Easy Italian Shrimp - 3 points

Easy Italian Shrimp
1 lb medium shrimp
1/2 cup low fat Italian dressing (I used a sun dried tomato version)
3 cloves garlic

1. Place shrimp and dressing in a shallow dish. Cover, refrigerate and allow to marinate for 1-2 hours.
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Spray with kitchen spritzer. Saute garlic for 1 min.
3. Add shrimp and dressing to skillet. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Yields 4, 3 point servings

I just finished teaching a great book - A Long Way from Chicago, by Richard Peck. It is a cute book about a cantancerous granny, set during the days of Al Capone. Reading it reminds me of one of my favorite restaurants, and purported Al Capone hide outs, High Point in Monteagle, Tennessee (follow the link and you will drool reading the menu). I look forward to making another trip there and telling you all about it.

I hope that everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day. Mine was quite nice (and I have recipes to share with you later this week from Simon's school and my dinner with Stone). Stone sent me a balloon that read, "I love you". It was quite commical as in each one of my classes a student would ask, "Hey, who loves you?" I of course said, "Lots of people. But only one of them sent me a balloon."

Shrimp Scampi - 5 points

Tonight I am back to one of my first Weight Watcher's approved loves: shrimp. I love that the meat itself is low in points, so I feel like I have a little more freedom with the other ingredients. This is another recipe from Lean and Luscious that I modified to fit my points. I left the tails on the shrimp on purpose because I knew that it would slow down my eating and - thus- help me eat less.

Shrimp Scampi

1/3 cup white wine

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley

1 tsp oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb shrimp

1. Combine all ingredients but shrimp in a shallow dish. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge overnight.
2. Remove shrimp from marinade and place in a shallow pan or oven safe skillet. Make sure the pan is large enough for the shrimp to be in a single layer.
3. Broil shrimp for 6 minutes, turning after 3.
4. Meanwhile, place the marinade in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Pour through a strainer if a smooth sauce is desired.
5. Serve shrimp with sauce in a small bowl for dipping.
6. Yields 4, 5 point servings

I needed some white wine for the marinade and all I had in the house was a bottle I bought at my favorite local wine shop before Christmas. I was planning to have a small get together and wanted something different in addition to my normal blush and red, so I chose a honey and passionfruit wine from the special wines section. The party was cancelled, so I was left with my bottle of Mad Housewife, Shiraz, and this passionfruit wine. As you have read, the Mad Housewife and the Shiraz have since been used (click the wine to see the recipes).

I wasn't sure about using this wine in the scampi, since I have never tasted it before, so I took a sip before adding it to the marinade. As soon as the glass touched my lips, I heard the music of the angels wafting through the air. This is The Best Wine in the World. It is amazing. It is sweet and a light and crisp and it smells like a warm, lazy summer day. In other words, I recommend it. Oliver Winery Passionfruit and Honey wine:

There is even this pretty little flower detail in the glass:

Now, on to my third topic. A huge thank you to everyone who has followed this link to view the post about my friend Deborah and her efforts to raise money for the adoption of her beautiful little boy from China. As soon as my coffee comes in, I will post a review. I ordered a medium roast Ethiopian coffee.

Finally, it is 10:30 on Friday night. I have a tummy full of delicious food and good wine, Zero 7 is crooning "In the Waiting Line" through my Zen, and I am about to go tell my boyfriend to stop studying and dance with me before he goes home. Have a lovely evening and a

Happy Pink Saturday

tomorrow. 



Shrimp Ragout - 6 points

I am one of the prime enemies of the cow. I love a big juicy hamburger, the kind that drips grease and tomato juice and mayonnaise when you take a bite. I love a medium-rare porter house steak with a thick crust of pepper. I fantasize about succulent pot roast slow cooked with golden potatoes and white onions. None of those things, as you can imagine, is on the Weight Watcher's list of acceptable foods.

Seafood is normally a rare dish in my house, but it is low on points and I am very hungry. So, I made a trip to the store and got to know the man being the seafood counter. I came home with shrimp, scallops, orange roughy, mahi-mahi, and swordfish. I started out with the shrimp. I had an open bottle of a favorite wine, which inspired me to try a shrimp ragout. It was delicious! I was amazing! It was so good I had to close my eyes and curl my toes when I took my first bite.

Shrimp Ragout
1 pounds of shrimp, cleaned
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Saute onions and peppers in oil until tender. Add tomatoes and heat to boiling. Turn down the heat to medium low; add wine, parsley, salt, and pepper. Heat until parsley beings to wilt. Add shrimp. Cook for 15 minutes over medium low heat to allow sauce to thicken.  Makes four, six point servings of YUM.

A note about cooking with wine: bad wine = bad food. I have a friend who is a chef. She swears that it doesn't matter what wine you use when you cook and recommends that you go as cheap as possible to lower costs. I think that she is generally a rational person, but that in this particular department she is full of crap.  Generally when you cook with wine you are making a sauce. You will cook the sauce down after adding the wine, which will concentrate the flavor. Cook down a good wine, and you will be left with a sauce that deeply resonates  every lovely note of your chosen vintage. Cook down a bad wine, and all you will taste is the bitterness of skunky brew. 

For this ragout, I actually used one of my favorite blush wines - Mad Housewife White Zinfandel. The labels are as amusing as the wine is delicious.