Summer has arrived, and with the heat comes simple fresh meals served with tart lemonade and buckets of beer. I adore summer evenings, sitting outside and watching the fireflies light up the yard, and nibbling on my favorite tomato basil mozzarella salad with a glass of crisp white wine and a chunk of fresh baguette. Summer is a season of simplicity, with days at the pool followed by evenings on the patio. Charlie checks out for bedtime at 730, and Josh and I move out to the deck to enjoy the evening hours. It's divine.
I've been fixing us my go-to summer salads, and tossing them with bright acidic dressings and freshly chopped herbs. This avocado shrimp salad is new to my summer repertoire, and pairs perfectly with a corona light and a few tortilla chips.
Zesty Lime Shrimp & Avocado Salad
from Skinnytaste
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 limes, juice of
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 lb jumbo cooked and peeled shrimp, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium hass avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced fine
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
In a small bowl, combine the red onion, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let the onion marinate for 5 minutes to mellow the flavor.
In a large bowl, combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, and jalapeno. Add the red onion mixture and cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Soba noodles are a Food With Benefit (FWB). If you have no clue what I'm referring to, head over to Candice Kumai's webside (the stiletto chef) or Amazon and purchase her cookbook, Pretty Delicious.
I love this cookbook, and read the forward every month or so. She believes in FWBs: foods with benefits. Instead of eating foods that are devoid of nutrition (potato chips, french fries, candy, etc.) she believes in choosing foods that taste good AND are nutritious (sweet potatoes, avocado, greek yogurt, SOBA NOODLES!) She is inspiring, gorgeous, and motivating.
I purchased an entire 12-pack case of soba noodles from Amazon, and am excited to feature a soba recipe. This one is from Eat, Live, Run, and was a tasty weeknight dinner.
Quick Sesame Soba Noodles
from Eat, Live, Run
Ingredients for sauce -
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup hot water (depending how thick you like your sauce)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp freshly minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
Ingredients for noodles -
sliced raw sugar snap peas
thinly sliced green onions
sesame seeds
8 oz soba noodles
Directions:
- Cook soba noodles according to package instructions. When done, drain and rinse noodles in cold water. Set aside.
- To make sauce, combine all ingredients (tahini through garlic) in a food processor and process until very smooth. Add the hot water last, while the motor is running. You may need less, just add enough until desired consistency is reached.
- To serve, pour sauce over noodles and top with snap peas, green onions, and sesame seeds.
* I topped our noodles with cayenne roasted shrimp, as follows:
Cayenne Roasted Shrimp:
1 lb frozen shrimp, peeled and de-veined (thawed)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
Mix all ingredients in bowl, then spread on a baking sheet, and roast at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.
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