3 Meals in one: Reinvent four favorite recipes as 12 lowfat, healthy dishes to jump-start you weight loss - Easy Weight Loss

Shape, Feb, 2002 by Monica Gullon

You hate to shop? We hear you! To help make grocery shopping more productive and less of a hassle, we've developed a plan to show you how to shop smart and lowfat. You'll lose weight and slash calories without wasting time in the supermarket or your kitchen. To help you master this time-saving strategy, we enlisted Kathleen Daelemans, author of Cooking Thin With Chef Kathleen (Regan Books, 2001) and host of the weekly television show Cooking Thin on the Food Network. A former spa chef, Daelemans lost 75 pounds after ditching her bad shopping habits (like eating HoHos while pushing a cart). She says she'll do anything to avoid an extra trip to the supermarket, including figuring out how to use the leftovers from one meal to create several more.

Based on one supermarket trip, Daelemans created four core recipes (plus a separate shopping list for each recipe), then turned the leftovers into two more dishes each -- or "morphs." You get 12 recipes for the price of four plus an instant solution to what to do with leftovers. In fact, morphing is such a cart-smart way to save time, money and calories that we recommend you try it on your own favorite lowfat recipes. For tips on streamlining your shopping and cooking, see "7 Steps to Become Cart Smart and Pounds Lighter" on page 92 and our "Supermarket Cheat Sheet" on page 94.

SHOPPING LIST 1

* 1 1/2 pounds extra-large frozen uncooked shrimp

* 2 limes (or juice)

* 1 lemon (or juice)

* 1 orange (or juice)

* vodka (optional)

* 1 medium red onion

* 1 Jalapeno pepper

* 1 small bag Israeli couscous (pearl pasta in kosher section)

* 1 bag frozen shelled edamame (soybeans)

* rice wine vinegar

* salt

* 1 (3-inch-long) piece of fresh ginger

* sesame oil

* peanut oil

* lowfat mayonnaise

* 1 small sweet red pepper

* 1 bunch celery

* 1 baguette

Chef/weight-loss guru Kathleen Daelemans and author Monica Gullon created these modular recipes to maximize your efforts in the kitchen. Each main dish morphs into two more. Read all three recipes through before you start.

1. Spicy Citrus Party Shrimp

This refreshing appetizer is perfect for an office party.

Serves 4 (with leftovers)

Prep time: 7 min.

Cook time: 3 mm.

60 frozen extra-large (about 1 1/2 pounds) uncooked shrimp, peeled, cleaned, with tails left on

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons vodka (optional)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

Zest of 1 lemon (yellow part only) in strips

1 teaspoon finely diced jalapeno pepper

In a colander, rinse shrimp under cold water for 5-7 minutes to defrost. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add defrosted shrimp; cook for 2-3 minutes, until shrimp turn pink Return to colander and immediately rinse with cold water. Transfer to a medium glass bowl; toss with remaining ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 3 hours before serving (will keep in fridge for 3 days).

Nutrition Score per serving (5 shrimp): 68 calories, 13% fat (1 g; 0 g saturated), 74% protein (12.5 g), 13% carbs (2.25 g), 0.2 g fiber, 32 mg calcium.

MORPH A: Pearl Pasta Salad With Shrimp, Edamame and Ginger-Sesame Dressing

Serves 4

Prep time: 2 min.

Cook time: 8 min.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water is boiling, add 1 cup of Israeli couscous (a pearl pasta found in the kosher section of your supermarket). Cook couscous for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of frozen shelled edamame (soybeans) and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until chilled.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar, salt to taste, 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 2 teaspoons of peanut oil. Add pasta and 20 Spicy Citrus Party Shrimp (tails removed) to the bowl, toss and serve.

Nutrition Score per serving (1/4 of recipe): 378 calories, 19% fat (8 g; 1 g saturated), 54% carbs (51 g), 27% protein (25.25 g), 5 g fiber, 112 mg calcium.

MORPH B: Shrimp Baguette

Serves 2

Prep time: 4 min.

Remove the tails from 20 of the Spicy Citrus Party Shrimp and chop the shrimp roughly.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of lowfat mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of the marinating liquid from the Spicy Citrus Party Shrimp. Stir in the chopped shrimp, 1/3 cup of diced raw sweet red pepper and 1/3 cup of diced celery.

Toast a baguette and hollow it out. Spoon the shrimp mixture into the baguette, and serve immediately.

Nutrition Score per serving (2/3 cup shrimp and 1 baguette): 365 calories, 12% fat (5 g; 1 g saturated), 55% carbs (49,75 g), 33% protein (30 g), 3 g fiber, 128 mg calcium.

SHOPPING LIST 2

* virgin olive oil

* 2 yellow onions

* kosher salt

* ground cumin

* curry powder

* 2 medium portobello mushrooms (3 ounces)

* 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

* 1(6-ounce) can tomato paste

* 1 pound coarse bulgur

* 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas

* 1 bag frozen peas and carrots

* 1 package golden raisins