Debbie Dance Uhrig
Last week I did a bunch of low sodium cooking for a friend who recently had a heart attack. Needless to say my eyes were opened to a need for even more creativity in the kitchen. Then there was the phone call from our family friend, ‘Bob’. Bob has to watch his diet pretty closely. Well look out everyone you are about to get an overload column from Debbie!
Beside the stove you need to organize some of your favorite spices. For me it leans towards garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ground white pepper, salt free bouillons, fresh basil and cilantro. When I made this shrimp creole last week I used salt free tomatoes and sauce. I couldn’t locate stewed unsalted tomatoes so I used chopped tomatoes, unsalted and a couple cans of unsalted tomato sauce. The trinity, (peppers, onion and celery) are pretty much ‘safe’. Steer clear of soy sauces, Worcestershire, teriyaki, ketchup. All contain high amounts of salt and in the case of the ketchup, sugar. Switch to fresh made salsa for a condiment, or just don’t use as much.
I use a great deal of ‘Herb Ox’ salt free bouillon. Only drawback is it has MSG. The other product of choice would be ‘Better than Bouillon’, (black lid) and get the low sodium version. This contains NO MSG. I’m always joking at work saying: ‘Why can’t these two companies combine and get us a salt free/MSG free product?’
You will notice on the creole recipe that you need ‘Creole’ seasonings. Instead I used no-salt beef bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cayenne pepper. The really cool thing about this easy recipe is how you can make extra batches without the shrimp. Freeze the sauce or you can save your freezer space and can the recipe, followed by a hot water bath.
On the rice subject it’s always better to go brown, but I’m a sucker, I usually use white Basmati rice. Be sure and rinse well to remove excess starch. This is a good one dish meal. You might even consider placing the shrimp on a skewer and grilling it instead of putting it inside the sauce!
I started going through my first cookbook, ‘Simply Yours’ tonight, looking at recipes that could be changed to lighter versions. Stuffed Peppers quickly came to mind, along with Italian Sausage Bake. My favorite is the chicken and fruit salsa, yum yum! Bob, if you don’t have the book you should meet up with me on the 27th of June, Bank of Monticello, Monticello, Missouri, 9:00-11:00am. Or, you’re going to force me to come and cook for you in the near future!
Hopefully you got all the information above regarding my upcoming book signing in Monticello. Let’s gather for cookbooks, conversation and community. See you at the bank. Simply yours, The Covered Dish. www.thecovereddish.com.
Easy Shrimp Creole
2 cans (14 1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 pound peeled large fresh/frozen shrimp
Sauté pepper, onion and celery in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet about 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Stir in chopped tomatoes, hot sauce and creole seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 20 minutes. Stir in shrimp, cover and simmer 3 minutes or just until shrimp turns pink. Serve hot over cooked rice. Serves 4 persons as a main entrée.
