Fourth Treats

Happy Fourth of July!

We had many treats (click pic above to enlarge) when my inlaws and my folks joined us for lunch. Slightly carbier than my normal fare, but part and parcel of indulging with family around on a holiday. Since my folks are on a low-fat low-calorie diet, and my in-laws are Weight Watchers, I tried to make sure that not everything was drenched in butter or coconut oil.

Among our treats:

Grilled Skewered Shrimp - Courtesy of my parents and inlaws
This one's easy: For each 3 lbs. of fresh shrimp, melt 2 sticks of butter (organic if you can). Add a dash of garlic powder, a couple of cranks of fresh black pepper, and a small drizzle of honey (yes, honey, because it's a special occasion!). Skewer shrimp, and grill over a piece of foil, turning constantly, until butter mix blackens just a bit. Serve immediately.

Tossed "Big-Ass" Salad
Ours had cherry tomatoes, kumatos, mushrooms, pitted Kalamata olives, avocado, olive oil, a bit of shredded mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar.

Mexican Veggies with Creamy Cumin-Tomato Sauce
Blend a few cloves of garlic, one white onion, and two tomatoes in a mini-chopper. Melt some butter or chicken fat in the bottom of a skillet, and add the chopped tomato mix to this to simmer. Then add: 2 tomatoes, cubed, 1 box mushrooms, quartered, and two yellow squash. Add 1 tablespoon of cumin. Simmer 1 hour or more. Just before serving, add 3/4 cup heavy organic cream, and stir through.

Sauteed Peppers and Onions with Ginger, Lime Juice, Coconut Oil
Blend 1"x1" chunk fresh ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, and the juice from one lime. Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a skillet on medium-high, and add the chopped mix to this. Toss in 3 bell peppers and one onion, sliced, and sautee for 5 minutes.

Fruit Salad - Courtesy of my inlaws
Cut up a bunch of fruit. Eat. :)

Fried Plantains
Slice three plantains into long french-fry-type slivers. Fry in butter at medium-high heat until golden brown and just darker around the edges.

I later added the fried plantains to the creamy Mexican veggies for a leftovers meal. YUM. I will be replicating in an official capacity.