this again.

Have you ever tried a Shandy?

Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon

This Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon (from "Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods" by Cynthia Lair), was a bit difficult to make pretty in photographs but it is a delicious and easy dinner entree that is very healthy. Of course everyone knows the benefits of wild salmon and nori, the seaweed you find wrapped around sushi has protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and it even has more vitamin A than carrots.

Lair says, ""This recipe is a compilation of one by Mary Shaw and one published in the Fall 2001 Dessert Dining Guide from the En Fuego restaurant in Arizona, with a few twists of my own. By wrapping the salmon before baking, it stays very moist and tender. The nori adds unusual flavor and bonus minerals"

Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon

"Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods" by Cynthia Lair

(Makes 4 small or 2 regular servings)

(Prep Time: 15 minutes)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp finely chopped herbs: any combination of thyme, basil, garlic, parsley, and mint. (I used basil, parsley and dill)

salt & pepper

2 (8-ounce) salmon fillets (I used 2 5-7 ounces wild salmon fillets)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp wasabi powder

2 sheets nori

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix oil, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Rub salmon with mixture. Mix mustard and wasabi together. Spread on nori.

Place salmon face down in the middle of the nori sheetand wrap like a package so that fish is fully covered.

The nori will stick to itself and the salmon.

Place wrapped salmon in a lightly oil baking dish. (I just used a parchment lined pan) The general rule for fish is to cook it 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. The nori will lightly flavor the salmon and seal in the juices.

Notes/Results: Very good--the salmon stayed very moist in the nori and had great deal of flavor from the herbs, wasabi-mustard, and the nori too. I served it on some mixed leftovers from my delicious dinner of the night before (more about that below), filled out with some spinach, red pepper and cucumber which made a light but still hearty dinner. I would make this again (Just cutting it a bit differently next time so it isn't cut diagonally across the grain of the fish and looks better!) ;-)

The "salad" I served the salmon on was actually the leftovers from a hearty, delicious plate of food from the Macrobiotic Community Dinner I attended the night before. I have talked about these dinners before on the blog, but I have to give them another shout out. They are held once or twice a month at a kitchen/auditorium at a local church and feature different themes each time. The meals are unprocessed vegan meals made with local, seasonal and often organic whole foods. The plate below was the Thanksgiving/Holiday Dinner and included Shiitake-Cauliflower-Leek Soup, Holiday Rice, Hijiki (a type of seaweed) with Kabocha, 3-Bean Salad, Watercress-Fig-Artichoke Heart Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and for dessert, Pumpkin Mousse with Maple Tofu Cream and Kukicha Tea. (I didn't take pictures of the soup, dessert and tea).


My favorites were the rice and the bean salad (really great flavors and textures), but everything was very tasty. Hosted by talented chefs Leslie Ashburn (of Macrobiotics Hawaii) and Kathy Maddux, the dinners are a fun way to discover some different and delicious food. I went with three good friends and we ended up making a new friend who is in the process of moving to the island and discovered the dinner. Great healthy food, good conversation with friends and a sense of community--a perfect evening and we all left feeling full and satisfied, but in a clean and healthy way.

Are there any unique food opportunities in your area that you take advantage of?

Cookbook Review: "Tips Cooks Love"

In my out of control cookbook collection is a shelf of reference books that includes "The Flavor Bible", "Food Lover's Companion", "The Food Substitutions Bible", and others too numerous to mention. It's the food geek in me, but I love to learn things about food, tips and tricks for better cooking or just to be reminded of things I may have heard before but have forgotten. Because of this I was happy to get a review copy of "Tips Cooks Love" by Sur La Table and Rick Rodgers. I LOVE Sur La Table--starting from when I moved to Seattle many moons ago and I used to go down to the original Sur La Table store at Pike's Place Market, gaze longingly at the shiny pots and pans and cool cooking tools and drool. Sadly, we don't have them here in Honolulu so I do my gazing and drooling online and I love to visit them on the mainland whenever I get a chance. Rick Rodgers is a culinary instructor and author of over 30 cookbooks--so there is some pedigree and experience behind this book.

"Tips Cooks Love" is a small book (5"x7") but it is packed with more than 500 useful cooking and food tips in many different areas. Not everything about food and cooking is covered in this book but there is a lot of information and it is organized alphabetically so it is pretty easy to use. The book includes tips and advice about ingredients as well as cookware, tools, cooking methods, food preparation and other handy information.

A few of my favorite tips from the book:

• Under "Bananas": "If you want ripened bananas for baking but don't have them on hand, you can imitate the ripening process in the oven. Bake peeled and thickly sliced bananas in a glass baking dish in a preheated 400 degree F. oven for about 30 minutes, or until well-softened. Let cool completely before using." As someone who gets banana bread cravings at inopportune times in their ripening process, I am happy to learn this one!

• Under "Fruits, Dried": "To chop dried fruit in a food processor, partially freeze the fruit to minimize sticking, and spray the chopping blade and the work bowl with flavorless oil. Use 1 to 2 second pulses to chop the fruit to the desired size."

• Finally, my favorite tip that some of you may already know, is this great trick for getting the seeds out of a pomegranate without getting the juice all over. (I typically cut them in quarters on my cutting board and end up shooting seeds and juice all over my kitchen ;-( making a "small kine" (little) mess!) Very timely advice since November is "National Pomegranate Month" and they are big, gorgeous and even on sale in many of the grocery stores here.

The book has you score the pomegranate just through the skin into quarters and then submerge it a large bowl of water

Then break the quarters apart, keeping them under water, and "coax the seeds out" with your fingers from the spongy membranes.

The membranes then float right to the top where you can easily skim them off and discard.

Just drain the seeds and there you go--no seeds wasted and no mess.

Also in the book are 10 "deconstructed" recipes that are designed to put the various tips to practice. They include Nine-Grain Whole Wheat Harvest Bread, Fudgy Classic Brownies, Fleur de sel Caramels, and the one I "road tested", Salmon with Sesame-Panko Crust. A quick and easy recipe where salmon fillets are seasoned and then one side is coated with a mixture of mayo and wasabi paste. (I used a lite mayo). Next a panko-sesame crust is applied on top of the wasabi-mayo, crisped with canola oil or cooking oil spray and baked on parchment paper. Delicious--lots of flavor and a nice crisp crust from spraying the oil on the panko mixture before it bakes and then again, halfway through cooking. This is a make-again recipe for me.

Although smaller and not as extensive as some of my other resource books, "Tips Cooks Love" is a fun useful guide for foodies, new cooks and more experienced cooks interested in learning some new tricks. It is the perfect size for a stocking stuffer or it would make a great addition to a larger shower gift or a nice hostess gift too. It has earned its spot on my cookbook shelf and I think those Fleur de sel Caramels (you can find the recipe here) are calling my name!

What is your favorite quick cooking tip or trick?

"I Ricchi e i Poveri" (The Rich and the Poor)--Shrimp and Cannellini Beans from Nigella Lawson

It's "Potluck!" week again for I Heart Cooking Clubs, our chance to make any Nigella dish that we want to make. I found my recipe in November's issue of Health Magazine. It was a bit surprising to find it there because Nigella isn't someone you necessarily think about when you think of cooking healthy, but the recipe sounded really good. It was in the magazine's "Grocery Store Challenge" feature: "What Can You Do With a Bag of Frozen Shrimp?" where three food stars each provide a recipe. Along with Nigella, the great Mark Bittman and Alex Guarnaschelli of Food Network fame also had shrimp recipes. Nigella's "I Ricchi e i Poveri" (The Rich and the Poor), combines shrimp (the rich) and beans (the poor) in an easy one pan dish that once you have the shrimp defrosted, goes together in about 10 minutes. Easy peasy!

I Ricchi e i Poveri (The Rich and the Poor)

Nigella Lawson in Health Magazine, November 2009

(Makes 2 Servings)

Add 1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth, 1/4 cup water, and 1 bay leaf in a pan; cook over medium-high heat. When liquid starts to bubble, add 1 pound frozen medium shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined; cook 3 minutes. Add 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained, and cook until hot. Drain shrimp and beans and transfer to bowl; discard bay leaf. Add 1 teaspoon white wine or dry vermouth, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and toss. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Top with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.

Serving Size 1 & 1/2 cups: Calories 510; Fat 16g (sat 2g, mono 10g, poly 3g); Cholesterol 336mg, Protein 39g; Carbohydrate 45g; Sugars 1g; Fiber 8g; Iron 8mg; Sodium 602mg; Calcium 142mg.

Notes/Results: Really good! It's a simple and very tasty recipe perfect for when you want to get dinner on the table in a hurry. The shrimp and beans make a nice pairing and served with a salad, it is an easy, healthy dinner. I did make a couple of small changes, reducing the olive oil to 1 tablespoon (shaves off about 100 calories from the dish), increasing the lemon juice to 1/2 lemon and sprinkling on some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. Next time I might toss in some garlic too--just because I love it and what is better on shrimp than lemon and garlic?! Since it is so quick and easy and I almost always have a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer and beans in the pantry, this is a keeper recipe and I will make it again.

You can check out what the other IHCC members made and what they thought of their dishes by going to the IHCC site here.