Today's Recipe - Garlic Shrimp Salad

Today's Recipe
If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...
Enjoy this delicious shrimp salad as part of your Healthiest Way of Eating. It makes a great light meal on its own, or you can serve it as a side salad to a larger meal.
Garlic Shrimp Salad
Prep and Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:

• 4 medium cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 lb medium-sized cooked shrimp, best bought still frozen
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces, discarding bottom fourth
• 3 TBS vegetable broth
• 1 fresh tomato, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 TBS chopped fresh parsley (or 3 tsp dried parsley if fresh not available)
• small head of romaine lettuce, chopped
• *optional 2 oz crumbled goat cheese
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 
  
• Dressing
• 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBS Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out its hidden health benefits.
2. Make sure shrimp is completely thawed and patted dry with a paper towel, or it will dilute the flavor of the salad.
3. Add broth to medium skillet and after it has heated up, Healthy Sauté asparagus for 5 minutes.
4. Whisk together lemon, oil, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss shrimp, asparagus, parsley, and tomato with dressing and herbs. Allow shrimp salad to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
5. Discard outer leaves of lettuce head, rinse, dry, and chop. Serve shrimp mixture on bed of lettuce and top with crumbled goat cheese, if desired.

Serves 4 Printer Friendly Version of Garlic Shrimp Salad
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Garlic Shrimp Salad
Healthy Food Tip

How can I get more lycopene in my diet?

Lycopene is a member of the carotenoid family of phytonutrients and is one of the natural pigments responsible for the deep red color of fruits such as tomatoes, apricots, papayas, guava, watermelon, and pink grapefruit. Studies have found that added intake of lycopene and lycopene-rich foods can help reduce the risk of heart disease among women and help protect men from prostate cancer and atherosclerosis. The health benefits of this nutrient are primarily related to its antioxidant activity. In fact, laboratory experiments indicate that lycopene may be a more effective antioxidant in certain ways than other carotenoids, including beta-carotene.
It is clear that foods containing lycopene can make an important contribution to your health. Below are several suggestions for meals, side dishes and snacks packed with lycopene:

• Make it a habit to add fresh tomatoes or grapefruit sections to your green salads.
• When you eat pasta, use marinara sauce instead of an Alfredo sauce. You'll reduce the amount of saturated fat in your meal, and you'll increase your lycopene intake.
• Instead of a green salad, serve a refreshing tomato-based salad such as a Mediterranean salad with tomatoes, olives, garlic, and feta cheese, or a tomato-cucumber salad.
• Make a quick salsa using chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, and chili peppers. Serve with chips as a snack, or as part of a Southwestern meal.
• Serve apricots (fresh or dried) on hot cereal.
• For a change from your morning orange juice, occasionally try grapefruit juice or guava juice.
• Watermelon is a delicious summer treat, either as a snack or as an accompaniment to a summer meal.