Turmeric-Garlic Shrimp with Cabbage-Mango Slaw

Tons of flavor in this quick, shrimp dish! The perfect balance of spicy, savory, sweet & sour – and ready in less than 30 minutes.

I seasoned the shrimp with turmeric, cumin and red pepper flakes, then gave it a quick saute with garlic and finished it with some fresh lime juice and cilantro.

 

To balance out the heat (it's mild, although you can make it spicier or leave milder to your taste) I served this over a quick slaw with sweet mango, red cabbage and lime juice.

My husband gave it two thumbs up! This dish is perfect for most diet restrictions: gluten-free, low-carb, paleo, whole30 and of course weight watcher friendly!

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Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers

Homemade pesto with basil from my garden makes a scrumptious addition to shrimp. Serve these for dinner or make them at your next BBQ!

These are EASY, and now that it's grilling season I am sharing them from the archives.

Inspired by a dish served at my sister in laws garden baby shower (pictured below), this is so simple and delicious, I knew I had to make them myself.

They served them on a platter over a bed of greens, but this is also great served as skewers so you can hold them in your hand.

These have been making a regular appearance at my house since I first posted the recipe. I often keep the nuts out of my pesto to keep the fat content down and everyone always loves it. And bonus, these are low-carb, gluten-free and delicious!

Note: Keep in mind that when you remove the shell from the shrimp it will weigh less, so I started with about 2 lbs of shrimp to get 1 1/2 lbs after I peel them. Depending on the size of your shrimp you will get different amounts. I used jumbo, so that gave me about 35 shrimp, 5 on each skewer. One skewer is the perfect serving size but if you want to serve this as an appetizer, you can put 3 as a small bite.

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Tequila Lime Shrimp

Easy shrimp seasoned with fragrant spices and spiked with tequila, takes weeknight sauteed shrimp from ordinary to amazing in less than 10 minutes!

I'm not much of a tequila drinker, but cooking with tequila... well let's just say I don't object to boozy shrimp. The alcohol actually cooks out so you won't get intoxicated eating this, but the flavor is spot on. I also add some red pepper flakes to give the shrimp a little spice. 

You can serve this over salad, brown rice, cilantro lime cauliflower "rice" or make some guacamole, heat up some corn tortillas and turn them into shrimp tacos (SO GOOD)! Any brand of tequila will work, I went with George Clooney's Casamigos Tequila just because... (wink wink). Enjoy the shrimp!!

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Blackened Fish Tacos with Cabbage Mango Slaw

Blackened cod fish seasoned with a spicy rub and cooked in a cast iron skillet. The mango-cabbage slaw is the perfect balance of sweet and sour which compliments the fish perfectly. I served these for dinner last night with some guacamole on the side (not pictured here) and my husband was a very happy man.

I cooked the whole thing outside on the grill which is a great way to keep the fish smell out of your house, but you can also do this indoors on the stove. The only thing that would have made this meal better would probably be a margarita on the side. Hope you enjoy!

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Shrimp Zoodles Parmesan for Two

Baked Shrimp Parmesan over Zucchini Noodles – an easy, light and delicious shrimp dish made in under 30 minutes!

I love shrimp parmesan and make it often at home because it's so much healthier to make it yourself. Rather than frying the shrimp like you'd get from a restaurant, I bake them in the oven until golden.

I've had the idea of making shrimp parm over zucchini noodles for quite some time, so when I was approached by Tuttorosso to be a part of their Inspiralize the Spring campaign, I knew this was what I was going to make. Every day this week, five bloggers are participating in a Spiralized Virtual Dinner Party – how fun! Here's the invite so you can follow along.

I've been using Tuttorosso tomatoes for years – if you've been following me from the beginning, you probably already know that they're my crushed tomato of choice.

This recipe is simple, you'll want to have everything prepped and ready before you start making this, because it comes together fast.  Have your zucchini cut and ready before you start, I prefer a thicker zucchini noodle so I used the thicker noodle blade of my Paderno Spiralizer to cut my zoodles. Enjoy!

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Healthy Salmon Quinoa Burgers

Wild salmon, quinoa, and kale – these burgers are not only super healthy, loaded with good-for-you omegas and tons of protein (21-1/2 grams of protein) they also taste delicious and are easy to make. Serve them on a simple arugula salad with grapefruit, with a mustard-shallot vinaigrette.

I'm excited to share this awesome salmon recipe with you, because it takes me back a few weeks to my weekend in Santa Cruz with a great group of women, who all happened to be amazing food bloggers.

If you can imagine spending a weekend with a group of food bloggers means eating lots great food, well you're right. We worked, cooked, took long walks on the beach and ate REALLY well.

Jaden, of Steamy Kitchen who has a blog that focuses on Asian recipes had prepared a lunch for us from leftover salmon and quinoa we had from dinner the night before and it was so darn good I asked her if I could remake it on my blog to share with you. I don't recommend using cooked salmon because they fall apart without having to add a ton of eggs and breadcrumbs, so I used raw wild salmon instead.

 

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Seattle Asian Salmon Bowl

These Asian Salmon Bowls are my new addiction!! Served over brown rice and topped with cucumbers, avocado and sprouts and drizzled with a soy-wasabi vinaigrette – SO good!

My friend Heather has been talking about these salmon bowls for as long as I know her. Finally I convinced her to do a guest post to share her sister's recipe, and last night I decided to test it before sharing it here. Holy YUM!! It's healthy and delicious, tastes like a dish you would order at an Asian restaurant. I know you'll love it!

Hi there, I’m Heather. I’m a dietitian, a nutrition consultant for Skinnytaste, and the founder of Smaller Size Bigger Life an online coaching program for women who struggle with emotional eating, binge eating, overeating, or body image issues.

I’m so thrilled to share my sister’s salmon recipe here on Skinnytaste (thank you, Gina!).

My sister Lori and I have always shared a love of cooking (and our sister Cyndi has always enjoyed eating our creations!). Lori and I swap recipes, spend hours browsing farmers markets, share cookbooks, and talk about bacon the way some women talk about shoes. We just really, really love food!

Some of my happiest memories with Lori are in the kitchen – we slice, dice, and taste while we laugh, chat, and connect. And while I really enjoy cooking, Lori is the true family food superstar. If Lori’s in the kitchen, you just know the end result will be awesome! 

We live in Seattle so naturally salmon is a regular on the menu, and this Asian Salmon Bowl is one of Lori’s signature everyday dishes. It’s healthy, it’s tasty, and it’s ready in a snap.

I’m incredibly grateful for my two sisters – they’re pretty amazing. I hope you enjoy Lori’s recipe as much as I do!
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Shrimp Scampi Zoodles for Two

Shrimp with lemon, lemon zest and garlic over zucchini noodles – this dish is EASY low-carb, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, very satisfying and took less than 20 minutes to make, start to finish and it was DELICIOUS!

2014 was certainly the year for the zoodles (zucchini noodles)! Ever since buying my FAVORITE cooking gadget, the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer I was hooked! I've been swapping pasta for zucchini noodles ever since. It's the easiest way to make zucchini noodles, cucumber noodles, sweet potato spirals, spiralized beets and more! Prior to owning one, I used my mandolin but it's so much quicker and easier (and safer) with this fun gadget – you NEED one!!

I took a break from zoodles for a few months because I may have over-did it this summer, but now that it's January I dusted off my Paderno and have been making them all week.

If you are new to zucchini noodles, a few tips: don't cook the zucchini longer than 2 minutes or it will become watery. I usually cook it 1-1/2 minutes so they stay firm yet warm. You can even eat it raw, like in this awesome Raw Spiralized Zucchini Salad with Avocado and Edamame.

Zucchini noodles are also great in Asian dishes, try this Kung Pao Chicken Zoodles, under 300 calories!

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Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo

Mussels in a spicy red marinara sauce – simple and elegant, best served with lots of whole wheat crusty bread for dipping into the delicious sauce.

Seafood on Christmas Eve is a holiday family tradition. This can be served as an appetizer with bread for dipping or over pasta as a main dish or even over zoodles to keep it low carb. I usually use my own homemade marinara sauce (I never use jarred sauce) when I make this, but I tried this with Delallo's Pomodoro Fresco and I have to say I was very impressed, and so was my husband! It tastes just like my homemade sauce and this dish came together in less than 15 minutes.

If you've never made mussels before, you'll be surprised how easy this dish is. The mussels should be alive when you purchase and cook them. Any mussels that are cracked should be discarded, and any mussels that don't open after cooking should also be tossed.

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Chilled Lobster Salad with Sweet Summer Corn and Tomatoes

The perfect light summer salad, made with sweet summer corn, grape tomatoes, garden herbs and chilled steamed lobster. Serve this for two as a main dish salad or for four as a first course as pictured here.

I revived this one from the archives since this is the perfect time of year to make it. August is a great time to buy lobster here on Long Island, I can usually get great specials from my local Lobster farm. And the best part about buying my lobster from a lobster farm is that they also steam it for me at no extra cost. It's not that I can't cook my own lobster, it's just that if given the choice, I'd rather not. If you don't have that luxury, here is a great video from Fine Cooking that shows you how to do it.

Swap It Tip: If you don't live near the coast and don't have access to live lobster, you could use lump crab meat, cooked shrimp or even imitation crab instead. 

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Naked Salmon Burgers with Sriracha Mayo

Some burgers are just meant to be eaten without a bun. These salmon burgers are the perfect example. So much flavor in these burgers made with wild salmon, served on a bed of arugula with sliced avocado and a spicy sriracha mayo – a bun would only disguise it.

These burgers can be formed earlier in the day, or even the night before. Refrigerating them before cooking helps them hold together firm during cooking. Another tip is to put some of the salmon in the food processor or chopper. It creates "glue" that keeps everything together.

Last fall, Calphalon released a new line of Dishwasher Safe Nonstick Cookware and they sent me a few items of my choice to review. I've been using their nonstick cookware for years, as you may have seen in many of my photos so I replaced some of my favorites items with their new line, because I don't know about you, but as much as I love cooking – washing dishes is not for me! I put this grill pan to the test with these salmon burgers and was very happy with how they cooked. 
 
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BBQ Shrimp Skewers

These easy shrimp skewers are perfect for any night of the week, or great if you want to feed a crowd – simply double or triple the recipe.

Every summer I make a my Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce several times to use over chicken, pulled pork, or whatever I feel like grilling. Last week, I used it on shrimp skewers inspired by an appetizer we had while taking a day trip out East. My husband loved it, and insisted I remake it and share it with you here. It was served with guacamole, and he loved the combination, so I recreated it with my guacamole recipe on the side and he LOVED it (calories below are for shrimp skewers only, guacamole is extra). Super easy, and the BBQ sauce makes enough for several recipes. Of course, if you prefer to buy jarred BBQ, that would work fine also.

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Aloha Teriyaki Shrimp Burgers

If I can't be in paradise, at least I can bring a little paradise to my backyard with these grilled shrimp burgers topped with grilled pineapple and a homemade pineapple teriyaki sauce – just under 300 calories!

It's June and the weather is getting hot out there, which means most of my dinners are being cooked outside on the grill. Last year I created a shrimp jalapeno patty which I modified slightly to come up with this Hawaiian inspired burger. I found making the burgers ahead of time and keeping them refrigerated before grilling helped them maintain their shape perfectly and I had no issues with them sticking to the grill.

They only take a few minutes to grill on each side and you can grill the pineapples at the same time. This recipes makes 8, but if you want to halve it, you can certainly make enough for 4, although I would probably keep the teriyaki sauce as is and use it for another day.

I served these on whole wheat potato buns but you can skip the bun and serve it over lettuce if you wish to go low-carb.

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Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Chopped Salad

Chopped romaine tossed with sweet, juicy watermelon, grilled shrimp and goat cheese and a golden balsamic vinaigrette – I'll be making this salad all summer!!

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you, it's so good I plan on making it again for dinner tonight so my husband gets to try it. I put this together in about 20 minutes, so it's perfect for busy weeknights. The dressing is DEE-LICIOUS, I used DeLallo's golden balsamic vinegar, which is made from white grapes rather than red and has a sweetly rich taste – it's fabulous! They sell it at my local supermarket, or you can buy it online, but if you want to use regular balsamic, that would work fine too.

I love watermelon in my salad, mostly because I'm not much of a tomato lover. A few weeks ago while in the airport headed to Seaside Fl, I stopped to grab a bite at Marcus Samuelsson's new restaurant Uptown Brasserie located at the new JFK Delta terminal 4, and ordered a salad just like this. Eating healthier while traveling is getting so much easier these days, a good thing although they also have a Shake Shack which after seeing the calories on the menu, I opted not to try.

Hope you enjoy this salad, I'll be making this one all summer!

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Canned Tuna Ceviche

Transform ordinary canned tuna into a zesty, flavorful lunch with a Latin flair by adding fresh lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, tomato and avocado – so good!

A high school friend (hi Cynthia!) actually gave me this idea. She had it while vacationing in Guatemala and shared the idea with me when she returned. When I read the email, I thought it was brilliant! It's basically a poor man's ceviche.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good fresh ceviche made raw fish or seafood. It's actually one of my favorite things to eat. I actually shared a recipe here of Ceviche in Cucumber Cups or this ceviche-like Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad. But when you need a quick lunch using pantry ingredients, this is great and it's inexpensive, low-carb, paleo-friendly, dairy-free and gluten-free!

For presentation, I put the ceviche tuna into the can to use as a ring mold, then inverted it onto my plate; completely optional of course! Topped with fresh avocado, this was filling and delicious.

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