Vietnamese BBQ Shrimp Vermicelli (Bun Tom Heo Nuong)

I absolutely love Vietnamese food. Who am I kidding, I love all kinds of food, but I do find myself eating ethnic cuisine when I go out to eat more than anything else. The portions are HUGE at Vietnamese restaurants, and all too often I leave an empty plate. While this dish is pretty healthy even if eaten in a restaurant, the portion is usually enough for three people, not just one, and the sauce usually has a lot more sugar in it than the way I have made it.
Bun can be made with any protein, but I have chosen shrimp, partially to quell a craving and partly to fill a request for shrimp recipes (I will post more shortly). Bun is a wonderful summer dish, and while it is the end of October it has been quite warm here in southern California, so I found it a wonderful complement to a warm autumn evening, and only 35 minutes from start to finish!

Bun Tom Heo Nuong for 2 (7 points each):

7 oz rice noodle sticks (Bun Que Lam)
8 oz peeled, deveined, tail on shrimp (the size I used yielded 20 shrimp, the size you use may be different)
1/2 cucumber, julienne
1 carrot, peeled and julienne
6 roamine lettuce leaves, chiffonade
4 napa cabbage leaves, chiffonade
1 c bean sprouts
2 T cilantro, chopped
2 T Thai basil, chiffonade
1 T mint leaves, chiffonade

Marinade:
2 t fish sauce
6 turns of a pepper mill
Dash of tumeric

Sauce:
3 T fish sauce
1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 T sugar
4 T fresh lime juice
1 T chili garlic sauce (the kind with the rooster on the jar) Use more or less depending on how spicy you like it.

Method:
 Toss shrimp in marinade, allow to marinate for 30 minutes, stirring them up every 10 minutes.

 While the shrimp is marinating, prep your vegetables and make your sauce. To make the sauce simply stir the warm water and sugar together until dissolved, then stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and chili sauce.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse in cold water and set aside. (The noodles are served at room temperature in this dish)

On a charcoal BBQ or an indoor grill pan grill the shrimp until opaque, and nicely marked, about 2 mins each side.

Toss together the lettuce, cabbage, cilantro, mint and basil, place equal amounts in the bottom of your bowls. Top with 1/2 the noodles, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts and shrimp. Serve with the sauce on the side to be added by the diner, tossing it with the contents of the bowl.
 
*To chiffonade: Place the leaves one on top of the other and roll up, then slice thinly (like shredding).

Sausage Fest!

I don't eat a lot of meat, in fact I don't partake in any mammals at all, which can get a little boring if you think about having chicken for dinner all the time. Sausage to the rescue! I discovered these wonderful chicken sausages at my neighborhood Fresh & Easy market that are only 2 points each, and are all natural, with no preservatives. Coupled with some quinoa and a bounty from the farmers market I was able to make a cozy cold weather dinner for Dan and I at only 7 Points per plate.

Bring 1 cup of salted water to a boil, stir in 1/2 cup of quinoa, cover and turn off the heat. This is a better way to cook quinoa than the package directions, it will be ready in 20 minutes and you don't have to worry that it will burn. (This will make 2 cups of cooked quinoa, I served myself 1/2 cup for 3 points, 1 cup is 5 points.)

In a hot skillet brown your sausages evenly, then add 2 cups of hot water, reduce to a simmer and allow sausages to cook thoroughly to 165 F, about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

 Vegetables for 2 people:
8 oz cubed butternut squash
1 small red pepper, sliced
8 oz fresh oyster (or other) mushrooms in pieces, stems removed
1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup fat free chicken/vegetable broth or home made stock
1/2 tablespoon Sherry
Dash of cayenne
Dash of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Add butternut squash to the same skillet used for the sausages, over medium high heat and brown, then stir in red pepper, cook until softened. Stir in mushrooms, onion and garlic. Sprinkle mixture with cayenne, nutmeg, thyme and coriander. Continue to cook until mushrooms are softened and butternut squash is bite tender (not mushy). Add sherry to the chicken broth, mix into the vegetables, reduce heat to simmer and add the asparagus. Simmer, stirring up the bits from the bottom of the skillet until the asparagus is bright green, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, measure 1/2 cup of quinoa and top with 1 cup of vegetable mixture. Cut sausage in half (it then looks like more and takes longer to eat, leaving you fuller) place on side of plate. Optional, garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro.

**Note: Don't be afraid of the cayenne, the small amount added to this dish serves to brighten the sweetness of the squash and peppers and will not add noticeable heat, unless you are extremely sensitive. If you have more points to spare you could increase your serving of either the quinoa to 1 cup or the sausages to 2 (for an extra 2 points in either case). Enjoy!

Introduction

HI! My name is Colleen and I love Weight Watchers. I really do, I love the program, just not always what people want to do with it. Every meeting it seems that people are focusing on what junk food they can find with the lowest points. So many recipes from various websites have low point meals made mostly out of processed chemical foods, this is not what I want to live off of, I want real food (every now and then I want junk, I just can't help it) and I try to do the best I can for my family. If I left Dan to fend for himself he would eat nothing but frozen burritos and Oreos, it is up to me to make sure his body gets some real food. I am lucky enough to live in a town that has three farmers markets, each on a different day, a farm behind my house, and my own garden and fruit trees. Access to fresh ingredients is vital, with Zero points for vegetables and fruits how could I not go crazy with them?

I am a former professional chef, having worked in Russia, China, Ohio and California. I crave food from different regions throughout my day. Southern American for breakfast, Thai for lunch and Indian for dinner. The best way to feed these cravings and stay on the program is to know how to cook them for yourself. I will be teaching myself how to make my beloved foods into healthy low points meals and sharing the journey with you. I have a 5 month old daughter with cardiac issues so I will do my best to keep these posts regular and hopefully always with at least one photograph. (I will be learning to photograph food on this journey too!) I hope that you enjoy this blog as much as I will.

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