Sesame Cucumber Salad

This blew my mind, I can't stress how good it was. Light and refreshing but the kind of dish that everyone would talk about at a cook out. It was the perfect summer side to go with our steaks.  You can add less red pepper flakes to make it more kid friendly too. 

1 1/2 TBS sesame seeds, toasted (toasting instructions below)
2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
1 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS honey
1 TBS hot water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less depending on how much spice you like. I usually go a little less to keep it kid friendly.)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 cups thinly sliced cucumber

1. Spread sesame seeds out on baking sheet. Preheat oven to 325. Bake until they are slightly browned and you start to smell them. (it's a great smell, you can't miss it!)

2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the cucumber. Stir well with a whisk. Add the cucumber, toss to coat.  You can let it chill for a little while before serving but the cucumbers will start to get mushy if you wait too long.  

*recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Ginger Hoisan Glaze

We slow cooked steaks on the grill and brushed this glaze on during cooking and also when they done. It was incredible. We literally licked our plates clean. Great flavor without being too overpowering and super easy to make. Can't wait to try it on chicken and even shrimp!

1 1/2 TBS Hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl, stir with a whisk.

*Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Shrimp Cobb Salad

This recipe comes from a Cooking Light mag. It rocked!!! The avocado definitely made it stand out. It was also one of the most filling salads I've ever had (I find avocado to be one of the most filling foods ever). I grilled my shrimp instead of making them on the stove so I included the directions for grilling but the original link from the magazine recipe tells you how to cook them on the stove.

The only thing that I can say is that I wasn't a huge fan of the dressing but my husband had it and wants me to make a huge batch and bottle it up for him because he swears it was incredible. I preferred a balsamic vinaigrette but to each his own.... I recommend keeping the dressing on the side.

Ingredients:
4 slices turkey bacon (the original recipe calls for regular bacon, but I prefer the low calories of the turkey bacon instead)
1 lb raw large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 TBS EVOO
1/2 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard (regular dijon works also)
Romaine lettuce
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)
1 cup frozen whole kernal corn, thawed
1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

1. Cook bacon according to instructions. Let bacon rest on paper towels to cool and drain. Once cooled, crumble up.

2. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Spray aluminion foil with cooking spray, then add shrimp, spreading out evenly. Grill over medium high heat, until shrimp are cooked, turning occasionally.

3. While shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stir with a whisk.

4. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each plate. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup carrot, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado wedges and a handful of the crumbled bacon.

Makes 4 servings. The original recipe (with their dressing & regular bacon) is 332 calories per serving. However, the turkey bacon cuts that down.