Light Dinners

Since my aunt Jeanie and I are both trying to lose weight, I made a couple of light dinners this week. Last night, we had garlic shrimp with jasmine rice and spinach salad. I like the Cuban version better, but this was pretty good and terribly easy. It was also easy to do so that my grandmom didn't have to have garlic in hers. Tonight, it was a not-completely-traditional version of sopa de albóndigas, Mexican meatball soup. It's rainy in Ohio tonight, so it was a good soup night.

Garlic Shrimp

2 lb. large frozen, cooked, ready-to-eat shrimp

2-3 cloves garlic

3 tbsp. butter

Pinch cayenne

1/2 c. minced flat-leaf parsley

Thaw and rinse shrimp. Pat dry. Put in microwave-safe bowl. Top with garlic. Dot with butter. Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir well. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne and add parsley. Makes about 50. I added a little fresh lemon juice, too.

Mexican Meatball Soup

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 eggs

2 oz. diced pimiento

1/3 c. chopped parsley

2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt & pepper

4 (14 oz.) cans reduced-sodium beef broth

1 tsp. hot sauce

2 diced carrots

2 diced zucchini

2 diced tomatoes

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

3 c. shredded cabbage

Mix beef, eggs, pimiento, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper together. Shape into 1" balls. Bring broth and hot sauce to a boil in a large pot. Add meatballs. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and skim off any foam that has formed. Add all the vegetables but cabbage. Simmer, covered, on medium-low heat for 25 minutes. Add cabbage and cook 5 minutes.