Shrimp Ceviche

Sometimes I just have a taste for something and eventhough, I know its going to be a stretch, I go for it anyway.  I think the key to ceviche is definitely the cilantro, lime, and in mine the avocado.  So this version was mising all those ingredients.  I had the obvious, the shrimp and I used a fill in of mandarin oranges to give the appetizer another dimension, but still there was a lot of flavor missing.  Dried parsley didnt do much but add color and citrus would have been nice.  I just didnt have the courage to add a splash of lemonade.  So the results were this- it didnt taste anything like ceviche, but that is ok, becasue sometimes a "knockoff" isnt going to work, but shrimp with mango and a touch of tobasco is good, or this  time, I will say, it is good enough.  That said, lets talk nutritional value.  On the good side, shrimp are low in saturated fat, high in calcium, high in iron, selenium, vitamin B12, protein.  On the not so good side, shrimp is high in cholesterol and sodium.  That is why it should be eaten in moderation. Added to my appetizer was mandarin oranges which are high in vitamin A and C. Vitamin A is a Beta carotene that promotes vision, and helps to nuetralize free radicals.  In otherwords, it fights off bad cells in our body.

Ingredients
1 can baby shrimp(rinse with cold water)
1  10oz can mandarin oranges(juice as well)
2 tsp parsley
15 tortilla chips

combine all ingredients except for chips
top chips with a dollop of shrimp and mandarin
serve

Penne Cashew Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

This pesto dish was inspired a bit from Rachael Ray.  I found a cashew pesto recipe of hers on the internet and ofcourse adapted it according to what ingredients I had to work with.  Her dish included tomatoes, and so I added mushrooms and tomatoes.  I was missing fresh parsley, fresh garlic and lemon juice for the pesto, I added garlic powder, dried parsley and black pepper.  The dish came out awesome and I loved it so much I ate the leftovers the next day.    Along with being delicious, it was extremely healthy.  Cashews contain tons of nutrients and the unfortunte myth that they are fattening should be eliminated.  Yes, ofcourse any food eaten in excess can be fattening, but eating a 1/4 cup a few times a week, of cashews aor any nut, does the body good.  First of all cashews contain large amounts of protein, which is building block for our bodies at any age, next and very importanlty the Harvard School of Public Health reports that eating nuts such as cashews may reduce the risk of heart disease because they are monosaturated fats. 

Cashews are also very high in fiber, vitamin B ans selenium which helps in acting as a antioxident.  Also included in this dish are diced tomatoes which are loaded with tons of vitamins and nutrients including lycopenes which is a very powerful antioxident. and mushrooms which provide the highest form of vitamin D of any vegetable and that is essential for teeth and bones.                                                                     

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup cashews

1 tablespoon parsley

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/4 parm cheese

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup canned mushrooms

heat 1 tablespoon in skillet on medium, add tomatoes and mushrooms.  Saute for 5 minutes and add garlic salt.    Cook pasta according to instructions.  Save 1/2 cup pasta water.  In food processor or blender add cashews, olive oil, parsley garlic powder, pepper, parm cheese and pasta water.  Pulse or blend until pesto is smooth and creamy.

In large skillet add pasta and pesto, toss and coat noodles completely with pesto.  Add tomatoes and mushrooms and mix all together.  serve