Happy Monday to you!

Let’s call the past weekend a somewhat productive weekend around the house.  I was able to get the garage set up and cleaned.  It is looking better all the time and I even got to use the pressure washer on the floor which I love to do.  We finally inked the deal and got a second car.  That was exciting.  We bought a used Mazda Protege 5 and so far are loving it.  We were also successful in sourcing a Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit plus.  My sides and arms are killing me as we speak from boxing just a little too much and perhaps a little to intensely.  But oh my it is FUN.

Let’s start this week off with a simple shrimp recipe that you can do all year round and really impress your taste buds.  Shrimp is really easy to cook, takes hardly anytime and are good for you.  I chose to flavor them today with really two simple flavors; coconut and lime.

Do note that I did eat a lot more shrimp than in the picture.  I was having problems getting a decent picture so I zoomed in on one lonely shrimp so you could see the grilling detail.  With the coconut milk they will get nice and charred if you are not careful.

The flavors compliment each other with the sweet of the coconut and the sharp burst flavor of the lime.  I paired these shrimp with just a simple green salad and fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 20 shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh garlic
• 1 Lime
• Salt
• Pepper
• Coconut Milk

Method

1. Place shrimp in a large seal-able baggie. Add the garlic, coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper to the bag.
2. Toss to coat shrimp evenly with marinade ingredients. Place bag in refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat grill to high heat 475°F – 500°F (245°C-260°C). Oil grill to prevent sticking.
4. Place shrimp directly on the grill and cook for 1 minute per side or until nicely charred and opaque.
5. Remove shrimp from the grill. Serve hot with a drizzle of fresh lime.
6. Serve over salad
7. ENJOY!
   

Zesty Tip: Be careful not to over cook the shrimp.  I have said this numerous times before but it really is the key to success.  Also for an extra kick you could use a little bit of jalapeno pepper to enhance the flavor and make it a bit spicy.

Zest’s To Do List

Today is a bit of a crazy day but I had a pretty good enough of sleep and are ready to go.  On top of normal everyday events that happen at the office I have a ton of blog stuff to get caught up on.

1. Meet with Open Sky about sourcing
2. Work on finishing up the makeover for Mardi at Eat Live  Travel Write.
3. Multiple Logo designs on the go for numerous foodies including FoodForLa, ANutritionisteats.com and BrainGutsHands just to name a few.
4. Complete the free Makeover for Adi at Oatonomy who was the lucky Giveaway winner.
5. Work on the face lift and relaunch of Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful

A Shot of the New Second Hand Car

So there you have it… pretty much a day in the life of zesty couple with a lot of eating, a lot of water and a whole lot of smiles.  I hope you have a great day and I will talk to you later.  The announcement I spoke about is official and I will be talking about it on Thursday.

Take care

zesty

Good day to you!  I am back with another exciting post to keep you on your toes and wanting to almost lick the screen with excitement.  Well that might be slightly over the edge but I was trying to be somewhat funny.  I know… I know I am not that great at being funny – well at least portraying myself as funny over the internet.  In real life I am hilarious – ask anyone if you don’t believe me!

Ok enough of me being a dork and onto a serious note.  I have a kick bum salad to share with you today.  It was part of the superb Bistro night at the NYE Gala.  When you read the ingredients you will be saying to yourself… wow these ingredients are very simple and you are right.  Simple and easy wins the race.  I am telling you – great food made simple is definitely the way to go.  I have had a hard time grasping that in the early part of my life when I always thought great food had to be fancy, but it really doesn’t have to be that way.

Just take a look below and see the specs to make this beauty.

Ingredients

• Mixed greens for 8 people, store mix or make own as desired.
• 3 Large oranges
• 2 Avocados
• 1 Tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1/2 Tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tsp. honey
• 2 Medium shallots, minced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Method

1. Segment the oranges and collect juice from the procedure, set aside segments and the juice.
2. Should have about 3/4 cup of juice and add to this with another orange if needed.
3. Combine 1/2 cup of the orange juice with ginger, and mustard. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a second bowl mix 1/2 the shallots with the remaining orange juice and whisk in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
5. When ready to serve, open and dice the avocados and mix with honey ginger dressing, add the remaining shallots, cilantro and mint.
6. Add this mixture to the greens and gently mix.
7. Top with remaining dressing at the table if needed.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Did you know, Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds that add to the nutrient quality of your diet.

Around the Blogsphere

• So I finally had some time yesterday to check out the blogstalker again.  Nate was missing in action for a while but I did miss a few oh his hilarious posts.  Nate is a fantastic writer and will definitely make you laugh as he talks about food blogs all over the net.  He has mentioned zesty a couple of times and seems to enjoy my hair style.  If you have not yet checked him out… you must today over at the blogstalker.
• I am pretty excited to do a guest post this coming Sunday at Picky Palate.  In the same breath, I am kind of nervous and wondering what I should feature as the post.  I am sure I will come up with something.
• I have completed the Campbell’s Video Shoot for GoodBite.com.  I am reathrilled about the outcome.  It launched on January 26th so I will be sure to keep you posted and get you ready for the big splash in a couple of weeks.
• OPEN SKY Discount NEWS….. Open Sky launched a new look yesterday and it is looking super hot.  You can check out my new store front and in addition to the sexy new look you can enter a coupon code “REDESIGN” and receive a 10% Coupon.  This discount will run until the end of January so spread the word and buy whatever you see fit.  If you are looking for certain products and do not see them in my store – let me know and I will work on getting them in my store and trying them out.