DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION 2008!

DNC Low Carb Party Food

Okay, y'all know I'm a Political Junkie.

So, seeing Barrack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention is for me, what the Superbowl or The Olympics for some of my guy friends.

So it should be no surprise that I decided to hold a small informal gathering at my house.

This calls for serious snacks.

Part of the problem--

I have 12 roommates-- 3 of us (one is a thirteen-year old-girl) are actively low carbing it, we have 5 omnivores, though one does not eat beef or green Bell peppers, 1 low protein- low-fat -mostly-vegetarian with a heavy emphasis on whole grains and Pasta, 1 person with Chrohn's disease (no Gas producing foods), one Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian, (actively dislikes most veggies, except for Broccoli and Eggplant) and 1 Two-year old girl.

We may even have a couple of Vegans showing up.

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

You want to talk about a cooking challenge? How do I feed people with such disparate tastes and food restrictions?

Here's how.

I will be making the following;

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Pizza hut-ish Pizza (cut in snack size pieces (two versions , veggie and meat-lovers)
Portabella Pizzas (vegetarian)
Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Stuffed, Marinated Chicken Skins

Here are the recipes:

BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP

Ingredients:

1 pound frozen Trader Joe's Colossal Shrimp, thawed, cleaned, about 24
12 slices of nitrate free bacon, cooked but not crisp
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Dijon Mustard
½ teaspoon Splenda
Butter, melted

Mix the Dijon Mustard and ½ teaspoon Splenda in a small bowl.

Slather the mixture on the shrimp. Let it sit for a while, at least an hour in the fridge.

Cut each bacon slice in two (horizontally). Wrap each shrimp in the bacon and secure with toothpicks. Place on broiler pan, lined with heavy duty non-stick foil. Broil on HI on middle rack of oven. Baste at least twice with the melted butter.

When shrimp is browning a little and the bacon is crisp, it's done.

RAVEN'S STUFFED , MARINATED CHICKEN SKIN BUNDLES

Ingredients:

Raw Skin leftover from Chicken thighs.

Marinating Mixture: (see below)
1 cup Cream Cheese
1 half a Bag pre-washed baby spinach

In a Baggie, marinate Chicken skins in a mixture of Chinese Five Spice powder, granulated garlic , onion powder, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and ½ teaspoon Splenda.

Leave overnight and turn a few times.

The next morning:

Take a skin and spread it out on a cutting board skin side down. Take a dollop of stuffing mixture (in this case, spinach and cream cheese and place in the center. Now here' s where the idea gets tricky.

Roll up like an egg roll, using some of the stringy parts of the skin to wrap around the roll, creating a self-contained bundle. Place on Broiler pan. Repeat until you've used up all the skins and cream cheese mixture. Season with desired spices-- I used Trader Joe's Poultry grill mix.

Broil on Hi for about 15 minutes on your middle rack.

More Stuffing ideas:

Canned Crab/ cream cheese
Shredded Napa Cabbage, egg and minced green onion with just a little grated carrot (for color)
Cream Cheese and minced shrimp/or baby shrimp from the can
Cream cheese, Bacon (bits) and Baby Spinach
Goat cheese or Feta, Black olives, minced cucumber, and ground lamb or sausage.

**

MEXICAN PIZZA

(Raven's Take on Nancy Elle's Classic)
This Pizza is awesome! Good cold, too!


Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

For the Crust:

In a large bowl combine:

4 cups shredded mozzarella
2 Cup Cheese, cheddar , 1 cup, shredded
5 LARGE eggs
1 tablespoon Kraft's Parmesan Cheese (in the box)
½ tsp Granulated garlic
½ tsp Oregano
½ tsp onion powder
½ Basil

Use baker's parchment to line a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan, then pat mixture into a thin even layer. Spread mixture to the edges-- pat down with fingers, to ensure an even thickness. Trim excess parchment paper from pan with scissors.

Bake at 450 for 20 to 30 minutes on your middle rack.

When crust is browned and crisp at the edges, remove from oven and let cool.

For the Toppings:

Crumble 1 lb Chorizo in pan, cook at low-med heat until done, drain, and crumble some more into smaller pieces.

Caramelize Onions on low heat in olive oil. Remove when browned. Add chopped broccoli, chopped mushrooms, and zucchini to pan. Cover with lid, until broccoli is a bright green and zucchini is tender-crisp. Remove from heat.

Spread pizza crust with the salsa, and place toppings on pizza. Smother with Mozzarella cheese.

Place under broiler on Lo, until cheese is just beginning to brown.

The recipe above is only one variation on a theme-- one can make a white Pizza, using Low Carb Alfredo sauce, or Pizza Carbonara using a good Marinara-- I've also made a heck of a Pesto, Spinach, Mushroom and Roasted Chicken Pizza using the same crust. Varying your spice can make a big difference.

OVEN ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Brussels sprouts
olive oil
salt and pepper
Nutritional Yeast
Granulated garlic, to taste

Mix spices and Nutritional Yeast in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Slice the sprouts in half lengthwise, removing any loose, outer leaves and trimming the bottom stems.

Toss sprouts in a little bit of olive oil and add seasoning mix, to taste. Spread cut side up in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for lunch the next day.