Chef Michelle Dudash prepares cool sips, snacks to keep summer going strong
Summer isn’t over yet! Hold onto these last weeks of summer with help from Michelle Dudash registered dietitian, chef and author of “The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook: Quick and Easy High-Protein, Low-Sugar, Healthy-Fat Recipes for Lifelong Health.”
Kick off your happy hour with a glassful of antioxidants with Michelle’s POM Mocktail Margarita.
POM Wonderful 100-percent pomegranate juice is a healthy fridge staple and a simple, delicious way to fuel your body with antioxidants. Michelle loves working with POM because it is refreshing, nutritious, and works well in so many recipes!
Shrimp Paella with Cauliflower Rice
Feel like you’re on the Mediterranean Sea with this dish from Michelle’s latest book, The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook.
Lighten things up, while loading up on vegetables, by using finely chopped cauliflower instead of rice. Smoked paprika and bell peppers add a rich flavor and make the dish saucy.
This entrée is under 200 calories and has 3 g fiber and 25 g protein.
POM Mocktail Margarita
SHRIMP PAELLA WITH CAULIFLOWER “RICE”
Chances are that you’ve eaten Valencian-style paella, a rather fluffy rice dish with yellow-hued rice. The paella that holds a special place in my heart, however, is the one commonly found in Barcelona, Spain, with a deep red color from tomatoes and chiles and more reminiscent of the style I make this dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (455 g) peeled, deveined medium-size shrimp (about 20 count size), tails on
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2½ cups (812 g) cauliflower “rice” (See Recipe Note on page 129)
- 1 cup (150 g) diced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced¼ teaspoon + 1⁄8 teaspoon salt, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons (48 g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (or other mild ground chile)
- 1½ cups (352 ml) clam broth or chicken bone broth, divided
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- ¼ cup (15 g) chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
- Lemon wedges
Directions:
Heat a large sauté pan or paella pan over medium-high heat. Pat the shrimp dry. Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the oil to the pan. When the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp and brown undisturbed, about 3 minutes. Turn the shrimp to the other side and brown. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil. Add the cauliflower, bell pepper, and garlic. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the water releases from the vegetables. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the paprika and chili powder to a dry area of the pan and toast for about 1 minute. Pour in 1¼ cups (295 ml) of the broth. Add the shrimp back in, pushing it gently into the broth. Sprinkle on the remaining 1⁄8 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the shrimp is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Whisk the arrowroot into the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) broth, then drizzle all over the cauliflower, shaking the pan gently back and forth.
Sprinkle on the parsley and spritz with lemon juice.
Recipe Note:
If you have some saffron on hand, by all means, add a pinch when you add the broth.
TOTAL PREP AND COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES • YIELD: 4 SERVINGS PER SERVING: 197 CALORIES, 9 G CARBOHYDRATE (3 G FIBER, 0 G ADDED SUGARS, 6 G NET CARBS), 25 G PROTEIN, 8 G FAT, 465 MG SODIUM.
By Michelle Dudash, RDN, from the book Clean Eating Kitchen: The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook: Quick and Easy High-Protein, Low-Sugar, Healthy-Fat Recipes for Lifelong Health
Spicekick® Fresh Tomato Pasta with Burrata Cheese Sauce
Michelle is also the founder of Spicekick Seasoning Mixes, and she shared her newest recipe to use the Indiana tomatoes that are now bursting off the vines at a garden or farmers market near you.
1. Spicekick® Fresh Tomato Pasta with Burrata Cheese Sauce
The inspiration behind this recipe stems from a vacation Michelle took years ago in Caprí, Italy, where fresh summer tomatoes are the star in menus.
Add garlic, fresh basil, and extra-virgin olive oil. Season with Michelle’s Spicekick® Marinara Seasoning Mix.
Tip: Avoid refrigerating tomatoes until you have cut into them or unless they are about to go bad. Refrigerating tomatoes changes the texture and flavor.
2. Add a ball of burrata cheese at the end of cooking, for every two servings.
Turn off the heat, add the burrata cheese to the pan, and quarter it. Stir in the burrata cheese for a light, yet creamy pink tomato sauce.
3. Use Spicekick Marinara Seasoning Mix Wherever You Use Fresh or Canned Tomatoes
Add 1 packet Spicekick Marinara Seasoning Mix to 1 (28-oz) can tomatoes.
Also, canned tomatoes contain added salt, so you may need to add more salt to your recipes when replacing canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes. Season at the end of cooking.
Spicekick ® Fresh Tomato Pasta with Burrata Cheese
Ingredients:
- 2 servings thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves in the skins
- 2 medium or 1 large tomato
- 1/2 Spicekick Marinara Spice Kit
- 1 burrata cheese ball
- Small handful fresh basil leaves, torn
Directions:
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions in salted water, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water at the end of cooking.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic to the pan and sauté 30 seconds. until the tomatoes’ become tender.
- Add the tomatoes and spice kit and cook until the tomatoes soften, a few minutes, reducing heat to medium-low as needed.
- Add the 1/4 to 1/2 cup pasta water to the tomatoes when they start to run out of liquid. Stir in the cooked pasta. Turn off the heat and stir in the burrata cheese. Sprinkle with the basil.
For more from Michelle, click here.