Summer Salad #1

In my attempts to eat a little healthier and with summer finally hitting Northern California, I've been making a lot of salads. This one was a definite winner - easy, delicious and quite beautiful (plus, there's alliteration!).

Southwest Shrimp Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
This salad barely needs a recipe, but here goes...

For the shrimp: Fresh or frozen would both work fine. Peel thawed shrimp and pat dry with towel. Season (I used Adobo, but simple S&P would work) and saute them with some chopped garlic for 2-3 minutes on each side. Set shrimp aside while you prepare salad ingredients.

For the salad: Basically you put together a green salad (I used romaine and butter lettuce from the garden) and top it with whatever veggies and "southwest" ingredients you have on hand. I used red peppers, avocado, red onions, carrots, cucumbers, black beans (canned), corn (frozen this time), cilantro, etc. Things I might add next time: jicama, cherry tomatoes, roasted corn, scallions...

For the dressing: In a small blender or food processor (this is where my Magic Bullet comes in handy!), combine juice of one lime, handful cilantro leaves, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cumin. Add 2-4 Tbs. vegetable oil to taste.

Magazine Clippings: Curried Rice with Shrimp

This is one of the many many recipes I had torn out of magazines over the past 6 months, but this one I actually made...and loved! It's easy and quick, but beautiful and is a perfect one-pot meal. It has a mild warm curry flavor - not overwhelming - and a beautiful color.

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except I added about a half a cup of frozen peas (I love peas and rice!) at the end of the rice simmering, before I added the shrimp. Also, I never have basil on hand this time of year, so I have used both parsley and cilantro in its place (both were great). I'm looking forward to experimenting with some different vegetables.

I originally found the recipe in the magazine Real Simple and you can find the recipe on their website.

Happy Summer!

So, I know I've been a bad blogger lately, but that's because summer is here and I've been busy! One of my favorite summertime past times is grilling. Now, I have to get a little creative because I don't do meat, but I've re-discovered an old family favorite that makes everything on the grill taste better (especially grilled shrimp): OLD BAY!

Grilled Shrimp with Old Bay
Peel fresh or thawed uncooked shrimp and marinate in a vinaigrette or blend of oil and a little vinegar. Add a liberal amount of Old Bay seasoning and fresh chopped parsley. Let marinate (in the refrigerator) to allow flavors to blend for as much time as you have. Skewer and grill on a hot grill for 3-5 minutes on each side. Depending on the size of the shrimp, it may take a little less or little more time. This is key: DO NOT OVERCOOK SHRIMP. They will become rubbery and icky.

This is delicious served with grilled veggies or even better, grilled pineapple!

Summer Rolls in Winter Time

As a part of this "trying to eat healthier" thing that I've been trying out for a few weeks, I decided to finally try to make my most favorite healthy asian dish...the Summer Roll. It has always seemed a little daunting (which is why I bought the rice paper wraps 2 years ago and still hadn't touched them), but it actually wasn't as hard as you'd think. I admit the first roll looked and looked quite hideous, but after a few tries, they were looking pretty darn good if I dont say so myself. There are lots of versions of these little gems - Vietnamese, Thai, etc., but here's the s.d.m. version:

The quantities in this recipe are approximate. Do a little experimentation, but this should make 6-8 rolls (enough for 3-4 people as a main course or 6-8 as an appetizer)

6-8 rice paper wrappers
2 oz dried rice vermicelli
8 small lettuce leaves
1 medium to large carrot, sliced into thin matchsticks
1 small cucumber, sliced into thin matchsticks
1/2 red pepper, sliced into thin matchsticks
1/2 Haas avocado, sliced into thin pieces
4-6 oz. baked thai style tofu (shrimp would be good, too)
6-8 sprigs cilantro
8-10 mint leaves
Dipping sauces (recipes below)

• Cook rice noodles according to instructions. Set aside to cool.
• Slice and prepare all ingredients and lay out on a large clean surface.
• Fill a large shallow dish or pan with warm water. Dip each rice paper round in water for 15-20 seconds. ** Wrapper will not feel completely pliable. Let it rest for 30 seconds before filling it and it will become soft**
• Place rice paper wrapper on clean surface, such as cutting board or a clean lint-free kitchen cloth.
• The amount of ingredients in each roll will depend on how mnay items you have and how much of each you'd like. Start with a lettuce leaf and experiment a little with combinations, but a general rule of thumb is approximately 1/4 cup cooked noodles,5-10 strips each of carrots, cucumber and red bell pepper, 2 slices avocado, 2 slices tofu (or shrimp), 2 mint leaves and 1 sprig cilantro.
• The rolling part takes a little practice, but this is what I found to work best: place ingredients in center of wrapper, laying horizontally. Bring bottom of wrapper up to cover filling, fold sides in, then tightly roll to top. Again, it takes practice and I ended up peeling the wrapper off of my first 2 because they were so ugly!
• Slice each roll into 2 or 4 pieces and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce. Yum!