New years eve day, Bill and I were browsing around Williams-Sonoma on Walnut Street in Pittsburgh. While I was off pondering whether or not I wanted measuring spoons or measuring cups, Bill was looking through the cookbooks. One cook book in particular caught his eye, “Entertaining”. He decided we HAD to have it. Despite him feeling as though we couldn’t live without this book, we did not leave Williams-Sonoma with it. Bill was convinced he could find it online for a better price. We did however leave with a killer coffee container, and two high heat rubber spatulas.

Sure enough, Bill found the cookbook for a better price online (I found it for $5 – originally $40!), and our lunch recipe for today came as inspiration from this book. We know that for many people, meals can get repetitive when you are eating in a new way, have a busy schedule, or cleaning up your diet. Eggs, chicken, and salad can get quite boring, and boring can lead to straying from a healthy diet. Our goal for these meals, like with all our meals, is to spark inspiration in healthy cooking. It is quite possible to create gourmet meals without grains, dairy, or sugar. Most importantly, it is possible to create these meals, and not miss the grains, dairy, or sugar that is not included in the recipe.

Shrimp Ingredients:

• 1.5 – 2 lbs uncooked shrimp
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Slaw Ingredients:

• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup carrots, shredded
• 2/3 cup celery, chopped
• 2/3 cup red radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Process:

1. Clean and prepare all vegetables, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss shrimp, olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper and minced garlic.
3. Preheat a large nonstick frying pan to medium heat.
4. Saute shrimp until they turn pink and are opaque. Remove from heat.
5. Cook 4 strips of bacon over medium-low heat until crispy. Remove from heat and allow to cool before chopping.
6. Toss shrimp with slaw until evenly combined.
7. Sprinkle with chopped bacon, and serve.

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This meal was amazing. The original recipe included blue cheese and a mayonnaise dressing, however it did not need either of them. The marinade from the shrimp enhanced the crisp vegetables beautifully, so there was no need for an additional dressing. We also added minced garlic to the shrimp seasoning, which was not in the original recipe. The flavor paring of the garlic with the smoked paprika was perfect. This meal is one that you can enjoy on your own, or a perfect dish for house guests.