VIDEO: Coconut Curry Shrimp

This recipe is a definite crowd favorite at parties as an appetizer or can be made as a fast and simple weekday dinner entree. It is also suitable for anyone who has had bariatric surgery and is at the soft solid or solid food/regular diet stages. 

ENJOY!!

CBS Newsletter Recipe June: Mango-Peach-Pineapple Salsa

Sara's choice for the newsletter this month, adapted from AllRecipes . Kimba's tip - skip the artificial sweetener and add a diced, fresh jalapeno instead for some kick!

Serves:  Approximately 12-16

Ingredients:

•2 mangos (peeled, seeded & chopped)

•2 small peaches, peeled, halved & pitted &

cut into ½  inch cubes.

•1 cup diced fresh pineapple

•4 tomatoes, chopped

•1 white onion, diced

•1 red bell pepper, diced

•1 yellow bell pepper, diced

•1 cup chopped  fresh cilantro

•1 garlic clove, minced

•2 Tbsp. lime juice

•1 tsp salt

•2-4 tsp. natural calorie-free sweetener (stevia or monk fruit) or Splenda

•¾ cup water

Directions:

1.) Place the mango, peach, pineapple, tomato, onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, pineapple, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic, lime juice, salt, sweetener, and water. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Tips: Use as an appetizer along with whole grain baked pita chips or within a tossed salad. It even makes a great accompaniment atop grilled chicken or pork or seafood such as  salmon, tilapia or shrimp. 

ENJOY!

Salmon on a Cedar Plank

Grilling season is upon us people!! And the restaurant trend from a few years ago of food grilled atop cedar planks has reached the home kitchen. It is very easy to do once you find the right materials, and there is only step that is absolutely crucial and if forgotten means you'll have to buy takeout (soaking the plank so it doesn't go up in flames). However, we quickly realized that cedar planks are expensive!! Fancy-land William-Sonoma sells a package of 3 or 4 cedar grilling planks for  between $11-14, which would add about $4 to the cost of the meal (because I will not reuse the cedar plank and thus would have to buy new ones all the time). Planks could be vigorously scrubbed so that you could perhaps get another use or two out of each of them, but they do get charred by the grill flames and the oils of the food you are cooking seep into the wood, and while these could give an off flavor to the food next cooked on the plank, I would be more concerned with contamination and food borne illness from whatever bacteria was growing on the plank in the days after use as the wood dried out. So my fabulously inventive father came up with a money saving solution! He went to Home Depot and bought a bundle, yes I said a bundle, of cedar shingles (the ones you would use to side your house or roof) for $9.25. You will have to cut each shingle in half or thirds because it is to long, but that will give you enough planks for almost the whole summer and will only add cents to your meal cost not dollars!

YOU MUST BUY UNTREATED SHINGLES otherwise they will contain toxic chemicals what will leach into your food.

Ingredients:
Salmon fillet (salmon steaks will work fine as well - salmon could be interchanged with any seafood or meat - scallops, swordfish, chicken, sausages, porkloin would probably taste best)
Lemon slices
Cedar plank

1. Soak wood plank 20-30  minutes
2. Heat grill to medium-high heat (we estimated it was about 400 degrees).
3. Place fish on plank skin side down, top with lemon slices, place plank on grill - cook about 15-20 minutes.

ENJOY!!!!

Simple Suppers - Smoked Salmon

Who says you actually have to cook for dinner? There is no reason why your meal needs to look like a 'stereotypical American meal'. If we remember that we are eating to no longer be hungry, not to be full - something as simple as smoked salmon with whole wheat/grain crackers can be put out and enjoyed on a spring or summer evening. No cooking, no clean up! Even the 5 year old loved it!!

Additional accoutrements or substitution ideas:
-whole grain mustard instead of cream cheese
-diced onions instead of/in addition to capers
-mango salsa
-mix Old Bay seasoning into cream cheese for some zing!
-pickled ginger
-lemon or lime wedges
-mix fresh dill and lemon juice into some plain, nonfat yogurt
-roasted asparagus (on the side)

Salmon 'Bulgogi' with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

This was one of the top salmon recipes on Epicurios.com from Rozanne Gold in Bon Apetit June 2008. Patients are always asking what they can do with fish and so I thought this was a good recipe with an Asian (Korean really) influence to give you a little spice to your life! The bok choy could be substituted with regular cabbage, spinach or mustard greens and the shitakes with crimini (baby portobellas).

Ingredients:

2 large garlic cloves, peeled, divided

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry

1 3/4-inch cube peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce*

4 6-ounce center-cut skinless salmon fillets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large bok choy, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips (about 7 cups)

4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced

* Available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets.

Preparation

1.Preheat oven to 500°F. Blend 1 garlic clove and next 7 ingredients in mini processor. Arrange salmon in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon marinade over. Let marinate 5 minutes.

2.  Arrange fish, with some marinade still clinging, on rimmed baking sheet. Transfer any marinade in dish to small saucepan. Roast fish until just opaque in center, about 8 minutes. Bring marinade in saucepan to boil; set aside and reserve for glaze.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add bok choy and mushrooms; using garlic press, press in 1 garlic clove. Stir-fry until mushrooms are tender and bok choy is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide vegetables among plates. Top with salmon. Brush fish with glaze.

ENJOY!!

Curried Seafood Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh or frozen seafood (tilapia/flounder/sole/cod/shrimp/scallops/mahi-mahi), cut into 1” cubes
1 medium green pepper, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups chopped bok choy (sometimes labeled as 'asian cabbage')
1 cups sugar snap pea pods (could cut them up if desired)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
1-2 packages (depends on how many people you're feeding) Shirataki noodles, drained

1. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat.
2.Add the peppers, onions, garlic and  pea pods.
3.Add curry powder and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the seafood, bok choy and noodles, and more curry powder if desired.
6. Continue cooking until fish is cooked through (translucent - ooo fancy word!), appearing white and flaky, about 5 to 8 minutes; if using
shrimp cook until shrimp just start to curl up and turn pink 2-3 minutes.  Do not stir too much as the fish will shred.

ENJOY!!

Oven Baked Fish Sticks

These ain't your frozen fishy smelling brown sticks. The kids might even like these!

1 pound white fish fillets cut into sticks (cod, tilapia or haddock will work best)
salt and pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Wash and dry fish fillets. Cut into sticks. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Mix bread crumbs, cheese, dill and parsley in a bowl.
4. Roll fish sticks in oil then roll in bread crumb mix. Place in a shallow baking dish.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, do not flip or turn.

Serve as is or with a yogurt based dipping sauce. Think something like honey mustard, curry, cucumber-dill - spice any of them up with a little chili or cayenne pepper!

ENJOY!

Chicken with Clams

A good friend sent me this recipe its original form was published in the NY Times on 1/27/13. It is very light and packed with lean protein!
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons grapeseed or Grapeola oil (you could olive if you have nothing else with neutral flavor)
4 chicken drumsticks or thighs, skin on, bone in
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
24 littleneck clams
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts chopped and separated
1/4 cup cilantro stems, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1. Rinse clams 2-3 times in room temp water. Then place clams in bowl and cover with room temp water. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour and mix into water. Let clams sit in this water until you are ready for use. You want the clams to open up and start filtering the water so that they release all of the sand in their shell/body.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet or broad pot that can later be covered. When the oil is hot, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and add them to the oil. Regulate the heat so that the meat browns evenly, turning as needed. (Drumsticks have 4 sides, really; thighs only 2, so timing is variable.) When the chicken is well browned, it will be almost done.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, just until they soften a bit. Add the clams and sprinkle them with the scallion whites and the cilantro stems. Cover and cook until all the clams open, about 10 minutes; they will generate a good deal of liquid.
4. Remove the top and cook that liquid down as desired. (Perhaps not at all, perhaps until syrupy — your call.) Discard any clams that have not opened - they could have been dead before you cooked them and can then cause food borne illness. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens and cilantro leaves.

Remember not to eat the chicken skin - we were just using it to add flavor and keep the chicken moist!

ENJOY!!

More Burgers - Salmon this time!

1 - 6.5oz can salmon
2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon diced shallots
2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon non fat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/8 teaspoon dried ground ginger (optional)
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. In a bowl break up salmon with fork. Add bread crumbs, shallots, pepper, dill, ginger. Whisk together egg and yogurt in separate dish and then add to salmon. Combine well.
2. Form into 2 patties
3. Heat oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook burgers about 4 minutes on either side covered (to prevent splatter and hold heat in without drying out the fish.
4. Serve topped with mustard or a dill-yogurt sauce or fruit salsa if desired.

ENJOY!              approx. 35 grams protein/burger

White Fish Veracruz-ish Style

You could make this dish with any white fish that you like. I used haddock but if you find barramundi, pollack, cod, sea bass, snapper or tilapia it would work just as well!

4-4oz fillets
2 limes
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion (sweet works best or vidalia), chopped
4 garlic cloves
1-14oz can chopped tomatoes (remember to get a can without added sugars!), drained
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
1 T capers (optional - I don't really care for capers so I don't use them)
3 jalapenos, (also optional), diced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed from stem
1 cup fresh baby spinach
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place fish fillets in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and squeeze the juice of the limes over the top, sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Cover dish with foil and place in oven to bake for 7-10 minutes (timing will depend on thickness of fish: if you have fillets that are thin like flounder you may want to cook for only 5 minutes, it they are about 3/4 - 1" thick you want to cook 10-13 minutes)
3. Heat a saute pan on the stove top with a drizzle of olive oil (about 1 teaspoon) over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and let cook until soft about 6-7 minutes.
4. When onion and garlic are soft and fragrant, add tomato, olives, capers and jalapenos (if using) and spinach. Stir to combine and let cook until spinach is starts to wilt. Remove from heat.
5. Remove fish from oven after 10 minutes. Uncover (careful the steam will quickly want to escape and can burn!). Spoon all of the tomato mixture over fish fillets. Sprinkle thyme and oregano over top. Put fish back into oven to cook 3-5 minutes (this depends on how thick your fish is and how close to being cooked it was when you removed from oven).

Enjoy!

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp and Scallops

Instead of semolina noodles, this recipe uses Shirataki noodles which are made from tofu and yam. They resemble the type of noodle (both in taste and texture) you would get with when ordering Pad Thai. They come in liquid and are most often found in the produce isle with the tofu. They smell rotten when you open the bag but don't be alarmed once heated they no longer have that odor or taste to go with it!

*8oz Shirataki noodles
*1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter (I prefer Smucker's but Teddie makes a good one too)
*2 tablespoons soy sauce
*1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
*2 tablespoons lime juice
*1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (if you don't want the heat, just mince up a clove of garlic instead and saute with the vegetables)
*1 medium sized bell pepper, cut into thin strips
*1 carrot, cut into thin slices
*3 green onions, sliced
*2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
*1 tablepoon sesame oil
*1/4 pound medium shrimp
*1/4 pound scallops (bay ones would work best but sea scallops would also be great)

1. Open shirataki noodles and strain them, rinse off, set aside
2. Combine the peanut butter, vinegar, lime juice, chile paste, and soy sauce in a bowl, whisk until smooth.
3. Heat sesame oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add carrot and bell pepper. Cook 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until you see the color of the shrimp give the faintest pink color (this will only take about 30 seconds). Add bay scallops and cook 1 minute more, being sure to stir or toss the food frequently. (**NOTE, if you are using sea scallops, put them in the pan BEFORE the shrimp and let cook 2 minutes before adding shrimp - once shrimp is in the pan cook an additional 2 minutes).
4. Turn off heat, add shirataki, green onions and sauce and mix until well combined.
5. Top with cilantro and serve!

Grilled Salmon with Mango-Lime Salsa

I like a real old fashioned Webster's Charcoal grill with real charcoal for the fire (not lighter fluid soaked briquettes) but any kind of grill will work just fine!! If you can eat outside, it makes the grilling experience even finer!

serves 4:

1 pound salmon fillet (ask the fish monger to cut it from the thickest part of the fillet which would have come from the area up by the head not by the tail, as you see in the photo above - there is no tapering to the shape of the fillet which means it does not contain part of the tail meat)
salt and pepper
olive oil
Pam spray
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 of a red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime (reserve the peel)
1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely sliced (optional or if you want more heat you can use a habanero)
1 tablespoon zest from peel of juiced lime, chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

1. Cut the salmon fillet into 4-4oz pieces (you could even ask the fish monger to do this for you) so that you get small 'strips' of fish as shown below. This will probably be to much fish for a bariatric cooker but will leave with enough meat for lunch for the following day.
2. Season the salmon with some salt and a few grinds of black pepper, brush with oil (this is going to help keep it from sticking to the grill)
3. In a bowl combine: mango, onion, EVOO, lime juice, jalapeno if using, zest, cilantro and hazelnuts. Stir well to mix and let sit.
4. Heat grill to medium-high heat temperature.
5. (this step can be skipped) Before placing fish on the grill rack, I spray the rack with Pam liberally because I am paranoid that the fish will stick - CAUTION!!!!! Pam will make the fire burst upwards - DO NOT BURN YOURSELF!!
6. When fire goes back down, place fish on grill grill 2-3 minutes, then turn to side and grill 2-3 minutes - repeat until all sides have grill marks.
7. Remove fish from grill and serve with salsa and extra lime wedges if desired!

ENJOY!!

Scallop, bacon and blue cheese pizza

This is a great easy dinner item that can be made in a flash with store bought dough. Cook it in the oven or on the grill for a hot summer night meal with a cool glass of Sancere or Chenin Blanc!

1 store bought pizza dough ball

1 pound sea scallops, raw (or bay scallops if you like the smaller ones)

1/4 cup 100% maple syrup

5 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, drained on paper towel

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

3/4 cup (approx.) tomato sauce  (I used Newman's Own)
1 large tomato, sliced
1/2 cup shredded fresh mozzarella
flour for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Marinate scallops in maple syrup - let sit while you prepare the dough
2. Roll out dough until it is about 1/2" thick - it should fill up most of a cookie sheet
3. Cover a cooking/baking sheet with tin foil. Dust tin foil with flour. Place dough down on floured cookie sheet. Cook in oven about 10 min (or if grilling then spray grill with PAM and grill one side directly on grill for 5-7 minutes).
4. Remove from oven, flip dough over (bottom side should be starting to get slightly tanned)
5. Start adding ingredients to dough. Spread sauce out evenly. Top with mozzarella, then tomato slices. Arrange scallops (discard extra maple syrup) then sprinkle blue cheese around the scallops and crumble bacon over the whole thing.
6. Bake for another 20 minutes.
7. Remove, cut, serve

ENJOY!!

Did you see this article on Whole Foods and seafood?

This article on Whole Foods discontinuing sales of unsustainable seafood starting on April 22 (Earth Day), way to be ironic guys!

Whole foods to stop sale of unsustainable seafood.

Sources for this article where from Blueocean.org

Lobster Rolls

I, like more then a few people, can't stand mayo, so last night when we were making lobster rolls for dinner I grabbed an uncanny item to use for the sauce - chunky guacamole!! When making the guac to snack on, I had left the red onion and tomato in slightly larger then ideal chunks which made the finished guacamole awkward for scooping up with chips, but a great addition atop my steamed chunks of lobster meat instead! This is a great way to enjoy your lobster with some healthy fats from the avocado (and sans the nastiness of mayo) and it adds some summer fresh vegetables to the dish for vitamins and fiber!

1 hot dog bun, toasted
1/2 - 2/3 cup steamed lobster meat
2 heaping tablespoons guacamole (recipe listed below)

Guac:
1 avocado
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, diced
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon lime juice

ENJOY!!

White Dog Cafe in Wayne, PA

What has become a yearly pilgrimage to the Devon Horse Show in Devon, PA has also turned into an exciting few days of dining each year. Devon is nestled among a few little communities: Berwyn, Wayne, Paoli, Malvern, among others, and in this affluent area, small eateries with high quality menus are bountiful. This trip I visited Alba, in Malvern, and White Dog Cafe's Wayne location. When a friend 'yelped' the restaurants in the area, these two were on the top our 'must dine at list'. When my foodie and wine expert uncle, Dennis, suggested he and his family meet us at White Dog Cafe, Alba became the stop with friends the night before.

You are either going to love or hate the decor inside White Dog. The walls are covered, and I mean COVERED, with portraits of canines, the chandeliers are made from empty wine bottles and the menus are wooden slabs with a paper boasting their offerings strapped on top. The rolls came out freshly baked, with a hard crust and pot of soft butter. Those of you who know me best, know that I judge the prospect of return to many restaurants based on their bread, and after the first dinner roll, this place was showing promise.

I ordered a spinach salad which came with house made croutons, hard boiled egg, smoked bacon and some vegetables. The croutons were slightly to salty for my liking and the consistency was oddly airy but interesting nonetheless. I would have liked for the bacon to either be crispier or for it to be cut into smaller pieces, but the size of the chunk in the salad and the chewy texture made it hard to negotiate.

For dinner I had the Barramundi. I have seen this Australian fish on menus before but never ventured into its waters. I remember when fisherman were first trying to break into the USA market with this one. There was a big article in the Boston Globe about 'The Next Big Fish'. They were actually considering calling it 'Next Big Fish' because they didn't think people would buy something called Barramundi - it sounded to mean/harsh, like the fish might have huge teeth and be really scaly. (Got to love how the marketing teams perceive the American intellect)

Anyway, I digress. At White Dog the Barramundi came with sides that I really wanted: truffle chive gnocchi, trumpet mushrooms and asparagus all over a porchini emulsion, so I thought 'what the heck!' Barramundi is more or less an Australian Bass. It is a white fish, slightly oily, sans strong flavor or smell, and with texture much like a perfectly cooked wild Norwegian salmon or Arctic char or Chilean Sea bass. The skin on it was crispy and of course I gobbed that up too. There is nothing better then a crispy, salty piece of skin to offset a piece of buttery, soft textured fish.

We also ordered a side of Parmesan truffle fries (yes we like truffle anything), which were fabulously fried, salty from the cheese and truffly at the same time!

I definitely give Marty (owner) and his crew two thumbs up for the quality at this place and it was a pretty fabulous suggestion by good ole Uncle D!

Shrimp on the barbie...the Asian barbie that is

I guess that would mean it was shrimp on the habachi? Or we could just pretend that the one of the Asian cultures invaded Australia and threw their own twist onto the 'shrimp on the barbie' theme. Anyway you want to look at it or whatever stories you want to tell about it while cooking, it comes out about the same way ->

A) These are shrimp - cook them quickly over high heat, just until they turn pink - if they curl up to much they are well done and will be rubbery
B) Total time from fridge to table including lighting the grill and letting it heat up will be 30-35 minutes - plan accordingly shrimp don't have much patience they are terrible waiters especially when they are near heat.
C) Feel free, as always, to hate my idea and substitute your own - whatever you do be sure to ENJOY! :)

1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon wasabi powder
1/8 teaspoon dried, ginger powder
1/8 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds extra large shrimp (~21 count/pound)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (white or black), toasted

1. Whisk honey, oil and spices together in bowl. Drop shrimp in, toss to coat, set aside while prepping the fire.
2. Heat your grill to medium high heat (we use a charcoal grill so this process takes about 15-20 minutes)
3. Lightly toast sesame seeds on a sheet in the toaster over.
4. When fire is ready, skewer the shrimp. Spray some Pam on the grill. Place skewers on the grill. Cook about 2 minutes. Using tongs AND an oven mitt flip skewers and cook 1 minute more. The flesh should be all pink but you don't want the shrimp to curl to tightly then they are over done. When shrimp is pink all over remove skewers from fire.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and serve!

These shrimp go great on top of a salad, inside a sandwich, as a topping on a homemade pizza or even grill up some corn on the cob and serve them together. Grilled pineapple rings would also be a perfect accompaniment or dessert afterwards!

Curried Shrimp Veracruz

Shrimp is an excellent source of protein but buying shrimp can be confusing. Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized units of measurement so you can never be sure how big the shrimp actually are unless you order them by the number per pound. Any kind of farm-raised seafood can damage the surrounding ecosystems if the 'farm' not managed properly. It is possible to buy shrimp that have been raised or caught (even wild caught practices can harm the environment) with sound environmental practices. Look for shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as Wild American Shrimp or Marine Stewardship Council. If you can’t find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America (as opposed to China) —it’s more likely to be sustainably caught.

·2 teaspoons of olive oil
·1 bay leaf
·1 medium onion , halved and thinly sliced
·2 jalapeño peppers , seeded and very thinly sliced, or to taste
·4 cloves of garlic , minced
·1 pound of peeled, deveined raw shrimp (16-20/pound; see Shopping Tip)
·3 medium tomatoes , diced
·1/4 cup of thinly sliced pitted green olives
·½ teaspoon curry powder
·½ teaspoon dried mint
·1 lime , cut into 4 wedges

1.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bay leaf and cook for 1 minute. Add onion, jalapeños, curry powder, mint and garlic - cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
2.Stir in shrimp, tomatoes and olives. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cook 3 to 4 minutes (until shrimp are pink – don’t overcook the shrimp they will get rubbery).
3.Remove the bay leaf. Serve with lime wedges
ENJOY!!!

Tomatoes Stuffed with Shrimp Salad

Tomatoes are in their prime right now! Sweet and juicy, they are for sure my favorite vegetable! Get good ones for this recipe from a local farm stand or farmers' market if you aren't lucky enough to grow your own!

¾ pound, peeled, shrimp, cooked and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 cup watercress, washed
8 leaves Bibb lettuce, shredded
juice from ½ lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt & black pepper
4 large tomatoes

1. In a bowl combine shrimp, watercress, lettuce, lemon, mustard, olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
2. Hollow out the tomatoes from the stem end. You can mix any of the juice from the tomatoes into the bowl with shrimp.
3. Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture. Serve.
ENJOY!!!

Artic Char with Lemon-Garlic Greens

Artic Char is a pink flesh fish, of the same texture as salmon. It is an oily fish with about the same omega profile as salmon is but it is not farmed. You can find it in fish markets like Captain Marden's in Wellesley or at Whole Foods. (Legal Sea Foods is one of the only restaurants I have seen serve it.) The taste is not as strong as salmon so it is a good alternative for salmon-frowners.

olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced thin
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
8 oz Frisse (green-white greens which look somewhat like frizzy hair)
1 pound of arctic char (or salmon if you can't find artic char)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram (herb)
1 lemon, quartered

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in saute pan. Saute shallot and garlic until soft and fragrant - pour oil, shallots and garlic into a bowl
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in same saute pan, place fish flesh side down, sear fish about 3 minutes. Flip, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook, skin side down, an addition 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk mustard, juice of one lemon wedge and an additional 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil together. Poor dressing over washed frisse and toss to coat.
3. Enjoy with a glass of Pinot Gris!