Half calories comfort!

   Another "comfort Friday" dinner recipe post. I was waiting the whole week for this evening. First, because it means two days off of work and second, because it means a bowl of delicious comforting food, enjoyed on a couch, with a good movie on (and Spikey watching us like a hawk, waiting for one of to drop something on the floor). I wanted to show you that a bowl of delicious comforting food doesn't have be loaded with fat and calories, and that you can enjoy a great dish which super light and guilt free! For me comfort food usually involves some kind of pasta, so I decided to substitute half of the noodles with vegetable ribbons and use herbs and citrus rather than heavy sauce to dress it all up. Oh, and lets not forget shrimp... that screams comfort too, at least for me! Here is the recipe which serves 2-4 (depending on how rough your week was!).

Shrimp marinade:
*  1 lb raw medium shrimp (about 30-40 shrimp)
*  1/4 cup olive oil
*  lemon (zest and juice)
*  1/4 cup fresh, chopped mint
*  1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
*  1 tsp garlic powder
*  salt and pepper

Noodles:
*  2 cups rice noodles
*  2 large carrots, peeled
*  2 small zucchinis, peeled
*  2 tbsp black sesame seeds
*  salt

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk everything together, add shrimp and marinate for 10-15 minutes.
2. Using a vegetable peeler thinly slice carrots and zucchini into ribbon-like slices, set aside.
3. Boil a pot of salted water, add rice noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and carrots and cook for additional 5 minutes.
4. In a meantime, heat the skillet, add shrimp together with marinade, and cook everything for 6-7 minutes until shrimp is pink and cooked.
5. When shrimp is ready, drain the noodles and vegetables, add to shrimp and toss everything together. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and it's ready to serve.

   One of the best dishes I've ever created on a spot! Mint and lemon are definitely the star, light, bright, and flavorful. Zucchini and carrots "stretch out" the noodles without adding any calories, making the dish super colorful at the same time. 

Have fun,
Magda.