Day 44 - Ultimate Bad Craving Food Solved!

Ok, this is going to be a short post, but I just -had- to share this with all of you. Today I discovered the answer to a food craving... nay, obsession... that I have been struggling with for many years. To me, this dish is ambrosia itself!

Well, second only to fresh pineapple, but you get my point.

It's one of my worst weaknesses and also one of the worst foods (calories, fat, points) that I crave. Battered, deep-fried, sweetened, served with an even sweeter, more sugar-laden sauce. Oh, devilish temptress of the sea, my soul and taste-buds are yours, for you are Coconut Shrimp and I am your slave...

...or should I say I -was- your slave for now I have conquered you with a recipe I found on Weight Watchers eTools. A couple of minor tweaks here and there (without any change in points) and I can have you for dinner once again! This time without guilt or damage to my increasingly girlish figure. ;)

The original recipe was for an appetizer portion (3 pieces of shrimp) for 1 point. 1 point for coconut shrimp!!!  Oooo, I'm so excited to share this recipe!

Even with my modifications, the points values have not changed from the original.

1/4c fat free skim milk
3TBS all purpose flour
1/2c sweetened coconut flakes
1/3c plain Panko breadcrumbs (can also use crushed cornflakes as in the original recipe)
30 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (tails may be left on or removed)

-Preheat over to 450 degrees. Spray large jelly-roll pan (or two smaller cooking trays) with non-stick spray.
-Whisk together the flour and milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat.
-Place coconut and Panko (or cornflake crumbs) in a large zip-close bag. Shake to mix.
-Place a few shrimp at a time inside the bag. Shake to coat shrimp, then place on tray(s) in a single layer.
-Lightly spray coated shrimp with non-stick spray and place tray(s) in oven.
-Bake until shrimp are golden on the outside and opaque on the inside, about 5 minutes on each side.

Yields are as follows:
- 3 shrimp = 10 appetizer servings = 1 point
- 5 shrimp = 6 appetizer servings = 2 points
- 10 shrimp = 3 meal servings = 5 points
- 15 shrimp = 2 meal servings = 7 points

These little yummies were so good, I never missed the normally-sugar-sweet sauce that most restaurants serve with the shrimp. I did make a lovely side dish of Brown Rice Salad (3 points per 1c; also on the WW site) that paired beautifully.

I have to admit that, with 15 points left for dinner (half my daily), I indulged in the 15 shrimp dinner serving. After all of that shrimp, the rice salad, and the rest of my water, I was stuffed! Satiated! Satisfied!

This recipe will most certainly be in regular dinner rotation in this house. Y-U-M!

If you make this dish, please let me know! I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. :)

May all your cravings be healthy ones!

~H.