Athenian Shrimp & Orzo

As much as I love sweets, I try to be on average, a healthy grocery shopper. I usually select whole grain over white breads, and will pick reduced fat items when I know it won't compromise taste. In general, here's my thoughts: fat free salad dressing = quasi-edible; fat free cheese = gummy, scary mess; nonfat yogurt = yummy.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a tub of vanilla yogurt that blatantly advertised that it was "FAT FREE." After making his daily breakfast combo of yogurt, granola and fruit, hubby proclaimed that fat free yogurt was "gross. thin. unflavorful." mmm, kay. I tried to point out that his anti-fat free product aversion was most likely a creation of his head, but I was only met with a frown.

Fast forward to what's probably our 4th grocery shopping trip of the week (obviously not always the best of planners). We cruise by the dairy aisle and hubby mentions that Light 'n Fit has always been his favorite yogurt brand and tosses a few in the cart.

My response: "Really? I also love Light 'n Fit because it's fat free!"

He refused to believe me until this morning when he opened the refrigerator, groaned as he checked the yogurt label and saw with his own eyes a big fat zero next to grams of fat. He didn't say anything else 'bout it. It's all in your head, my love.

What does Athenian Shrimp and Orzo have to do with yogurt? Well, not much except that this dish is also healthy and low in fat. Though being low fat typically counts as a virtue, its sometimes best to keep those facts a secret from the ones you love. So, for all of you turned off by low fat meals, pretend I never told you.

Today's dish comes from Eating Well and is advertised as a heart healthy, high in calcium, high in potassium and low in fat meal. Because we still have no baking dishes, I skipped the baking, kept the house relatively cool and cooked everything on the stove. Low fat or not, we both loved this dish!

Check out Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by the fabulous Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Athenian Orzo and Shrimp
Source: Eating Well
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 tablespoon drained capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 pound medium shrimp (30-40 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 cup orzo
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450°F Coat a 9-by-13-inch (or other 3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. (or skip the baking if your house is too hot already and cook entirely on the stove).
Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.
2. Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, capers, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper; cook for 5 minutes. Drop in shrimp and cook, stirring, until barely pink, about 2 1/2 minutes.
3. Cook orzo in the boiling water until tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Toss with the tomato-shrimp sauce. Sprinkle with feta and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley. If not baking, simply toss in the orzo to the shrimp mixture. Add feta and parsley and serve.
4. Bake, uncovered, until the feta is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Beat the Heat and the Deadline with Tuscan Fagioli con Tonno

Though I may be experiencing a sick case of writer's block, I love Grace's A Southern Grace so much that when she announced her roundup, I knew that even without much to say, I had to be there (or be square). Sorry, couldn't help it. I'm no longer nine years old, but I still find myself saying things like that all the time.

For much of the country, August rolls around and it's hot, sticky, sweaty, gross, and humid. You can obviously tell what I think of this month that's not quite summer, but not quite fall according to the clothing stores who begin selling sweaters in 90 degree heat. Well, to cheer up all of us cranky melting folk, Grace's Beat the Heat roundup calls for recipes that do not require any heat during the cooking process. I can't wait to see the roundup, and for those of you not in the know, you only have 2 more days to get yours in!
Though a never ending stream of no-heat recipes reside in my little imagination, time has gotten the best of me. When I've actually been cooking (not to be confused with cooking in my mind), I have repeatedly turned on the stove, oven and any other hot appliance I can find & cursed myself. I never learn.

Our time in DC is coming to a close, and with that I've been trying to clear the pantry and refrigerator. Browsing around for possible ingredients, I made this quick and tasty lunch combining cannellini beans and tuna for what I'm hereby naming Tuscan Fagioli con Tonno. I apologize if you're Italian and I've somehow butchered your language. I just thought it sounded cool :) It comes together quickly and easily and spares you from turning on those dreaded appliances. Best of all, its another protein packed dish. Testament to my absentmindedness of late, I diced up a Roma tomato from the Farmer's Market to throw in, but forgot it. It's good with or without so you can decide!


Tuscan Fagioli con Tonno (Tuscan Beans with Tuna)
1 can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Albacore tuna, drained and flaked
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup diced tomato
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil (use good quality)
juice from half of a lemon
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
parsley (optional)
1/2 cup of baby spinach leaves

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine beans, tuna, cucumber and tomato.
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice.
3. Drizzle dressing over bean mixture and toss gently. Season with Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
4. Serve salad over bed of baby spinach leaves

Curry Orzo Shrimp, a leftover remake

Blink...Blink...Blink...

I've been trying to compose a post for days now, and finally realized that I have developed quite the friendship with the blinking cursor. Despite the multitude of daily inspirations, my Blogger screen has remained blank, and for once in my life I'm at a loss for words! I'm hoping it's just a funk and I'll soon snap back into reality.

In the meantime, I've done a fair amount of cooking recently, though we've been eating out a lot with visitors and friends. As a result, our refrigerator is fully stocked with leftovers from DC's finest eating establishments. If anyone's interested in a city-wide restaurant taste test, just come a knockin at our door.

Last week, we enjoyed dinner at Satay Club, an Asian fusion restaurant highlighting Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Malaysian cuisine. I may be missing some, but those are the main countries I noticed on the expansive menu. The food bordered on excellent, with our favorite being the Curry Laksa, a mixture of rice and egg noodles in a coconut curry broth. We loved that tasty broth so much that even after we devoured the rest of the meal, we brought home just the broth for a little leftover re-do. Every gal deserves a cheatin' speedy dinner, don't ya think?

Using the rich coconut curry as a start, I sauteed red bell peppers, mushroom and garlic until softened, then added them to the simmering curry broth. I threw a little spinach in there for vitamins and good measure...A few peeled and deveined shrimp make everything tasty, also feeding my ever lasting shrimp addiction. Simmer until they are barely pink.

...and throw in cooked orzo (1 cup uncooked). Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes and voila! you've got yourself a hearty meal! I'm not sure if its common to combine orzo with curry, but we loved how the little pasta soaked up the sauce and turned these leftovers into a main dish. I'll certainly be using this combo in the future.

If you're an adventurer, try these recipes for laksa, found through the wonderful Food Blog Search.

• Laksa from Let's Get Wokking!
• Curry Laksa from Appetite for China
• Shrimp Curry Laksa from Chilefire
  

Asian Satay Club
4654 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016 (202) 363-8888

www.asiansatayclub.com