Shrimp Cheese Grits Casserole

This post was from awhile ago…but making for Christmas gang also!  I am exhausted! I had 30 wonderful kids with me all weekend as we all went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  My daughter, Haley, invited 30 of her friends from Wash U in St. Louis to come experience Mardi Gras for the first time.  Many had never even been to the South so of course I had to have lots of food!! We had 5 king cakes and I cooked our classic Louisiana dishes that feed a crowd. I made Shrimp and Cheese Grits from Freezer Friendly Meals, ahead of time and froze so I didn’t have to spend hours in the kitchen when everyone got there.  I also had to make our favorite appetizers kids love to dig into – Hamburger Dip and Super Salsa…both with only a few ingredients and so easy. Of course they were gobbled up! It was a whirl-wind weekend full of fun but good to be back in my routine too!

Shrimp and Cheese Grits for a House Full

  Since the end of college is approaching, all of my friends have been begging me to make them southern dishes.  Tonight, in honor of us all finishing our last classes, I decided I would make my southern favorite BBQ Shrimp.   And, my last class in college happened to be my swing and latin dance recital!  I am sure you can imagine how pleased my mother has been with my second semester senior class choices!  I spent most of the early evening at my recital, so I chose to make BBQ shrimp because it is full of flavor and only takes minutes to prepare!  Anyone you make this for will thing you spent well over an hour in the kitchen! Oh yes, make sure you have French bread to dip in the sauce and I always make angel hair pasta.

Barbecue Shrimp  from Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites
This book wouldn’t be complete without a barbecue shrimp recipe. I played around in the kitchen to insure the recipe included tons of sauce to dip the French bread, as that is the best part.  Serve with French bread and angel hair pasta.

Makes 4–6 servings

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fat-free Italian or creamy onion dressing
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds large shrimp (not peeled)
1/3 cup light beer
1/2 cup clam juice or fat-free chicken broth

1.  In large nonstick skillet, combine oil, Italian dressing, garlic, onion powder, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper over medium heat until sauce begins to boil.
2.  Add shrimp, cook 5 minutes. Add beer and broth, cook another 5–7 minutes or until shrimp are done. 

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 207, Calories from fat (%) 44, Fat (g) 10, Saturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 196, Sodium (mg) 614, Carbohydrate (g) 6, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Sugars (g) 2, Protein (g) 22, Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 carbohydrate, 3 lean meat

TERRIFIC TIDBIT:  Peeled shrimp may be used in the recipe if desired, but peeling the shrimp is tons of fun, just have plenty of paper towels.

A Southern Delight: BBQ Shrimp

When I was asked to prepare healthy Louisiana food for an editor from SELF Magazine who was in town touring the area, I was so excited.  Some people think eating healthy Louisiana food is an oxymoron but I have a whole book, Gulf Coast Favorites with trim&TERRIFIC Louisiana recipes.  What to make???? I couldn’t decide so I prepared a sampling from my Gulf Coast Favorites book to highlight some of my favorite Louisiana recipes!  From Crawfish Cakes, Crab Spinach Dip Baked in a bread, to Shrimp Remoulade and ended with my Tropical Yam Trifle, featuring our Louisiana yams.  Best of all, I get all the leftovers!

Shrimp Remoulade from Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites
You’ll love my pantry friendly and impressive version of this classic French sauce.   Serve on a bed of lettuce for a light lunch or fabulous first course.

Makes 8 (1/4-cup) servings

1 pound medium peeled shrimp, seasoned and cooked 
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Creole or grainy mustard  
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Dash hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1.  Place shrimp in bowl.
2.  In another small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and toss with shrimp. Refrigerate until serving. 

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 74, Calories from fat (%) 22, Fat (g) 2, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Cholesterol (mg) 112, Sodium (mg) 243, Carbohydrate (g) 1, Dietary Fiber (g) 0, Sugars (g) 1, Protein (g) 12, Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat

Shrimp Remoulade, Yam Trifle, Crab Dip-Easy Louisiana Recipes-Healthier for SELF Magazine

I always have so much fun filming my segment, ‘Holly’s Kitchen’ on “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture.” Louisiana has amazing fresh ingredients such as beef, rice, crawfish, and of course sweet potatoes! For March I showed how to make Steak Tacos with Cucumber Avocado Salsa with delicious Louisiana beef. Also, from my new cookbook out this fall, I made the incredible Berry Good Oatmeal Cookie Cake, so you will get a sneak peak of a great new recipe! Check out when the show airs on your local station or watch it online at TWILAtv.org.

Holly’s Kitchen on “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture”

I have been in Dallas, this week, at my daughter and son-in-law’s house helping out while my son-in-law had knee surgery. Everyone is so thoughtful and keeps bringing over sweet treats to enjoy. But of course I couldn’t resist cooking and testing lots of recipes from my new women’s lifestyle book coming out this fall – which I cannot wait because it is SO GOOD! My daughter said she loved the Home-Style Chicken with gravy and rice and my facebook friends have requested I share this dish early…nothing beats smothered chicken and gravy, and of course, its super easy to make. It will be your family’s new favorite!

Home-Style Chicken
Smothered chicken in a tasty gravy goes great with rice or potatoes. 

Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (2.0-ounce) package Onion Soup mix (one envelope)
1 1/4 cups water plus 2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Season chicken, coat lightly with flour. 
2. In large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown chicken on both sides, remove from skillet. Add onion and green pepper, scraping sides, sautéing until tender. 
3.  Return chicken to skillet. In small bowl, combine soup mix, 1 1/4 cups water, and wine. Pour over chicken.  Bring to boil, lower heat, cook, covered, over medium low heat until chicken is tender, 20-25 minutes. 
4. In small bowl combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, add to sauce.  Return to boil, boil one minute.  Serve chicken and sauce.

Home-Style Chicken – By Request!

White Chocolate Bundt Cake

I am so excited to partner with Walmart to create easy, healthy, and affordable meals – all with one-stop shopping! Today I am an official cover girl (hahaha)featured on the www.walmart.com homepage. I use Walmart’s Great Value brand with all my testing and have been impressed with the quality of the ingredients and  the selection.  I always keep a well stocked pantry and the price point makes it more affordable to do so…gives me extra dollars to treat myself!  

On of my favorite products is the Great Value Black Bean and Corn Salsa–most people already know about it-I made the Hamburger Dip for the 30 people at my house this past weekend and used this salsa to add more pizzaz to the recipe.  I look forward to sharing more of my recipes with cooking videos on  www.walmart.com/greatvalue, all under $1 per serving!

Wait until you try these recipes:

One Step Macaroni and Cheese-one dish and no boiling noodles-time saver!
Easy Chicken I make this recipe when I need a quick and easy delcious meal
Pizza Rice-leftover rice-turn into another quick recipe with few ingredients
Yummy Yogurt White Chocolate Bundt Cake-indulgence and easy-my daughter Haley makes our favorite cakeall the time in college.

Working with Walmart-the BEST CAKE!!

Ooey Goey Squares

Who Dat!!! Go Saints, it’s a black and gold Super Bowl!!! My husband and I had some friends over to watch the game last night and we used our new grill (a gift from Chad’s parent’s for our wedding anniversary). It’s the new infared kind, he couldn’t wait to use it and I must say it produced some juicy steaks. I’m sure it didn’t hurt they were Omaha Steaks, but they were so moist! We also made a green bean casserole, salad and yummy cresent roll bread dish. And of course we had dessert, Ooey Gooey Squares, from my mom’s The New Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Cookbook, and I don’t think I overcooked them this time. Finally…

Also, we ate at two really good restaruants this weekend with some friends. A FAVORITE of mine Victor Tango’s and Si Tapas which I’d never been to (both in Dallas)! At VT’s we had miso glazed sea bass scewers, chicken and waffles, ahi tuna nachos, and braised short rib with a rutabaga mash, which I must admit was awesome and i thought was some type of mashed potato at first. We had a vareity of tapas at Si Tapas, however, I really wanted the Paella, a favorite meal of mine. Next time, Chad said he’d go back with me

Who Dat and some good food!

Oatmeal Pancakes

I bet you wouldn’t think that pancakes could be a super quick and healthy breakfast. These delicious Oatmeal Pancakes are loaded with fiber and great taste so are the perfect start to your day. Whenever I prepare these I make sure to make enough for leftovers, as I keep them in the freezer and pop them in the microwave for a quick breakfast or even snack! Kids love these and will even want to help you make them…add fun toppings such as fruit, powdered sugar, peanut butter, jam, or syrup. Can even make a pancake sandwich with your favorite topping for an on-the-go meal!

Oatmeal Pancakes from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC Diabetic Cooking Cookbook

The whole-wheat flour boosts the fiber, and adds a nutty flavor to these fantastic pancakes.  

16 pancakes/serving size: 1 pancake

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

2 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 egg

2 egg whites

3 tablespoon light brown sugar or sugar substitute 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. In large bowl, combine oatmeal and buttermilk, let stand 2 minutes.  Beat in oil, egg, egg whites, sugar, vanilla.  

2. In small bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda.  Add dry ingredients to oatmeal, stirring only until combined.  

3. In nonstick large skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, heat over medium heat.  Using  1/4 c batter per pancake, cook pancakes 1-2 minutes on each side or lightly browned.  

Nutritional information per serving: 

Calories 94, Calories from fat (%) 18, Fat (g) 2, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Cholesterol (mg) 14, Sodium (mg) 149, Carbohydrate (g) 16, Dietary Fiber (g) 2, Sugars (g) 4, Protein (g) 4, Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch

Oatmeal Pancakes – Quick Healthy Breakfast