Starting off the New Year Right! (These are a few of my favorite drinks!)

Welcome to anyone who's new to my blog! Many people have made a new year's resolution to eat healthier, and if low-carb is your chosen way, allow me to make it stupid easy for you. I've had this blog now for 2 years, and while there's definitely not 2 years' worth of content on it due to school and work, I'm quite proud of it. I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Years and Christmas!

I know a lot of people give up sugar sweetened beverages or even soda for a resolution, and I decided to put together a list of my favorite non-caloric, non-carbonated beverages.

Water Enhancers

These are highly concentrated flavor enhancers that are added to regular water to sweeten and flavor it. They also work wonderfully when added to plain greek yogurt or even ice cream! Get creative and make your own cocktails with them!

1. MiO: 10 original flavors, 6 "Energy" flavors, 2 coffee flavors, 5 vitamin enhanced flavors, and 4 with electrolytes.
2. Dasani Drops: 6 flavors

Waters

1. Hint: this no-sweetener beverage comes in many different delicious flavors that eliminate cravings for sugar.

2. Dasani Flavors: Lemon or Strawberry (more flavors available in the Coke remix machine)

3. Wegmans Wonder Water: unsweetened water in Cucumber, Lemon, Lime, Passionfruit, Blackberry, Pineapple, Blueberry, & Tangerine. (Wegmans is an northern-mid east coast chain)

4. Wegmans AquaZero (their version of vitamin water zero) 5 flavors

5. Vitamin Water Zero: usually fairly easy to find in mini marts and gas stations.

Juices

1. Bai (antioxidant infusion water) made using coffee fruit, it is sweetened with erythritol and stevia. Comes in many different amazing flavors.

2. Ocean Spray Diet Juices - 2g carbs per 8 oz. serving. Uses a base of cranberry juice, sweetened with Splenda, and other fruit flavors are added. My favorites are cran-pomegranate and cran-cherry.

Minnesota-Style Hot Dish (aka the Ultimate Comfort Food)

I had seen an article about the midwestern staple "hot dish" on Tasty. The author was trying to capture the essence of what exactly a hot dish was. A hot dish is a one dish dinner casserole. It commonly includes a protein, like chicken, sausage, or ground beef, coupled with some veggies, and paired with a carb (potatoes, rice, or corn) in some sort of sauce. I wanted to try my hand at a hot dish to combat the cold, dreary February weather. Feel free to change or substitute things in this recipe to your heart's desire.

Midwestern Style Hotdish

2 bags Green Giant cauliflower tots, defrosted in the oven
1 lb. ground beef, sausage, or chicken
1 family sized can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup (22.6 oz)
32 oz. frozen mixed veggies (a blend of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, and mushrooms is a great one)
a garlic and herb seasoning mix

Cook ground meat sprinkled with seasoning mix until no pink remains. Steam veggies in the microwave until defrosted/warm. Mix soup, ground meat, and veggies in a casserole pan. Smooth mixture. Arrange cauliflower tots in an even layer over the casserole. Spray lightly with oil and sprinkle with an herb mixture. Bake at 350F until tots are golden brown. Serve with a garden salad with an italian or greek vinaigrette.

Super Easy Enchiladas

Frozen pre-cooked chicken breast slices and rotel tomatoes make this recipe stupidly easy.

Lazy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Mission Low Carb Whole Wheat Burrito sized tortillas

for the filling:
1/2 can original rotel tomatoes
grilled  chicken strips, defrosted and diced
1 c. shredded mexican blend, cheddar, or colby/monterey jack blend
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/3 packet taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Lay out a tortilla and place about 2/3 c. filling on one end. Roll up and place in greased casserole pan. Repeat until all filling is used up.

for the topping
1 c. shredded cheese
1/2 can rotel
1/3 c. heavy cream

Combine cream and rotel. Pour evenly over the enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese over enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake more until cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve with Romaine salad with avocado ranch dressing.

Ham and Split Pea Soup

Ham and Split Pea Soup

A Comfort Food Favorite

After Christmas I had the leftovers of a honey baked ham bone with a bit of meat still on it. I used the ham bone to flavor the soup.

Ingredients:

leftover thick slices of ham, diced

32 oz. bag dried split green peas

32 oz. chicken or veggie broth

Honey Baked Ham bone

2 white or sweet onions, quartered

A sprig of Thyme

2 veggie bullion cubes

Place the ham bone in a large soup or stock pot. Dump in containers of broth, and fill the rest of the way with water until ham bone is submerged. Bring to a low boil. Add bullion, peas, and onions. Cover and allow to boil until peas are hydrated and soft and total liquid volume is reduced by 1/4. Add Thyme. Remove ham bone and add in diced ham. Add in any bits of ham off the bone. Discard bone. Stir/cook until peas sort of break down and soup is thick.

Note: croutons are a topping option for non low-carb family/friends. The peas may be a bit high in carbs, so eat about 12 oz. max at a time. 

Bready Pizza Crust Recipe

Hi folks,
It's been over a year since I've last posted. I fell off the low carb wagon for nearly a year and gained about 20 lbs. Not pretty, but I've managed to get back on and continue cooking. Because I worked full time during the summer, and work upwards of 25-35 hours a week now, I have less time and less energy than I used to. Thank to you all that kept checking back for new posts, I'm going to make an effort to post more.
-Caroline :)

Bready Pizza Crust

This is a modified version of my original pizza crust, the addition of the almond flour makes it more bread- like and sturdier.

For a small pizza (feeds 2ish people):
1 c. blanched almond flour
8 oz. cream cheese
1 egg
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
4 tsp. of a Garlic & Herb seasoning grinder ( or a pinch of garlic powder, a tsp of dried parsley, tsp of oregano, a tsp of black pepper, and a tsp of onion powder)

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix with hand blender (or by hand). Spread a sheet of parchment out on the counter. Spread the dough onto the parchment about 1/4 in. thick. You can also place another sheet of parchment on top and use a rolling pin or wine bottle to even the dough out. Square (or round) off the edges and bake until golden brown. Top with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings and bake again until cheese is bubbly. Or top with asiago, parmesan, and mozzarella with extra herbs and bake for cheesy bread.

Almond Cranberry Cauliflower Rice

Almond Cranberry Cauliflower Rice

This light dish is sure to delight family and friends during Thanksgiving and Christmas!

1 lb. cauliflower rice

2 Tbsp. Basting Oil (or other herbed oil)

2 Tbsp. Shallot Thyme Finishing Butter

1 handful of sliced almonds

1 handful low sugar dried cranberries

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet on high heat, warm oil up. Add cauliflower rice and salt/pepper and stir constantly until nearly soft. Add in butter, almonds, and cranberries. Reduce heat and allow butter to melt. It's done when the "rice" is soft and has absorbed most of the oil/butter.

Original Recipe courtesy of Wegmans

Super Light and Fluffy Cauliflower Mash

Because I just had my wisdom teeth taken out, I'm on a strict soft foods diet for a few days. I needed my cauli mash to be super soft, so I decided to boil the florets before putting them into the food processor/Ninja. It came out light and fluffy and smooth and amazing! I might just do this from now on! Here is the base recipe, add a combo of ingredients for different flavors.

Base recipe for Cauli Mash

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into roughly equal sized florets
4 to 5 oz. cream cheese
1 cup of chicken broth, bone broth, or veggie broth (add more if desired)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Boil the florets in salted water. I used a metal frying/boiling basket for quick and easy removal. When you can easily stick a fork through them, drain and put into the food processor. Add cream cheese, broth, and salt and pepper. Whir until completely smooth.

What can I add?
-Garlic Parsley Mash: 1 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 Tbsp. minced garlic) and 1 Tbsp. parsley
-Mexi-mash: dash of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 c. cheddar, monterey jack, colby(jack), or pepper jack cheese, shredded, 1 finely diced jalapeno, 1 chipotle chile (if you like them), and 1/4 c. fresh cilantro (if you like it), squeeze of lime juice
-Loaded Mash: 1/2 c. bacon crumbles, 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, 1 tsp. garlic, 2 Tbsp. fresh chives

Whatever else you like!

Velvety Portobello Mushroom Soup

I recently had some Trader Joe's Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup. It was condensed, so I added some water and cream. It was delicious, but a little high in carbs. So I decided to make my own. I'm having my wisdom teeth (all 4!) out tomorrow, so I figured I should make some smooth soup while I'm able.

Velvety Portobello Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
1 32 oz. container Trader Joe's Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth
1 32 oz. container Pacific Organic Mushroom Broth
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
~11 large portobello mushroom caps, washed, dried, and diced
4 oz. butter (1 stick)
2/3 c. Cabernet Sauvignon (I used The Path brand found at Wegmans- $6!)
1 Tbsp. Thyme
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. onion powder [OR 1/2 an onion sauteed with mushrooms]
1 6 oz. jar artichoke hearts, quartered and marinaded (I only added this much but you can add more if you wish!)
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pan. Add all spices and some salt and pepper. Add mushrooms (a little at a time if necessary) and sautee until reduced a bit. Add wine and artichokes. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the mushroom broth. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Heat the rest of the broths in a large soup/stock pot. When the mushrooms are soft and have reduced in size significantly, add the mixture into the soup pot. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth. Add the cream and blend again. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sausage Zoodle Soup

This soup is similar to chicken noodle soup, but with breakfast sausage and zucchini noodles instead.

Sausage Zoodle Soup

1 32 oz. container chicken broth (I used Trader Joe's Organic Chicken Broth)
8 oz. turkey or chicken bone broth (I used Pacific Organic Turkey Bone Broth)
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
6 stalks of celery, washed and sliced
1/2 red onion
1 16 oz. roll pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage)
1/3 c. Wegmans Basting Oil (sunflower seed oil with parsley, thyme, and garlic)
3 small zucchinis, washed, ends chopped off, and spiralized
1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning (sage, thyme, salt, oregano, ground mustard, basil, red and black pepper)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. adobo seasoning (optional)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. onion powder

Heat broth, carrots, and celery in a large soup pot until veggies are soft. Medium heat should do. Saute red onion in a bit of oil and add to pot. Add all seasonings to the pot. Stir well. Cook sausage and add to pot. Add raw zoodles 20 minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy.

Spice Cake

This soft, eggy cake can be eaten for breakfast or dessert. It's not overly sweet. I like to top it with vanilla spiced pudding.

Spice Cake

Cake:
1 c. CarbQuik
1/2 c. almond flour
5 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1/3 c. water
4 eggs
a little less than 1 tsp. liquid Splenda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice blend

Pudding Frosting:
1 box Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding Mix (get the slightly larger box)
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
1 c. water
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

For the cake:
Combine CarbQuik, almond flour, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese. Turn mixer on to the 3 setting or so until combined. Add other ingredients in order as listed above. When all the wet ingredients are mixed, add in the bowlful of dry ingredients. Grease and flour a cake pan. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 F for about 35 minutes. Allow to cool. Flip cake out of pan.

For the pudding:
Combine all ingredients into mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whip until thick. Scrape bottom of bowl and mix again. Serve pudding atop the cake. Chill if not eaten immediately.

Sausage Crust Veggie Quiche

Alex and I made this for dinner one night; it was delicious. Quiches are a great way to use leftover veggies in your fridge. Good veggies to use include: spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers, kale*, swiss chard*, other dark leafy greens (not lettuce), zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, etc. You could put other meats in here as well like bacon, diced ham, chicken, or turkey. You don't have to do the sausage crust if you don't want to. It's a very flexible recipe.

*Please don't use these unless you actually like them.

Sausage Crust Veggie Quiche

Ingredients

8 oz. baby bella or white mushrooms, washed and diced

~5 oz. sundried Tomatoes, jarred

~11 oz. fresh or frozen spinach (thawed and drained)

8 oz. shredded cheese (pretty much any kind: cheddar, american, muenster, swiss, colby jack, pepper jack)

1 roll (16 oz.) breakfast sausage, any kind/flavor

6 eggs

1 c. heavy whipping cream

Herbs! Parsley, sage, chives if you want (~ Tbsp. each)

Salt and peppah to taste :) (~1 tsp each?)

1 Tbsp. minced garlic OR 1 tsp. powdered garlic

1 tsp. onion powder if not adding fresh onions

bit of butter for the veggies

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a large casserole dish. Press raw sausage into dish so that it's flat on the bottom. If there's enough to press it against the sides of your dish, feel free to. Bake until brown. If there's still a bit of pink, that's fine because it's going to be baked again! 

2. While the sausage is cooking, throw together your veggies and butter into a saute pan (except delicate stuff like fresh leafy greens) and cook until soft. Add in salt, pepper, herbs, onion powder, and garlic. Add in delicate leafy greens if you're using them and cook a bit until wilted. 

3. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Add most of the cheese to the egg/cream bowl and mix. 

4. Remove sausage crust from oven if you haven't already and spread veggies into the crust. Pour over egg/cream/cheese mixture and mix carefully so you don't tear up the sausage. 

5. Sprinkle over last bit of cheese. Bake until mostly firm. Allow to cool slightly. Serve with berries if you want. Enjoy! 

P.S. You could also do this in muffin cups or ramekins. Cook the sausage on the stove top, crumbling it up, and add it to the veggie mixture. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups OR use silicone cups/greased ramekins on a baking sheet. Add veggie/meat mixture evenly to all cups and then pour over egg/cream/cheese mixture and stir carefully. Bake until just slightly jiggly, so likely not as long as the big casserole dish.

Carbquik Brownies

These cakey brownies with fudge on top make the world go 'round. This recipe is from the carbquik site, but I've tweaked it a bit.

Cakey Brownies with Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:
Brownie:

3/4 stick butter
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups Splenda
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup Carbquik
8 drops liquid Splenda (sucralose)

Chocolate Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, cut into pieces
2 cups powdered Splenda
2 to 3 tablespoons hot water (or enough to make the consistency fudgy-icing like)
Note: To make powdered Splenda, add the Splenda to a food processor and pulse till very fine.

Instructions:
Brownie:
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom and sides of square pan, 9x9x2 (or similar) inches.
2. Melt chocolate in the microwave, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds or so. Add butter near the end, when the chocolate is nearly all melted.
3. Add Splenda to chocolate and blend well till smooth.
4. Beat vanilla and eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed.
5. Beat in carbquik just until blended. Add in liquid Splenda and stir well. Spread in pan.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or just until brownies spring back in the middle and begin to pull away from sides of pan.
7. Make frosting while they cook.
8. Spread with Chocolate Frosting. Allow to cool. Cut into slices.

Chocolate Frosting:

1. Melt chocolate in microwave till nearly melted. Add butter and finish melting.
2. Stir in Splenda and stir till smooth; add hot water as needed to form a smooth frosting.


This recipe contributed by: Chef Gregory Pryor

Comfort Food: Mini Beef Pies

I made these adorable and delicious little pies twice- once with zucchini and once with mirepoix. I really loved the mirepoix as it tastes like authentic English cooking to me, but you could add lots of different veggies if you want. My family loved this recipe. The pies are super cute, and quite filling. You could add zucchini or yellow squash to this recipe if you want.

Mini Beef Pies

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 white or yellow onion
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
3 Tbsp. butter
2 c. Carbquik
2/3 c. water (or enough to make the dough...doughy)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 8oz. oven-safe ramekins
3/4 c. heavy cream
savory herb blend (sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, black pepper, salt)
(1 Tbsp.) minced or fresh garlic (or 1 tsp. powder)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
1. Brown beef in a skillet. Add in some savory blend. Set aside. Do not drain pan.
2. Dice the veggies into small chunks or use a food processor. Melt the 3 tbsp. of butter in the pan. Add some more savory blend. Add veggies, saute until soft and onions are translucent.
3. While the veggies cook, mix up the biscuit mix (2 c. Carbquik + 2/3 c. water).
4. When the veggies are done, add the beef back in. Add the cream. Combine.
5. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Grease with some spray. Spoon meat and veggie mixture into ramekins. Divide biscuit dough into 8 equal parts. Flatten into disks with your hands. Place dough over meat and veggies mixture.
6. Bake until biscuits are golden and fluffy. Remove from oven. Brush tops with 2 tbsp. butter. Serve.

Glorious Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Dude. Duuuuuude. Dude. Holy crap dude. I just...I can't....I've missed my biscuits and gravy that my dad and I used to make on Sunday mornings so so so much. And now I can have them again! Okay, well, I don't have any days off this semester in which to leisurely make breakfast, but maybe you do! Alex bought this Carbquik stuff off of Amazon. It comes in a bright yellow 3 pound box for around $13. It's made of "carbalose" flour, which is basically the fibrous part of wheat flour. Because it is a wheat product, it's not gluten free, and not suitable for people with wheat allergies or Celiac's. If you make drop biscuits with them, each biscuit comes out to around 2 net grams of carbs. We attempted pancakes first, and found the middles didn't cook properly. We then thinned out the batter and ended up making these crispy crepe like pancakes. They were delicious. Then we made drop biscuits and gravy with it. It's delicious and has no funny aftertaste like soy, almond, or coconut flour. They have many recipes on the box, and many more on their website.

Sausage Gravy
1/2 lb.  breakfast sausage. I like Jimmy Dean All Natural

4 Tbsp. Carquik
3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. water
salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and sage to taste

Brown and break up the sausage in a skillet. Add carbquik and coat the sausage with it. Add the cream, water, and spices and turn the heat down to medium. Use the back of your spatula to break up any lumps until the gravy is thick, bubbly, and smooth. Serve over biscuits.


Buttery Biscuits

2 cups Carbquik
2 ounces butter, cold (1/2 a stick)
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
-Cut the cold butter into the Carbquik with a fork, till the mixture resembles coarse meal.
-Add the salt and blend well.
-Mix the heavy cream with water to equal 1/2 cup of liquid, pour into dry mix.
-Mix till dough forms and comes together, but do not overwork the dough.
-Drop the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet approx 1 ounce size portions.
-Bake in hot oven 8-10 minutes till biscuits are golden brown.

IBIH's Ranch Chicken Nuggets

I recently tried this recipe and it's top notch. My mother immediately bought another packet of ranch mix so we could make it again. It's from I Breathe I'm Hungry's website, and I'm definitely a fan. The website is here.

Ranch Chicken Nuggets

INGREDIENTS
For the chicken:
2 lbs chicken tenderloins (or breast) cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup almond flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 packet Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard

For the dipping sauce:
⅓ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup sugar free maple flavored pancake syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the chicken:
Combine the almond flour, cheese, and Hidden Valley® Original Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix in a medium bowl.
Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and chicken pieces in another medium bowl - stir well.
Dip the mayo coated chicken pieces in the seasoning mixture and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake the chicken at 400 degrees (F) for 15 - 18 minutes (depending on size of pieces) until golden brown and cooked through.

For the dipping sauce:
Combine the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Adjust for your preference by adding a little more mustard or a little more syrup if necessary.
NOTES
Approximate nutrition information per serving:

1 serving (5 oz) chicken: 351 calories, 20g fat, 4g net carbs, 40g protein

2 Tbsp sauce: 110 calories, 12g fat, 0g net carbs, 0g protein

Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Recipe courtesy of SkinnyTaste; I have altered the recipe a little.

Ingredients:
4 cups cauliflower rice
1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 medium plum tomatoes, small dice
1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the butter or oil in a skillet. Saute onions, plum tomatoes, and jalapeno until tender. Add the garlic and cauliflower rice, saute until rice is soft. Add the tomato paste, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir well and serve. Cilantro garnish is optional.

Pesto Zucchini Lasagna

I now have a wonderful new mandolin, and I decided to make lasagna "properly" with long, flat zucchini noodles. I decided to do a no tomato version, and sub in pesto instead.

Pesto Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, washed, ends chopped off

16 oz. ricotta cheese

6 oz. basil pesto

1 lb. ground beef (or pork)

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Directions:

Brown the ground beef. Mix ricotta, all but 2 Tbsp. pesto, and garlic. Using a mandolin, slice zucchini lengthwise about 1/4 in. thick. Spray the bottom of a baking dish. Lay in slices of zucchini neatly side by side. Spread 1/2 ricotta mixture over zucchini. Spread 1/2 of the ground beef over top. Sprinkle on enough mozzarella to cover beef. Layer again with zucchini, ricotta mixture, beef, and mozzarella. If you have leftover slices of zucchini, arrange them nicely on top and spread remaining pesto on slices. Optionally you can add any extra mozzarella on top. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Serve with Italian or Caesar salad and sugar free shaved ice (or panna cotta) for dessert!

My Dad's Cream Cheese Pancakes

Cream Cheese Pancakes

This is my dad's favorite breakfast to make when he has time. It's a very simple recipe, you can modify it as you see fit.

Base recipe:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1/4 c. golden ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp. baking powder
vanilla extract
2 packets splenda
2 Tbsp. flavored simple syrup (like vanilla or caramel)
1 tsp. cocoa (optional)

Topping Ideas:
-pats of butter
-sugar free syrup
-sugar free jelly/jam cooked with fresh/frozen fruit
-whipped cream
-melted sugar free chocolate

Caribbean Jerk Shrimp

For whatever reason, sugar and shrimp just go together. Honey, mango, brown sugar- they all make shrimp taste amazing. I had been craving a tropical tasting shrimp dish, and this recipe is what I threw together last night. Marinading the shrimp for at least 3 hours makes the flavor even richer.

Caribbean Jerk Shrimp

 

(photo is not mine)

In a bowl combine:

1 tsp. molasses

1/4 c. Jack Daniels Honey Whiskey (regular flavor works too)

2 Tbsp. McCormick Caribbean Jerk spice mix

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. paprika

4 packets Splenda

1 c. chicken broth (or 1 cup hot water with 1 bullion cube, dissolved)

Stir well.  Peel, devein, and take the tails off of 2 lbs. of cooked shrimp. Place shrimp in a gallon sized ziplock bag and pour in the marinade. Marinate for about 3 hours. 

Option 1:

Open the bag just slightly and pour the marinade into a pan large enough to hold your shrimp. Let the marinade by itself simmer until it reduces by 1/2. Add shrimp to pan and heat up. Serve immediately.

Option 2:

Remove shrimp from marinade and put on skewers. Grill until grill marks are visible. You can save the marinade and reduce it in a pot and serve it with the shrimp if you want.

A great serving idea is a salad with avocado, spicy creamy dressing (I like Habanero Ranch), small chunks of jicama, and red pepper and red onion slices.

Bonus Lime Ice Cream!

 Mix about 1 Tbsp. of your leftover lime juice with 1/2 tsp,. lime zest with 1/2 c. vanilla Carb Smart Ice Cream. Stir until completely combined. Devour!!!! It was divine!