Posted on: Wednesday, August 4, 2004
RECIPE DOCTOR
Add veggies to skewered shrimps
By Elaine Magee
Q. I want to make a shrimp skewer dish for future summer barbecues and wondered if you had a lighter recipe I could use?
A. You would hate to take something healthful like fish and add lots of saturated fat to it, but that's what so many fish recipes do. The recipe I used as my inspiration for this column called for half a stick of butter, and that was on top of 3 tablespoons of olive oil. I actually used 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and substituted mango nectar for the melted butter.
Instead of using 3 pounds of shrimp, I decided to use half as much and add vegetables into the equation so the skewer wasn't all shrimp. This brings down the cholesterol from the shrimp per skewer and raises the fiber and nutrient totals quite a bit, too. Red or yellow bell-pepper chunks, sweet onion, small mushrooms, and zucchini slices work great. The shrimp is going to cook fairly quickly, so partially cook your vegetables before stringing them on the skewer.
Original recipe contains (with half the marinade consumed): 306 calories, 11 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 355 mg cholesterol, and .2 grams fiber per serving.
LEMON BASIL SHRIMP SKEWERS
Place olive oil, mango nectar, lemon juice from lemon, brown mustard, fresh basil, and minced garlic in food processor and pulse until nicely blended (about 5-8 seconds). Add white pepper, and salt if desired, to taste.
Place half the marinade in a medium-size bowl and add shrimp; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Place pepper chunks, onion, chunks, mushrooms and zucchini slices in microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup water, cover and microwave on high until partially cooked (about 3-4 minutes). Drain well then add to another medium sized bowl and toss with remaining marinade. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Heat grill to high heat. Remove shrimp and vegetables from marinade as you thread the shrimp and vegetables onto the skewers. Lightly oil grill grate (or use canola cooking spray) and arrange skewers on grill. Cook for about 2-3 minutes then turn over and grill another 2-3 minutes until shrimp is opaque and completely cooked.
Makes about 6 servings (2 to 3 skewers each — depending on the length of the skewers)
• Per serving (when half of the marinade is consumed): 180 calories, 25 g protein, 8.5 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (.8 g saturated fat, 2.5 g monounsaturated fat, 1.2 g polyunsaturated fat), 170 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 235 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 26 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids: 1 g. Omega-6 fatty acids: 0.2 g. Weight Watchers points: 4. Elaine Magee's new book, "The Change of Life Diet and Cookbook," is in stores now. Readers may reach her through www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses cannot be provided. This column is distributed by the Knight Ridder News Service.
