Quinoa, Broccoli, Shrimp Curry Casserole

 Sometimes mistakes turn out okay, and sometimes they're even worth blogging about! I was daydreaming about doing some curry shrimp kabobs using a delicious sauce from a Kalyn's Kitchen recipe I used for marinating. The sauce was part of a casserole, but I thought it would be great to give my shrimp a nice flavor.

That's not what ended up happening. Since a pound of shrimp seemed like a lot, I made the original quantity of sauce and it was WAAAAAY too much. I was heartbroken by the thought of throwing it all out after fishing the shrimp out, so I decided to makeover the original casserole recipe and see how it turned out. I liked it!

Also it was pouring, and who likes grilling in the rain? Not me.

Inspired by Kalyn's Kitchen's chicken recipe, which you can view here.

Curried Shrimp, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole
Serves 6
What you need:
1/2 C dried quinoa, rinsed until no foam appears
1 C water to cook quinoa in
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces (the stalk "trunk" part is totally worth peeling and cutting up too!)
1 C diced bell pepper-about 2/3 large pepper
1 lb. shrimp (I used raw, deveined, peeled shrimps with tails on. If you don't like picking out tails, opt for tail-less shrimp!)

Sauce
1.5 C. light sour cream
1/2 C light mayo
1 t dijon mustard
3 t curry powder
3 T lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cook quinoa according to package directions-in case you bought it in bulk, after rinsing, put quinoa into a small pot of water, get it to a boil, cover and cook on low for 10-15 minutes.
• Start water boiling-enough to fit the broccoli and pepper in. Cut up broccoli and pepper. When water is boiling, dump veggies in and cook for about 3 minutes-broccoli will turn bright green. Then drain or immerse in cold water to stop cooking.
• Mix the sauce ingredients in a jar or bowl and mix well. Taste. Taste again. Try not to eat the whole bowl with a spoon. Mix well with the shrimp in a big bowl.

• Lightly spray an 8x8" casserole dish. Layer quinoa, veggies, and shrimp/sauce mixture. 

• Cook for 30-35 minutes, until bubbly and browning. 

Verdict:
It showed up on the blog and I wouldn't give you a flop! Delish and healthy to boot! I'd top with parmesan if I had any. Or could find it in the fridge. Anyway. I'll try the shrimp skewers another time and let you know how those turn out, too. 

Nutrition:
1/6 of this dish is 7 Weight Watchers Points+.

Baked Anaheim "poppers"

These are not so much inspired by, but a direct copycat attempt of Toni's cousin Kim's appetizer. We had these in Alaska and gobbled them up! I liked the anaheim peppers (in Alaska) because they were much milder than jalepenos. But the ones I got in Colorado were H-O-T! I guess it just depends on the pepper, like jalepenos, but if you really don't care for spice or are feeding these to kids, you can always use bell peppers.

These are traditionally appetizers, but I ate them all myself and called it lunch. :) Obviously if you are serving a crowd, make more!





What you need:
-Anaheim peppers (3)
-2 Laughing cow cheese wedges of your choice
-1 egg white
-1 C. corn flakes, crushed

What to do:
-Cut the peppers in half longwise and scoop out seeds and ribs-I'm thinking my peppers might have been hot because I was a little lazy with the ribs.

-Spread about 1/3 cheese wedge in each pepper
-brush with egg whites and coat in corn flakes
-bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until corn flakes turn brown

One thing I struggled with was getting the cornflakes to stick. My mom recommended whipping up the egg whites next time before dipping so hopefully that helps! Let me know if you have tips, too!

Nutrition info
For a serving size of 3 poppers (appetizer), 2 WW points. If you eat them all, 5 points.

Carol's Famous Portabello Mushroom Marinade

This is a family favorite and one my mom has been asked for again and again. These mushrooms are great as a side dish or a main dish for vegetarians. We're making them again for the 4th!

What you need:
Portabello mushrooms-as many as you want, at least 4.

Marinade:
1/3 C. of canola oil
3 T. lemon juice
4 1/2 T. soy sauce
2 1/2 T. sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 t. ground ginger

What to do:

• Cut of stems and clean gills from the mushrooms with a spoon. Cut into thick slices, or, if you prefer, leave a few whole. Lay out in a baking pan or other flat rimmed dish.
• Mix ingredients for the marinade in a jar, shake vigorously, and pour over the mushrooms. Allow to sit for several hours if possible, turning a few times so both sides can soak up marinade.
 

• When ready to cook, lay foil on a heated grill and lay mushrooms out on foil. Let cook for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush leftover marinade over mushrooms while cooking.

Nutrition Info: Weight Watchers calculates this as 8 points, but not all marinate is used....so I'd guess 6 or 7.

Note: I'm sure leftovers would be great in an omelette, on a sandwich, a pizza, or a salad. But we've never had leftovers. True story.

Shrimp Broccoli Bok Choy Stir-fry

I got some bok choy in my produce box last week and had no idea what to do with it. This is the result! Feel free, as always, to experiment with what you have in the fridge and leave a comment if you find a good combo! Once you have your veggies chopped this comes together very quickly. I also think it would be great with diced chicken, which would just need longer to cook than the shrimp, or tofu!

What you need:
1 T oil of your choosing (I used sesame oil but the soy sauce overpowered the flavor anyway)
1 T minced garlic
minced ginger if you're into that (I'm not)
2 pieces (heads? units?) of bok choy, sliced
2-3 carrots, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped up
a few green onions (pictured but I forgot to add them, oops)
about 1/2 lb mushrooms



1 lb. shrimp (I used peeled, tail-on. If you don't like having tails, get it without)
1/4 C. soy sauce
pepper
sesame seeds for garnishing (I didn't use but wish I had!)

What to do:
Wash and chop up all the veggies.
Heat oil in a big pan (medium low). Add garlic and ginger, if using and give it about 30 seconds.
Turn heat to high. Add the bok choy and carrots, give it a stir, add broccoli, stir again.

 The bok choy pretty much disappears as it cooks, but I did add it, see?

Give these veggies about 3-4 minutes to soften. Then add mushrooms and green onions, give another minute.
Add shrimp and soy sauce, making sure that shrimp is toward the bottom of the pan. Let cook shrimp through until pink, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle some pepper on top, as well as sesame seeds.
Serve! Serves 4. It would be good over rice but it was pretty darn tasty on its own, too!

Verdict/what I'd change:
I'd remember to use the scallions and sesame seeds, and probably add more mushrooms!
Nutrition:
5 Weight Watchers Points + per serving

Grilled Salmon with Mango Cilantro Salsa

I'm not sure what it is, but the combination of salmon, mango, and cilantro is DIVINE! It's mango season and grilling season! This is a great, healthy dinner.

Serves 2.
What you need:
 1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 T minced garlic
1/2 T minced jalapeno (more or less to taste)
1 T lime juice
1/8-1/4 C chopped cilantro
3 green onions, green part only, chopped

2 salmon filets, mine were skinless (scale-less?) and about 7 ounces
salt and pepper
1 t. olive oil

If possible, make salsa ahead of time. Peel and chop mango, getting as much flesh off the pit as possible. Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl and put in the fridge to chill.

Rub salmon fillets with olive oil and a dash of salt at pepper. Let them warm up as you preheat the grill to medium heat. I have a thing about scales so I buy fillets without-but if your fish has scales, put it scale-side down. I cook it on foil so it doesn't fall through and because I lost the neat cedar planks I bought. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish, but it should be pink and flake easily. I like my meat pretty well-cooked, and I'd say it took mine about 10 minutes per side.

Top cooked salmon with salsa and enjoy!

Suggested side: any veggie, especially one you can throw on the grill. Look, no dishes to wash! (Well, not too many)

Verdict:
Totally delicious. I could eat this just about every night. This time my mango salsa seemed to make more than the first time I made it; could possibly cover 3 salmon pieces.

Simple Roasted Vegetables

This recipe is meant to inspire you, not necessarily to be followed exactly! I've never made it the same way twice- just use the vegetables you have on hand. It is a delicious and healthy vegetable side to any dish.

What you need:
-1-2 t. olive oil
-variety of roasted vegetables: some good ones are: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, zucchini, cubed squash, bell peppers.....

What to do:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop all veggies into bite-size pieces. I just cut asparagus in half, though.
-Toss the vegetables, oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Heck, toss them right in the pan if you don't want to dirty a bowl! I'm extra lazy so I line the pan with aluminum foil.

-Spread veggies out in the pan and put in the oven. Stir around about every 10 minutes.
-I usually cook for about 40 minutes. It depends on how crisp/cooked you like your veggies.

Enjoy! Feel healthy!
I'm pretty sure this would be approved for any diet out there. :) It's hard to define nutrition information for it, because it just depends on the veggies you use. For weight watchers, using 1 sweet potato, 1.5 t. olive oil, and the veggies pictured above it is 2 points for 1/8 of the veggies on the pan.

Portabello Pizzas

This is a great snack or light meal when served with a salad or some veggies! Serves 2.

What you need:
-2 large portabello mushrooms
-2 T. pizza sauce
-1 oz. shredded mozzerella cheese
-fresh basil (optional but highly recommended)
-veggies of your choice-I used a bell pepper and pepperoncinis

What to do:
-Preheat oven to 375.
-Use a spoon to gently remove the gills from the mushrooms,and cut off the stem. Wash.

-Spray pan and both sides of mushroom with cooking spray. Cook for about 35 minutes, turning halfway through.
-When mushroom has reached desired doneness, remove from oven and turn it up to broil. Put 1 T of pizza sauce and half of cheese on each mushroom. Top with desired veggies.

-Put back in oven on top rack and cook for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove and top with chopped fresh basil. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:
WW Points: 3
South Beach Friendly: Yes, all phases