I absolutely love Calamari but it's not often that I make it, mainly because it's one of those things that if you don't buy already cleaned and ready to cook, it is time consuming.

But once in a while, I don't mind.

I came up with this recipe earlier because what I originally had in mind was to fry the calamari rings, but I didn't feel like fried food and wanted something more of a stew, so this is what I came up with. So good!



1 lb calamari clean and cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, sliced
olive oil
1 packet mushroom/onion beef soup
1 bottle of beer
salt and pepper
paprika
garlic powder
1 small can of tomato sauce

In a large skillet add a little bit of olive oil, the calamari and the onion.


Cook for a few minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and cover. Simmer on medium to low heat for about 45 minutes or until calamari is tender.


Keep an eye on it and stir it once in a while, making sure there's enough liquid in there, if need be, add a little bit of water at a time.

When the calamari is ready, check to see if it's too watery, if it is, you can just dissolve some cornstarch in a little bit of water, add it to the skillet and stir constantly until the gravy is thickened.


I served mine with Garlic mashed potatoes and I also sprinkled some parsley on top.

This is one of those reduced calorie recipes, and obviously seeing that I'm always trying to watch my weight, I figured this was a good one to add to my list.


1 lb. lump crabmeat (canned is OK)
1/3 cup low-sodium saltines (about 7)
1/2 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. minced shallot
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 large egg white
1 rib celery, diced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. salt pepper, to taste
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Pick over crabmeat and take out any pieces of shell. Break saltines into roughly 1-4-inch pieces and fold with crabmeat in a large bowl. Add Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, shallot, mustard, egg white, celery, lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Fold together gently until well blended. Be careful not to break up crabmeat too much.

Form into 8 cakes and chill. (This part can be done up to 12 hours in advance. Cover crab cakes and chill.)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until it's almost smoking. Lower heat to medium-high and fry crab cakes for about 3 minutes, until brown. Transfer cakes to a baking sheet lined with foil and cook in the oven for another 9 to 10 minutes, until warmed through.