Photo by Sara Nash

In my quest to get fit again and boost my overall health, I’ve made a conscious effort to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet, and there is no better time than now to take advantage of all that Summer has to offer. I love scouting out the local farmer’s market to see what’s in season, and when I come home with a bounty full of fresh, healthy foods, I feel like I’ve just struck gold.  The trick is making sure I use them all before they go bad, and making sure that I prepare them in healthy ways. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite recipes here in case anyone is looking for some fresh ideas, or some fresh motivation to eat healthier.

Shrimp tacos with cilantro slaw

For the slaw:

½ head of cabbage, chopped into slivers

1 cup of red onion, diced

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. olive oil

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper to taste

If you have a food processor, you can do all the chopping in that and spare your wrists the effort. Combine the cabbage, onion and cilantro in a large bowl and mix together. Drizzle the olive oil and lime juice over and mix well so that all of the cabbage gets coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let the flavors marry while you prepare the shrimp.

For the tacos:

1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned

1 avocado, sliced

1 tsp. chili powder

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp. olive oil

6 corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350. Squeeze the lime juice over the shrimp and sprinkle with chili powder, then stir lightly.  Spread 1 tsp. of olive oil over the bottom of roasting pan to prevent sticking, then lay the shrimp in a single layer and bake until pink. 

Alternatively, you can sauté the shrimp on a stovetop, or throw them on the grill if you have one!

As soon as the shrimp are ready, grab your tortillas, place a few shrimp inside, followed by the slaw and avocado.  If you really like your food spicy, add some Sriracha sauce on top.

Serves 4-6. Gluten and dairy free.

Pasta Caprese

Ok, this one is pretty standard, but in my opinion, it can’t be beat during the summer when everything is fresh, and it’s so easy to make, it just about cooks itself.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic, diced

Fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn roughly, about ½ cup or to taste

4-5 fresh, ripe tomatoes (I love to use heirloom tomatoes in this recipe!), chopped, and their juices

½ pound fresh mozzarella, cubed

1box of whole wheat or quinoa pasta.  I find that shapes like farfalle or penne work best.

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the pasta per the directions on the box.  While it’s cooking, combine the olive oil, garlic and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add the tomatoes and tomato juice and stir to mix.  Add the basil and mozzarella, but don’t mix quite yet.

Once the pasta is done, drain off the liquid, then pour on top of the mozzarella.  Let it sit for about a minute so that the mozzarella gets a little melty, then mix all of it up.  Add salt and pepper to your liking, then dig in.