Recipe: The "Spanglish" Sandwich

You all know that movie, Spanglish, right? Came out a few years ago, with Adam Sandler, the impossibly (and unfairly) gorgeous Paz Vega, and that sandwich? Seriously... as charming and funny as the movie is, the real star of the show (in my opinion) is Thomas Keller's sandwich, appropriately named "The World's Greatest Sandwich". It only has about a 25 second cameo in the film but it's all I can think about, even 5 days after returning the video to Netflix. Such was the all-consuming desire to partake of this deliciousness that I did the unforgivable: I ate bacon, a food I know most people adore but from which I try to distance myself as much as possible because there's just nothing good for you in there at all ('cept for the delicious flavor).

Now, most of you PGEW veterans know that 98% of my recipe posts are creations made by yours truly. The other 2% is divvied up between stuff my mom & dad have made and stuff that I've obsessed over from certain restaurants. What can I say, I like making up my own stuff. But there are just certain dishes that MUST be recreated and this sandwich is certainly one of them. Of course, I made some adjustments to suit my personal tastes and budget, but it's still fab. The first time I made this was a revolution for me because I actually got the "ooze" right; unfortunately, I was so enthralled with the idea of eating the darned thing that I forgot to take a picture. Then I couldn't seem to get the timing right in terms of having the cheese be all melty-gooey and the egg yolk perfectly saucy. Today, in honor of the fact that I am one of 5 people in the United States who will NOT be hosting or attending a Superbowl party, I set out to make this thing right AND good looking, once & for all.

The best part of this sandwich? It really does fit the Poor Girl style of cooking, in that it utilizes a lot of what would be found in my - and most folks' - fridges and the fact that there's nothing overly fancy ingredient-wise, cutting down on the cost. The only things I didn't have to make this exactly like Thomas Keller would do, were butter lettuce and true Pain de Campagne. But I'm never without baby spinach (at least, I try not to be) and I still had about half a loaf of good sourdough, so I was able to make due with what I had. I even had Monterey Jack cheese AND bacon, which doesn't always happen (the first couple times I made this I used cheddar and ham it was still divine). And since I'm not the biggest mayo fan (unless I make my own and I wasn't feelin' up to it), I just doubled up on the cheese, tee hee. Still, it just goes to show that even the most famous chefs will use the most basic ingredients they have to make amazing foods, just like yours truly likes to do. Let's check this one out.

The "Spanglish" Sandwich (makes 1 sandwich as written; total cost per sandwich: ~ $2.85)

2 slices of pain de campagne (or a good quality crusty mild sourdough)

3-4 slices of bacon

3 slices of tomato

1/2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

6-7 leaves of baby spinach (or 2-3 small leaves of butter lettuce)

1 large egg

Cooking spray (or butter if you really have to have it, but isn't this sandwich sinful enough without it?)

Prepare the broiler. In a medium fry pan cook the bacon until crisp and drain completely on a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside. Place equal amounts of cheese on each slice of bread and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted & slightly bubbly. While that's broiling, spray a small pan with cooking spray and cook the egg until the yolk is slightly set but not completely cooked through (remember, this needs to "ooze" like a sauce at the end).

Remove the cheesy bread from the broiler and assemble the sandwich by layering the bacon strips, tomato slices and greens on one of the slices of bread. Slide the fried egg onto the other half, put the two together and cut the sandwich in half, allowing the egg yolk to ooze out and create a simple sauce. Grab plenty of napkins, pour yourself a beer like Adam Sandler (or wine, as Poor Girl prefers) and enjoy!

Recipe: Easy Peach Crisp with Special K Granola

I never thought it would last this long, but believe it or not, I'm still working through my box of Special K Touch of Honey Granola that was so graciously bestowed upon several of us Foodbuzz Tastemakers recently. So far it seems like a lot of you have been enjoying my first Special K recipe, the Breakfast Bananas Foster Parfaits, but who said granola was just for breakfast? Since I'm down to the last couple of cups of this yummy cereal, and the bottom of a cereal bag is usually made up of.... well, crumbs, I thought this would make the perfect topping for a baked dessert.

This dessert is so easy to make that it's almost unfair, but what makes it even more amazing is how much healthier it is than your standard fruit crisp. There is literally NO extra sugar, NO butter or shortening of any kind, and it still tastes incredibly delicious. And it's cheeeeeeap! You can make four of these fabulous little desserts for under $3. That's just $0.75 per dessert! So how in the world can something so inexpensive and healthy taste anywhere near good? Spices, baby! Nutmeg and cinnamon enhance the naturally sweet goodness of the peaches, and since the granola is already sweetened with just a bit of honey, it all comes together beautifully. Those of you lucky enough to have access to your own preserved peaches will find this even more delicious, I'm sure, but I used canned peaches with great results. Lastly, if you don't have ramekins to bake these in, no worries! You can put the whole thing in a small baking dish and you'll be fine. But I highly suggest investing in some small ramekins at some point! You can find them at any kitchen store or even discount stores nowadays, and you'll find you'll use them for more than just fun little baked things.

Okay, it's time for dessert!

Easy Peach Crisp with Special K Granola (makes 4 individual desserts; total cost per serving: $0.75)

2 cans of sliced peaches, drained

1 c Special K Touch of Honey Granola

1/8 t ground cinnamon

1/8 t ground nutmeg

2 T honey

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the peach slices in a medium bowl and add the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and about 1/3 cup of the granola, and mix together until completely combined. Place the peach mixture into the ramekins, sprinkle with extra granola, and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the filling is nice & bubbly. Serve by themselves or with a small side of vanilla ice cream or yogurt, and enjoy!

Just a quick note...

Okay, folks. You asked and I listened.

Since so many of you are graciously willing to help a po' girl out during this particularly unfun time, I looked into getting a Google Checkout donation button as you guys were suggesting. Unfortunately, they only let you accept donations if you're a bona fide non-profit agency with a corresponding tax ID number, so that won't work. So, against my personal issues with the company, I spent a lot of time on the phone with PayPal yesterday to ensure they would stop messing with me (loooooong story, but let's just say it was bad and leave it at that) and I have now set up a donation button which should appear to the left of this blog post. I'm not asking for anything, really, but if you would like to - and can truly afford to - donate something to the PGEW cause (to keep this thing running, site maintenance fees, etc.), I will be forever in your debt. If not, no worries... your reading this blog and spreading the word to others about it is just as good, if not better (PGEW world domination has to happen somehow, right? ;) )

That's all for now! And wish me luck! It looks like I may have a couple of interviews in the next week or so. Eek! And new food's coming up tonight/tomorrow! Yee haw. :)

Lv,

PG

Recipe: Creamy Navy Bean Soup with Chicken & Veggies

The other day I was firmly convinced I wanted white chicken chili. But then I realized that A) I neither had enough chicken to make this endeavor a true success and B) I really didn't want the whole green chile flavor in my bowl. Not that I dislike this combo, I just wasn't feelin' it that particular day. Still, I wanted something creamy, bean-y (if it sounds like a word, it's a word), and chicken-y, with a bit more substance than the average white chicken chili (and there are SO MANY of them out there it's almost boring). Those of you who can neither stomach nor physically handle the green chile thing will appreciate this soup.

I had fun making this because I'm currently obsessed with pureeing everything. I'm not sure if I'm reverting to babyhood or something (I'm not, I promise), but I just really like mixing up random ingredients and turning them into something completely different. It's art in its rawest form, if you ask me. Anyway, I thought it would be fun - not to mention far healthier - to create a creamy soup without using the heavy, fattening (and expensive) things like heavy whipping cream and a metric ton of butter. Hence the need to puree. Navy beans lend themselves beautifully to this type of recipe because of their naturally smooth flavor and they are very inexpensive, especially if you buy the dried beans versus the canned kind. Of course, you can definitely make this with canned beans if that's all you have time for, but lately I've been making the switch to using dried beans and have noticed it doesn't take that much extra time to prepare them (if you're organized, of course). Not that I'm not drowning in extra time these days, but even when I was still working, I just made sure to soak the beans overnight and cook them while I was getting ready the following morning. Once these are cooked, everything else is super easy! I like to make a big batch and use them for different recipes too, so that's another good way to cut back on any extra time spent in the kitchen.

For those of you who do not eat meat, simply omit the chicken and replace the chicken broth with veggie and you will also be able to partake of this comforting little soup/stew. Though there's no dairy or cheese or any of that fun, delicious creaminess, this will still be a very warm and filling soup that anyone can enjoy. Plus, it has that added punch of all that extra fiber from the bean broth, not to mention a delicious, smooth texture broken up by all those chunky veggies and tender chicken. Okay, now I want another bowl! Let's check out the recipe first.

Creamy Navy Bean Soup with Chicken & Veggies (makes 4-6 servings; total cost per serving: $1.25)

2 c dried navy beans (or any white beans if you don't have access to navy) divided

1 c cooked chicken

1 1/2 c mire poix

1 c sweet peas

6-8 small red skinned potatoes, quartered

3 c + 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth

1 large clove of garlic, minced

2 T olive oil, divided

1/2 t thyme

1/2 t tarragon

1/2 t ground black pepper

1/2 t sea salt

Small bread bowl for serving (optional)

Soak the navy beans in water overnight and cook for about 40 minutes or until the beans are tender. Drain and remove 1 cup of the beans to use later in the recipe. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and add the garlic. Cook just enough to bring out the aroma of the garlic, then add 1/2 cup of the mire poix and all the herbs & seasonings. Add the other cup of navy beans and cook until the mire poix veggies begin to soften, then add 3 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a low simmer for about 3 minutes then remove from heat. Using extreme caution, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until creamy and smooth.

In the same pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and add the potatoes. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned and tender on the inside (they should cook quickly as they're such small pieces). Add the remaining mire poix and cook for about 2 minutes or until the carrots soften slightly, then add the chicken, the remaining beans, and the peas. Finally, add the creamy bean broth and bring the whole soup to a nice simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and allow to cook for about 5 more minutes to allow all the flavors to blend together. If needed, thin out the soup with the remaining chicken broth.

Serve generous amounts of soup in prepared bread bowls or in regular soup mugs, garnish with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and enjoy!

What's in Store for February

You'll have to forgive my silence lately. I won't lie to you folks (never have, so I don't aim to start now), but I am definitely experiencing some of the darkest days of my life right now. I still don't have full-time employment (though I'm lucky enough to have scored a couple side jobs here & there), I can't pay my rent, and I've had to go looking for aid in places I never, ever expected I would have to resort to. Writing & cooking are so much a part of me that it kills me when I just don't feel emotionally well enough to do either, but I have to admit that I've never, ever, EVER been in as bad a situation as I'm in now, and it's affecting my desire to do what I do best. One thing was having a tiny income; it's totally different to have NO income whatsoever and not know if I'll have a roof over my head next month.

Still, I have no time to wallow. I have 8 days to figure out how to pay my rent and must continue to send resumes out right & left, in the hopes that SOMEONE will call me for an interview. In the meantime, I'm selling a lot of what I own to make ends meet (I'll be tweeting links to some of the better things like nice purses & shoes this weekend, so stay tuned if you're into that sort of thing!), and kicking myself in the ass to return to my one true love: this blog. With the way things have been going, I truly feel this is the only good thing in my life (besides the amazing, selfless love of my mother and the support of my fans & friends, of course. And the kitties. Pets are the best therapy!), and with all of the kind words and encouragement I get from everyone, I cannot possibly let this one good thing go. Especially when so many people seem to rely on me for advice these days!!! I say it a lot, but I'll say it again: THANK YOU, for being such an amazing group of fans. You keep me going and because of you, I keep PGEW going.

/end sappy note

Anyway, for this month's What's In Store, I'm not really going to say much in terms of what I might be working on because I honestly don't know what this month will bring (I'm rootin' for a full time JOB, though). However, I do want to call attention to a couple of things that have been added to my plate of poo lately, so that you, the greatest readers on the planet, can help the little blog that could.... continue:

~ Regarding printing recipes: I have this site set up this way for a couple of reasons. 1) I really like white writing on blue background; and 2) It makes it more difficult for people to steal my content. NOT that I'm saying you actual fans steal, because I know that is not the case, and that is exactly why I wrote the mini-book - so that you wouldn't have to run back and forth from computer to stove just to make your favorite PGEW recipe. However, I've been dealing with a lot of stolen creative content for the past year and a half: from the very title of this blog to actual recipes (I'll expand on that in my next point), and this set up makes it a little harder for content thieves to do their thing. I am working on a way to bring you all a print option for my site, but I'm still not sure how exactly to approach it, so bear with me here. I know several of you have figured out how to get around the printing issue, but if you're still wondering how to print out your favorite recipe, email me directly and I'll walk you through it. I'd rather not discuss that in the comments of individual posts for reasons you'll read next.

~ 17 of my recipes have been stolen by some fool who runs a "food blog" that claims these recipes as his own. I put "food blog" in huge quotation fingers because this is nothing but a stolen content site. He not only rips me off, but he rips off sites like 101 Cookbooks and other amazing foodies who, like me, put our hearts & souls into what we do, and that is just WRONG. It's bad enough that I have had to deal with that woman back East pretty much taking my name and making money off of it (and she is CLEARLY not poor), but to have my 100% original recipes stolen and put on someone's bogus food site is just the ultimate violation. My Facebook fans have done an awesome job at researching this jerk's site and I am already taking action against him; however, it still doesn't erase the fact that I've been the victim of a thief. It's something I just don't have time for right now and makes me completely nervous about posting anything new! But don't worry... I will. This guy WILL be brought down and I refuse to let someone like that stop me from doing what I love. I do, however, want to ask for your help in alerting me of anything else like this if you see it. I don't delude myself into being the only food blogger whose stuff you read (though it's quite flattering when some of you say I'm the FIRST site you read!), so if you do come across something shady, please let me know so I can proceed accordingly.

~ I haven't forgotten about the PGEW Shopping List post! I was about to post it when my temp assignment unfairly ended and I had to put this kind of thing aside for a bit. The good news is that I now have a much better story angle to work with (ever the writer, no?), so I think this will be a much better post now that I'm unemployed.

~ Did I tell you I tried out for MasterChef with Gordon Ramsay? I didn't make the cut (too many qualified folks), but I had a LOT of panicked fun putting my stuff together for the judges. I think it's also cured me of my fear of trying out for other shows, so you never know.... PGEW may be on TV sooner than you think! Stay tuned. :)

~ I know this was a rather sad post, but I promise February will not be negative all the way 'round! I have a couple old January recipes to start you off with and because I got help from an unexpected place, I was able to do a good shopping run at TJ's the other day, so I'm armed with all sorts of good ingredients that I must make last for the next 4 weeks (eek!). I'm up for the challenge, though! And that means all of you will benefit.

That's it for now! New recipe coming later today!

Love,
PG

POM Wonderful Giveway: And the winners are.....

Hey folks! Sorry this didn't get posted last night as promised, but you'll read more about what's going on in my next post. Anyway, here are the 4 lucky, randomly selected winners of my first real giveaway (the PGEW To Go Tea Stain Edition was a complete fluke, lol)!

~ Cindy H. (Life on Print)

~ Steffie C

~ It's Me - Jen E!

~ Chef Aimee

Congratulations, everyone!!! Please email me as soon as you can with your full names & addresses and I'll get these out to you next week. Thanks to all who entered - you all had fabulous ideas that I can't wait to try myself! And don't worry; I'm sure I'll have another giveaway coming up in the next couple of months. In the meantime, stay tuned for a new recipe!

Lv,

PG

Recipe: Poor Girl's Beef Stew (aka, The Hardest Blog I've Had to Write)

Pardon my French, but this has been an utterly shitty ass week.

Monday night/Tuesday morning, I was awakened by what I thought was a terrible migraine and a mangled ear; it turned out to be the ramifications of an inner AND middle ear infection, which I haven't had for a good 6 months. Tuesday or Wednesday I called my Daddy and found out he is definitely not doing well physically (cognitively, he's doing quite well after the stroke; it's all the physical stuff that's killing him), so much so that he told his wife he can't talk to me very much, partly because he feels unwell and partly because he feels badly about only being able to talk to me for 30 seconds at a time (if he only knew how valuable those 30 seconds are to me!). And yesterday I found out that my temp assignment had ended. Financially, it's a terrible hit; morally and personally, it's not the worst thing in the world, as I was feeling ridiculously stifled there. I won't get into all the details of it all, but let's just say that I'm a bit too liberal to work where I was working, so I suppose it's all for the best. Still, it aches. I don't like rejection in any form - especially when I was practically being offered the permanent position - and when it takes a direct hit to my finances, it sucks big fat hairy toe.

(You thought I was going to say something worse, there, didn't you? :P)

Alas, it was a temp job and I should be able to find SOMETHING in short order; I have to, right? I simply have no other choice and there is no time to wallow (Okay, so I did set aside 60 minutes to cry about it and then I started job hunting). But when life gives you lemons in the middle of a cold, rainy, stormy, disgusting January, dammit, you don't make lemonade, you make beef stew. Not with actual lemons of course, but with the acidity of the harshness that life throws at you, the kind that requires real, hearty, deliciously warm comfort food.

I had some random leftover cut of beef in my freezer and thawed it this week in the hopes of using it in something (Lord knows what; I just wanted beef). I'm not sure what else it would have worked with, as it was a rather awkward cut of beef. I decided this might be good to use in stew because I wouldn't have to worry about adding too much extra fat in the form of oil and I could hack it up into random pieces, but I wasn't sure if I had everything needed to make a proper beef stew. After perusing my kitchen contents, it appeared I had everything but the Burgundy wine, which was just dandy as I probably would have drunk the wine anyway, lol. Not only had I lost my job, but my old computer took a dive and my DVD player just died with a new Netflix movie inside of it, so I needed something warm & comfy to make me feel better. Not to mention a longer cooking process to keep my mind busy.

So here it is. It's not the most gourmet of beef stew recipes, but darnit, it's still super tasty and proves that you can make things like stew even if you're minus a crockpot! It has plenty of meat and plenty of veggies, so you can feel semi-good about indulging in this winter staple. I like mine to be a little on the tomato-ey side, so be aware that tomatoes WILL be used in this recipe, as opposed to most beef stews. And if you make it just right, it doesn't cost you all that much. A wonderful thing if you are in between temp assignments!!!

Poor Girl's Beef Stew (makes 4 servings; total cost per serving: $2.50)

1 1/2 lbs stew meat or thick cut of steak like chuck roast

2 medium russett potatoes

2 medium carrots

1 medium white onion

2/3 c canned diced tomatoes in juice

2 14.5 oz. cans beef broth

1/2 c water

1/2 c green peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t thyme

1/2 t rosemary

1 bay leaf

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1/4 t + 1/2 t salt

1 t ground black pepper, divided

1/4 c flour

2 T olive oil

Rinse, peel, and chop all the veggies into 1" pieces. Combine the flour, 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t black pepper together and mix well. Add the stew meat to the flour mixture and toss until everything is properly coated. In a large pot heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the meat. Be sure not to crowd the beef pieces so that they brown properly (if you have to work in a couple of batches, do so). Brown on all sides and remove from the pot.

Use about 1/2 cup of the beef broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot before adding the potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic and all the herbs & seasonings. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then add the browned beef, balsamic vinegar, the remainder of the broth and the water. Bring to a rapid simmer then reduce the heat, cover, and cook for about 35-40 minutes (this is a small pot of stew, so it will be done quickly!). If needed, thin the stew with a bit more water or broth before adding the peas. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve hearty amounts in large bowls with plenty of warm, toasty bread, and enjoy!

Tastemaker Program Recipe: Bananas Foster Breakfast Parfait with Special K Granola

The week before last I got home to find yet another wonderful Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program package with some goodies from the fine folks at Special K. I've always been a huge fan of Special K Cereal, especially when they introduced the Special K with Berries (heaven in a bowl of milk!), and I've been eager to try some of the new stuff they've come out with, like their protein shakes & granola. Though I didn't get a protein shake in my care package, I did get a nice box of their new Touch of Honey Granola and a box of their 100 calorie fruit crisps, which I have to admit I inhaled in short order (they're a wonderful between-meal or post-workout snacks). Not wanting to subject my granola to a perpetual sentence of being submerged in milk, I started throwing it on top of some fruit or in some yogurt. Then it occurred to me that I could throw the fruit and yogurt on top of IT instead, and got to work.

Now, let me warn you: though Special K is supposed to be about good things like health and weight loss, this is one recipe that will not fall into that category; nor would it fall under Kimberly's Non Diet label. It's simply far too rich, even if I did make some modifications to the Bananas Foster that would make this a bit less evil. Traditional Bananas Foster is filled with pounds of melted butter, tons of brown sugar, and gallons of rum (okay, maybe not that much, but I like to round up), and I've done my best to get rid of at least half of this evil while retaining the integrity of this incredibly rich, delicious dessert so that it could become breakfast fare. This is one of those breakfast or brunch recipes that should only be enjoyed after a festive weekend or when you have some fantastic company over (or in my case, when you just want to indulge in something completely sweet & sinful). But what it does do is help you make something completely fabulous for breakfast that costs well under $1.50/serving, something you could NEVER get at a hotel or restaurant during their Sunday brunches (a box of Special K Granola will cost about an average of $3/box). And it takes practically zero time to prepare. Gotta love that!

Bananas Foster Breakfast Parfait with Special K Granola (makes 2-3 servings; total cost per serving: $1.30)

2 medium bananas

2 T butter

3 T brown sugar (eek!)

1 t ground cinnamon

1/3 c apple juice

1 c plain nonfat yogurt

1 c Special K Touch of Honey Granola

Peel the bananas and cut them into 1/2" pieces. Over medium low heat, melt the butter and brown sugar in a small skillet. Add the apple juice and cinnamon and allow to the sauce to cook for about 2 minutes on its own. Next add the chopped bananas. Cook for about 3-4 minutes (depending on ripeness of the bananas) or until the bananas start to turn slightly soft & tender. Remove from heat.

Assemble your parfaits by adding a layer of granola followed by a bit of the bananas in their syrup, followed by a couple tablespoons of yogurt into 4-6 oz. glasses (remember, this is rich!). Repeat until you reach the top of the glass, top with a bit more of the Special K granola, and indulge! Er, ENJOY! :)

Recipe: POM Berry Smoothie Pops + Giveaway!

It's been awhile since I've posted any frozen confections on ye olde blog. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in the past but I'm one of those crazy folks that loves all sorts of frozen treats during illogical times like a cold, rainy winter. I'd been toying around with some ideas when I was serendipitously contacted by the fine folks at POM Wonderful, wondering if I'd be interested in sampling their products. Pomegranates being one of my favorite fruits and POM Wonderful doing the best job at bringing real PJ to the masses, I jumped at the opportunity to have some. Pomegranate juice is an amazing multitasker that one can not only drink for one's health but use in countless recipes as well. (And after the recipe I'll tell you how you can win some POM Wonderful of your own!)

Because I've been buckling down since December and making sure I do two things that do wonders in terms of any weight loss endeavors - exercising daily and eating breakfast - I thought I'd start off my PJ consumption with a very simple smoothie recipe to help rejuvenate me after a Pilates or Yoga session. Growing up going to Colombia almost every summer, I got used to having fresh fruit juices and shakes, so a good fruit smoothie is very near & dear to my heart. The problem with most smoothies is that after all is said and done, you could easily consume anywhere from 250-500 calories in one fell swoop, depending on size. I should know; I gained a lot of weight on my daily 24 oz. Jamba Juices when I was in college, not taking into account that my "healthy" drink was super full of extra calories! So nowadays when I have a fruit smoothie, I make sure it's of a smallish nature (12-16 oz) and only a couple of times a week. My other problem with smoothies is that, unless you have a loaded gift card from your favorite smoothie shop, it's not the most economical meal or snack you could have. That bugs me (well, not me; my wallet). Like the daily latte that can take a lot of one's disposable income, so can the daily smoothie at $3-5 a pop.

So how'd you fix this for yourself, Poor Girl? Easy! I make one giant smoothie and use it to make smoothie pops. I can usually get at least 6 popsicles out of a 24 oz. smoothie (depending on how much I have for "quality control"), dropping the calories of my snack from 400-ish to 65-ish and my cost per snack from $4.75 to about $0.80 or so. And of course, they last longer, stretching out the value of all those fun, not-so-cheap ingredients like fruits, juices, and the occasional protein booster. These make great after-workout snacks, breakfasts-on-the-go, or a lighter, healthier dessert than an ice cream sandwich. And because it's filled with berries and pomegranate juice, these popsicles are packed with Vitamins A & C and other antioxidants, so you can feel good about indulging in this little treat. Let's look at the recipe before moving on to the contest!

POM Berry Smoothie Pops (makes 1 24-30 oz. smoothie or 6 popsicles; total cost of recipe: ~ $4.25)

8 oz. POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

1/2 c frozen mixed berries

1/2 c plain nonfat yogurt

2 T honey (optional)

2 T soy protein powder (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender (or if you don't have one, use a sturdy plastic glass & an immersion blender) and puree until completely smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 2 hours. When they're ready, run cold water on the mold to loosen your popsicle and enjoy!

*********************************************************************

Of course, this was just one uber easy way to make use of such an amazingly versatile juice, so please don't feel bound to adding this to smoothies for the rest of eternity. Pomegranate juice can be used in a variety of different ways, from desserts to soups to salad dressings to random dipping sauces, the latter of which will be making an appearance on PGEW very soon so stay tuned for that.

Anyway, because I got so many little bottles of this deliciously tart, ridiculously healthy juice, I decided to share some with you fine folks! Sure, I could find a zillion ways to use all this juice but I'd rather see what you all can do with it, too. So, for my first contest of 2010, I'm giving away 4 bottles of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice to 4 lucky winners!

To enter, simply leave a comment here on the blog about how you have used/would use pomegranate juice in a recipe (don't worry if you've never cooked with it; that's a perfectly valid comment!). You can earn bonus entries by tweeting about the contest: "RT Win a bottle of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice from @PoorGrlEatsWell!" and emailing me at poorgirleatswell [at] gmail [dot] com that you have done so. Facebook fans can also earn bonus entries by posting a different pomegranate use comment on the Facebook fanpage. That's all there is to it! I'll be announcing the lucky winners on Saturday, January 23rd.

(NOTE: to be considered as a valid entrant, please refrain from going "Anonymous" here on the blog as I'll have no idea who you are! Thank you!)

Good luck, everyone! :)

Recipe: Polenta with Shrimp, Spinach, and Tomatoes

The other day I was FINALLY able to go to Trader Joe's after years of not stepping inside of one. *cue applause* Okay, maybe it was more like months, but it certainly felt like years and I like to round up. :) Because I had only allotted myself a very strict amount of money to spend I couldn't go too crazy, which was a great way to keep my euphoria in check. I stocked up on a few staples that I find to be far more affordably priced than if I were to buy them at other stores (extra virgin olive oil, $3.99/17 oz.; sea salt, $1.99/1lb 10.5 oz.), and on things like large amounts of organic, reasonably priced baby spinach, and my shrimp, something I haven't had in simply ages ($5.99 for the 70-90 count). I made an impulse buy of their delicious organic polenta ($1.89/18 oz., not bad considering they've done all the work for you) and knew I had some almost immediately, such was the craving to have something different.

Polenta is one of those amazing things that you can turn into almost anything you want it to be: creamy or crispy; breakfast or dinner; healthy or sinfully rich. You can top it with just about anything, making the meal possibilities almost endless. And because polenta basically amounts to really good cornmeal, milk, some spices, and a lot of elbow grease, it's something truly affordable that should be a staple in everyone's kitchen. I really should quit being so lazy and just make my own because it's way less expensive, but this TJs organic version is not a bad deal at all for something so convenient. It's pre-cooked so all you have to do is cut it into thick rounds and do with it what you wish (of course, this won't really work as well for creamy polenta, in which case you should make it from scratch). With some diced tomatoes, spinach, a few shrimp and plenty of spices, this becomes a wonderful entrée that costs way less than you'd pay for something similar at a restaurant. The shrimp mixture is very close in flavor to the Shrimp in Smoked Paprika-Tomato Sauce that I posted last November, only with a spicier, sweeter touch and some healthy spinach for added color & vitamins. Pairing this with a nice wine makes for a lovely weekend dinner when you want to indulge without emptying your wallet entirely. And now for the recipe!

Polenta with Shrimp, Spinach, and Tomatoes (serves 3-4; total cost per serving: $~3.75)

12-14 oz. cooked polenta

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

20-30 medium cooked shrimp

1/2 c baby spinach

1/4 c chopped yellow onion

3 T olive oil, divided

1/4 t salt

1/4 t paprika

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/8 t freshly ground black pepper

1 T brown sugar

3 T dry red wine

Slice the polenta into 1/2" thick rounds, triangles, or squares. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet and add the polenta pieces. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Combine the diced tomatoes, salt, garlic, wine, brown sugar and both kinds of pepper in a medium bowl, and mix together thoroughly. In a large skillet heat the remaining half of the olive oil and add the tomato mixture. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook for about 2 more minutes and add the baby spinach. Cover and remove from heat to allow the spinach to wilt without turning bitter.

To serve, place 3-4 slices of polenta on a plate, spoon a generous amount of the shrimp, spinach, and tomatoes on top and enjoy!