Celebrate the season by cooking with fresh ingredients and enjoying good health. Adding more seasonal superfoods into your recipes can make your favorite dishes much healthier.
PEPPER SHRIMP
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes. Serves: 6
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh Scotch bonnet chilli, stemmed, unseeded, and minced (about 1 Tbsp.)
1-1/2 tsp. peeled, minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 sprig of thyme
3 lbs. unpeeled head-on raw large shrimp, deveined
1 tsp. kosher salt
Melt butter in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, chilli, and ginger; cook, stirring often, until aromatic and tender, about 5 minutes. Add lime juice, vinegar, and thyme; bring to a simmer over medium. Increase heat to medium-high; add shrimp, and cook, stirring often, until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with salt; serve immediately. Hint: This can be made for an hors d’oeuvre or main course.
CHIA PUDDING WITH BERRIES
Prep time: 5 minutes. Sitting time: 15 minutes. Chilling time: 6 hours or overnight. Serves: 4 (about a cup each)
2 cups coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
1 very ripe banana
¼ cup chia seeds
½ cup each of fresh blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
In a blender, blend the coconut milk and banana until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Add the chia seeds and stir well; set aside for 15 minutes. Give it another good stir then add berries, another good stir; refrigerate overnight or at least 2-3 hours. To serve: Divide into 4 attractive wide top glasses, like large martini glasses. Top with a couple of extra berries. Enjoy!
How to Cool Off with FOOD and DRINK (instead of Air Conditioning)
HIGH PROTEIN AND CHICKPEA SALAD
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes. Serves: 6
2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (roasted optional)
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup dry quinoa or 4 cups cooked
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1-1/2 cups diced red onion
2 cups diced English cucumber
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. hemp seeds or hearts
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup cilantro
Dressing:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. sea salt or taste
¼ tsp. black pepper
Optional: ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
Roast the chickpeas (optional): Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Dry the chickpeas between layers of a kitchen or paper towels. Transfer them to a large bowl. Add a generous dash of paprika, garlic powder, and salt, plus a drizzle of olive oil. Toss until evenly coated. Place them on a large-rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes. Change the oven setting to broil and cook for about 3 minutes more or until crispy. Cook the quinoa: according to direction on the packet. Set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.
Make dressing: Mix all the Dressing ingredients together. For serving: Add to the bowl of quinoa … tomatoes, onion, cucumber, chickpeas, hemp seeds, parsley, basil, and cilantro; toss all with dressing. Hint: Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Jan Robinson, Health Coach, Chef Competition Coordinator/Judge, Charter Yacht Consultant, 2019 CYBA Hall of Fame and author of the Ship to Shore Cookbook collection; available on Amazon and www.shiptoshoreinc.com CaptJan2@gmail.com
