Best Salad Dressing, Ever.

 

I realize this title is a very bold claim. 

Let me rephrase this: if you like a hint of sweet and a punch of heat, if you are trying to get away from consuming fatty oils, if you are looking for a fat-free, sugar-free, practically carb-free salad dressing that you can make yourself... then yes, this is the best salad dressing ever. 

I came across the recipe last summer from Our Best Bites blog. It was a water-vinegar based marinade tossed with cucumbers, red pepper flakes and red onion. I made it as such, then put it on a bed of spinach leaves and paired it with simple chicken kabobs. It made for a wonderfully simple, delicious and nutritious dish!

Fast forward to now and I have my monthly girls-night-in cooking group. With swim suit season officially here, we decided to go with some light favorites with leafy greens and grilled lean proteins. I volunteered to contribute the salad and thought I would use this marinade as a salad dressing. Making a small edit to the original, I nixed the sugar and added a splash of red wine vinegar to the mix instead. Combining a plethora of baby greens, I added this cucumber and sweet/spicy "dressing" with avocado and feta cheese. We served it with chicken and shrimp skewers, the result was fantastic.

This week, I wanted to re-make that salad for Mr. Max in our weekly meal plan, but planned to take another past recipe that we loved and do a little recipe mash-up. For this dish I re-did the skinny Bangin' Good Shrimp originally acquired from Gina over at Skinnytaste. I made some very slight adjustments to her recipe the first time, mainly subbing the mayonnaise for Greek Yogurt to cut down on excess calories and fats, a wonderful result.

The two together were fantastic, it was perfect for a light week night meal, but definitely have a glass of water handy. The nutritional facts for the dressing alone can be found here; this is for a full 4 servings of the dressing, 1 serving would look more like this! The nutrition facts for the whole meal can be found here, both calculated by SparkRecipes.com.The meal combo is low in fat, calories, carbs, high in protein and fiber! Try this salad combo out, or make the dressing alone for your next summer salad and let me know how you like it!

Grocery List:
Recipe amount yields 3-4 servings

For Salad
*denotes ingredients used for dressing only

• *1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• *1/4 cup water
• *1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• *1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• *1/4 cup red onion
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, de-seeded, chopped (about 1.5 cups cucumber)
• 3-4 cups mixed greens
• 1 small avocado, chopped into small cubes
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

For Shrimp

• 1/2 lb. cooked shrimp, tail removed
• 2 tbsp. plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (I used Oikos)
• 1 tbsp. green onion, diced (start chopping from white tips for most flavorful part of the bulb)
• 1 tsp. Sriracha
• 1 tsp. Sweet Red Chili Paste 

Start by making the dressing by combining all italicized ingredients into a small sauce pan, minus the red onion. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce by almost 1/3 cup. This allows the liquids to thicken slightly and become a little more syrupy.

Once reduced, take off the heat and add the red onions. This time around, because I was adding a shrimp with some spice to them, I drained the liquid and discarded of the chili pepper flakes and seeds before adding the red onion. Let sit and cool for about 15 minutes or until room temperature.

 

I chose to get already cooked shrimp on this grocery run. Okay, maybe it was not a cognitive decision, it was done on accident, but it worked to my benefit. It decreased the time to prep the meal, which is always nice! I simply took the cooked shrimp, removed the tails and combined them with the mixture of the greek yogurt, green onions, sriracha and sweet red chili sauce. 

 

I decided to heat this in the microwave for a mere 30 seconds to warm up the already cooked shrimp just a tad.  Adding the lettuce, feta, cucumber and avocado to the bowl, I poured in the dressing and mixed the contents well. Plated the result and topped with the shrimp (5 for me, 7-8 for Mr. Max). 

Make a Meal: Hoisin Grilled Salmon and Garlic-Ginger Bok Choy

 One thing you will not find a lack of around here is salmon recipes. 

Alas, here we go again with yet another fish dish starring the freshwater swimmer that inspired its very own color...the salmon. This is a tasty combination that I found in perusing Simply Recipes and seemed like a perfectly easy Monday night meal that also had a little "umph" to it. In this sense of "umph," I'm referring to pizazz - that's a fun word, pizazz - because each 8th of the month, I try to make sure I do something special for Mr. Max in honor of our wedding date. Okay, settle the gag reflexes. As we hit month four, he took my car in for me to find it had three nails in a single tire so in return, I got a bottle of our favorite Malbec that we discovered on our honeymoon, and made him dinner using his new favorite vegetable (bok choy) and a grilled salmon.

I took this Hoisin Salmon recipe and followed it exactly, but added some of my own...pizazz....to the bok choy. When we've bought bok choy prior to this, we've only been able to find the big momma kind, but this time, the baby bok bunches were on display so I grabbed two thinking one bunch would be enough for each of us. Note to self and to you: get more than that for two people. I forgot they wilt down, much like spinach, but not as volume decreasing. Try four and if you have leftovers, that's fantastic.

Nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 2 servings

For the salmon:

• 2 salmon fillets (nutritional facts were based on a 4oz salmon fillet and an 6 oz salmon fillet)
• 2 tbsp. Hoisin
• 2 tsp. Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)
• 1-2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Mirin (sweet rice wine - an adaption from original recipe)
• 1 large garlic clove, smashed then minced (smashing allows the garlic to release oils, creating a stronger flavor. Also by spreading it out and smashing before mincing, you are creating more of a minced paste, rather than minced bits, helping it to permeate into the sauce, rather than remain in chunks and burn - learned this at a Central Market cooking class and wanted to share that tidbit with you!)

For the bok choy:

•  2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. of freshly grated ginger root
• 4 baby bok choy bunches, rinsed and leaves separated from the base, trimmed
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

We start be prepping the salmon. I felt compelled to take advantage of the nicer weather and use the grill for that nice, smokey taste. First, start your grill and let it get nice and hot. Next, we make the marinade/sauce for the salmon fillets. In a small bowl, combined the hoisin, tamari, Mirin, brown sugar and garlic.

Place the fillets skin up in a dish and cover in the sauce, reserving about 3 tbsp worth of sauce for later, then flip over to skin side down. Marinate for 15-20 minutes to allow the fish oils in the skin to seem down into the meat of the fillet for those omega 3s. By removing the skin prior to cooking, you do not reap the full health benefits of the fish. That one I learned from the meat counter man at Central Market. I looked it up, he is correct. Once it has marinated, set it on a grill pan and grill for 10-12 minutes.

Finally, take a saute pan, wok or large skillet and heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green onion and cook for about 3 minutes, followed by the garlic. Add the bok choy, followed by the ginger and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Add a little more olive oil if needed. Place a lid over top and let wilt down for about 3 minutes.

Finally, we take the salmon, apply the left over glaze and turn on the broiler to low. Stick the salmon in for 2 minutes and broil to finish caramelizing the sauce onto the fish and adding a nice, crisp top. Dish the fish on a plate and pair with your greens, dinner is served!

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Bang Bang Shrimp with Edamame "Fried" Quinoa

In my weekly pinterest perusing, I saw a shrimp recipe floating around from SkinnyTaste. Gina's blog was one of my initial inspirations when I was starting my adventure into the blogosphere and her recipes have met our top two criteria: delicious and nutritious. There is something about spring weather that strikes my fancy for seafood, particularly shrimp, so I added this into the meal plan for the week. When I clicked thru to her recipe, she had recommended an Edamame Fried Rice to pair with it, so I took that recommendation and adapted it just a bit, subbing quinoa for rice.

Here is my adaptation of her fantastic recipes! They are quick and easy to make with little prep time needs if you can get some of the ingredients pre-chopped at the store, like the onion and the carrots. I lightened the shrimp sauce by replacing the mayonaise with plain greek yogurt and kicked up the heat with a little more Sriracha.

My version nutrition facts were calculated at SparkRecipes.com and can be found here for the shrimp, and here for the edamame "fried" quinoa.

Grocery List:
Yields 4 servings

For the Shrimp

• 1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp 
• 2 tbsp. plain Greek Yogurt (my modification from her 2.5 tbsp of mayonnaise) 
• 1.5 tbsp. green scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Sweet Red Chili Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha (and maybe a little more if you want to up the heat)

For the "Fried" Quinoa

• 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg scrambled
• 1 cup quinoa 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped, including white part
• 1/2 cup carrot, shredded or julienned
• 1 cup ready to eat, shelled edamame
• 2-3 tbsp. Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)

Start by preparing the shrimp. I used a griddle but feel free to use a grill and cook these kabob style! Go ahead and heat your grilling/cooking surface in preparation for the shrimp. In a bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, scallions, chili sauce and sriracha. Coat and toss the shrimp in it and let marinate for about 15 minutes.

In a pot, cook the quinoa according to the package. Make sure you rinse the grains first to remove any residue or film from the seeds. I then like to toast them for about 5 minutes on medium heat until it starts to smell a little like popcorn! The quinoa will take between 10-15 minutes to fully cook.

As your quinoa cooks, take a large skillet, wok or chef's pan and begin to heat the olive oil. Saute your onions until translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn the heat down to medium low so you don't burn the garlic then add the scallions and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the edamame once the carrots have softened. 

 

Now it's time to cook the shrimp! Place them on the heat and let cook for about 8 minutes, then flip them to cook for another 5 minutes.

 

Once the quinoa is ready, add in with the vegetables, then add the cooked scrambled eggs and finally the tamari. Combine all contents well to create a nice blend in the pan. 

 

To serve, create a nice bed of the edamame fried quinoa, then top with the shrimp! Garnish with some additional scallions if you prefer and enjoy.

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Soy-Mustard Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy Fried Rice

This dish happened in one of my favorite ways: by accident. I had fully intended to do a different salmon dish based off a recent menu sampling for wedding food. I had sent our chef some of our recipes for the dinner portion but we were having a hard time narrowing down the passed appetizer options that both matched our dinner "theme" and were easy enough to eat. One of the choices he served was a jumbo bacon-wrapped shrimp with a dipping sauce. It was like a barbecue/poblano chutney; there was a sweet tang to it and a subtle smokey heat. We nixed it for an app because it was too high maintenance to consume, not a good finger food, but we just loved the sauce. He told me that since I shared my recipes with him, he would return the favor. He came back with a printed copy of his recipe and I was ready to use it!

I was all set for that until I left my wedding binder (with recipe tucked in the pocket) at work. Arriving home and realizing that, meant I had to come up with another plan.

Enter the Soy-Mustard Glaze Salmon. First of all, I don't really like anything that has mustard in the title. I can do mustard when it is a simple ingredient, an undertone of a recipe, but not as a prominent feature. However, I found this in America's Test Kitchen Light and Healthy 2012 when I was making the Miso-Orange Glazed Fish. I remember this second glaze recipe and decided to try that, since I had all the ingredients on-hand already.

Now let's discuss the bok choy fried rice. My friend Greer had recently asked me how to make bok choy so I had it on my mind. I got brown rice, some chopped carrots for another meal in the week and the bok choy. Max Man was ready to help so I asked him to chop the bok choy to fit the saute pan. I meant in half but didn't articulate that, and sweet man chopped it like lettuce for a salad. As I prepared it, I started to think through how I would pull this off, because it was shrinking like spinach. I looked at the finished brown rice and decided to dump that in the skillet with the bok choy and add the carrots along with other tasty ingredients. Yes, I liked where this was heading.

Nutritional facts for the salmon are located here; 6 WW points per 4 oz. salmon filet. Nutritional facts for the stir-fry are located here; 2 points for 1/2 cup serving of the rice.

Grocery List:
For Salmon - Recipe yields two servings

• 2 salmon fillets (4-6 oz. each)
• 2 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. tamari (organic, low-sodium soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp. mirin
• 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp. whole-grain mustard
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

For Bok Choy Stir Fry - Recipe yields 4 servings

• 1 cup brown rice 
• 2 cups bok choy, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 cup carrots, diced 
• 2 tbsp. low sodium stir-fry sauce 

To begin, let your grilling surface start warming up (if you decide to grill) or heat your oven at 350 degrees. Next, cook the rice according to the package. As the rice cooks, begin your salmon glaze by placing the brown sugar, tamari, mirin, sherry vinegar, mustard, water, corn starch and red pepper flakes into a shallow sauce pan. Let simmer on medium heat and thicken for 5-7 minutes, whisking well.

As your glaze perfects, pan sear the salmon. When you flip the salmon skin down, you are allowing the omegas to permeate down through the rest of the fish, fully getting those vitamins. Thank you Central Market man for enlightening me on that little brain nugget.

 

Once salmon fillets are seared on both sides, prep your cooking method. I use a grill basket and cover with aluminum foil, then place the salmon down. Lather the glaze on the tops of the fish and set on the grill for 15 minutes. 

Oh hey, chopped bok choy!

In a large skillet or chef's pan, let your bok choy begin to wilt with just a splash of oil and garlic. When wilted, add the rice and carrots. Add stir-fry sauce and mix well on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Once the salmon flakes at touch and is a light pink, dish out the stir-fry and top with the fish. Enjoy this taste foodie friends. I'm actually about to make this salmon again. For the fourth time this month but new side dish! 

Tastefully yours, 

Fiesta Shrimp Salad

Easy as can be on a summer evening! Mr. Max and I got home from yoga one night and whipped up this salad in less than 15 minutes for a not too light, yet not too heavy, refreshing dish. Similar to the mexi-texi layer salad but better suited for two. We've made this several times in the past two weeks! I decided to post this in case you are looking for a delicious and nutritious salad combination to add to your rotation. I know I'm always looking for new ideas!

The nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com; one serving of this salad is 6 WW points. Does not include salad dressing, I used a great new bottle of dressing I came across, fat free without oil added, a spicy cilantro and citrus from Kozlowski Farms found at Central Market. This dressing was 20 calories, 180 mg sodium, 4g carbs, 4g sugars for one serving, equal to 2 tbsp.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields two servings

• 1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup baby corn
• 1/4 cup black beans
• Avocado,chopped

To prepare the shrimp, you can kabob them, or lay them in a grill safe basket. Cook for 10 minutes, flipping to cook evenly on each side. Remove from grill and chop into smaller bits. 

Are you ready for how simple this is? Now dump all the ingredients into a bowl, toss with your dressing of choice and voila! Serve it out and enjoy.

Tastefully yours,

Parmesan-Pesto Crusted Halibut

 

Oh my, it is a whiny Wednesday! Do you ever have those days where you know you are just in a mood? To quote my dear, sweet, little mother, sometimes you just feel the need to "beech, beech, beeeeech, beech, beeech," - if not obvious, please infer that as the phonetic version of another word. First time she said this, mom made a cute little face, and in a high pitched voice that oddly sounds like an Italian accent, she squealed that little phrase to me and it stuck. Now we like to use it when we feel the need to "beeech" about things. So....

It is a stormy night and Mr. Max is stuck in OKC due to the weather. It took me over an hour to get home from work tonight. My camera battery is dead and a charge cord is no where to be found. I've had a sharp pain at the base of my neck for two weeks that really escalated today and I can't turn my head without sending sharp pains up and over. My left eye won't stop twitching from editing documents, working on lists and spreadsheets this week. I lost a favorite earring today.

Whooo. Done! Got anything you need to beeeech about? Go ahead, let it out! The rain and neck pain deterred me from going to yoga tonight where all this beeeeeching would have become much more subdued, so I'm going to partake in my other de-stress hobby and take it all out in the kitchen. Nothing a little glass of red wine, a Motown playlist and a cutting board can't cure.

Let's talk about tonight's delicious dish, shall we? You take a fish fillet and roast it until it's crispy and flaky, that's "mmm-mmm good" right there. You top it with some fresh basil pesto then dust with breadcrumbs and Parmesan, that is "quit your beeeeching" good. There aren't many times you can pair cheese with fish, but in this case, the Parmesan mirrors the breadcrumbs and helps to create a crispy, great tasting topping. To really take this dish and your taste buds to the next level, I like to saute some cherry tomato halves in just a smidge of balsamic vinegar and garlic. Allow them  to pucker from the heat and soak in the tang, creating a tomato-relish to serve over top. This recipe also works beautifully with chicken breast, which is how I originally started making it after a restaurant experience.

This is an easy under 30 minute meal. Click here to get the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com; 1 serving of halibut is equivalent to 8 WW points.

Grocery List:

• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. lemon zest (especially with the fish, adds another flavor dimension that really complements natural flavors)
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil pesto, divided
• 2 halibut fillets (4-6 oz. each)
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

So mentioned above, I have no battery power in my camera and can't find the charger. I'm going to leave tonight's step by steps to Instagram pics which I have little to no experience with. To start, preheat your oven to 450 degrees and coat a baking dish with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, combine the panko, Parm, and the lemon zest in a bowl, mixing up with your hands.

With the pesto, evenly spread 1 tbsp. atop each fillet and set in the baking dish.

 

Lightly sprinkle the panko mixture onto the pesto and gently press down to help adhere to the top of the fillet. A little trick to assist in the browned breadcrumb top look is to lightly spray a bit of the cooking spray over the top. This is why I buy fat free spray :-) The lemon zest really stands out in this pic - it doesn't in real life.

 

Stick the fillets in the oven and let roast for about 10 minutes, or until the tops look slightly browned. While the fish is cooking, it's time to fix the topping. In a small skillet, begin to cook the minced garlic on medium heat in the olive oil until fragrant - about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and balsamic and cook until tomatoes pucker. Turn the heat down if needed to prevent the garlic from burning.

 

When the timer goes off, check the fish. If it flakes at the touch of a fork, it's ready! Remove from the oven and top with your tomato relish, serve and enjoy!

Tastefully yours, 

 

 

Chipotle Salmon

Last spring I found a delicious alternative to naked chicken and salmon dishes: preservatives + chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Something about the summer months, the want to grill (or fake grill on a griddle to stay out of the heat), and the fruity tastes mixed in is just perfect. I've done raspberry, peach, mango, and cherry jams/preserves with a dash of heat added to it and we just love it! In last night's post, I mentioned we had no meal planning prior to our grocery store run. As we looked for options for the rest of the week, we decided to grab 2 side potentials and some salmon for tonight, then see what we came up with.

For this recipe, I had a can of chipotle peppers in adobo and a plethora of preserves in my fridge.  I decided to go with cherry this time because we hadn't tried that flavor with salmon yet, only with chicken. This time, I decided to change it up a bit with other ingredients I had on hand. The result? Let's just say, it will be made again. And again, and again, and again.

But, let me fill you in on a little something that I learned. For as long as I can remember, I have asked the fish man behind the counter to please remove the skin off the fish for me. This past time when I asked, he turned to me and said "you know, you are losing nutritional value when you do that," - and I said "really, do tell?" - he proceeds to tell me that all the omegas and fish oils are found in the skin. I felt enlightened! The way to take full advantage of this is to cook with skin on, and when you flip it skin-side up, that is when the omega oils filter down into the "meat" of the fish. That created a new wrinkle in my brain, I wanted to pass along that little nugget of wisdom for anyone else that may not have know that either!

This dish was a simple 20 minute fix from prep time to fork finish. Nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com; one 4 ounce salmon is 6 WW points.

Grocery List:
Sauce yields enough for 4 servings

• 2 salmon fillets, 4-6 oz. each
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup cherry preserves
• 2 tbsp. sauce from chili pepper in adobo
• 2 tbps. lime juice
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cumin

Start by greasing and heating a grill or griddle pan on medium-high heat. In a food processor, add the ketchup, preserves, adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic powder and cumin. Pulse until well mixed.

 

Place the salmon skin side down on the surface. Brush a light layer of the chipotle sauce to top the salmon, then cover. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until the sides of the fish begin to look pink/white.

 

Flip the fish skin side up to allow those omegas to penetrate throughout the fish. Cook for another 3-5 minutes on medium-low heat.

 

To serve, brush another layer of the chipotle sauce over the top of the salmon and enjoy!

Served with rosemary-garlic roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus

Tastefully yours,

Grilled Shrimp Papillote with Mango-Avocado Salsa

I blinked and it was May... already halfway through May at that! It's been hard to find spare minutes lately but I finally convinced myself to sit down to create time that isn't solely dedicated to wedding planning. Mr. Max and I made this dish a week or so ago and it was such a refreshing dinner packed with super foods and a taste of summer! For this recipe, we've got spinach, quinoa, shrimp, cilantro, mango salsa, avocado.... all wrapped up in a foil packet, set on a grill and you've got dinner 15 minutes later!

I haven't played with foil packets since the very first post, the halibut en papillote. Here is your "I learned something new today" nugget of wisdom: en papillote is french for pouch, or in parchment. It's a great cooking method that uses the liquids from food to steam and cook in a package. The recipe I found for this creation used couscous, but in my adaptation, I replaced with quinoa instead.

This was a fun one, but don't be discouraged if you do not have a grill or simply don't want to take the effort to use it. If it weren't for the E-grill, I would feel the same way. I gave Mr. Max a Weber for Christmas a few years ago and we hardly ever use it. Sad. The foil packets cook in the oven too, so there is your solution! Whole Foods had a great little mango/pineapple salsa like relish in their fresh produce section that already included those obvious ingredients, red bell pepper, tomato, onion and jalepeno pepper so I saved time and money by grabbing that instead of each ingredient individually.

Nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com; it is 9 points for Weight Watchers.

Grocery List:
Recipe Yields 2 servings
Adapted from Self Magazine

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3 tbsp. water
• 1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined 
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 cup of fresh chopped mango salsa (diced mango, pineapple, red onion, tomato, red bell pepper and jalepeno or poblano pepper)
• 1 small avocado, cubed

Start by pre-heating your grill to a medium-high heat. If you are going to do this in the oven, I guesstimate a temperature of 400 degrees in the oven. Take aluminum foil and tear out two pieces about 18-in long, then fold in half to create a line in the foil. Unfold and coat with non-stick cooking spray. On each piece of foil, arrange 1 cup of spinach.

In a small bowl, mix the water and the quinoa together in a bowl. By adding water, we are helping the quinoa to have something to absorb as it cooks on the grill. It will become magically fluffy in the end!

Now, add the quinoa on top of the spinach. The spinach naturally produces moisture as it cooks, this will allow the quinoa to cook even more. 

In another small bowl, mix the olive oil, lime juice and cilantro with the shrimp. 

Lay that next to the quinoa on the foil. 

Fold over that unused half from earlier and begin to crimp the edges, folding each in, to create and enclosed packet. 

 .... like-a-so.

I put our foil packets on a grill basket then set on the grill with the timer at 15 minutes. 

When the timer goes off, the packets will be slightly puffed. Cut them open carefully to reveal wilted, cooked spinach, fluffy quinoa and delicious shrimp! 

Take your mango salsa/relish concoction and scoop half over one packet, half over the other, and add diced avocado. Using a fork, gently mix the contents of the packet and dig in! 

Tastefully yours,