Craving Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Shrimp

crave [kreyv] verb, craved, crav·ing
1. to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly 2. to require; need

There is a theory that people crave things because their bodies need it nutritionally. I take this theory a bit more seriously when I crave cabbage salad than when I crave dark chocolate covered peanut butter cups from Trader Joe's.  Although I am convinced there is room for both in a healthy diet.

Cabbage salad is like a fancy coleslaw with crispy veggies and without the watery mayo sugar juice lurking at the bottom of the bowl. Using olive oil and vinegar as a dressing keeps the cabbage crunchy and bright. Top it off with some spicy broiled shrimp and you got yourself a meal.

Serves 2
1/2 pound shrimp
1 tbsp olive oil
 salt, pepper, hot sauce (to taste)
1 bag shredded cabbage*
(*use any combination of fresh or bagged coleslaw mix or red and green cabbage)
1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
1.5 tbsp olive oil
red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup peanuts




Peel and devein a 1/2 pound of shrimp. Marinate shrimp with olive oil, salt, pepper, hot sauce and set in the refrigerator. In a bowl, mix cabbage, red pepper, green pepper, peanuts, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Remove shrimp from fridge and put under the oven broiler for about 8-10 minutes flipping the shrimp halfway through.Top cabbage salad with shrimp and serve.

Tweet

Corn Summer Salad

sum·mer 1 (smr)
A period of fruition, fulfillment, happiness, or beauty.

Nothing celebrates summer like corn and tomatoes. They love summer and we love them. As I was perusing my local farmers market this weekend, I ran across a table that was serving samples of corn salad and selling corn on the cob “picked this morning”. Sold! Most recipes I have seen for corn salad uses the corn cut right from the cob with no cooking involved. Eat raw corn? Come on people, we eat raw fish, why not raw corn? Give it a try; I think you will like it. It practically screams summer!

Serves 4 -5

3 ears of corn, husked and cut from the cob
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 small or one large cucumber, diced
½ pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 handful of fresh basil, slivered
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine or red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 block feta cheese *optional

Mix ingredients together in the order listed and serve immediately or haul it over to the neighbor’s house for a cookout.

Tweet

Choppa Style Chop Salad

Lately, my favorite salad is of the “chop” variety inspired by my friend Daymi. A chop salad is one with ingredients chopped into tiny bites so that each bite contains incredible flavor. I promise the time and effort are well worth it. The result is a crunchy salad that you don’t have to haggle with to get the perfect bite into your mouth. (I apologize that the picture doesn't show the bite sized pieces.)

You can adjust ingredients to include your favorite salad fixings but below is a recipe to get you started. For my bike commuter husband who needs additional calories and protein I add lots of chopped salami and some boiled eggs on the side.
Romaine Lettuce (butter lettuce and radicchio are also good additions)
1 can Garbanzo beans
1/4 red onion
3 stalks Celery
1 cup olives
Red bell pepper (or any bell pepper )
1/2 pint Cherry tomatoes
1/2 block Feta cheese or mozzarella
Salami, slivered (chicken or beef)
Boiled eggs-cut in half
Red wine vinegar, olive oil (or desired salad dressing)
salt, pepper and oregano

These estimated amounts serve two very large salads as a main dish. Start by chopping your lettuces  into small bite size pieces and put them into a large salad bowl. Next drain and rinse a can of garbanzo beans and add to the lettuce. Finely dice 1/4 of a red onion, 3 stalks of celery and add. Chop 1/2 of a red bell pepper (or color of your choice),1 can of black olives or a handful of green olives and add. Quarter 1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes and add. Chop or crumble about 1/2 block of feta cheese and add. Season with salt, pepper, and 1-2 tablespoons of dried oregano (the oregano adds a lot of flavor). Dress the salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil and refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Divide the salad into plates and top with slivered salami or protein of your choice.

Ahhhh! Crunchy and colorful, leaving room for dessert.  Daydream complete.

Tweet