Spicy Shrimp, Chorizo and Cheese Grits

Oh, Yum! This dish had an all around great flavor. We’ve seen shrimp and grits on tons of restaurant menus, but have never actually ordered them. When I saw this recipe, I figured it would be fun to recreate this dish with a healthy spin. I rarely buy sausage, but for some reason a pack of chorizo caught my eye at Whole Foods one day. I loved that it was all natural with a lot less fat than your typical sausage links. I tossed them in the freezer and knew this was the perfect recipe to use them in. The sausage had a kick of spice complemented nicely by the seasonings in the rest of the dish. I would definitely make this meal again!

**Please note that nutrition is calculated using the chorizo referenced above. I believe a different brand will drastically alter the calorie and fat content.

Adapted from Cooking Light and Cooking Light

Ingredients
Shrimp and Sausage:
Cooking spray
3/4 lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sweet peppers, chopped
6 oz all natural Chorizo sausage, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water

Cheese Grits:
2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked old-fashioned grits
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp hot sauce
1 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese (approx 1/4 cup)

Directions
1. For grits, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes (or per package directions). Stir in milk. Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients, stirring until cheese melts.

2. While grits cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp, seasoning, and black pepper, tossing to coat. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Remove from pan; keep warm.

3. Coat pan with cooking spray again. Add chopped peppers; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add reserved shrimp mixture and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup water; cook 30 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes.

4. Serve shrimp and sausage mixture over cheese grits.

The Facts
4 Servings

Crockpot Pulled Pork

The Crockpot is a great way to have a nice home cooked meal ready when you get home from work without all the effort in the kitchen. This was very easy and quite delicious. I made this with the intent of freezing half for a future meal. We had my mom over for dinner and half my 5.5 lb roast was easily enough to feed the three of us with leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I used a leaner cut of meat than the original recipe called for so I reserved some of the cooking juices instead of discarding them all. This kept the meat moist without the fat. We enjoyed this on a wheat bun with coleslaw, roasted brussels sprouts and baked fries.

Adapted from The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients
5-6 lb center cut bone in pork loin
1 cup BBQ sauce
Rub:
1 T pepper
1.5 t cayenne
2 T chili powder
2 T cumin
2 T brown sugar
1 T dried oregano
4 T paprika
2 T salt
1 T sugar
1 T white pepper

Directions
1. Mix all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight if possible.

3. Unwrap meat and place in the Crockpot. Add 1/4 cup water. Turn to low and cook 7-8 hours, until meat is fork tender.

4. Remove roast to cutting board and shred with two forks. Reserve approx. 1/2 – 1 cup of liquid from the Crockpot. Discard remainder.

5. Place shredded meat back in Crockpot with reserved liquid. Add 1 cup BBQ sauce and heat on low for additional 30 – 60 minutes. Serve when heated through.

The Facts
25 servings (approx 3 oz.)
Calories 234.5
Total Fat 11.4 g
Fiber 0.7 g
WW Points 6