Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice

By Jodee Weiland

An old favorite here in our home is Shrimp Creole. Shrimp Creole is a dish that I first made long before I ever had children years ago. The rich flavors of Shrimp Creole have always made it a favorite of mine. Those flavors are a blend of flavors from several countries, who all found themselves in the port of New Orleans. Some of those countries were Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The savory flavors of these countries and others long ago created the delicious food selections found in New Orleans, as well as whole new languages they used to communicate among themselves, pidgins and creoles. It was when I was studying these languages in a linguistics class during a master’s program, that I fell in love with New Orleans from a distance, and later when I visited, I was in love forever. All of this gave new meaning to my Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice.

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Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice is a wonderful dish, which starts out with what some call the trinity: onions, celery, and garlic. Sauteed in olive oil, these three ingredients are only the beginning of this delicious dish. Add in the tomatoes, various seasonings, shrimp, and green peppers, you will create a dish do full of rich flavor, it will soon become a family favorite. It is definitely a family favorite for us, and we enjoyed it every time we have it.

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Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice

  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 3/4 cup celery chopped
  • 2 fresh garlic cloves minced
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 – 15 ounce can organic diced tomatoes
  • 1 – 15 ounce can all natural crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon or to taste sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 shakes bottled hot sauce or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus one tablespoon water
  • 1 pound large shrimp deveined with shell and tail removed
  • 1 medium sweet pepper chopped
  • cooked rice for each serving

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Cook the onion, celery, and garlic in heated olive oil. Cook over a low to medium heat until tender. Do not brown. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Blend this mixture together and simmer uncovered on low heat for about 30 minutes.

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http://learnfromyesterday.comOnce done, add the cornstarch plus one tablespoon water to the mixture. Stir together and then add the shrimp and green peppers. Bring to a low boil, cover, and simmer for five to ten minutes longer until cooked. Serve with rice.

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My Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice is so delicious and will soon become a family favorite in your home. Serve this dish with a red wine and a crusty bread. The flavor is so wonderfully rich and will leave you pleasantly satisfied. Eating this Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice for dinner is like bringing a little bet of New Orleans into your home. Take your time and savor the flavors, and enjoy!

 

Savory Fall Soups

By Jodee Weiland

With fall here and winter coming up soon, the season has arrived when everyone appreciates a hot bowl of soup. Soup recipes help ease us into cooler weather by warming us up when the temperatures drop and taking the the chill away. Sometimes a bowl of hearty soup and some good crusty bread can be just what we need to feel warm again. I’m not a big fan of winter, but I am a fan of Savory Fall Soups.

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My soup recipes that I have included here are delicious, satisfying, and will definitely help warm up the cooler days ahead. One recipe is made with leftover turkey and is a great way to use your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. Two of the soup recipes use kale, one with a lot of vegetables and the other with navy beans and vegetables. Another soup recipe uses escarole with navy beans and chicken sausage. The final two soups are two of my favorites, a savory white bean soup with tomato and finally, a tasty split pea soup. All of these soups are absolutely delicious and healthy as well. So whichever one you choose to make, I feel certain you will love it.

In the fall and winter, I love fires in the fireplace and Savory Fall Soups. I even enjoy sitting outdoors around a fire pit enjoying the fall weather, if it isn’t too cold outside. These Savory Fall Soups will help warm up the cold days and leave everyone feeling satisfied. Just click on the following links to find each recipe, enjoy!

Escarole Soup with Chicken Sausage and Navy Beans

Kale and White Bean Soup…Good as Well as Healthy

Lemony Kale Basil Mushroom Soup with a Lemon Slice and Parmesan!

Savory White Bean Soup…A Delicious Vegetarian Soup!

Split Pea Soup…A Delicious Way to Warm Up!

Turkey Vegetable Soup with Wild Rice…A Great Way to Use Leftover Turkey!

Enjoy!

On the Go Bagel Sandwich with Egg Whites, Spinach, and Cheese

By Jodee Weiland

Lately, it seems we are always on the go early in the morning, so I decided to make a bagel sandwich that can be made ahead and reheated for about twenty to thirty seconds in the microwave. It was important to me that this bagel sandwich not only tasted good, but was healthy as well. Just because you are in a hurry, that doesn’t mean you can’t choose a healthy homemade bagel sandwich over a fast food version. My On the Go Bagel Sandwich with Egg Whites, Spinach, and Cheese is delicious, easy to do, and healthy!

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Buying bakery fresh bagels are always my first choice. I like to know I’m getting bagels with all natural ingredients whenever I can. I also buy sliced low fat cheese for a recipe like this. Why add extra calories to your bagel sandwich unnecessarily? You always have the option of adding a round slice of Canadian bacon/ham if you would like, but I made mine without the ham for us. If you are watching your salt intake, ham is not really necessary to a good bagel sandwich. For the eggs, I always use egg whites and in this case, added fresh cut up spinach, fresh chives, and sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. You can add vegetables you choose, but I like spinach or kale.

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On the Go Bagel Sandwich with Egg Whites, Spinach, and Cheese

  • 2 honey wheat or multigrain bagels
  • 2 slices low fat cheese of your choice (I used provolone)
  • 2 slices round Canadian bacon/ham (optional)
  • 6 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup fresh leaf spinach cut up
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chives cut up
  • 1/4 teaspoon unsalted whipped butter
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

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Slice the two bagels and toast. Mix together in a bowl the egg whites, spinach, chives, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Spray or coat with olive oil two small microwaveable containers. I used some clear plastic 1.25 cup containers with lids that I have from Rubbermaid. These containers worked well because I could loosely cover them with the lids laid offset on the top. Divide the egg mixture into the two containers, cover loosely with a lid or saran wrap and place in the microwave.

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Microwave for 50 seconds or for two eggs, stopping halfway through to slide a knife around the sides and add half the butter to the center of each lightly stirring in with the knife. Cover again and finish microwaving for the remainder of the first 50 seconds. Then microwave for 50 seconds or for two eggs again, still with a loose cover over the container.

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Remove from the containers from the microwave and let sit for one minute or more. The eggs will finish cooking. In the meantime, put a slice of cheese on one half of each bagel.  When ready and still hot, run the knife around the sides the egg container again, and with a spatula, remove each one carefully from the containers and place on the bagel half with the slice of cheese. This will melt the cheese. If using Canadian bacon/ham, add it now. Close the bagel sandwich by placing the other bagel half on top, and you are ready to eat or wrap in aluminum foil your bagel sandwich to go! You can make this the night before and refrigerate. Simply unwrap your sandwich in the morning, reheat it for 20 to 30 seconds, re-wrap in the foil, and go!

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My On the Go Bagel Sandwich with Egg Whites, Spinach, and Cheese is a great way to eat a delicious and healthy bagel sandwich when you are in a hurry! If you’re driving alone, re-heat and eat your bagel sandwich when you arrive at work, so you can drive safely! Or eat before you leave for work. You will save time in the morning making your morning rush easier. If you are sharing the drive on a longer trip, take turns driving, so each of you can enjoy your bagel sandwich. However you do this, be safe, have a great breakfast, and enjoy!

Garlicky Great Northern Pesto Bean Dip with Veggie Chips

By Jodee Weiland

We all know that fall is the time for football games and football parties with family and friends to watch our favorite teams win. Sometimes we lose, too, but it’s still fun to get together and cheer our team on with our friends. Another part of celebrating our team is the appetizers we eat while watching, and sometimes those appetizers are not all that good for us. We usually end up calling them a meal, in order to make up for all those extra calories. Well, I love a good bean dip, and beans are healthy. Thinking about this, I decided to make a bean dip that would both taste good and be healthy at the same time. My Garlicky Great Northern Pesto Bean Dip with Veggie Chips is both healthy and delicious!

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I decided to use great northern beans as a base for my dip because of their great flavor. Also, these beans will take on the flavor of whatever you add to them, so they’re great for this purpose, but they are nutritional as well. After thinking about it, I wanted to create a garlicky basil pesto flavor, so I added fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh garlic. The best part about this dip is that it is so easy to put together, and it doesn’t come in a jar from the store. All you need is your ingredients, a food processor or blender, and you can make this delicious dip in just a few minutes. How easy is that!

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Garlicky Great Northern Pesto Bean Dip with Veggie Chips

  • 2 – 16 ounce cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped (more or less to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

http://learnfromyesterday.comDrain and rinse the cans of beans. Chop your garlic cloves and fresh basil. Put the beans, garlic, basil, and olive oil in the food processor. Blend together thoroughly until smooth and creamy. Add sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Blend again briefly. Put the bean dip in a bowl and serve with all natural veggie chips.

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My Garlicky Great Northern Pesto Bean Dip with Veggie Chips is both healthy and delicious! I like to serve my dip with Mediterranean Herb Veggie Chips, or any other all natural veggie chip that will complement the flavor of my dip. This way I continue to keep my appetizer on the healthy eating track. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be bland. In fact, healthy eating can have awesome flavor, and this dip is packed with flavor, especially if you like garlic. If you’re not a fan of garlic, put in less garlic or even none, if you prefer. It’s your choice. So give it a try at your next party, and enjoy!