The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (16 page)

1 pound (455 g) peeled, deveined, cooked small shrimp

1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh-squeezed lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 small jalapeño, seeded

1/4 small red onion 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks

1 navel orange, peeled and diced

1 large, ripe heirloom tomato, diced (if you have time, seed and dice 2 medium tomatoes for a tidier presentation)

3 tablespoons (3 g) chopped fresh cilantro

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and thickly sliced (8 slices)

16 endive spears (or 8 lettuce leaves)

Put the shrimp into a medium glass container and add the lime juice and salt, tossing to coat. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

Put the jalapeño and onion in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop.

Add the cucumber and pulse a few times to chop, turning the contents between pulses to chop evenly. You should have what looks like a chunky relish. Add the cucumber mix to a medium bowl and stir in the orange, tomato, and cilantro. Pour the veggie mix over the shrimp and mix gently to combine. Arrange four endive leaves and two avocado slices on each of four plates. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mix into each endive leaf and serve.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 244 Calories; 10g Fat (35.7% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 173mg Cholesterol; 314mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: Ever wonder what to make for a hot summer night? Something light and nourishing yet easy to throw together? Look no further. Shrimp is one of those great go-to ingredients, easy to make, high in protein, low in calories—and shrimp fits easily into all kinds of dishes. In this case, Chef Jeannette has taken the delicious step of adding peanut butter to the mixture, giving the dish a kind of traditional Thai peanut-sauce flavor that blends just perfectly with the light rice noodles that serve as a base. Just for good measure: a whole bunch of cruciferous vegetables complete with their cancer-fighting indoles and a host of vitamins and minerals. It tastes so good, your family will never even suspect it’s healthy!

8 ounces (225 g) rice noodles, fettuccinestyle (we like Thai Kitchen Stir-Fry Rice Noodles)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) low-sodium tamari

1/4 cup (65 g) natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon (20 g) honey

1 tablespoon (15 ml) rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice (fresh squeezed is best)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 bunch fresh cilantro, divided

1 pound (455 g) frozen cooked shelled medium shrimp, thawed

1 bag (12 ounces or 340 g) slaw veggies (broccoli, cabbage, and carrots)

2 cups (100 g) mung bean sprouts

2/3 cup (97 g) roasted peanuts

Follow the package directions for preparing the rice noodles (usually soaking for 5 to 7 minutes in a large pot of water that’s been boiled and removed from heat, rinsing in cold water, and draining well).

While the noodles are soaking, prepare the dressing. Place the tamari, peanut butter, honey, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, ginger, and 1/3 cup (5 g) cilantro in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, slaw veggies, bean sprouts, rice noodles, and remaining cilantro. Add the dressing to taste and toss well to combine. Garnish with the peanuts.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 620 Calories; 22g Fat (31.0% calories from fat); 43g Protein; 68g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 173mg Cholesterol; 721mg Sodium

Nutrient-Filled Chilled Shrimp Salad

From Dr. Jonny
: I frequently hear complaints from readers about how frustrating it is for them that nutritionists can’t seem to agree on anything. I share their pain. But actually, it’s not 100 percent true that we don’t agree on anything—certain principles we all agree on (more vegetables!) and certain dishes would get a five-star rating from any of us, no matter how much we might disagree on nutritional philosophy. This is one of those dishes. High in protein, low in fat, and absolutely loaded with a wide range of plant antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties courtesy of multicolored vegetables such as zucchini, bell peppers, and cukes, this is a salad everyone will love. The bright, fresh flavors of the herbs bring this crowd-pleaser to life! It’s remarkably low in calories too!

Salad

4 cups (220 g) spring greens mix

1 small zucchini, unpeeled, diced

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced (or 2/3 cup [100 g] prepared diced tricolor peppers)

1 cup (130 g) corn (fresh, cooked, or frozen, thawed)

1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 pint (300 g) cherry tomatoes

1 pound (455 g) chilled medium cooked shrimp, peeled (frozen, thawed are fine)

1/2 avocado, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 cup (80 g) sliced scallions

4 tablespoons (60 ml) high-quality prepared herb vinaigrette, or to taste (we like Seeds of Change Organic Italian Herb Vinaigrette or Organicville Tarragon dijon Organic Vinaigrette)

In a large salad bowl, combine greens mix, zucchini, peppers, corn, cucumber, tomatoes, shrimp, avocado, and scallions. Dress to taste, toss to mix, and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 297 Calories; 14g Fat (42.4% calories from fat); 27g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 173mg Cholesterol; 190mg Sodium

Speedy, Spicy Shrimp over Low-Carb Zucchini “Pasta”

From Dr. Jonny
: You know that old expression about having your cake and eating it, too? That’s how I feel about pasta. I want to control my blood sugar, which I generally do by keeping my carb intake reasonably low, but I want my pasta, too. Solution? Come up with pasta “substitutes” that are lower in carbs and just as satisfying in the taste and texture department. (Or use Barilla Plus pasta with lots of vegetables, another solution we’ve used in this book.) Here Chef Jeannette has devised a “faux” pasta made of low-calorie, high-nutrient zucchini and combined it with antioxidant-rich tomatoes and high-protein shrimp in a relatively low-calorie dish that satisfies. Bonus points for the fabulous superspice turmeric, one of the most anti-inflammatory compounds on the planet!

2 medium zucchini, stemmed

1 tablespoon (15 ml) plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons prepared minced garlic (or 2 small cloves, minced)

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 can (14.5 ounces or 413 g) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 pounds (710 g) raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (fresh or frozen, thawed)

Using the grating attachment on your food processor, shred the zucchini (this is easiest if you slice them in half lengthwise and feed the halves through the opening). Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the shredded zucchini. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper, cover, and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, stir, and test for tenderness. If the zucchini is very juicy, drain and discard extra liquids. Continue cooking for another minute or so until tender, if required.

While the zucchini is cooking, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium. Add all the spices from cumin through cardamom and sauté for 1 minute or until very fragrant.

Stir in the tomatoes and shrimp, and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through. Serve the shrimp over the squash “pasta.”