garden lettuce wraps with shrimp

I've made these twice in the past 2 weeks. They are fun, a good thing to share with friends, really healthy, and so so good. It does require some chopping and a teensy bit of sauteeing, but other than that there's nothing to these! Change up the ingredients if you'd like, but I'll share what I put in mine.

What I used:

-Bibb lettuce (iceberg might work as well)

-shrimp

-red pepper, thinly sliced

-chives

-cilantro

-cucumber, thinly sliced

-carrots, thinly sliced

-portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced and sauteed

-lime wedges

-edamame (for appetizer)

-Soy Vay Island Teriyaki (from whole foods. it's like soy sauce, but much better...with ginger, sesame seeds, and other goodness)

How to prepare lettuce wraps:

Chop and organize all your vegetables into little bowls or dishes.

Saute portabello mushrooms (and red bell pepper if you'd like) in a couple teaspoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes.

Add shrimp to bowl and pour some Soy Vay sauce on shrimp (about 3 Tbs). Sprinkle a small handfull of chives over shrimp. Sautee over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring/flipping shrimp gently until shrimp are cooked through.

Assemble lettuce wraps any way you like. I like lettuce, shrimp, all the vegetables you want, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

mmm!

enjoy!

"Not-too-bad-for-you" Spinach Artichoke Dip

So I know I've been talking about light, summery things like watermelon and snow cones and salads. Spinach Artichoke Dip and watermelon? gross. don't do it. So this is probably not what you'll make all summer, but it is what you'd make if you were part of the "Winston Salem Contingent".  haha. My wonderful friend Laura's dad is an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins...who just happen to be playing in the Stanley Cup finals. :) So what have I been doing every other night for several weeks/months? Watching hockey with several other dedicated fans (and we now have a gang name..the WSC...winston salem contingent. we're pretty serious. and dorky. and half joking. anyways.) Spinach Artichoke dip goes well with hockey. not snow cones.

I looked for lots of different spinach artichoke dip recipes, all of which had mayonaise, sour cream, cream cheese, or a mixture of all of the above. I decided to make up my own recipe. It's much lighter, but still really flavorful. Totally delicious! Game 5 is tomorrow night, game 6 is Monday night, and if it goes to game 7, that'll be Wednesday night. Form a contingent. Make this dip.

Go Bruins!!!

What you'll need:
-a food processor (or a good chopping hand)
-about 4 cups spinach (frozen or fresh, well chopped if not going in a food processor)
-1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
-4 cloves garlic
-1 cup grated parmesan cheese
-juice of half a lemon
-sea salt
-pepper
-dash of red pepper flakes
-1 cup 0% fat greek yogurt (I used fage brand)

What you do:
Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients in food proccessor and pulse until well blended. Spread into baking dish. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot. Get your game face on.

i can hardly take myself seriously right now... :) omg. but seriously...GO BRUINS!