recipes

This is a simplified version of a recipe from one of the South Beach cookbooks. YUM.

1/2 cup toasted almonds
4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp granular sugar substitute
2 tsp cinnamon (I like a lot; use less if you prefer)

Whip ricotta in a blender until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add other ingredients and pulse briefly to mix. Spoon into small bowls and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

I got inspired by the idea of making mini-quiches and freezing them, so I made a batch.  I didn’t use the recipe from Just Bento, rather sticking to my usual filling, which is slightly modified from the quiche Lorraine from the Joy of Cooking.

4 eggs, beaten
1.5 cups half and half
Pinch of salt
A couple of good shakes of nutmeg
Swiss cheese
16 mini pie shells (storebought)

Beat eggs and add half and half, salt, and nutmeg.
Spread out mini pie shells on a cookie sheet and add enough Swiss cheese to each to fill the bottom, then add enough quiche filling to cover the cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until filling is loosely set and crust is slightly browned.
Keep refrigerated or freeze.

We’ve considered other fillings — in the past, I’ve used leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken with the Swiss cheese, and Chopper mentioned caramelized onions and chicken.

This is the recipe that Chopper used for the shrimp that we brought to Darren’s oyster roast last weekend – YUM.  We forgot the marinade to brush on at the end but they were delicious without it.

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. granulated garlic (1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tbsp. Lea & Perrins
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp. butter, melted
9 slices bacon
18 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

Cut the slices of bacon in half. Partially cook the bacon over moderate heat to render some of the fat without allowing the pieces to crisp. Combine butter with spices, add shrimp, toss well to coat, let marinate at room temperature 30 to 60 minutes. Remove shrimp from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Wrap a slice of bacon around each shrimp and secure with a toothpick to hold both ends of the bacon. Place shrimp on hot grill for 4 minutes; turn and brush shrimp with reserved marinade and grill for 4 minutes longer or until shrimp are opaque throughout.