There are two things that can get in the way of eating healthy and ditching a few pounds; the first is life, it just gets in the way. The second is the added stress of a full-time job and living with an autoimmune disease like Lupus. So my coping mechanisms come down to making good choices and planning. I'll never be the one to judge anyone that takes advantage of helpful items like veggies that are already prepared like the zucchini noodles and chopped butternut squash that I picked up. I mentioned the scallops recipe I was trying out and it was, well, just okay. What it needed was a little more flavor, a bit more of a kick. I decided to work on a dish that used the scallops but add it to a veggie noodle dish with tomato, garlic and a bit of red pepper I had on hand.
I sauteed the shrimp with a little more garlic, salt and pepper, added the tomato and pepper, then the noodles. One thing I will make sure to do the next time is add a bit of salt to the veggie noodles in a separate bowl to help released some of the moisture first. I used a nonstick pan so I only added about a tablespoon of good extra-virgin olive oil, a tablespoon of minced garlic along with the salt and pepper. This part just takes a few minutes and then add the noodles. Oh, and to brighten things up a bit a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
How long you saute the noodles depends on how much crunch to your dish. I prefer veggie noodles on the crunchy side just as I would have my pasta noodles al’ dente. It only takes a few minutes for the noodles to soften so be careful not to overdo it. So in the space of really no more than 15 minutes with very little extra prep aside from letting the water release from the noodles it’s a quick way to whip up a dish full of veggie goodness and a nice serving of fish. I did add some nice Parmesan shavings, too.
I do have a spiralizer so I’m going to have a little fun experimenting with other veggies for noodles like sweet potato, carrots, etc. But when I’m dealing with the fatigue that comes along more often than I like it’s a lifesaver. Making enough for a few extra meals also helps to come home to instead of grabbing something to go that’s not good for me. I’ve love to know if you have some special, creative shortcuts to share. Please send those along to me at ann.kelly@coxinc.com. Thanks in advance for your shares!
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM ANN KELLY’S KITCHEN
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the job at hand. - Vince Lombardi