Lemon zested shrimp salad

Here is a lovely dish for late summer. Refreshing, easy and full of wonderful veggies and if you are lucky to live near (or near enough) the coast, local shrimp! This recipe was found in Cook.ing Lig.ht 2010 and modified by me.

Lemon zested shrimp salad

12 oz multi-color corkscrew pasta

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

1 clove garlic, mashed

lemon juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch of salt

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

3/4 cup sliced celery

1 avocado, chopped *

1 pablano pepper, seeded and chopped

2 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped

2 TBS grated lemon rind

3 TBS fresh lemon juice

5 - 6 TBS Extra virgin olive oil

salt/ pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain again.

2. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil. While skillet heats, drizzle the lemon juice from the lemon half over shrimp then sprinkle with a bit of salt. Add shrimp to skillet and saute 2 minutes on each side. Add mashed garlic during the last minute of cooking, giving a nice stir around just before removing shrimp from pan. Let shrimp cool a little bit.

3. Combine pasta, tomatoes and remaining ingredients through cilantro.

4. Mix together olive oil, lemon ride and juice, salt/ pepper. Stir with a whisk until combined.

5. Add shrimp to pasta mix and drizzle dressing over salad, stirring to coat.

* Because avocado turns funky in a short time, I tend to leave it out and add to individual salads just before serving. This keeps any leftovers from having icky looking avocado to pick out.

Scallops with spinach and olives

I love eating and cooking scallops because they taste delicious and cook up FAST! If you need a fast yet good for you meal, this is a great one to try. I buy frozen scallops for menu planning convenience but fresh would be super tasty and make the meal even fast to prepare.

Scallops with spinach and olives (modified from cooking light magazine)

1 1/2 pounds seas scallops, rinsed

1/2 tsp salt (or less)

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 cup dry vermouth

2 TBS fresh chopped parsley

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

2 - 3 TBS butter

1/4 cup chopped green olives OR capers

1 pkg baby spinach

12 oz cooked spaghetti pasta

1. Heat large cast-iron skillet over med-high heat. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 TBS oil to skillet, swirl to coat. Add scallops and cook 2-1/2 minutes on each side until browned and done. Remove from pan, keep warm.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped garlic. Cook 10 seconds. Add vermouth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes until liquid is reduced by about half. Remove from heat. Add parsley, fresh lemon juice, butter and olives, stirring until butter melts. Add in scallops.

3. Heat small amount of oil in skillet over medium-high heat and add spinach. Saute 30 seconds or so until wilted. Serve scallops with sauce over pasta and spinach.