"Citrus and Left-overs"

Orange - sb style

Hi Family and Friends!

Planning.  Practice.  Patience.  Transforming your entire nutrition regiment into a healthy, balanced diet takes work.  Hard work.  However, the results of good nutrition in sustaining an individual’s overall health reflects in a multitude of benefits: more energy, sound sleep, better concentration and focus, stronger hair and nails, clear complexion, improved overall health, etc.   

After being classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, my passion is transforming calorie-laden recipes into healthy, energy-promoting dishes.  Food is fuel.  Food is art.  Food brings individuals together for celebrations and holidays.  Whilst the secret to French food is butter and cream, an individual cannot simply consume such rich food on a daily basis.  However, similar recipes can be created by knowing the correct substitutions and cooking techniques to use in order to promote the most flavors, while maintaining health benefits to said creations.

Crab or chicken salad has always been a favorite.  Although I am working long hours during the Accounting “busy season,” I still make time to cook dinner.  Cooking has always been my passion and I desire to share creative, nutritious recipes!  After work yesterday, my body was craving crab.  Rather than having to go to the grocery store, I simply opened my pantry and began searching for items to create a delicious dinner.  Pairing seafood with citrus fruits helps to “brighten” the overwhelming “fishy” taste that can often overwhelm a dish.  Citrus fruits are also rich in fiber and vitamin C – an antioxidant that helps boost the immune system.  Some of my favorite citrus fruits include: oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits.

I like to play with my fruit...

Back to the crab.  I had cooked crab legs several days ago (simply steamed in boiling water!)  Rather than discarding the crab, I decided to transform the left-overs into a new dish, bursting forth with flavors and colors!  From my refrigerator, I pulled random ingredients – mandarin orange, cilantro, carrots, red cabbage, lemon and lime juice, head of lettuce, crab, and 0% Greek yogurt.  I also used sesame oil and roasted almonds:

2c. Shredded Crab (can also substitute chicken, shrimp or turkey)

1 Tangerine – broken into segments

1/2c. Shredded Carrots

1/2c. Shredded Red Cabbage

1 Head Lettuce

2 tsp. Lemon Juice

2 tsp. Lime Juice

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1/4c. 0% Greek Yogurt - Chobani

Sesame Oil

Roasted Almonds – slivered

Plated Crab Salad - Gorgeous colors!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lay slivered (or whole) almonds onto a baking sheet and allow to roast in oven.  Almonds will be finished when golden brown.  I rearrange the almonds during cooking time in order to promote a more uniform cooking.  Roasting nuts can be cooked, then stored in Tupperware in the freezer in order to expedite time.  Roasted almonds with a  hint of sea salt are a great protein-rich snack as well.

Simply combine crab, tangerine, carrots, cilantro, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, cayenne pepper (hot!), and yogurt in a bowl.  Drizzle with sesame oil.  Because sesame oil is very robust, a little goes a long way.  Do not overwhelm the crab with too much sesame oil.  Sprinkle with almonds.

Shape the lettuce head leaves into small cups.  Spoon crab salad into lettuce cups.  Garnish with cilantro.

Chobani Greek Yogurt

Crab salad is often smothered in mayonnaise which overwhelms the delicate crab.  In order to create the same texture and consistency as a traditional crab salad, I chose to use a small amount of 0% Greek Yogurt.  Chobani yogurt has been a staple of my diet, as the creamy yogurt has two times the protein compared to most yogurts.  It also contains five types of live and active cultures (three strains of probiotics which help with digestion!)  Chobani is also gluten-free, meaning it contains no wheat, rye, barely or and other gluten-containing thickeners.  Yet another bonus.  Love it.

Delicious, healthy dinner that literally takes minutes to make – all with left-overs.  Not too shabby, eh? 

And you’ll adore the vibrant colors.

Back to the books!

All my love from DALLAS, y’all,

sb