That was the question; whether ‘tis nobler to take off the shells before grilling, or leave the task to your diners.. .  The fishmonger at Whole Foods assured me, as he stood in front of some pre-seasoned grill-ready peeled shrimp kabobs, that leaving on the shell would give a “shrimpier” taste.   Who wouldn’t take the advice of a cute guy in a bandana?

But first, I must digress.  I am having an oil-crisis.  It annoys me when a recipe calls for more than 1/4 cup of oil in which the grillee soaks, and then the marinade is disposed of without a fare-the-well.  Some reasoning is called for here.  Of course a marinade needs some oil to release the oil-soluble compounds, and to lubricate things like shrimp, chicken breast , or vegetables that don’t have a lot of fat.  SO, I’m guessing that the excess oil is there just to add volume, and instead of using a barrel of oil, how about some water, beer, or juice?  And then one has to wonder “how much marinade do I need?”  Unfortunately, it’s subjective.  If you can’t be around to flip the bag (I usually marinate in a zip top) to make sure all surfaces have a chance to be flavored, then by all means make up a big quantity,   But, if you are around, just make enough to come halfway up the sides (approximately 1 cup of marinade per pound of marinadee), and flip away. 

Ok, back to the shrimp.  I made the marinade and dropped in the still in shell shrimp, and gave them a flip every so often.  One nice thing about the shrimp being still in shell is that they weren’t too delicate.  Once they were done, it was time for skewering.   Here is a very bad thought process:  Shrimp cooks quickly, so there is no need to soak the skewers.  At first read, that probably sounds ok.  But consider that oily marinade plus thin, dry pieces of wood essentially equals fire-starters.   Oops. 

Finally the Marinated Grilled Shrimp were on the table.  The 11 year old complained about having to de-shell, because they were too good to eat so slowly.  Once we got to our second skewer, the shells were harder remove, but we didn’t mind that much because they were delicious (3 of us ate a whole pound, and one of us is not such a seafood lover).  Next time shrimp are on sale we’re going to repeat this without the shells..and of coursed, soaked skewers!

When you’re grilling for a dinner party, the biggest problem is serving people at roughly the same time.  Unless you’re doing something simple like burgers or hot dogs (and weren’t we tired of those by the end of June?), or seafood (fussy and can get expensive), you need a new plan.

Last weekend we had 10 people for dinner.  With some advance prep work and a clean, hot grill, dinner was served in no time.  The key?  Chicken that was pounded thin and marinated well.

Grilled Greek Herb Chicken is definitely going into my rotation.  The combination of right-from-the-garden herbs and freshly-squeezed lemon juice infused  into the chicken made it tasty and moist.

You can buy chicken cutlets, but they tend to cost more.  I bought a “family pack” 5 pound package of chicken breasts for a little over $10.  Pounding them is a bit time consuming and slightly messy, but pretty easy.  Take a chicken breast and trim off the excess fat.  Rinse it in water (keeps it from sticking), put it into a gallon sized zip top bag, press out most of the air, and use the flat side of your meat mallet to pound the meat into an even thickness.  After every few whacks, run your hand across the bag to find thick spots, and hold up the bag to the light to see which spots need to be left alone.  Yes, there will be pieces that come off or get trimmed away; save them and either poach for a small chicken salad, or for your dog. 

I layered the cutlets with the marinade in a large shallow dish and left it in the ‘fridge for about 8 hours.  Surprisingly they all went onto the grill in one layer (we have just a standard gas grill), and went from cold to cooked through in about 6 minutes.

This was fabulous served with a Greek Orzo Salad, Zucchini Gratin, and a Plum Upside Down Cake (if you want to see photos – follow me on Twitter). 

I never thought that I would come out in support of a low carb diet.  My attempt at the “all meat and cheese all the time” diet, was frustrating and monotonous, and ultimately, not successful.  What does seem to work for me, and many on our diet planner, is low carb  as a percentage of overall diet. 

 

Defining Low Carb

 I’m not talking about ‘no bread, potatoes, candy, or pasta--ever’.  That’s not realistic, sustainable or economical.  What seems to work for many is to plan a menu so that the overall percentage of carbohydrates works FOR you instead of AGAINST you. 

On the rigid low carb plan there is a daily “allowance”, but many people blow that allowance on a high carb but low value food like cookies or soda because they feel so deprived.  What a rotten way to spend  life.  “No one can eat just one” is true for a lot of us!  It makes much more sense to plan carbs into your diet in such a way that you manage them, and not the other way around.   

A Simple Low Carb Experiment

 By planning your meals in and snacks in advance, you always have food on hand that works for you.  I used our meal planner to record everything I ate for two days.  The first day I grazed, but the 2nd day I paid more attention to adding protein. 

Day 1

Coffee and creamer at 6:00 am
Bagel with buttery spread and orange juice at 7:30
Coffee and creamer at 10:00 (hungry but no time to eat)
1 oz of pretzels at 11:00 (I was starving)
A large dinner side salad with blue cheese dressing at noon.
1 oz of pretzels and some hummus at 1:00 (not satisfied from lunch)
A handful of grapes at 2:00 (still hungry)
Spaghetti with meat sauce, steamed broccoli, wine at 6:00
4 Oreo cookies that the kids were eating at 8:00
Triscuits and cheese at 9:00 (starving)

Day 2

Coffee and creamer at 6:00 am 
2 fried eggs and a slice of whole grain toast and orange juice at 7:30
Coffee and creamer at 9:30
1/2 cup of lactose free cottage cheese at 10:00  (sensible snack)
A  very large salad with tuna and vinaigrette dressing at  noon.
1 oz of almonds at 2:00  (again, not hungry, but snacking sensibly)
Parmesan chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes at 6:00
1 oz of almonds at 8:00 (and didn’t crave the kids’ cookies)

Findings

 The daily totals for Day 1 were 2331 calories and 290 grams of carbs.  Almost exactly 50% carbs.  Not all of them great choices, as you can see.  I was starving all day long, which is surprising, considering the high number of calories (eek!) consumed.

The daily total on Day 2 are pretty startling.  1883 calories and 142 grams of carbs.  About 30% carbs.  The difference?  I was never really hungry, and took in 448 calories less.  That’s almost 1 pound of weight loss per week!

Prevention

 The number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to rise at alarming rates.  Obesity is primarily the reason for this huge increase, and high sugar/carbohydrates in our meals are the prime culprits.  Making meal planning a part of your weekly routine now, will prevent you from having the debilitating effects of diabetes in the future.  The American Diabetes Association recommends carb counting as a way to manage blood glucose levels.  Meal planning for diabetics is essential, as you can see how choices will affect your blood sugar. 

Other diseases like heart disease, stroke, and cancer can be directly attributed to diet as well.  Taking a pro-active approach now will significantly increase your current and future health, as well as your waistline.