It's not easy being Green

Most of the time my planned meals are extremely organized, well thought out and perfectly orchestrated. Other times I plan to make Fried Green Tomatoes in the dead of winter in Washington DC. I will be the first to admit that this was not such a bright idea. I chose our Valentine's menu with no qualms and made the grocery list from the recipes without the slightest bit of hesitance. It wasn't until I was strolling my cart through the produce section that it dawned on me - I had never seen green tomatoes at any supermarket since I had moved to DC two years ago. Furthermore, if I did have a chance of finding them in my city it wouldn't be in the middle of February. Since I didn't experience this eye-opener until I was already mid-shopping trip, I needed to come up with a Plan B on the fly. I had to decide my "new" first course without the Internet, Magazines or Cookbooks. I was so excited about the original dish (Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade) that I wanted to keep the same elements. I settled on frying the shrimp in the same batter that was designed for the tomatoes and then I could serve them over greens to make it an integrated meal. And that my friends, is how this dish was born...

Cornmeal Crusted Shrimp Remoulade Salad
Modified from Ken Smith Upperline

Yeild:
4 servings (with tons of leftover sauce for later!)

Ingredients:

5 0z bag of salad greens

Remoulade Sauce:

1/2 cup Creole Mustard
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp perpared horseradish
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped heart of celery
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley
1 Tbsp grated white or yellow onion
1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
Hot Sauce

Buttermilk Fried Shrimp:

1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of buttermilk (mixed with 1 tsp of Emeril's essence)
1 cup of cornmeal
12 large gulf shrimp

Directions: Remoulade Sauce:

1. Combine the first eleven ingredients and mix well. Add salt to taste.

2. Add olive oil in slow stream while whisking mixture.

3. Add the next four ingredients and mix well.

4. Add a few drops of hot sauce if a spicier flavor is desired. Sauce should be spicy and tangy.

5. Cover and chill before use. Covered and refrigerated it should keep about 3 weeks.

Buttermilk Fried Shrimp:

1. Salt and Pepper shrimp and coat them in flour shaking off excess before the next step.

2. Dip each shrimp in the buttermilk mixture.

3. Let excess buttermilk drip off and then coat the shrimp in the cornmeal.

4. Fry the shrimp in a skillet using 2 Tbsp of olive oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
Assemble by placing 1/4 of the bag of greens on a salad plate topped with 3 fried shrimp and then spoon about 1/4 cup of remoulade sauce over the shrimp and lettuce.


Below is a picture of my Valentine's Dinner table setting:


Close up of my handmade menus:

Do you know what it means?

I spent two weeks at home in New Orleans before my wedding and it wasn't easy to leave my family and my hometown to head back to D.C. I think I must be homesick, because all I can think about is New Orleans food. During the two weeks I was home, I ate my fair share of jambalaya, fried seafood po-boys, boiled crabs and crawfish. So in an effort to recreate a little hometown feel in my own town I decided to cook a traditional New Orleans treat for my husband and I. Luckily for me, Cooking Light magazine gives several "shout-outs" to New Orleans cuisine. Well "shout-out" may be a little street for a healthy cooking magazine, but you get the point - they feature several recipes from New Orleans. So tonight I whipped up a very classic cajun dish with a twist - New Orleans Shrimp Remoulade Po'boys. The twist part of this meal is that Remoulade is a condiment that is usually served cold with boiled shrimp on top of iceberg lettuce as a salad. This recipe calls for the same type of sauce (with a healthy angle, of course) served over grilled shrimp on a po'boy. It was delicious! Forrest mentioned that it was in the top five. He didn't specify top five what (top five best things he has ever eaten, top five shrimp remoulade sauces, top five po'boys, or top five things I have ever cooked), but no matter which am still sure it was a compliment. It was just what I have been craving, a taste of home. So even though New Orleans is where I left my heart, it is comforting to know that I can bring a little piece of it to our home in D.C. through my cooking.

Shrimp Rémoulade Po'boys
Cooking Light July 2007

Ingredients

Rémoulade sauce:
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small garlic clove, minced

Remaining ingredients:
24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Cooking spray
4 (3-ounce) French bread loaves, sliced horizontally
1 cup chopped iceberg lettuce
1 cup chopped tomato

Preparation

To prepare sauce, combine first 11 ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill.

Prepare grill.

Thread shrimp onto 4 (10-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Hollow out bread halves, leaving a 1-inch-thick shell. Place bread on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Place 1/4 cup lettuce, 1/4 cup tomato, and 6 shrimp in bottom half of each loaf. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce over each sandwich. Cover with top bread halves.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 290(17% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.5g,poly 2.2g); PROTEIN 14.1g; CHOLESTEROL 64mg; CALCIUM 91mg; SODIUM 799mg; FIBER 3.2g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.5g


This dish was super easy to create and so worth it! Even if you don't miss New Orleans - I highly suggest trying it out. I grilled the shrimp using my new Cuisinart Panini maker (a grill pan would work just as well) and I combined the ingredients for the remoulade sauce in my mini food processor in order to get the onions and bell peppers small enough to achieve the right consistency. If you are on a no carb diet or just think bread is the devil like my Daddy does, then you could serve the grilled shrimp and remoulade sauce over iceberg lettuce New Orlean's style.

Crab-less Cakes

In New Orleans you can find several seafood markets in every town. These markets/shops are your go to spots for live seafood, boiled seafood, fresh fish, fresh shrimp, seasonings, potatoes, corn, stuffed artichokes, seafood soups, and fresh crab meat. I have been in the DC area for almost two years and I haven't seen a single seafood market in my neighborhood. Because of this sad fact, I am forced to buy my seafood from the regular national chain supermarkets. As far as shrimp are concerned this isn't that big of a deal, but crab meat from the supermarket isn't so great. In fact, I don't even think it is good at all. I have had a few occasions where the supermarket crab meat was decent but I have had even more occasions where it was unbearable. Because of the not so fresh crab available to me I try to stray away from crab dishes. It is just too expensive to be disappointed with the results. So when I had a craving for crab cakes, I did some searching to find a crab-less alternative to satisfy my craving.

Artichoke Cakes with Cajun Remoulade Dressing
Coastal Living

Ingredients

• 3 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 1 cup soft breadcrumbs, lightly packed
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Cajun Remoulade

Preparation

Squeeze liquid from artichokes, using paper towels, until artichokes are just slightly moist. Place artichokes in a medium bowl. Add eggs and next 3 ingredients.

Combine mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients in a separate bowl

; stir well.

Add mayonnaise mixture to artichoke mixture; stir gently until thoroughly combined.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Place a large, lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Scoop artichoke mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls;

place in skillet, and flatten slightly.

Cook 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden and slightly set. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 400° for 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Serve with Cajun Rémoulade.