Shrimp Summer Salad with a Potato-Leek-Garlic Soup

Summer! Farmer's markets are back, and I for one am super excited about this new development. With a local market literally outside of my front door, how can I not be?? I get fresh, local, organic produce every week - and more. Not only does my market feature fruits and vegetables but i can also buy cheese, meats (if I wanted to eat them) and eggs there. If you live anywhere close to your own farmer's market I suggest you start getting out there on a regular basis. It's good for the environment, often cheaper than going to a store, and delicious. There is nothing to beat the taste of freshly picked fruits and vegetables, or homemade cheeses.

To celebrate the summer, I prepared a delicious salad as my entree for this meal. I whipped up some delicious shrimp, seasoned with the always versatile paprika, and then tossed the protein with fresh greens, avocado, tomatoes, and corn. A light, healthy dressing finished it of for a delicious meal that would be perfect on a roof deck or back patio with a crisp white wine.

Then, as a bonus, I served it with homemade soup. Due to mounds of leftover kugel, I've been using potatoes in interesting ways since my seder. Here, I re-purpose the grated potatoes of the kugel to prepare a potato-garlic-leek soup that is delicious and even rather simple to make.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 1 hr 20 min
Cost: $25.36



Potato-Leek-Garlic Soup
Time: 1 hr 20 min

Ingredients:
2 garlic heads, unpeeled
2 tsp olive oil
2.5 c leek, sliced
1/2 c white wine
2 c potatoes, shredded (or 2 c of leftover potato kugel!)
3 c low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 c fat-free half and half

First, get your oven pre-heating to 400 degrees. Remove the very outer layer of white paper from the garlic heads, leaving the paper around the individual cloves and leaving them all attached. Wrap the heads in foil. Then, bake for 45 minutes.

While the garlic is baking, you can prep the rest of your ingredients, making sure everything is chopped and prepared.

When the garlic only has about 10 minutes left, start heating a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, add the leeks. Saute for about 15 minutes, stirring just often enough to keep from burning.

As the leeks are cooking, the garlic will finish. Remove the heads from the oven and unwrap the foil as soon as you can touch it (foil barely gets hot.) Then, let the cloves cool as you continue with the recipe until you need them just ahead.

When the leeks have finished sauteing, they should be slightly wilted and lightly browned. Squeeze the garlic pulp out of each clove into the pan. Add the white wine and turn the heat down to medium. Stir to mix evenly and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and broth to the mixture. Stir again and let the mixture simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Then, pour as much of the mixture as fits into a food processor. Remove the center piece in the lid and cover with a paper towel. This will let steam escape as you process the food. Puree the mixture until smooth, and then pour the pureed soup into a bowl. Repeat until all of the soup is in the bowl.

Return the pan to the stove, but now over low heat. Add the soup back into the pan. Add the black pepper and half and half to the soup. Stir until evenly mixed and heated, which should take 3-5 minutes. Then serve the soup hot.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 1 cup soup
Nutrition: calories 199; carbs 35g; fat 3g; protein 4g; sodium 513mg; iron 13mg

Shrimp Summer Salad
Time: 30 min

Ingredients:
3/4 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, de-tailed
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
2.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 corn on the cob
1 package mixed salad greens
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocado, diced

First, you'll need to cook your shrimp. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray and let the pan get hot. Then, add the shrimp. Sprinkle the shrimp with paprika and black pepper, tossing to coat. Saute for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until done. You want to make sure to avoid overcooking shrimp since they cook so quickly. Remove from the heat and put on a plate for now.

While the shrimp is sauteing, mix together your dressing. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside for now.

Peel your corn and wrap them in wax paper. Microwave for 5 minutes (the rule of thumb is 2.5 minutes per cob.) When the corn is done, remove from the oven and let the corn cool until you can touch it. Then, cut the kernels off the cob.

Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl. Add the tomatoes, avocado, corn, and shrimp. Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss until evenly coated. Enjoy!

Servings: 4
Serving size: about 2 cups of salad (3 oz shrimp)
Nutrition: calories 366; carbs 24g; fat 22g; protein 23g; sodium 164mg; iron 19mg