meatless meal
Brown Rice Salad with Bok Choy
This Brown Rice salad with Bok Choy and Orange Sesame Dressing is a very versatile salad that can be made with or without chicken. It is full of healthy ingredients and packed with flavor. This is a fun salad to bring to a party because it is easy to make and can be done ahead of time, stored in an air-tight container and brought out right before serving.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 cups brown rice, cooked and cooled
- 1½ cups cooked shredded chicken (optional)
- 1½ cups shredded carrot
- 3 baby bok choy, rinsed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
Orange Sesame Dressing
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1½ tbsp. soy sauce
- 1½ tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. honey
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup canola oil
Directions
To make the salad:
- Combine the brown rice, chicken, shredded carrot, bok choy, peas, cilantro, scallions and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine.
To make the Orange Sesame dressing:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Whisk vigorously until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Add the dressing to the bowl with the salad, a bit at a time, tossing gently to coat. Taste and add more dressing as necessary.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Avocado Shrimp Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp – peeled, deveined, and chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 pound (8 ounce) package uncooked corkscrew pasta
- 1 avocado – peeled, pitted and diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Marinate shrimp overnight in 2 tablespoons of lime juice in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. Drain shrimp.
- Heat skillet and cook shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside. Do not overcook. Allow shrimp to cool.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 12 minutes. Drain, then rinse with cold water until cool.
- Mix shrimp, pasta, avocados, grape tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro in a bowl.
- Whisk olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper in a bowl until dressing is well mixed.
- Pour dressing over shrimp mixture; toss to coat. Chill before serving.
Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp
Coconut Shrimp are one of my favorite appetizers when I'm out at an Asian restaurant. This recipe for Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp is delicious. It offers the great coconut flavor of a coconut shrimp with the great, crunchy coating of a beer batter.
You can create any type of dipping sauce that you like. The marmalade dipping sauce below offers a very nice sweet, tart, and spicy flavor profile. It is really refreshing! Garnish with fresh cilantro if that is a flavor you enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled (tails on) and deveined fresh shrimp (preferably jumbo sized)
- 1 cup pancake mix (plain)
- 1 cup beer (a lighter beer is better)
- 2 tablespoon coconut milk
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup coconut flakes (and more on hand just in case!)
- Light cooking oil (like canola oil)
Directions
- Rinse the shrimp well and butterfly them
- Combine pancake mix, beer and coconut milk and mix well with a whisk to remove lumps. Dredge the shrimp in flour, then beer batter, then coat with the coconut. NOTE: have this done before heating oil as they need constant attention or they will burn
- Heat the oil in sauce pan (2-3 inches deep) over medium to almost med-high (about 350 degrees F). Fry the shrimp 5 to 6 at a time, until golden brown on all edges. Drain on paper towel and serve with sauce.
For Marmalade Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup rough cut orange marmalade
- 5 Teaspoons minced, fresh ginger
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 – 3/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes