Recipe Experiment: Healthy Cajun Shrimp Boil with Interesting Ingredients

Drew and I are trying to eat healthier: more protein, less carbs and sugar, blah blah blah. Anyway, we love doing a cajun shrimp boil with potatoes and corn cobs pretty regularly at home. To make this a healthier meal, we decided to scratch the potatoes and corn, and experiment with a few new vegetables. Spoiler alert: most were terrible. Here’s the breakdown:

First off, I always use a bag of Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp, & Crab boil, with 8 cups of water, in a very large pot.
While I have made my own crab boil recipes, I simply can’t get any to taste as spicy and delicious as this brand. I’m sure its because of all the extra salt. Either way, make your own, use what you like, just make sure you have enough seasoning to fill about 8 cups of water.

INGREDIENTS:

*Forgot to grab a snapshot first, my apologies*
The first ingredient we had on the list was turnips. Turnips have a similar texture to a potato, though they are a little bitter. However, nutrition-wise, they are awesome. Here’s a comparison of the same size (1 cup) potato vs. turnip:
Potato:                                  Turnip:
Cal: 60                                   Cal: 18
Carbs: 13.5                         Carbs: 4

I cut off the top and bottom of the turnip, but left the skin on. Then, I quartered each medium-sized turnip, using three turnips total.

Other ingredients included:
-half baby portabella mushrooms (~2 cups)
-small brussels sprouts (~3 cups)
-fresh green beans (~3 cups)
– 2 lb large shrimp, tail and shell still on. (You don’t have to use this
much, but I love cold, leftover spicy shrimp to snack on.)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Add packet of seasoning to 8 cups cold water. Add the turnips and
turn heat on high until it boils. Once boiling, turning it down to
medium-high to keep a steady boil is best. (Keep the lid off the
entire time, this will help the turnips release some of the gasses
that make them bitter.)
2. From the time you put the pot on the heat, 15 minutes after that,
add the frozen shrimp.
3. 9 minutes after this, add the mushrooms.
4. 2 minutes after this, add the brussels sprouts and green beans.
5. After 5 more minutes, everything is ready to be drained from the
water and eaten.

*Bonus*
After I removed all the food and turned the heat off, I dropped an egg in for a poached egg. It fell apart a little, but after just a minute, the most perfect soft yolk came out. It was flavorful and perfectly cooked- winner.

RESULTS:
What did we think? Well, I have some strong opinions here.
– Shrimp: Absolutely perfect as always. Tender, easy to peel, and just
spicy enough to give it great flavor without burning your mouth.
– Turnips: The texture was great, a little more al dente than a potato,
which I liked. However, the bitterness overwhelmed the cajun
spices, and I was not a fan.  I read online one suggestion is to add
just one potato to the mix to help it catch some of the bitterness.
So, I’d give that a shot if I were to do this again.
-Mushrooms: Ugh, that rubbery texture! The flavor was great, but
the texture I could not get past. If you like boiled mushrooms, you’ll
love this. If not, stay away.
-Brussels Sprouts: I just hate the flavor of brussels sprouts. The only
time I have eaten them and enjoyed them was the fried ones with
bacon and pecans at Table 28. These, while that first bite was full of
good, spicy flavors, also fell into the “fail” category for me. Their
bitterness comes through after a couple chews.
-Green Beans: These were great! I would have cooked them a
minute less because I like a little crunch left in them. But the flavor
was very good. Just a little spicy, no need for any additions such as
butter or bacon grease. I will definitely use green beans in our boils
from now on.

Cracking the Case: Amy’s Version of Grilled Steak Medallions from Cheesecake Factory

This past weekend, in Dallas, I went to the Cheesecake Factory. I can’t help it…we don’t have one in Arkansas and I have never had a bad meal there. I don’t know how they do it with such a large menu!
Anyway, I was trying to eat a little lighter, so I ordered a new dish called “Grilled Steak Medallions” from the skinnylicious menu. It is under 600 calories, which, for the Cheesecake Factory, is almost unheard of!
It is described as such:
Certified Angus Beef® Served with Fresh Asparagus, Shiitake Mushrooms, Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes, Mashed Potatoes and Madeira Wine Sauce
To my surprise, as well as the others’ at my table, this dish was delicous! The steak was delicious and perfectly cooked to medium rare, the vegetables were also cooked perfectly, and not overdone, in this deep, yet a little tangy, wine sauce. And the mashed potatoes served as the perfect base to soak up all the flavors. I ate the entire plate.
Now that I’m back home, you know I want it again. So, I tried my take on the dish (with a few personally preferred changes) and it turned out great! Here’s the recipe:

Watch this SHORT recipe video to see the process:

Ingredients
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-3-4 steak medallions (Traditionally, these are beef tenderloin
medallions, but I believe the Cheesecake Factory used a cheaper
cut. I also am cheap, so I just cut up a sirloin into medallions.
Works like a charm!)
-3 cups sliced mushrooms (The C.F. used shiitakes, which were
delish. Walmart didn’t have these, so I used baby portabellas.
These also proved to be delicious. I don’t think this affected the
flavor much, but portabellas are meatier and heartier.)
-1 cup halved grape tomatoes
-1 medium-large shallot, minced
-1 tablespoon minced garlic
-10 asparagus spears, chopped at an angle
-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1 bay leaf
-1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or one sprig of fresh thyme
-salt and pepper to taste (at least 1/4 teaspoon of each)
-2 tablespoons flour
-1/2 cup red wine (Clearly, the C.F. used madeira wine. I, again, am
cheap, and just used a tasty red wine that was not too sweet.
Use what you like, and you will like the sauce.)
-1/2 cup low sodium beef broth

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This is what your veggies should look like, chopped and ready. Forgive the pre-minced garlic.

Directions
1. Heavily salt and pepper both sides of your steak. Set aside.
2. Prep your veggies (chop, mince, etc)
3. Heat a pan on medium-high heat, until very hot. Add olive oil.
Once it is shimmering and lightly smoking, add steak. Do not touch
for 4 minutes.
4. Turn steaks over after 4 minutes. Do not touch another 2-3
minutes. 2 minutes gave me a perfectly medium-rare steak.
5. Remove steaks on to plate and lightly cover with foil. Set aside.
6. In the same pan, add 3 tablespoons butter.
*You will keep this on medium-high heat continuously.
7. Once melted, add mushrooms in single layer. Top with shallots,
then top with asparagus. Do not touch for 2-3 minutes, or until
mushrooms are browning.
8. You may then stir occasionally, making sure all mushrooms are
well-browned on both sides.  After about 2 minutes of this, add
garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes, or until it is very aromatic.
9. Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir until flour is cooked, 1-2 min.
10. Add 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup beef broth. Stir and scrape
bits off the bottom. Continue for 3 minutes.
11. After 3 minutes, add the halved tomatoes. Stir occasionally
while cooking for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
*12* Have a starch ready. The C.F. used mashed potatoes. I used
mashed parsnips, which gave a nice sweetness. Polenta would
also work well.

Plating
1. Lay down your starch as your base.
2. Top with steak.
3. Cover steak with veggies and sauce completely.
EAT IT UP!

If you try this recipe, please comment and let me know how it went!
.

Amy’s Version of Grilled Steak Medallions from The Cheesecake Factory

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, healthy, low carb,

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3-4 steak medallions Beef tenderloin is ideal, but I just cut up a sirloin into medallions, and that worked like a charm!
  • 3 cups sliced mushrooms Shiitakes or baby portabellas work best
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
  • 1 medium-large shallot, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 10 asparagus spears, chopped at an angle
  • 3 tbps unsalted butter
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme, or one sprig of fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste about 1/4 teaspoon each

Instructions
 

  • Heavily salt and pepper both sides of your steak. Set aside.
  • Prep your veggies (chop, mince, etc)
  • Heat a pan on medium-high heat, until very hot. Add olive oil.Once it is shimmering and lightly smoking, add steak. Do not touchfor 4 minutes.
  • Turn steaks over after 4 minutes. Do not touch another 2-3minutes. 2 minutes gave me a perfectly medium-rare steak.
  • Remove steaks on to plate and lightly cover with foil. Set aside.
  • In the same pan, add 3 tablespoons butter.*You will keep this on medium-high heat continuously.
  • Once melted, add mushrooms in single layer. Top with shallots,then top with asparagus. Do not touch for 2-3 minutes, or untilmushrooms are browning.
  • You may then stir occasionally, making sure all mushrooms arewell-browned on both sides.  After about 2 minutes of this, addgarlic and stir for 1-2 minutes, or until it is very aromatic.
  • Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir until flour is cooked, 1-2 min.
  • Add 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup beef broth. Stir and scrapebits off the bottom. Continue for 3 minutes.
  • After 3 minutes, add the halved tomatoes. Stir occasionally while cooking for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Have a starch ready. The C.F. used mashed potatoes. I usedmashed parsnips, which gave a nice sweetness. Polenta wouldalso work well.
  • Plating:
    1. Lay down your starch as your base.
    2. Top with steak.
    3. Cover steak with veggies and sauce completely. EAT IT UP!
Keyword recipe, amy westerman, cheesecake factory, grilled steak medallions, healthy, low carb, cheesecake factory’s grilled steak medallions,