Wednesday, August 10, 2011

10 Point Lunch and a Half- Shrimp, Pico de Gallo, Kabocha



Today's ten point lunch is so filling it's really more like a lunch and a half. Left over from last night, lima beans sauteed with vegetarian chorizo and cilantro, pico de gallo, baked kabocha squash, and shrimp sauteed with garlic and olive oil make for a high-protein, filling meal-plus. In fact, I couldn't finish it for lunch and it will double as a substantial afternoon snack. Kabocha squash is super-easy to prepare -- just bake it. It is very dense and slightly sweet, and you can eat the peel, which makes it far less work than any other winter squash.



Here are (roughly) the recipes:



Simple Shrimp


Get a bag of easy-peel frozen shrimp from whole foods. Defrost them by running cold water over them in a strainer, and peel off the shells. Sprinkle on a little salt. These are great because they are already deveined and really easy to peel. In fact, these are exactly the same shrimp that Whole Foods sells at their seafood counter as fresh. In general, shrimp are OK to get frozen because unless they are reaching your seafood counter within a day from being caught, they have probably been frozen and defrosted.


Heat one tbsp olive oil/butter in a skillet, and throw in a clove or two of chopped garlic. Let it cook for about a minute, then add the shrimp. Toss them about as they cook. Shrimp cook very fast -- they are done when they have turned pink and are white inside. To avoid overcooking, put them in a bowl when they are done, don't leave them in the hot skillet.


Baked Kabocha



Heat oven to 440 degrees. Put in your kabocha squash on a baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes, until you can poke a fork in easily. Slice into thick wedges.



Mexican Lima Beans



Sautee 3-4 inches of soyrizo in a little olive oil for about three minutes. Add half a bag of frozen lima beans and a cup of water. Let it cook until the water pretty much evaporates. Throw in chopped cilantro to taste.



Pico de Gallo



In the proportions you prefer, mix together chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice and salt.



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