Orange Jalapeno Vinaigrette - lowfat

3/4/08 I've made a correction to this recipe - one of the ingredients listed has been corrected.

Salad dressings. A mixed bag, for sure. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you may know already that I'm very picky about salad dressings. There's really only one bottled dressing I'll buy (Brianna's Blush Vinaigrette) and I use it only occasionally, when I'm simply too lazy to make a fresh dressing. I thoroughly enjoy green salads, and the dressing certainly adds to the enjoyment of them.



But I despair sometimes finding anything that's lower in calorie. So, when I find something that IS delicious AND lower in fat and calories, I whoop for joy. This is one of those recipes. I found it at egullet.com a year or so ago and put it aside to try. Ideally, you'll want to make this when Navel oranges are in season (like now). I doubt it would be so good using Valencia oranges. And it isn't a recipe you can whip up in 3-4 minutes because you have to remove the orange segments and finely mince the jalapeno chile, then cook the mixture before pureeing in a blender. But if you have a few minutes and would like to try something quite different, this is your ticket. The first time I used it I made a regular green salad (regular for me, that is, means the salad contained a variety of chopped fresh vegetables). I thought the dressing was lost in the mix, as the vegetables predominated. The next time I made a simple salad with only greens, and we both enjoyed it very much. The greens only allow the orange and jalapeno flavors to come through. It would likely be very good on a salad mixed with some fruit, like apple slices, maybe a few raisins even. Or dried cranberries.

I don't know what "honey blossom vinegar" is, other than vinegar that's infused with some kind of flower called a "honey blossom?" Maybe somebody knows. I don't have that ingredient, so used rice wine vinegar, and the "seasoned" type rather than the more tart rice wine vinegar which has no sugar added.



Cook's Notes: Use normal sized oranges, as using really large oranges may throw off the balance of acid to sweet. Or, just don't put in all of the orange segments. I used just ONE jalapeno chile, and it actually could take another half. I was concerned it would be too hot. I also added a bit more grape seed oil to the mixture (see note below) because it just didn't have quite enough oil in it. This is a juice-based dressing, so don't toss the salad until just before you're serving it, as it may wilt the greens. And, serve with a simple greens-only salad; adding vegetables takes away from the delicate flavor of the oranges.



Orange Jalapeno Vinaigrette
Recipe: adapted from egullet.com
Servings: 6
2 whole oranges, peeled, segmented
1 1/2 whole jalapeno chiles, seeded, finely minced
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar, or Splenda
2 tablespoons honey blossom vinegar, or 2 T. seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup grape seed oil, (original called for 1/4 cup)
Salt & pepper to taste
1. In a saucepan place the oranges, jalapenos, juice, water and sugar. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place in a blender and puree. Add honey or vinegar and oil while blending. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and adjust seasoning, or taste, using a lettuce leaf to dip lightly into it before adding salt and pepper. Refrigerate. Use within one week.
Per Serving: 53 Calories; trace Fat (1.4% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
Printer-friendly recipe, click HERE.

Crunchy Shrimp with Couscous & Sauce

You can't see the toasted couscous on the bottom, but it's there, topped with watercress, then lightly breaded shrimp, and drizzled with a delicious orange mayo sauce.

Another recipe from the "stack" I sorted through the other day. And this one is an absolute over-the-top winner. It's going into my "Top Favs" in my right column. There aren't all that many recipes in that list, but this one's going on it right now.

Ordinarily I might have passed by this recipe. We don't eat couscous, generally, because it's a high glycemic carb. Couscous is actually little tiny orbs of pasta, and takes no more than adding water (hot) to it and it's cooked and ready. But, this recipe won a cooking contest at Cooking Light in 2006. (I know, I told you, I've been behind in filing my recipes :-), and the rest of the recipe sounded so delish that I held onto it. DH and I went to a local farmer's market and had bought some fresh shrimp with no plan as to what I'd make with it.

Here's the crux of the recipe: you make a mayonnaise-based cold sauce with reduced orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, ginger and cumin. Then you toast the dry couscous in a large pan. THAT I'd never done before, but it added a wonderful taste to the simple prep of couscous. You add chicken broth and orange juice to plump up the couscous, then green onions and almonds at the last. The shrimp: rolled in egg white, then tossed around in a plastic bag with panko, cilantro, fresh ginger and some pepper. You quickly saute the shrimp, then start the artful arrangement: couscous on the bottom, a nice mound of fresh watercress, the hot shrimp, then you drizzle the whole thing with the sauce.


This is the couscous toasting golden brown in the pan.

The mayo (small amount, really) based orange ginger sauce that's drizzled over the top and becomes a kind of salad dressing.

The crunchy shrimp moments before serving. They're crusted with panko, cilantro, fresh ginger and ground black pepper.

The history of the recipe: Cooking Light - the Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest, 2006. There were several categories, but the judges were all, hands down, in love with this dish, which won first prize. The cook: Karen Tedesco of Webster Groves, Maryland.

Cook's Notes: I think next time I'd make a little more of the sauce - it was barely enough (because it's so darned good). Watch the couscous when you're toasting - it goes from normal to toasted in a matter of about 30-40 seconds. I'd chop up the watercress just a little bit. I'm kind of haphazard when I wrench off most of the stems, but even medium stems are hard to eat. This is a one-dish meal - you need nothing else with it. No salad. No side. It takes about 30-40 minutes from start to finish. Would make a lovely company meal.

Crunchy Shrimp with Toasted Couscous and Ginger-Orange Sauce
Recipe By: Karen Tedesco, Webster Groves, MO via Cooking Light
Servings: 4
SAUCE:
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon fresh ginger -- grated
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
COUSCOUS:
1 cup couscous -- dried
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sliced almonds -- toasted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
SHRIMP:
20 jumbo shrimp -- peeled and deveined (about 3/4 pound)
1 large egg white -- lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger -- grated
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups watercress -- washed, trimmed, coarsely chopped
1. To prepare sauce, bring 1 cup orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; cool completely. Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper); set aside.
2. To prepare couscous, place couscous in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; add onions, almonds, and butter, stirring until butter melts. Keep warm. If made an hour ahead, briefly reheat in same pan until it's hot all the way through.
3. To prepare shrimp, combine shrimp and egg white in a bowl, tossing to coat. Combine panko, 1 teaspoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and black pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add shrimp to bag; seal and shake to coat.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; arrange shrimp in a single layer in pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.
5. Divide couscous evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with watercress and shrimp; drizzle sauce over shrimp.
Per Serving: 423 Calories; 17g Fat (34.3% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 52g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 63mg Cholesterol; 557mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 2 Fat.

Printer-friendly recipe, click title at top.

Anyone for Cranberry Orange Cookies?

One of the joys of reading food blogs is finding new recipes that are tried and true. Naturally, celebrated chefs know how to cook. Often they cook things that are quite complex and complicated. AND time consuming. Sometimes famous chefs actually pay a recipe developer to create recipes for the cookbooks they "write." Kind of boggles my mind that chefs are willing to take that kind of risk to put their name to a cookbook and then pay somebody else to develop recipes and claim them as their own. Not many do this (I hope). Food magazines do this too, but one hopes that the developers know what they're doing and work hard at creating something special. For all kinds of tastes.

But when you find a blog with photos taken in a home kitchen, you're assured this is the real thing. These aren't professional photos (although some of them could rival those taken by the glitzy pros who do the photography for cookbooks and magazines). One of my favorite blogs with fabulous photography is Lucullian Delights. Ilva, originally Swedish, is a wonder behind the camera lens. You never know what you're going to find on her blog - food sometimes, but also scenes from her home territory, Tuscany.

So, back to cookies. I've been reading Culinary Concoctions by Peabody for many months, and always enjoy reading her witty and sometimes pithy posts. And when she posted this recipe, I knew I needed to give it a whirl. (Her photos are great too, by the way.) It's really been made in a home kitchen AND it's good. You'll see Peabody's link over there on the right in my list of blogs I read. And these cookies, these cute little mounds, are just plain deliciousness. You'll notice the little flecks of orange peel, and the hint of chopped dried cranberries. I must admit, though, that I made a boo-boo from the original recipe. Can you imagine that I made a mistake? I forgot to flatten the cookies just before baking. Guess what? It didn't make a whit of difference. I may have added a minute of cooking time, but that's about it.

Cookies last a good long time in my house because after cooling them, they're always piled into freezer Ziploc bags and frozen. I don't eat a cookie every day. Maybe every other. And this recipe will be a keeper, and they are just perfect with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee. The batch I made a month ago is just now gone, so it'll be back to the kitchen for me. Soon. Thanks, Peabody.

Cranberry Orange Cookies
Recipe By : Adapted from Land O'Lakes Holiday Cookies 2005
Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody (food blog)
Serving Size : 30 Preparation Time 15 minutes

ORANGE SUGAR:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp grated orange peel -- fresh
COOKIES:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter -- room temperature
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dried cranberries -- chopped
1/2 cup macadamia nuts -- chopped
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1. Heat oven to 350°. Combine all ORANGE SUGAR ingredients in a small bowl; stir until well mixed. Set aside.
2. COOKIES: combine 1 cup sugar, butter and egg in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until well mixed. Add all remaining ingredients. Continue beating just until mixed. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in orange sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with bottom of glass to 1 ½-inch circles.
3. Bake for 7 to 11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. (DO NOT OVERBAKE). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

NOTES : You can try pistachio nuts in place of the macadamia. Do not use pecans as they overpower the delicate flavor. These are crumbly cookies, but very, very tasty.
Start to Finish Time: 45 minutes

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 124 Calories; 6g Fat (46.2% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 19mg Cholesterol; 84mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
If you want to print just the recipe, click on the title of this post.