My children and I went to visit my sister in North Carolina ( I call it “the countryside”) this past weekend. She lives in a small town where grocery stores are miles away from her home and the availability of certain vegetables as well as seafood are scarce and over priced. This is why she grows her own “international” vegetable garden. In her garden, you’ll find Chinese long eggplant, Kabucha pumpkin, okra, jalapenos, mint, green beans, different tomatoes, bitter melons, cucumber, and green sweet chilies, bell peppers, and Thai basil. I had the privileged of using some of her vine-ripe tomatoes, which tasted really sweet. I was pleased I brought my own spices, some shrimp, avocado and cilantro or I would have searched everywhere for them. I needed them for the dish I had in mind. Here’s another way of creating a healthy meal using the same spices in my previous posts.
Prepare the ingredients.
*Note: Depending on the heat of your stove, cooking time may require adjustments.
Ingredients:
- 9 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined leaving the tail on or off; your choice
- a handful of spinach
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1/8 of large red onion, sliced
- 1 avocado, pitted and cut into bite-sized pieces
- Weber’s Roasted Garlic and Herbs seasoning
- juice of 1/2 lime
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 bib lettuce leaves
- 3 sprigs cilantro
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking Methods:
Generously, sprinkle the shrimp with roasted garlic and herbs seasoning. Set aside. Combine the avocado, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Heat skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil when hot. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes or until opaque.*
Turn and cook on the other side for 2 minutes or until opaque. *
Sear the side of the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes. *
Remove shrimp from pan and immediately add into the bowl of avocado mixture.
Mix to incorporate. Let them get to know each other.
Place spinach at the bottom of the plate. Put the bib lettuce on the side. Arrange shrimp salad on top of the spinach. You can serve the shrimp by leaving the tail off, or…
… leaving the tail on- it’s your choice; either way, it’s delicious! You can drizzle it with your favorite olive oil dressing or just as is. I chose to not add any dressing on mine for less calorie intake. This dish was tasty enough without it. Mm-mm… good! Bon appetit!
Anna's Cuisine 