Zucchini Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Each week I'm getting better and better with running (today I hit a personal best!) and to keep the streak going I've been trying to focus on eating fairly clean. We're not going to talk about the pizza and pancake bites I had at the end of last week but a little 90/10 never hurt anyone.

Today was my first attempt at making zucchini noodles to swap for spaghetti. I was already using whole grain noodles but I love zucchini and thought if zucchini pizza crust is delicious then zucchini noodles were probably just as good. To make them you need a spiralizer, easily found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or similar stores. Add in one of their 20% off coupons and mine only cost me $12. You can't beat that.

To use the tool simply cut off the ends of your zucchini, place one end in the tool, and twist. It takes a little bit of practice to get really long strands but short ones are just as good. I used three zucchini to make about four servings, you can use more if you need to.

In place of red sauce, which can be sugary, I made a roasted red pepper sauce. You can roast your peppers in the oven but I decided to really do it up and cook them on the charcoal grill outside. Once the grill is hot you cook them for about 15 minutes, rotating them until each side gets somewhat blackened. I also tossed on a few shrimp for some extra protein, marinated in McCormick's Island Woodfire Grill Marinade, found at any grocery store.

To make your sauce, start by peeling your peppers once they've cooled; you only need two. The skin should come right off. Then clean the seeds out and cut the pepper into strips. Toss into your food processor or blender along with one tablespoon of EVOO, two ounces of goat cheese, and one teaspoon of sea salt. Blend until smooth.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add in 1/4 cup of EVOO and saute half of a minced yellow onion and two minced cloves of garlic. Once the onion has softened add in your noodles and another teaspoon of sea salt and cook until tender. Coat in the sauce and cook until sauce is heated through, then remove to a serving bowl and top with black pepper, grated Parmesan, parsley, and extra goat cheese. Yum!

Grilled Swordfish with Mango Salsa

I love the taste of anything grilled but it really gives a certain something special to seafood. One of my favorite grilled fish is swordfish, so earlier in the week I snagged three swordfish steaks from the seafood counter at my local grocery store to pair with a delicious and crisp mango salsa.

While your grill is firing up make your salsa.

You will need:

2 ripe mangos, peeled, cored, and diced
3 tablespoons diced red onion
Zest and juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Mix all of these ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and chill. As a side note, I had never cut up a mango before and had no idea what I was in for. I didn't realize that mangos have cores like a pineapple and almost mangled the first one. However, there are a plethora of YouTube videos that I highly encourage you to watch before you attempt this if you've never done it before. It definitely saved me from having to go back out to the store.

Once your grill is hot (ours is charcoal) season your swordfish steaks with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and a little bit of olive oil.

Place on the grill and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side. You may need to cook it longer depending on how hot your grill is. Because we have a charcoal grill I was a little nervous about the fish falling through the grate so we purchased an inexpensive grill basket from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It's adjustable so you can get your fish and meat as close to the grill as you want without worrying about losing it. It's also extremely easy to flip. If you have a gas grill you may not need one of these since the spaces on the grate are usually closer together.

Top your grilled fish with the mango salsa and serve! No need to heat it up, microwaved mango really does not taste that great. Trust me, I know, that was a mistake I made at work on my lunch break.

Shrimp Avocado Salad

This morning I'm continuing the clean eating trend with a shrimp avocado salad. It's the perfect light summertime meal and great to bring with me over the weekend while I work the next three nights in a row. Not to mention it's a breeze to throw together.

Start by cooking two pounds of peeled, deveined shrimp on the stove top with a little bit of olive oil. Set aside to cool.

Cut two avocados into large cubes and dice one half of a small red onion. Place the avocados and onions in a large serving bowl with the shrimp.

Now for the dressing. Mix 1/4 cup EVOO, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, one 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper in a 2 cup measuring cup.

Pour the dressing over the salad and serve! Tastes great at room temperature or cold. Shrimp pack about 24g of protein in one 3 ounce serving. Avocados provide fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid just to name a few, and EVOO provides the healthy fat. This dish is well-rounded, filling, and guilt-free! I took it to my mom for a taste test and the two of us couldn't stop dipping our forks in it.