Sweet + Spicy Basil Shrimp

Sooo tt decided to make me dinner one night this past week which was an extremely welcomed surprise. Even more of a surprise, was the recipe he found online to make. Shrimp with Mango and Basil is where it started, and it morphed into this sweet and spicy one-pan wonder, channeling warm Indian spices, and throwing your tastebuds for a loop with a pop of sweet pineapple. 

Sweet + Spicy Basil Shrimp

From EatingWell: February/March 2005, The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (2006) 

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/shrimp_with_mango_basil.html

ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined, tails left on
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large ripe, pineapple- peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

{serve it over: wild rice}

instructions:

1. In a large Ziploc bag, toss shrimp with salt, cayenne to taste and turmeric. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. 
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; place the shrimp in a single layer and cook until the undersides turn salmon-pink, about 1 minute. Flip them over and cook for 1 minute more. 
3. Add pineapple and chopped basil and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is just cooked and starts to barely curl, 1 to 2 minutes more.

notes: 

• Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each
• Nutrition per serving: 183 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 168 mg Cholesterol; 16 g Carbohydrates; 20 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 352 mg Sodium; 478 mg Potassium (based on recipe with mango rather than pineapple--but really, its probably not much different)

SkinnyMini Corn Dog Muffins

Are you ready for some football?!?!! I mean, I'm totally not, but who doesn't love Superbowl Sunday?! Even I do. Maybe it's the commercials... maybe it's all the football butts... but more than likely, it's the food.

We have a busy little weekend ahead, but the mister literally has me planning events around the "are you gonna have enough time to cook?" thought process, including the "I'll just drop you off at home, so you can start cooking, and I'll run back out"  -- I'm flattered, really. 

So what I'll do for you tonight, is share what's on our Superbowl Super Menu that I am trying to keep at least halfway WeightWatchers conscious. First up... these little delights. Hotdogs + Cornbread... say what?! I'm totally making chili too, so that makes these even more exciting.

Stay tuned for what else is on tap.

SkinnyMini Corn Dog Muffins

Recipe courtesy of Pinterest, of course, but originated from Simply Nourished Living

ingredients:

1 small package  cornbread mix (6.5 ounces/6 muffin size)

1 egg (or 2 egg whites )

⅓ cup milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 fat free hot dogs, each one cut into 6 even pieces 

instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the muffin mix, milk, melted butter, and egg just until moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling them about ⅔ full.
3. Insert a piece of hot dog into the center of each muffin cup.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. until golden brown
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6. Serve warm with your favorite corn dog muffins condiments.

notes:

• Nutrition: 83 calories, 2.2 g fat, 8.3 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 2.3 g protein
• WeightWatchers PointsPlus Values: 2 PPV+

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Man oh man. Now just forming the thought of cornbread and chili got my tastebuds working. Next up as a new little appie is this concept that I heard about on TFN's new show "The Kitchen" {which I find hilarious, b-t-dubs}

Anywho, what is your first reaction when I say: Buffalo Cauliflower? Really, I'm curious to know. Because my insides did a little dance. Maybe that's because I am mildly obsessed with buffalo anything, and to know that there is a higher being out there that would allow me to eat a spicy Superbowl snack that is not a deep-fried chicken wing, makes me so happy. {Note: I heart deep-fried chicken wings. A lot. They don't love me or my scale}

So they started talking about this as an app on this past weekend's show, and I couldn't find it anywhere on their site... so I had to do a little digging. Thankfully, skinnytaste.com came to my rescue {obvs} - and I am super stoked to make these, and tt actually didn't turn his nose up! Score!

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

with homemade "Skinny" Blue Cheese dressing

Recipe credit goes to skinnytaste.com 

ingredients:

For the Cauliflower

1 cup water
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp garlic powder
22 oz (6 1/2 cups) cauliflower florets
3/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
1 tbsp melted unsalted butter

For the Dressing

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper

instructions:

For the Cauliflower {makes 6 appx 1 cup servings}

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly spray a large non-stick baking sheet with oil.
2. Combine the water, flour, and garlic powder in a bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Coat the cauliflower pieces with the flour mixture and place on the baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes.
4. While the cauliflower is baking, combine the hot sauce and butter in a small bowl.
5. Pour the hot sauce mixture over the baked cauliflower and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with skinny blue cheese dressing and baby carrots/celery sticks.

For the Dressing {makes 1 cup, serving size 2 Tbl}

1. In a small bowl, mash blue cheese and yogurt together with a fork. 
2. Stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic powder until well blended. 
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

notes:

• Cauliflower Nutrition: Calories: 119.4 • Fat: 2g • Protein: 4g • Carb: 21.4g • Fiber: 3g • Sugar: 0.2g • Sodium: 1172 mg • 3 PPV+
• Skinny Blue Cheese Dressing Nutrition: Calories: 46.8 • Fat: 3.0g • Protein: 2.8g • Carb: 2.2g • Fiber: 0.3g • 1 PPV+
• If you are watching sodium intake, don't use Frank's -- the sodium is pretty high in that brand of hot sauce. I'm sure there are low sodium options out there. You can also 1/2 the buffalo sauce.