Shrimp Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta 1 lb. shrimp 1 yellow squash, chopped 1 zucchini, chopped 1 carrot, julienned 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned 1/2 pint grape tomatoes 1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces 5 spears asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.	In a bowl, toss squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.
4.	Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Add shrimp and sauté. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.

Fish Tacos

The first time I tried fish tacos was in Seattle on my honeymoon.  I fell in love with them!  There are lots of ways to embellish them.  I'll list the options after the recipe.

1 lb. fresh or frozen tilapia or orange roughy
2 T. butter, melted
2 t. Adobo Chicken seasoning (or granulated chicken bouillon)
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/8 t. garlic powder
(for some added spice, add a few drops of Tabasco)

1. Heat oven to 450.  Thaw fish if frozen.  Cut fish fillets crosswise into 1" slices.  Place fish in a single layer in a greased shallow pan.
2. Combine butter, chicken seasoning/bouillon, cumin, garlic powder and tabasco.  Brush over fish.
3. Bake for 4 - 6 minutes or until fish flakes when pierced with a fork.
4. Squeeze fresh lime juice over fish and serve in warm tortillas.  Makes about 6 tacos.

TOPPING OPTIONS:
1. Mixture of 2 T. mayo, 2 T. sour cream (or plain yogurt), 1 t. lime juice
2. Black beans
3. Cilantro
4. Fresh salsa
5. Avocado
6. Shredded cabbage
7. Shredded Colby Jack or Mexican blend cheese

Be creative and enjoy.  This one is a winner :)

Nutty Pasta Sauce with Shrimp

(from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh cilantro
• 2  tablespoons  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 4  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 4  tablespoons  crunchy peanut butter
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  rice vinegar
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot sauce (or less if you have little people eating this!)
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 2  teaspoons  dark sesame oil
• 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1  cup  vertically sliced onion
• 1  red bell pepper, cut into (1/4-inch) strips
• 2  cups  bagged prewashed spinach
• 4  cups  hot cooked rigatoni (about 1 1/4 cups uncooked pasta)

Preparation
Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, and sauté for 3 minutes or until done. Remove shrimp from pan. Add onion and bell pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture, shrimp, and spinach. Reduce heat to medium; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Serve shrimp mixture over pasta.

Blackened Baja Tilapia Tacos

1/4 c. reduced-fat sour cream
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 jalepeño, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 t. paprika
1 1/2 t. brown sugar
1 t. dried oregano
3/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground red pepper
4 - 6 oz. tilapia fillets
1 T. canola or olive oil
8 - 6" flour tortillas (or corn, but they fall apart easier)
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced OR fresh guacamole 4 lime wedges shredded red cabbage

1. Process first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.
2. Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper); sprinkly evenly over fish. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desire degree of doneness.
3. Warm tortillas. Divide fish, sour cream sauce and avocado over tortillas. Top with red cabbage. Serve with lime wedges.

cal: 362 fat: 13.6g protein: 37g. carb: 27g fiber 4.7g chol: 79 mg