Everything You Never Knew About Shrimp

Posted by KC Kudra on September 27, 2010

Shrimp are a wonderful thing. They can be found in many different sizes and all of them are delicious. Yet there are so many things most people do not know about shrimp, even though they are the most popular seafood in the world. Their secrets abound. Here is the first little known fact: raw shrimp are often called “green” shrimp.

Your average shrimp has ten legs. Since most of us eat them after they have been shelled, we do not often see the legs. The head of the shrimp takes up about half their body size. Even though we call it the head, it also includes the thorax as well. They are related to other crustaceans like lobsters and crabs. They are also related to insects, which is why some cooks refer to them by the endearing name, “Bug.”

In the United States, we eat a billion pounds of shrimp per year. In fact, in Las Vegas, Nevada, 60,000 pounds of shrimp are consumed every day… that is more than everywhere else in the U. S. combined! Wow, that is a lot of shrimp! Almost 90% of that is imported from Central America and Asia, and 40% of that is farmed shrimp. Almost 80% of the shrimp we eat here is consumed in restaurants. We like to eat them, but apparently, we do not like to cook them ourselves. Once you have tried cooking them a few times, you will see how easy it really is.

In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea.” He then proceeds to describe 21 different ways to prepare shrimp, including three different frying methods. The versatile shrimp can be added to stews and soups. It can be used as appetizers, snacks, and main dishes. You can add shrimp to just about anything. Broil them, saute them, fry them… they all taste fabulous.

If the terms “prawn” and “shrimp” are confusing to you, you are not alone. Even shrimp experts can mix them up. For example, the California spot prawn is really a shrimp while the ridgeback shrimp is truly a prawn. In most fish markets, any large shrimp may be called a prawn, but in actuality, there is a physical difference between the two. Shrimp have side flaps that overlap on their first three abdominal segments, while prawns first two segments are the same size.

Shrimp make great easy party appetizers that everyone will love at any party because people love shrimp appetizers more than any other appetizer. You can purchase them in a variety of sizes like small, medium, large, jumbo, and colossal. They are sold by count. For example, jumbo shrimp would be labeled 21/25 on the package. This means there are 21 to 25 shrimp per pound. You can serve them lightly cooked in all of their glory or you can add them to recipes.

You will notice that different types of shrimp exhibit different textures and flavors. These factors are influenced by what they eat as well as the water they live in. Wild shrimp have a more complex flavor due to their varied diet. They also have firmer meat since they need to search for their food. Farmed shrimp have a softer texture since they know where to get their food.

Making trouble-free Superbowl party recipes means that you can prepare all your snacks well in advance and relax with your guests when the game starts. There are lots of Superbowl recipes to choose from and meat snacks, like chicken wings, ribs and hot dogs, are always incredibly popular. You will find hundreds of quick trouble-free appetizers at our site to give you some more ideas.

Can Healthy Dessert Recipes Be Satisfying

Posted by KC Kudra on September 6, 2010

Do you hear the word “dessert” and shudder, envisioning the kind of chocolate covered, calorie laden gooey desserts, which would add inches to your waistline in the most unforgiving way? Do you think that it is unfair how the nicest, sweetest things are the ones, which are worst for your health?

Actually, it is possible to make scrumptious dessert recipes, which are healthy and very low in calories and fat. If you know about dessert history, you will know that desserts have been enjoyed all over the world for thousands of years.

Desserts Through History

Each culture has its own idea about what constitutes a satisfying dessert. Sesame, red beans, and lotus are often used in Chinese desserts. Honey is a common addition to Greek dessert recipes. A cheeseboard is a common savory dessert. The Aztecs were the first to enjoy chocolate recipes and ice cream can be traced all the way back to 4 BC.

Obviously thousands of years ago, there was no such thing as artificial sweeteners or sugar free jello recipes and whereas the history of strawberry shortcake dessert might be very interesting, knowing how to make low fat, low calorie versions of such dishes is sure to be just as appealing.

Sugar Free Jello for Healthy Dessert Recipe Ideas

A healthy dessert does not have to be a boring dessert. You might think an apple or banana makes a healthy dessert but it is not very satisfying, which is why you will be eyeing the cookie jar ten minutes after eating it. If you have no sugar free jello or artificial sweetener, go and buy some and you can start getting creative.

A bowl of fifteen strawberries covered with sugar free strawberry jello has the same amount of calories as an apple but makes a bigger, more satisfying, and more interesting dessert. Sugar free jello is really versatile and you can do plenty with it.

A healthy dessert is not necessarily one that is low in sugar because the most important part of a healthy diet is variety and if you have eaten a healthy dinner, a bowl of something sweet is not going to do you any harm.

There are lots of different jello desserts you can make and you can add nuts and fruit for texture and taste. You might consider a jello cake to be unhealthy but what about replacing the sugar in the cake for Splenda and the jello for sugar free jello? You have halved the calories in the finished jello cake without affecting the flavor!

If you want to eat more healthily but you hate feeling deprived of sweet treats, you might like to dust off your aluminum jello molds and make some sugar free jello today. You can eat tasty desserts and still keep in shape. Sugar free jello is definitely one of the best ways to enjoy frequent sweet desserts without going up a dress size.

Recipes such as jello fruit salad will never go out of vogue because they are simple to make and they taste great after a heavy meal or a light one. There are limitless jello fruit salad recipes to make because of the many fruits and varieties of jello available for you to use.