Tag Archives: healthy recipes

Shrimp + Rice + Veggie Cabbage Wraps

I am so excited!

WORDS

Because these wraps are seriously the best ever!

rice

This idea started at market on Sunday. I asked a fellow market worker what she was going to do with the cabbage that we were both taking home. I had originally planned on making a batch of slaw to have throughout the week. She said that she wasn’t sure what she’d do with hers, but she usually uses cabbage leaves as wraps.

I thought about that for a little and as I was looking over what I got at market, this idea began to develop.

cabbage

Then I made carrot and cucumber salad. And then I thought that would go perfect in my little wraps. And then, I read about this new-to-me way to prepare shrimp. And then I saw a bag of rice sitting in the pantry.

ingredients

The idea was complete, now I just needed to execute it.

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Let’s talk about this.

salad

The carrot and cucumber salad is, like I said yesterday, wonderful on its own, but in these wraps, it is just perfect. You could put any veggies in these wraps, but I do really suggest the carrot + cucumber peanut salad.

wrap

The shrimp. I always prepare shrimp the same way. I usually cook them in a little olive oil on the stove on high heat. I read this new method in Martha Stewart Living magazine and it intrigued me. I wanted to branch out my shrimp cooking methods and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity. The simple steaming method is just perfect for these wraps. It is unbelievable how much amazing flavor shrimp have when they are cooked with nothing else. You have got to try this method (described below in the recipe).

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I blanched the cabbage leaves for this recipe. Blanching the cabbage is super easy and turns out perfect to act as wraps. The leaves get soft but still retain a bit of stiffness and roll perfectly around the rice, shrimp and veggies. And, I noticed that once rolled, the leaves kind of stick together, keeping everything rolled very tight. It’s perfect!

wrap1

These wraps have a sweetness from the shrimp, an earthiness from the rice, a crunch and freshness from the veggies and cabbage. They are a wonderful summer meal, but we liked these so much that I can see us eating them all year long. Greg said last night, after eating five of these, that he thinks he may want these at least once a week now. I can deal with that! 🙂

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If you are looking for something light and healthy, that will make you feel great after eating, something summery and refreshing and something so delicious that you will be dreaming about it, this is it. I hope that you enjoy these cabbage wraps as much as I did.

Ingredients
Cabbage, 1 leaf per wrap
Rice, I cooked one cup of rice
Shrimp, in shells, plan for about 2 per wrap
This carrot + cucumber peanut salad

Cook the rice. Have the carrot + cucumber peanut salad ready. Click the link above for the recipe.

To cook the shrimp: Bring about 1 inch of water to boil in a large saucepan. Once the water is boiling, add the shrimp (in shell) to the pan. Turn off the heat, put a lid on the saucepan and let sit for three minutes. After three minutes, the shrimp will be cooked through. Drain and let the shrimp cool.

Once cool, peel and devein the shrimp. To devein shrimp, I simply cut a line down the back of the shrimp and use a toothpick to remove the waste. Rinse the shrimp once it is deveined and cut each shrimp in half.

To blanch the cabbage: Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the cabbage leaves into the boiling water and blanch for about 1 minute. Remove the leaves and place into the ice water. I did two leaves at a time, but you may do more depending on the size of your pot. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels.

To assemble the wraps, place a blanched cabbage leaf flat on a plate. Place a couple of spoonfuls of rice in the center. Place a couple of pieces of shrimp on top of the rice. Finish it with a spoonful of the carrot cucumber salad. Fold over the bottom edge of the leaf and then fold in one of the sides. Begin rolling and tucking in the other side as you roll. It should stay together well while you are eating.

Notes:
-If you don’t want to cook/peel/devein your own shrimp, do it your own way and skip the section on shrimp above. Any shrimp would be great in this.
-Our wraps stayed together well, so if you roll in right, yours should too. One was overstuffed and did fall apart a bit, but they generally should stay together very well.

Summertime Pasta Salad

Another cool salad for these hot summer days.

caul

And this pasta is so, so good. And, I just realized, it’s not actually summer yet. This is still summertime pasta salad. 🙂

all

My mom has always made a pasta salad that I like. She uses Italian dressing and salad supreme. I have always enjoyed it. It kind of reminds me of more “traditional” pasta salad compared to this one.

noodles

This idea came from Greg’s mom. Last summer she made some amazing pasta salad with this Gazebo Room Greek dressing on it. I loved it. So did Greg. We made it several times on our own that summer.

dressing

I have made this pasta salad  three times in the last two weeks. It is that good.

pour

I don’t know what it is about the dressing. It just has the perfect taste. It’s flavorful but not overly Greek-y. Sometimes Greek dressing can be very strong, but this one is just enough.

salad

And for noodles, any noodle can work in this! Use what you love. We have made it with these spinach linguine noodles, with spiral noodles and, this time, with whole wheat chiocciole noodles (which I also used in this pasta). It has been good with every single noodle we’ve tried.

salad1

Same with veggies. Add what you like. Add a lot or add a little. In this one I used cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and corn. Also good in this is cucumber and black beans. You have got to try  those too (I just didn’t have them).

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Also, cheese. Try cheese. I didn’t have it on hand, so I left it out this time. It’s just as good without, but cheese is never a bad decision. I would suggest mozzarella, any kind of cubed cheddar or feta. But try any that you like!

pasta6

It’s delicious, simple and completely customizable. Pick your favorite noodle, pick your favorite veggies and pick your favorite cheese. Use this Greek dressing. If your store doesn’t have this brand, I would just try another one. I just know that I love using this one for this noodle salad.

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Boil noodles, mix in veggies, pour on dressing, stir well and enjoy! Delicious food can be that simple.

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Ingredients
1 pound of noodles (I used chiocciole noodles)
1 bottle of Gazebo Room Greek salad dressing and marinade 
2 cups of cauliflower, chopped small
2 cups of broccoli, chopped small
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
Other ideas: chopped cucumber, black beans, cheese, or any veggie that you love (I would love to hear what you would use!)

Chop all of your veggies. I chop the veggies very small for this pasta salad. Use cauliflower, broccoli, tomato, corn, cucumber or any other veggie that you love. Also chop or prepare the cheese, if using.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook noodles according to directions on package. Rinse the pasta with cold water when it’s done cooking so that it won’t be sticky in the salad.

Add the noodles and the chopped veggies (and the cheese, if using) to a very large bowl. Start with once cup of the dressing and give everything a very good stir. If it seems like it needs more, add more dressing until you are satisfied with the taste and “wetness” of the salad. A lot of times pasta salad will dry out as it sits in the refrigerator so it is nice to have some dressing left over to add when you are ready to serve it.

Serve cold and enjoy!

Notes:
-This makes excellent leftovers. Like I said above, if it seems like it needs more dressing after a day or two, add more right before serving. The amount of dressing you use will vary depending on the type of noodle you use, the amount of veggies and how long you have it as leftovers.