Kale + Shrimp + Beets

Everything that is good in this world was in this meal.  OK, that might be an exaggeration.  Where are the diamonds?  Where is the Chanel?  The Celine luggage tote?  The Louboutin platform pumps? The Reese's peanut butter cups? Just kidding...

I put a lot of goodness into this meal - but these are some of my favorite things, and items we had at home.  You may choose to swap out one ingredient for another.  That is, of course, just fine.  

Have you heard of volume eating?  The basic principle centers upon eating more for less by incorporating large or bulky foods into your diet (fruits and vegetables are perfect examples).  In other words - more foods, fewer calories.  Sounds good, right?  Right! I am big on volume eating - which means I prepared a lot of kale as a large base for my salad.  If you do not want such a big salad, you can keep all of the other measurements the same and reduce the amount of kale.  This will make for a bigger bite - taste wise!

Ingredients for one portion:

3C kale, washed and dried, then torn into bite sized pieces

5oz green beans, washed and dried, edges trimmed

4.5 oz shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined (if you need a shrimp refresher, check here)

2 small beets, cooked, peeled and diced (I used Trader Joe's pre-cooked beets)

2 tsp olive oil, portioned as follows: one 1tsp and two 1/2tsp

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp blackened cajun spice (I used Whole Foods brand)

2 tbsp scallions, chopped

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

salt + pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Wash, dry and tear kale then wash, dry and trim green beans

3. If using frozen shrimp, thaw in the sink with a footed colander*

4. Marinate shrimp in 1/2tsp olive oil, lime juice, scallions, cajun spice, garlic, salt + pepper to taste 

5. Coat green beans in 1/2tsp of olive oil, season with salt + pepper to taste, place in oven for 20 minutes

6. Season kale with salt + pepper to taste, then massage with 1tsp of olive oil 

7. Chop cilantro and beets, add to kale

8. Cook shrimp for 10 minutes in an aluminum foil tent, then turn on broiler and cook with tent open for another 2 minutes 

9. Remove shrimp from the oven, leaving the green beans in (if they are getting too charred for your liking, take them out), place on a small plate

10. Place shrimp sauce into a small non-stick pan and reduce (this will help to concentrate flavors and further cook the garlic)

11. Return shrimp to the reduced sauce and stir to coat

12. Remove shrimp from heat, toss with kale and beets either whole or chopped

*A helpful note: If you only have one colander (as in, you do not hoard kitchen supplies) just be aware of the order in which you are washing your food - in this case, if you are using frozen shrimp for the recipe, be sure you wash your kale and green beans first then your shrimp second.  No one wants raw-shrimp scented kale.  Unless Morimoto makes it.  I will eat anything he makes. 

Nutrition information per serving:

390 calories, 40 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 33 g protein, 10 g fiber

Can you see the salt + pepper on the greens pre-massage?  This is key.  Bobby Flay told me:

Tented aluminum foil:

 

 Open tented shrimp:

Kale and beets:

Kale, beets and shrimp (I diced mine):

Finished salad and green beans:

What's your favorite way to make shrimp?  What are your favorite volume foods?  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf