Fresh Seafood Lettuce Wrap Recipes

February 28th, 2019

By Betha Merit King

As sea life perks up from the winter water cool down, March is a good month for black drum, speckled trout, redfish and more. With fresh ingredients, you can make magical combinations that are healthy and interesting.

Gulf coast shrimp is arguably the most flavorful in the world, and many people’s favorite shellfish. Below are two colorful recipes which will intrigue your palate and delight your family or guests.

shrimp lettuce wrap Fresh Seafood Lettuce Wrap Recipes

Fresh Chili-Lime Gulf Shrimp Romaine Wraps

  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro.
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Romaine lettuce, for serving
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yoghurt

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, stir together shrimp, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until combined, then let marinate in the fridge 10 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add shrimp and marinade, cook until pink, 2 minutes per side.

Assemble wraps: Add shrimp and avocado to lettuce, drizzle with sour cream/Greek yoghurt.

Pairs well with your favorite beer,  or sauvignon blanc.

fish lettuce wrap Fresh Seafood Lettuce Wrap Recipes

Fresh Fish Lettuce Wraps with Mango Salsa

MANGO SALSA

  • 1 ripe mango, diced into small pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons of red onion, minced
  • 2 mini red bell peppers, chopped small
  • 1 Tablespoon jalapeño pepper, minced
  • 1-2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • juice of one lemon.

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl, gently. Salsa is best made ahead, and chilled for an hour or so for flavors to meld together.

FISH INGREDIENTS

  • 12-16 ounces fresh catch filets of your choice (salmon works well too)
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter if sautéing
  • salt and pepper to taste.

DIRECTIONS

Grill on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily. If sautéing, cook for similar time, turning once half way through. Let fish cool for a few minutes before assembling, tearing fish into bite size pieces.

EXTRAS

  • 1/2-1 avocado chopped
  • 1 to 2 heads Butter or Romain lettuce leaves, rinsed, drained, and dried.

ASSEMBLING

Place desired amount of fish onto a lettuce leaf, top with salsa, avocado, and more cilantro as garnish, if desired.

Pairs well with a vinho verde or pinot grigio.

Healthy One Pot Meal Recipes

January 1st, 2019

By Betha Merit King

After the holidays it’s nice to have some lower calorie meals to help us get back in shape and shave off some pounds. Luckily for me, I have a birthday in December, too. Knowing my happy exploration into one pot meals, I was gifted with the latest and greatest kitchen helper: an Instant Pot.

The Instant Pot cooks meals in less time by utilizing pressure cooker technology. Doing research, it is obvious there is a long future of fabulous discoveries to be made. For this article, we’ll touch on two pasta dishes, that are vegetarian. For meat lovers, you can serve baked fish or chicken breasts or lean pork tenderloin, cooked separately.  There are a thousand more recipes that include meat, desserts, sauces, dips, and side dishes. The possibilities appear endless.

one pot Healthy One Pot Meal Recipes

Veggie Walnut Pesto Pasta

  • 4 cups water
  • 8 ounces whole-wheat rotini pasta
  • 1/2 cup lentils
  • 1 8-10 ounce jar of prepared Walnut Pesto
  • 1/2 cup baby arugula chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 or more grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper.

Pour 4 cups water into Instant Pot, add the pasta and lentils, stir well to submerge for even cooking. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to  Sealing. Select Pressure Cook to cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then move the steam release valve to Venting to release any residual pressure.

When the floating valve drops, remove the lid and press Cancel to stop the cooking cycle. Use oven mitts to remove the pot and drain the pasta and lentils in a fine-mesh sieve. Rinse with cold water. Dry the pot and clean anything off the sides and bottom, and return it to the Instant Pot.

Press Sauté and add olive oil to pot. Once the oil is hot, add tomatoes, zucchini, and artichoke hearts. Stir until softened (5 min.). Add the drained pasta and lentils chopped arugula and pesto sauce, tossing well to coat. Stir in Parmesan and pepper to taste.

pasta recipe Healthy One Pot Meal Recipes

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

  • 1 pound whole-wheat or regular macaroni
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1-2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 pound fresh or frozen cauliflower florets
  • 4-8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • parsley and pepper for garnish.

Pour pasta into the Instant Pot and add 4 cups water, soy sauce, mustard and salt. Stir well to combine, then add cauliflower on top without stirring so the cauliflower layers completely cover the pasta. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.

When cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release 10 minutes, then move the steam release valve to Venting to release residual pressure.

When floating valve drops, remove the lid and stir the pasta well, breaking up any pasta that has stuck together or to bottom (which is normal). Use your spoon to mash any intact cauliflower florets against the side of pot to help them dissolve into the pasta sauce. They will be hidden as part of the sauce.

Add the Cheddar and Parmesan and stir well. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Healthy New Year Recipes

January 3rd, 2017

By Betha Merit

few years back, I realized that new year’s resolutions were effective for me when adding something to my life, rather than taking away. So, instead of a plan to cut out cheeseburgers and chicken fried steak and doughnuts, let’s add veggies! And, let’s narrow it down to a group of veggies called brassica vegetables.

Brassica veggies are commonly referred to as cruciferous, so that puts us on the right trail. Broccoli, radishes, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and many of the wonderful but unidentified veggies in your Chinese take-out are on this list. They are known for their disease-fighting substances and are low in calories, fat, and sodium. A good source of fiber, they contain a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, and there’s more.

They also contain phytochemicals, which occur naturally in plants and have a variety of health benefits for our bodies. One of the best-known benefits in brassica is their apparent cancer-fighting properties. These vegetables contain sulfur-rich compounds knowns as glucosinolates, which explains their characteristic bitter taste and pungent smell. Studies have shown that consumption of brassicas could reduce the risk for multiple types of cancer. Boiling these vegetables can reduce the compounds that give this healthy effect, but steaming, microwaving, and stir frying don’t appear to do so.

An internet search for brassica or cruciferous vegetables will delight you with colorful images and recipes to encourage you in your add-brassica-veggies new year’s resolution. The following list is a good start:

Brassica Vegetables

  • Arugula
  • Bok choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Chinese cabbage
  • Collard greens
  • Daikon radish
  • Horseradish
  • Kale
  • Kohlrabi
  • Land cress
  • Mustard greens
  • Radish
  • Rutabaga
  • Shepherd’s purse
  • Turnip
  • Watercress
veggie stir fry Healthy New Year Recipes

Spicy Brassica Veggie Coconut Stir-fry

  • 2 TBSP coconut oil
  • 2 eggs, beaten (or substitute one chicken breast, cubed)
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 3/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 cup small slices or pieces of broccoli and cauliflower (or brassica vegetables of your choice)
  • 1 medium bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves shredded
  • 1/4 Tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice
  • 1 TBSP soy sauce
  • 2 TBSP Sriracha
  • 1 lime, halved and fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Pour in the eggs and cook until lightly scrambled (or cook chicken pieces for about 3-5 minutes until no longer pink). Transfer the eggs (or chicken) to a large empty bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and cook the garlic, green onions and brassica vegetables until tender, stirring frequently. Add the kale and salt. Continue to cook until the kale is wilted and tender, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to your bowl of eggs (or chicken).

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Pour in the coconut flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the flakes are golden. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is hot, about 3 minutes.

Pour the contents of the bowl back into the pan. Add the soy sauce, sriracha and juice of 1/2 lime. Stir to combine.

Slice the remaining 1/2 lime into wedges, then divide the stir-fry into individual bowls. Garnish with wedges of lime and a sprinkling of torn cilantro leaves. Offer red pepper flakes and extra sriracha.

Parmesan Cauliflower Healthy New Year Recipes

Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower

  • 1 small head of fresh cauliflower (or any brassica veggie of your choice)
  • 2 -3 TBSP olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • fresh baby arugula for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the cauliflower into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut those slices into smaller bites. Combine olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss cauliflower slices in the olive oil mixture to coat. Spread cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally in order to brown evenly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven to allow the Parmesan cheese to brown, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with baby arugula surrounding the plate.

Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine