Quick Shrimp Cobb Salad
The possibilities with fresh vegetable salads are endless.
This recipe is easy peasy and healthy. It is great for a light dinner, or for a ladies luncheon kind of a thing.
Quick Shrimp Cobb Salad (for two):
Ingredients:
- 1 head of washed chopped Romaine Lettuce
- Lots o’ matchstick carrots or diced/sliced carrots
- 1 avocado diced
- 4 pieces of Bacon cooked and crumbled/chopped
- 2/3-3/4 lb. peeled deveined shrimp
- Salt, pepper, and paprika
Directions:
1. Lay a bed of greens on a plate and top with the veggies and bacon.
2. In a pan that has heated on medium high, add a couple turns of olive oil to the pan. Allow to heat for 10 seconds or so, and then add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp is done and they form ‘C’ shapes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika.
3. Scatter the salad with the shrimp.
4. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing and olive oil. No dressing is required. The lemon and olive oil mixed around with the creamy avocado makes its own ‘dressing.’
Adapted from: Shrimp Cobb Salad
Healthy and delish!
Killer Mediterranean Salad with Hummus, Tabouleh, and Grilled Chicken
Hi Folks! This meal is a winner! My husband loves it, and I do too. It is one of those meals that just feels so natural and, therfore, good going down! Don’t let it’s simplicity fool you; this meal packs a HUGE zippy flavor punch!
Now, I actually botched this video, deleting the first two thirds of the filming, so I had to go back and redo the day after, hence the change in clothes, etc. In refilming, I forgot to redo the directions for marinating the grilled chicken, but I’ll include that info, as well as the other recipes below this video:
Grilled Chicken Marinade: Well, there is no magic here. Any time you want to add a little somethinn’ somethin’ to your meats this is the way to go. Salt and pepper both sides of the meat (and in this case, I added some paprika too). Place the meat in a plastic bag or dish. To the meat add olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and fresh minced garlic. Smoosh everything around the meat evenly. I don’t know the exact amounts. Just use your common sense. You only need enough ‘stuff’ to cover the meat, so maybe 2-4T oil per piece of meat, and the juice of a quarter of a lemon per piece of meat. Experiment…it’s pretty hard to mess up; I promise.
Grill meat, let rest, and slice at an angle against the grain. My husband does the grilling. I am no expert, but this guy is.
Hummus
1.5 C Cooked Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas
1.5 T Tahini (If you aren’t allergic to sesame)
3-5 T Lemon juice
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 C+ Olive Oil
Dump and combine in food processor or blender. Slowly add in extra olive oil if need be until desired consistency is reached. Garnish with fresh parsley if you like. Eat warm or chilled. I prefer chilled. FYI, this is a great snack for allergy folks to have around. Try dipping carrot or celery sticks into the hummus!
This recipe was adapted from this Hummus recipe I found on About.com.
Erica’s Sans Tomato Tabouleh
I wish I could eat tomatoes, but I can’t. If you can, throw 1-2 chopped tomatoes in there!
1 c quinoa
2 c water
3 medium Green onions cut into little circles
1/4 C chopped shallot
3/4 C chopped cucumber (skin on or off…your call)
1 C chopped parsley
1 C chopped fresh mint (You have to have this; it makes the recipe!)
1/2 C lemon juice
1/3 C olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1t sea salt
pepper
- Put the quinoa in a wire strainer and thoroughly rinse with hot water to remove any bitter flavor.
- Cook the quinoa according to the package, or dump the quinoa and water in a rice cooker, to make it super easy.
- Let cool completely.
- Stir the onions, cucumber, parsley, and mint into the quinoa.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, garlic and salt.
- Pour over the quinoa and toss well.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
This recipe was adapted from this Tabouleh recipe I found on Food.com.
The Salad
Lay a bed of greens on a plate, and add a few of your favorite veggies, like julienned carrots, and cabbage. On the perimeter of the plate, scoop out a serving of hummus. On the opposite site of the plate, scoop out a serving of tabouleh. Place meat on top of salad like a pinwheel coming from the middle. Garnish with orange or lemon slices, that can be squeezed on salad, and serve with extra olive oil. For mopping up the hummus and tabouleh, I like to use these GF tortillas in lieu of pita.
Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup Like Grandma Made
Remember how moms and grandmas of yore always recommended chicken soup when you were sick? Was it really healing? Yes! Old school chicken soups made with homemade chicken broth contain great nutrients from the bone marrow and are healing. Not only is it useful when you have a cold, but it also useful when you’re trying to heal a damaged GI Tract like mine. It’s not as hard as you think and is such a great way to save $ by using leftovers rather than tossing them out. I highly recommend that you make a good homemade broth every now and then! Add some veggies, rice, and shredded chicken, and you have a soup everyone will love! I love making a big pot of soup earlier in the week. That way, I not only have a dinner or two, but I also have a great lunch item ready to go, which keeps me from getting frustrated and hungry! Watch me throw this together and check out the recipe high points below the video.
Homemade Chicken Broth:
Don’t take this recipe too ‘by the book.’ Use what you have; that is the beauty of it!
Fill a Dutch Oven or big soup pot with:
Chicken meat, bones, scraps
Chunks of onion, carrot, celery
Any other veggie bits you can find (I keep a plastic bag full of veggie remnants, like the stalks, and wilted veggies, and then freeze them that way I always have good brother fodder.)
Season with salt and pepper
Cover everything with water
Bring to a boil and then simmer with the lid on. Low and slow is best. Give your broth at least a couple hours to simmer.
OR Toss all the same constituents in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Separate out meat and veggie parts and discard.
Chicken and Rice Soup:
To homemade chicken broth add 3/4 C Rice. Bring pot to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Set your timer, when the rice is half way cooked add:
1 C carrot
1 C Celery
1C+ of Shredded Chicken
Any other veggies you want to chop and toss in
When all is cooked, season to your taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Source: Who knows who first came up with chicken and rice?! Keep the oral tradition going!
Chimichurri Lamb with Spring Onion Fusilli and Simple Salad with Herb Vinaigrette
Think you don’t like lamb? Think again! When you tend to have food sensitivities, it is a really good idea to rotate your foods, to include your meats, so you don’t create new sensitivities/intolerances. Because of this fact, I was motivated to try out lamb. I always thought I didn’t like it. I think I had some gritty lamb at a kebab place, which formed my unfair opinion. Lamb tenderloins are juicy and tender, especially when grilled. Add a stellar chimichurri sauce, a delicate pasta dish, fresh salad, and you have a PHENOMENAL meal!
The recipes are posted below the video.
Lamb Tenderloin with Mint Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh mint
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced shallots
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 8 (4-ounce) lamb loin chops, trimmed
1. Combine mint, parsley, oil, broth, vinegar, shallots, red pepper, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a food processor; process until blended.
2. Sprinkle lamb loin chops on both sides with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat grill over medium-high heat. Cook lamb for about 8 minutes or until achieved desired doneness. Serve with chimichurri.
This recipe was adapted from Grilled Lamb Chops and Mint Chimichurri APRIL 2011
Spring Onion Fusilli
Ingredients
- 1/3 loaf of Gluten Free Bread
- 2 tabelspoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 cups thinly sliced spring onions (about 1 pound)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 8 ounces uncooked Rice Fusilli
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Non-Dairy, Non-Soy Mozzerella
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse 1/3 loaf of Gluten Free Bread in a food processor. Place crumbs on cookie sheet and bake in the oven 5-10 minutes or until crumbs are golden. (You may have to separate the crumbs again with your hands after baking, as the tapioca bread crumbs tend to ‘glue’ back together when baked.) Season generously with garlic salt, dried basil, and dried oregano. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add onions to pan; cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and wine. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 1 minute. Add broth; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 4 minutes).
4. Cook pasta in boiling water with 1 tablespoon kosher salt according to package directions. Drain. Add pasta, remaining salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to onion mixture; toss gently. Place a serving of pasta on plate; sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons GF breadcrumbs and Non-Dairy, Non-Soy Mozzerella.
This recipe was adapted from Fusilli with Caramelized Spring Onions and White Wine Cooking Light APRIL 2011
Simple Salad with Herb Vinaigrette:
Throw greens and your favorite veggies together and serve with the Easy Herb Vinaigrette on the Simple Salad Sauce Page.
Cook Allergen Free! Tasty Allergen Free Meals Everyone Will Love! 