Healthy and Light Shrimp Greek Salad

If you’re like me, you have had your fill of heavy holiday foods. So, why not a healthy salad for dinner? This salad is one of my favorites! It’s inviting, flavorful, colorful, crisp and the ingredients add huge amounts of flavor without adding all of the heavy fat and salt. It’s perfect for anytime of the year, but especially now, when you want something light, but don’t want to sacrifice quality or taste. 

Shrimp Greek Salad

Prep: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2  pounds  large shrimp, peeled and deveined and cooked

6  cups  torn romaine lettuce

1 1/2  cups  halved cherry tomatoes

1  cup  (1/4-inch-thick) slices red onion, separated into rings

1  cup  cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1  tablespoon  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3  tablespoons  red wine vinegar

2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard

1  teaspoon  extra-virgin olive oil

3/4  teaspoon  dried oregano

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

2  garlic cloves, minced

1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

8  kalamata olives, pitted and halved

4  pepperoncini peppers

Preparation

1. Place lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and cucumber in a large bowl; toss to combine. Combine parsley and next 7 ingredients (parsley through garlic), stirring with a whisk. Spoon 1 tablespoon dressing over shrimp; toss to combine. Add shrimp mixture and remaining dressing to lettuce mixture; toss gently to coat. Spoon about 2 3/4 cups salad onto each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese, 4 olive halves, and 1 pepperoncini pepper.

Light, Healthy and Speedy Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

I thought I would share another stir-fry recipe I developed for Cooking Light magazine last January for a “Superfast” story. This recipe is so fast that you’re not going to believe it.  It takes literally 6 minutes to cook, start to finish. It’s a complete meal too: lean protein from shrimp, freshness and crunch from bell pepper and snow peas, and Asian flavor from sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce. Need I say more? Oh, by the way, it’s under 7 grams of fat and under 300 calories per serving. 

Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 6 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1  teaspoon dark sesame oil

2  tablespoons bottled minced fresh ginger or grated fresh ginger

3  tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2  tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

2  teaspoons sugar

1  teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1  small red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1  small red onion, cut into 8 wedges

1  cup snow peas, trimmed

1 1/2  pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp

3 t ablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Combine ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and garlic, stirring with a whisk.

3. Add bell pepper and onion to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add snow peas and shrimp; stir-fry 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Add soy sauce mixture, and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.