Fitness Food and You

This salad is not only full of nutrients but GLORIOUS to look at. Spectacular colors, flavors and textures. A perfect dish for the season!

ingredients for shrimp avocado salad

½ lb (3 to 4 medium) Roma tomatoes, chopped
½ English cucumber or 3 smaller garden cucumbers, sliced
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup corn kernels (from2 fresh cobs or canned drained corn)
1 medium romaine lettuce (5 to 6 cups chopped)

ingredients for the Cajun Shrimp

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp cajun spice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Pinch of salt

ingredients for the zesty cilantro lemon dressing

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil                                                                                                  ] Juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 Tbsp)                                                                                      ½ bunch cilantro, (½ cup chopped)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

directions

Place shrimp medium bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp cajun spice, 2 pressed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and stir to combine.

Heat large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Swirl in butter. Once butter stops sizzling, add shrimp in a single layer and sauté about 2 min without disturbing. Flip shrimp over and sauté another minute or just until cooked through. Don’t overcook shrimp or they can become rubbery. Remove to a plate and set aside to cool.

Chop, rinse and spin dry romaine lettuce. Line the bottom of a large salad platter/bowl with 5 to 6 cups of chopped romaine lettuce. Add remaining salad ingredients and shrimp in rows on top of romaine.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over the salad then toss to combine and serve.

(Adapted from a recipe found on natashaskitchen.com)

This recipe, from one of my favorite cookbooks, was a pasta recipe including both spaghetti and peas. In an effort to lower the carbs, I ditched the spaghetti and made it as a side dish.  Peas are not only delicious but they are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. I also used frozen sweet peas so I was able to whip it up in no time!

ingredients

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon virgin olive oil

pinch of kosher salt

small bunch of scallions

12-ounce pack of frozen sweet peas, thawed

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 ounces prosciutto slices, torn

directions

Roughly chop the white part of the scallions. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the olive oil and scallions and cook gently, until softened. Add the thawed peas and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently until the water evaporates.

Add the garlic and parsley. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the torn prosciutto and stir for a minute or so to cook.

Serve warm with your choice of lean protein.

 (Adapted from a recipe found in the cookbook “River Café Cook Book Easy”.)

This New York Times recipe actually comes from a restaurant in the West Village called Via Carota. Samin Nosrat, who wrote the book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” says that this insalata verde is the best green salad in the world! Just looking at this gorgeous pile of greens makes me smile! INCREDIBLE!!!

ingredients

2 heads butter lettuce, such as Boston or bibb

romaine heart

1 large Belgian endive

1 bunch watercress

½ small head frisée

ingredients for the dressing

1 large shallot, minced

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon aged sherry vinegar, plus additional, as needed

1 tablespoon warm water

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoons whole-grain mustard

1 ½ teaspoons honey (optional)

2 sprigs thyme, washed and stripped

1 large clove garlic, finely grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

directions

Wash the greens: Fill a sink or large basin with tepid water. Remove any wilted or damaged leaves from the butter lettuce, romaine and endive. Trim each head at the root to release whole leaves. Leave butter-lettuce leaves whole, but halve large leaves of romaine and endive on the bias, then drop into water. Trim and discard any roots and long stems off watercress, and drop remaining leaves and tender stems into water. Trim and discard dark green outer leaves and tops from frisée until only light green and white parts remain. Trim at the root to release leaves, and drop into water. Swirl greens in water, then drain. Wash twice more in cool, then cold, water, then transfer to a salad spinner to dry. Gently wrap in clean dish towels, and set aside.

Place the shallot in a fine-mesh strainer, and quickly rinse with cold water. Allow to drain, then place in a medium bowl, and add vinegar and warm water. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then whisk in oil, mustards, honey (if using), thyme, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Taste, and adjust salt and vinegar as needed.

To serve, gently pile a generous handful of greens into a serving bowl, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of dressing. Continue with another handful of salad and more seasoning and dressing, repeating until you have a glorious, gravity-defying mound of salad. Top with a final drizzle of dressing, and serve immediately.

Wrap remaining greens in an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 3 days.

(recipe found on cooking.nytimes.com)