Mediterranean Roasted Garlic Shrimp Salad with Lemon and Herb Dressing

There is no better season for a scrumptious, succulent, dinner salad than summer!  Granted, after you try making satisfying dinner salads, you certainly can (and will want!) to make them year round changing up the seasonal ingredients.  This Mediterranean Roasted Garlic Shrimp Salad and Lemon & Herb Dressing were inspired by my one of my local farmer's markets.  Almost all ingredients are local and organic, and from one shopping trip on a sunny Wed. afternoon.  This particular trip I saw, smelled and gently felt the flesh of  juicy, yellow, heirloom tomatoes.  I made a new discovery of a jumbo, rather phallic looking, sweet, crunchy, Asian cucumber.  I held firm earthy, mini yukon gold potatoes pleading to be roasted in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, dried dill, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and red pepper flakes, I scoped out the local fishmonger vendor, and saw plump, extra large shrimp so fresh, frozen upon being caught on the boat.  Despite their frozen state, they almost jumped into my insulated, tote bag.  If you can find local and fresh young garlic, get it immediately!  Quite simply it is amazing!  It yearned to be roasted with my shrimp and potatoes.

One secret in making a fabulous dinner salad with a short cut is purchase pre-washed and bagged lettuce from a farm vendor.  It really has been washed and dried,  often the day of your purchase, making it a stellar value in time saving.  As someone with a high sensitivity/allergies to conventional sprays/pesticides, it is especially important when eating raw produce that they are as clean as possible.  If you cannot afford to buy all organic produce, chose your raw fruits and veggies with thin or no protective skin.  The secret is if the fruit/veg is very protected, like pineapple and avacado, you can get away with conventional if need be.  Thinner skinned fruit/veg, especially red berries, tomatoes, and stone fruits (like peaches) absorb the dozens of chemicals all the way through.  So, merely rinsing them does not cut it, and cooking them does not make the toxins go away.  I believe every body is a sacred temple, and what you put in should be as pure as possible.     Hopefully, this has opened your eyes to the fact that dinner salads can be healthful, decedent, and soul satisfying.  How did I make and put together this savory meal?

Mediterranean Roasted Garlic Shrimp Salad:

approx. 3/4 lb. Shrimp (I use 4 to 6 per person depending on size of shrimp)
3-4 handfuls of small yukon potatoes (or equiv. if they are bigger, can sub. red bliss or other variety)
1 head of fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lg. Asian Cucumber (or three pickling cukes have similar sweetness)
1/2 pckg of pre-washed lettuce (I used a mixed bag, but one type would work too)
1 lg heirloom tomato (any color, or other ripe tomato)
1  tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for cooking shrimp
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for cooking potatoes

Secret tip! : roast potatoes first, or  in advance (they can be warmed after being stored in fridge)as they take the longest. preheat oven 400, cut potatoes into quarters, or smaller if desired.  Make sure what ever size you chose is the same throughout for even cooking time.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent stick.  Spread potatoes evenly on baking sheet (should not be stacked on each other).  Drizzle with EVOO (2 tbsp), 1 1/2 tsp sea salt (or kosher salt), 1/2 fresh cracked pepper, red pepper flake, dried dill, roughly chopped garlic (peeled and chopped 3 to 4 cloves) toss gently with hands so evenly coated.  Into oven about 45 min. to an hour depending on oven and size of potato pieces.  Should be lightly golden brown and fork tender when done.  Check at 30 min. and turn potatoes with a spatula.

Preheat oven 350 for shrimp.  Peel and devain shimp if not already done. Using a paring knife, remove the intestine/sand vein (black ribbon like structure) Rinse with cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Place in bowl and drizzle with EVOO, sea salt (kosher ok), and few grinds of freshly cracked pepper, add in 4 cloves of freshly chopped garlic, mix in a bowl, and let sit for 15-20 min in the fridge for the flavors to merge together, then pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Roast in 350 F. oven for about 5 min. per side (depends on oven).  They will look pinkish when done.  Do not over cook, or they will get rubbery.If you do not eat fish because you are vegan or vegetarian, you could prep portobello mushooms in place of shrimp in the same manner as described. In this case, figure one portobello muschroom top (gills removed with a spoon) per person.

Rinse, peel, and slice or dice Asian Cucumber, or pickling cucumbers set aside
Rinse, slice, or dice heirloom tomato, set aside

Lemon and Herb Dressing:
2 tbsp. EVOO
1/2 fresh lemon juiced, if lemon is small may want to juice the whole)
1 tsp. whole grain mustard
1 tsp. agave nectar (yup...sweetener from a cactus, does not spike blood sugar levels and dissolves well!)
1 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp dried oregano (optional, I have made this dressing with and without it)
sprinkle of salt and pepper

combine all of these dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk well, taste test it to make sure it has the right balance of tango to sweet to salt etc.  Not salty enough, add a sprinkle more, not sweet enough drizzle another little squeeze of agave, etc.  when pleased, set aside *note if you cannot find agave you may use honey, but I strongly suggest you try agave before passing judgements.  It is sweeter than sugar or honey, which is why you get to use less of it, and it is more liquidy than honey, aka dissolves better.

Assembly

In a large bowl combine lettuce, cucumber, and potato.  Drizzle over dressing and toss gently.  Divide onto plate and place shrimp and slice tomato on top.  If there is left over dressing at bottom of mixing bowl lightly spoon a little over the tomatoes and shrimp.  Enjoy your bliss food!

Luscious Rose & Cardamom Scented Peach Pie

There are few pleasures in life as tasty as a seasonal, organic, fruit pie!  During a trip to my local Farmer's Market, I saw beautiful yellow peaches beckoning to be baked into something luscious.  Inspired by their wafting peachy fragrance, I selected about 10 lovely peaches, and was determined to make a peach pie from scratch.  That's right!  No store bought pie crust.  Due to my lactose intolerance, I was set on creating a killer dairy free crust.  One of my secrets to making baked fruit extra special, is to use a splash of rose or orange blossom water.  As it is strong, like using an extract, a small amount goes a long way.  You want to aim for scented and exotic ,not soapy and toxic.  Another secret of mine is to use a warm spice.  Most people would immediately go for the cinnamon, which I do love.  However, if you want to be extra special and bring out the rose water, cardamom is an excellent choice.  It has similar qualities to cinnamon, but its notes are a bit more floral than earthy.  Many Middle Eastern treats use flower water and cardamom.  These flavors just love each other!  If only world peace was as simple as sharing blissful food!  I digress...How to make my Luscious Rose and Cardamom Scented Peach Pie....

Filling:
10 to 12 ripe peaches (pitted, sliced and skinned)
1 1/2 tsp rose water (or orange blossom)
1 tsp ground cardamom
3 tbsp cornstarch (this thickens the juices)
1/2 fresh lemon juiced (prevents peaches from browning)
1/2 cup organic cane sugar

If the peaches are uber ripe, you can slice them and peel the skin with your fingers as I did.  If they are not super ripe, you can blanch the peaches in boiling water for a couple minutes cooling them in an ice water bath, then peel and then slice.  In a large bowl, combine peach slices, rose water, cardamom, cornstarch, lemon juice (careful to catch seeds), and sugar.  Mix well and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to sit in fridge min. two hours.

Sweet Crust: (makes bottom and top) ~  Preheat Oven for 350 F.
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Stick
1/2 cup Earth Balance Vegetable Shortening
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp. organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup ice water
1 egg (optional egg wash for color just before going in the oven...if making vegan leave out egg)

Cut Earth Balance Buttery Stick into cubes, cut Earth Balance Vegetable Shortening into cubes.  Combine these into a bowl and place in the freezer a few minutes. Sift flour, salt, sugar, and cardamom (if using) into a bowl and also pop in the freezer a few minutes.  The secret to amazingly flaky and tender pie crust is to use cold ingredients.  Once everything is chilled (not frozen, but cold...about ten to fifteen min will do), using hands or a pastry cutter mix the Earth Balance cubes into the dry mixture until mixture is lumpy about the size of peas.  Next, slowly add ice water about 1 tbsp at a time until dough is fairly smooth/able to form a ball.  Divide dough in half and wrap each half (ball of dough) in plastic wrap.  Chill dough for a min. of 30 min. Can keep a few days if you wish to prep dough in advance.  When well chilled, lightly flour a board or flat surface (I used my kitchen table), unwrap one ball of dough and roll it out in a circle a little bigger in diameter than the pie dish. Drape rolled out crust on rolling pin and use it to gently place the dough into the baking dish. This is where one would say, time to blind bake!  Blind baking is when you gently bake the bottom crust with pie weights or dried beans so that it remains crisp once the filling is added.  In this case, about 15 min. @ 350 F.  *note make sure to piece the dough with a fork to let air out while blind baking.  If you wish to skip this step, the pie will still be tasty, but the bottom will not be crisp.  After blind baking is complete, allow to cool and add filling.  Secret spooning tip: When I add the filling, I use a slotted spoon so that extra liquid  will not make the pie soggy.  Roll out other dough ball (top crust), and use the rolling pin to place the dough over the top. Crimp the top crust to the bottom crust, sealing in the filling.  Optional egg wash time!  Crack one egg and use a fork to whisk it well.  Apply with a pastry brush.  Using a paring knife, cut small vents in the center of the pie for the steam to escape, and to prevent the pie from exploding. I made sort of a star/sun pattern.  Bake for about an hour (ovens can varry) at 350 F. allow to cool and then enjoy plain, or with frozen yogurt,Soyatoo (excellent non-dairy whipped topping), or icecream of choice.  Let me know what you think!  I promise more recipes to come soon :)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

HEALTHFUL AND DECADENT RECIPES AND SECRETS TO COME...