Creole Pan-Fried Shrimp with Cucumber-Fennel-Tomato Salad and Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

You know a meal is good when the featured piece is a freshly made fruit cobbler. With peaches and blueberries in season, bursting with juices and flavor at the farmer's market, I couldn't resist this great summer classic. I've made peach and raspberry cobblers before but decided to mix it up here, crafting a peach and blueberry version with a thick, delicious topping. It's sure to impress and while not quite good for you, certainly it's not all that bad in this version, either!

Of course, I couldn't ONLY have dessert for dinner, although I tried to convince my boyfriend of just that. So I added in a salad, utilizing more fresh farmer's market produce, combining tomatoes, fennel, and cucumber. I hadn't actually used fresh fennel in a recipe before, so I found it quite interesting. It's a bit crispy with a licorice taste - definitely different than anything I've had before. Finally, I made some pan-fried shrimp. They're a healthier version of crispy, deep-fried creole shrimp, and definitely hit the spot for a delicious dinner.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 1 hr 30 min
Cost: $27.52



Peach-Blueberry Cobbler
Time: 1hr 30 min

Ingredients:
6 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1.5 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp butter, no salt added, softened
4 tbsp fake butter, light, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c low fat buttermilk
2 c fresh blueberries
4 tsp brown sugar

Get your oven pre-heating to 375 degrees.

Pit your peaches and thinly slice them. Put them in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, 3/4 c sugar, and 2 tbsp flour. Toss until evenly coated.

Spray a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray and then pour the peach mixture into the baking dish, spreading into an even layer.

Rinse and dry your bowl, or get a new one. Add the rest of the flour and the baking powder to a bowl and whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the softened butter, fake butter, and rest of the sugar. Beat with a mixer at a high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add an egg, and beat again until well combined. Repeat with the remaining egg. Stir the vanilla in as well. Then, measure out the buttermilk in a measuring cup and keep that separate as well.

Add a bit of flour to the egg-butter mixture and beat just until combined. Then add a bit of buttermilk and repeat. Continue to alternate these additions until all of them have been added, ending on flour mixture. At that point, gently stir in the blueberries.

Spread the topping mixture evenly over the peach mixture. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top.

Bake for 1 hr, but you will want to put this dish on a foil-lined baking sheet or put that on the shelf below since the juices may spill out as this bakes.

Enjoy hot - preferably with ice cream!

Servings: 9
Serving size: 3" x 4.3"
Nutrition: calories 285; carbs 48g; fat 9g; protein 4g; sodium 111mg; iron 6mg

Cucumber-Fennel-Tomato Salad
Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 c sliced cucumber (peel left on)
1 c cherry tomato, halved
1/4 c fennel bulb, finely sliced

Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until well-combined.

Chop and prepare your veggies and put them in a large bowl. Drizzle the salad dressing over the veggies and toss well to combine.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Servings: 4
Serving size: about 3/4 c salad
Nutrition: calories 47; carbs 4g; fat 4g; protein 1g; sodium 154mg; iron 2mg

Creole Pan-Fried Shrimp
Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1/4 c flour
1 tsp Creole seasoning, no salt
1/8 c fat free milk
1/3 c breadcrumbs
3/4 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, de-tailed
1.5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fat-free mayo
1 tsp worcestshire sauce

You'll be dipping and frying, so it's best to assemble everything first. Line up 3 small dishes. In the first, put in 1/4 c flour and 3/4 tsp Creole seasoning. In the second, put the milk. In the third, the breadcrumbs.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add half the olive oil. When the oil is ready, move quickly with the shrimp (get someone to help if possible!) Take each shrimp - dredge it in the flour-creole mixture, shaking off excess, then dip in milk (again get rid of excess) and finally dredge in the breadcrumbs. Place 1/2 the shrimp in the pan after going through this. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until done, but be careful not to overcook.

Remove those shrimp and set aside. Complete with the rest of the olive oil and shrimp.

As the shrimp are cooking, prepare the mayo. Combine the mayo with the rest of the creole seasoning and the worcestshire sauce. Mix well and serve with the shrimp for dipping.

Servings: 2
Serving size: 3/8 lb shrimp
Nutrition: calories 390; carbs 26g; fat 14g; protein 39g; sodium 311mg; iron 37mg