Your Life Your Health: No Cook Meals with Whole Foods

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

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No Cook Meals
with Chef Antonio Palacios

Shrimp and Cucumber Stuffed Avocados
Ingredients:
• Citrus Dressing
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salad
• 1 cup frozen precooked baby shrimp (about 6 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, more for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, more for garnish
• 2 ounces queso fresco or mild feta cheese, crumbled, more for garnish
• 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 2 avocados
• 4 cups shredded romaine

Method:
To make the dressing, whisk together orange juice, lime juice, zest, pepper, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

To make the salad, thaw shrimp and drain off any excess liquid. In a medium bowl, combine shrimp with mint, cilantro, cheese, cucumber and tomatoes. Halve avocados and discard pits. With a table knife, gently score flesh of avocado without splitting the shell. Scoop out avocado and add to shrimp salad, reserving avocado shells. Pour half of the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat. In another bowl, toss romaine with remaining dressing. To serve, divide lettuce among plates. Set avocado shells on greens and fill with shrimp salad. Garnish with additional cheese, mint and cilantro leaves and serve.

Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho
Ingredients:
• 3 cups chopped pineapple (from about 1/2 pineapple)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper, halved and seeded
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped macadamia nuts
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Method:
Combine pineapple, cucumber, pineapple juice, oil, lime juice, jalapeño and salt in a blender and purée until smooth. Add green onions and purée just until combined. Transfer soup to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with macadamia nuts and cilantro.

No-Cook Zucchini Noodle Salad
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram or oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pounds zucchini and/or yellow summer squash
• 1 (4-ounce) jar pimientos, drained

Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, marjoram, salt and pepper until blended.

Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, cut squash lengthwise into long, thin “noodles.” Rotate squash as you peel and discard seedy core. Add squash to dressing in the bowl along with pimientos and toss to combine. Serve immediately or let marinate up to 15 minutes.

Homemade Ginger Ale
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup diced fresh ginger
• 2 cups sugar
• Ice cubes for serving
• Sparkling water, chilled, for serving

Method:
Combine ginger, 2 cups water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool, then strain syrup through a fine-mesh strainer. Syrup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To serve, fill glasses with ice. Add 1 tablespoon ginger syrup to each glass and top with sparkling water. Stir, then taste and add more syrup if desired.

Watermelon Aqua Fresca
Ingredients:
• 6 pounds seedless watermelon, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
• Ice cubes, for serving

Method:
In a blender, combine half of the watermelon and 1 cup cold water and blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer into a pitcher; discard solids. Repeat with remaining watermelon and 1 cup cold water. You should have about 8 cups juice. Stir in lime juice and agave and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve well-chilled over ice.

Spiced Iced Tea Punch
Ingredients:
• 10 whole cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 8 cups apple juice
• 8 blueberry or blackberry tea bags
• 1 Navel orange, cut crosswise into rounds

Method:
Wrap cloves and cinnamon sticks in a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter and secure with kitchen twine. Bring apple juice and spices just to the boiling point. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep for 4 to 6 minutes then remove tea bags. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold. When ready to serve, remove spices. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with orange slices.

Honeydew Green Tea
Ingredients:
• 4 cups honeydew melon chunks (about 1 1/4 pounds), plus more for garnish
• 1 (64-ounce) bottle unsweetened green tea, divided
• 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup wildflower honey, plus more to taste

Method:
Put honeydew, 2 cups of the tea and ginger into a blender and purée until smooth and frothy. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discard any remaining pulp and transfer honeydew-tea mixture to a large pitcher. Stir in remaining tea and honey, chill and serve over ice, garnished with honeydew.

Smokey Nectarine Punch
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 2 large or 3 medium nectarines, halved and pitted, plus nectarine slices for garnish
• 1 (750-ml) bottle sparkling wine, such as Cava or Prosecco, chilled
• Ice cubes for serving

Method:
Prepare a grill or grill pan for medium-high heat cooking. Meanwhile, combine sugar, thyme leaves and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Set over high heat and bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool to room temperature.

Grill nectarines, flipping halfway through, until charred in parts and soft and juicy, 8 to 10 minutes total. Let cool, then transfer to a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mash nectarines until very juicy and pulpy. Add thyme syrup and about 1 cup of the wine and stir well, continuing to muddle solids until completely mashed. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, pressing to extract as much liquid and nectarine pulp as possible; discard solids. Pour remaining wine into the pitcher and stir to combine. Fill 4 to 6 glasses with ice and pour in nectarine punch. Garnish with thyme sprigs and nectarine slices.