All,

I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.

I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
(baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.

Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
or other side dishes that aren't starchy?



Dawn

Dawn wrote:
>
> All,
>
> I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
> guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
> dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
> people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
> rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
> the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.
>
> I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
> (baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.
>
> Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
> or other side dishes that aren't starchy?
>
> Dawn

Ungh, being a low carber myself, there are not really that many starchy
veggies. :-) There is actually more that you CAN eat on a low carb diet
then you can't. <G>

Any leafy greens, summer squashes or even green beans come to mind...

Avocado fits the bill also.

It might be easy to do a mexican style zucchini?

K.

--
>^,,^< Cats-haven Hobby Farm >^,,^< >^,,^<

"There are millions of intelligent species in the universe, and they are
all owned by cats" -- Asimov

Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...s&userid=Katra

"Dawn" > wrote in message
...
> All,
>
> I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
> guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
> dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
> people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
> rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
> the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.
>
> I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
> (baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.
>
> Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
> or other side dishes that aren't starchy?

When I travel, I like to sample the local cuisine from the region that I am
visiting. Besides, you may be hardpressed to make tamales, etc. to the
standards they are used to back home (I'm reminded of the time I saw some
native Chinese folks make such an ugly scene in an American Chinese
restaurant, but I digress...). Why don't you treat them to some interesting
food from your neck of the woods instead?

>
>All,
>
>I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
>guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
>dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
>people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
>rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
>the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.
>
>I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
>(baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.
>
>Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
>or other side dishes that aren't starchy?
>
>
>
>Dawn
>
Fennel, if you can get it, makes an excellent accompaniment to any full
flavoured roast bird. Bake it with Parmigiano and the sharp cheese and anise
notes will stand up to the other strong flavours.

John

>half the
>people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
>rice, tortillas, etc.

there are low carb tortillas.
try alt.support.diet.lowcarb and ask ... I don't remember the brand name right
now and I need to get going.
you can also try
lowcarbfriends.com ... great info there
~Kat


"I think I would like to call myself 'the girl who wanted to be God'. Yet if I
were not in this body, where would I be--perhaps I am destined to be classified
and qualified. But, oh, I cry out aginst it." --Sylvia Plath

In article >, Dawn
> wrote:

> All,
>
> I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
> guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
> dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
> people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
> rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
> the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.
>
> I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
> (baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.
>
> Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
> or other side dishes that aren't starchy?
>
>
>
> Dawn
>
>

How about zucchini or summer squash done in a garlic, onion and
(unsweetened) tomato sauce? That's more carby than some will want, but
is not a deal-breaker. Additionally, you could do a selection of
low-carb veggies (red pepper strips, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower
florets) with a sour cream dip seasoned with Mexican spices.

--
Nancy Howells (don't forget to switch it, and replace the to send mail).

"Dawn" > wrote in message
...
>
> I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
> guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
> dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
> people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
> rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
> the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.
>
> I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
> (baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.
>
> Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
> or other side dishes that aren't starchy?


But ... but... but ... if they're from the southwest, they can have tamales
whenever they want! I don't know where you live, but wouldn't it be more of
a treat for them to have some local specialty?

When I entertain guests from the South, you can be sure I don't serve them
fried chicken and grits!

Felice

Felice Friese wrote:

> But ... but... but ... if they're from the southwest, they can have tamales
> whenever they want! I don't know where you live, but wouldn't it be more of
> a treat for them to have some local specialty?

Several of us are "from" the southwest, but not living there now, so the
idea was to have some homemade comfort food to remind us of faraway
homes and families.

I've made tamales before, so this shouldn't be a big deal.


>
> When I entertain guests from the South, you can be sure I don't serve them
> fried chicken and grits!

I thought it was fried chicken and waffles.



Dawn

Nancy Howells wrote:

>
> How about zucchini or summer squash done in a garlic, onion and
> (unsweetened) tomato sauce? That's more carby than some will want, but
> is not a deal-breaker. Additionally, you could do a selection of
> low-carb veggies (red pepper strips, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower
> florets) with a sour cream dip seasoned with Mexican spices.
>

The zucchini sounds really good, and I know it is something I can get
locally. Thanks.

Hmmn, I wonder if I could whip up something like a low-carb nacho plate,
with sliced zukes, salsa, and cheese....



Dawn

"Dawn" > wrote in message
...
> All,
>
> I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
> guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
> dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
> people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
> rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
> the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.
>
> I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
> (baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.
>
> Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
> or other side dishes that aren't starchy?

How about "Rajas de Chile Poblano" roasted peeled poblanos cut into 1/4 inch
strip with sautéed onions and garlic that is simmered in crema (substitute
crème fraiche or heavy cream) along with dried herbs etc. The recipe is
from "Authentic Mexican" if you are interested. A more elegant alternative
to that would be a roasted poblano and crema soup.

Kate

Carnitas, fajita meat, chile con queso/ and or guacamole with vegetable
dips, flan made with Splenda and jicama with chile powder or red pepper.
Meat has no carbs. Nuts are on the South Beach diet- pecans with pepper
and no cal sweet? Barley is low on glycemic index - Barley with
chile-cheese sauce?

"Dawn" > wrote in message
...
> Felice Friese wrote:
>
> > But ... but... but ... if they're from the southwest, they can have
tamales
> > whenever they want! I don't know where you live, but wouldn't it be more
of
> > a treat for them to have some local specialty?
>
> Several of us are "from" the southwest, but not living there now, so the
> idea was to have some homemade comfort food to remind us of faraway
> homes and families.
>
> I've made tamales before, so this shouldn't be a big deal.
>
> > When I entertain guests from the South, you can be sure I don't serve
them
> > fried chicken and grits!
>
> I thought it was fried chicken and waffles.
>
> Dawn

Ah well, comfort food -- that's another story!

With the waffles, I'd serve creamed chicken.

Felice

Dawn saw Sally selling seashells by the seashore and told us all about
it on Fri, 19 Dec 2003 23:11:12 GMT:

>Felice Friese wrote:
>
>> But ... but... but ... if they're from the southwest, they can have tamales
>> whenever they want! I don't know where you live, but wouldn't it be more of
>> a treat for them to have some local specialty?
>
>Several of us are "from" the southwest, but not living there now, so the
>idea was to have some homemade comfort food to remind us of faraway
>homes and families.
>
>I've made tamales before, so this shouldn't be a big deal.

Nothing wrong with giving the ex-pats a taste of home, so long as you
know how to do it properly :P

Zucchini and tomato is a wonderful combination for a vegetable.

Actually, if it was my dinner I think I'd do lightly steamed broccoli
and cauliflower florets with baby squash and/or zucchini spears for
the vegie, then serve a tomato sauce and let the guests decide how
much was 'too much' for them

(huggles)

~Karen AKA Kajikit

Nobody outstubborns a cat...

Visit my webpage: http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Allergyfree Eating Recipe Swap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allergyfree_Eating
Ample Aussies Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ampleaussies/

"Dawn" > wrote in message
...
> All,
>
> I'm having a casual New Year's Day dinner for 6, and as several of the
> guests are from the southwest I was planning tamales as one of the
> dishes. Now I'm stumped for the rest of the meal, because half the
> people at the table will be on a low-carb diet and that means no beans,
> rice, tortillas, etc. that traditionally accompany mexican fare. Even
> the tamales are pushing it, but hey, it is the New Year.
>
> I'm thinking of adding spanish style roasted cornish hens to the menu
> (baked with tomato, olives, ham) but after that I'm stumped.
>
> Has anyone got ideas for vegetables that fit the spanish-mexican theme,
> or other side dishes that aren't starchy?
>
> Dawn

Tamales and beans are a Christmas Eve tradition in my house. Do have
tortillas for those who want them. I often serve a green salad with
guacamole as a dressing and a spoonful of crema. Salsa and tortilla chips
are always nice and for the low-carb eaters you could serve them
chicharrones instead of the tortilla chips! Green chile and cheese tamales
are also good served with a small carne asada steak. There are always chiles
rellanos too. Tequila soaked shrimp and avocado makes a good starter.

Charlie

>From: Dawn

>Hmmn, I wonder if I could whip up something like a low-carb nacho plate,
>with sliced zukes, salsa, and cheese....

Seriously, try La Tortilla Factory lo-carb whole wheat tortillas. Also, you CAN
do refried beans if you use Black Soy Beans. I haven't tried them myself, but
some of my customers swear by them.

Ellen

"kilikini" > wrote in message
...
> Tequila soaked shrimp? That sounds amazing! What do you do, just take
raw
> shrimp and soak it in tequila? Do you boil the shrimp then or saute?
>
> Kilikini

There are several ways but here is a good one posted to r.f.c. by Donna
McCurley a few years ago. Very good!

Charlie

DIXIE'S TEQUILA SHRIMP

Recipe by: Dixie
Posted to: r.f.c by Donna McCurley 16APR1997


2 lbs. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup garlic oil ( Donna: I usually just crush an extra garlic clove or
two into the mixture - and use olive oil)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chili sauce

Marinate shrimp in the other ingredients for 1 to 2 hours. Place on skewers.
Grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Donna's comments: Here's a wonderful grilled shrimp recipe which was served
at a party I attended recently. The woman who brought this dish made a
double recipe -- we gobbled up the skewers as fast as they were removed from
the grill! Dixie was kind enough to share the recipe with those attending
the party and I decided the group might enjoy it as well!

"Charles Gifford" > wrote in message
news
>
> "kilikini" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Tequila soaked shrimp? That sounds amazing! What do you do, just take
> raw
> > shrimp and soak it in tequila? Do you boil the shrimp then or saute?
> >
> > Kilikini
>
> There are several ways but here is a good one posted to r.f.c. by Donna
> McCurley a few years ago. Very good!
>
> Charlie
>
> DIXIE'S TEQUILA SHRIMP

Funny I was looking for something a bit different to do with this shrimp I
bought. Looks like this is it. Thanks, Charlie, for posting this.

Jack DeVeined

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 09:06:28 GMT, "Charles Gifford"
> wrote:

>There are several ways but here is a good one posted to r.f.c. by Donna
>McCurley a few years ago. Very good!

<recipe snipped>

>Donna's comments: Here's a wonderful grilled shrimp recipe which was served
>at a party I attended recently. The woman who brought this dish made a
>double recipe -- we gobbled up the skewers as fast as they were removed from
>the grill! Dixie was kind enough to share the recipe with those attending
>the party and I decided the group might enjoy it as well!

Oh, phoo. People will gobble up shrimp in *any* form, unless it's
chopped up raw and embedded in cold oatmeal. Even faster if it's been
peeled for them.

Recipe does sound good, BTW. :-)

Charlie,

This is what I'm going to do for Xmas. I always do Swiss Cheese fondue and
peel and eat shrimp. Now I have a twist. Thank you!

Kilikini


"Charles Gifford" > wrote in message
news
>
> "kilikini" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Tequila soaked shrimp? That sounds amazing! What do you do, just take
> raw
> > shrimp and soak it in tequila? Do you boil the shrimp then or saute?
> >
> > Kilikini
>
> There are several ways but here is a good one posted to r.f.c. by Donna
> McCurley a few years ago. Very good!
>
> Charlie
>
> DIXIE'S TEQUILA SHRIMP
>
> Recipe by: Dixie
> Posted to: r.f.c by Donna McCurley 16APR1997
>
>
> 2 lbs. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
> 1/2 cup garlic oil ( Donna: I usually just crush an extra garlic clove or
> two into the mixture - and use olive oil)
> 1 tsp. salt
> 1/4 cup tequila
> 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
> 2 garlic cloves, minced
> 1/2 cup chili sauce
>
> Marinate shrimp in the other ingredients for 1 to 2 hours. Place on
skewers.
> Grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
>
> Donna's comments: Here's a wonderful grilled shrimp recipe which was
served
> at a party I attended recently. The woman who brought this dish made a
> double recipe -- we gobbled up the skewers as fast as they were removed
from
> the grill! Dixie was kind enough to share the recipe with those attending
> the party and I decided the group might enjoy it as well!
>
>

(Charles=A0Gifford) offered....
>Tamales and beans are a Christmas Eve
>tradition in my house. Do have tortillas for
>those who want them. I often serve a green
>salad with guacamole as a dressing and a
>spoonful of crema. Salsa and tortilla chips are
>always nice and for the low-carb eaters you
>could serve them chicharrones instead of the
>tortilla chips! Green chile and cheese tamales
>are also good served with a small carne asada
>steak. There are always chiles rellanos too.
>Tequila soaked shrimp and avocado makes a
>good starter.
Charlie, I just decided to ask for an invitation to your home for such
great Christmas Eve eatings. I'll even make fresh tortillas and fresh,
crisp salsa for you. Making my usual variety of about fifty dozen
tamales for gifts to family this year was beyond my physical endurance,
but I certainly would be an appreciative guest at your table!

=A0=A0=A0Picky ~JA~

"kilikini" > wrote in message
...
> Charlie,
>
> This is what I'm going to do for Xmas. I always do Swiss Cheese fondue
and
> peel and eat shrimp. Now I have a twist. Thank you!
>
> Kilikini

You are very welcome.

Charlie

"Jack Schidt®" > wrote in message
. com...
>
> "Charles Gifford" > wrote in message
> news
> >
> > "kilikini" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Tequila soaked shrimp? That sounds amazing! What do you do, just
take
> > raw
> > > shrimp and soak it in tequila? Do you boil the shrimp then or saute?
> > >
> > > Kilikini
> >
> > There are several ways but here is a good one posted to r.f.c. by Donna
> > McCurley a few years ago. Very good!
> >
> > Charlie
> >
> > DIXIE'S TEQUILA SHRIMP
>
> Funny I was looking for something a bit different to do with this shrimp I
> bought. Looks like this is it. Thanks, Charlie, for posting this.
>
> Jack DeVeined

Pretty tasty. I am not even a shrimp fan. I had an interesting presentation
about a year and a half ago. The chef made giant margaritas in those huge
margarita glasses, added lots of crushed ice and rimmed the glasses with
salt. He then put 6 huge shrimp along the edge of the glass with their tails
up and their head stumps down in the ice soaking up the margarita. The
shrimps had previously been steamed and shelled. It was a very pretty
presentation and very good eating as well as drinking.

Charlie