The rainy season has come to an end and we are into our dry, breezy and hot days, on the cusp of the Carnival season.
Many masqueraders are fighting it out at the gym and rigorously dieting to get those washboard abs ready for the road.
I have come to realise dieting is no longer simply calorie counting, some go on strenuous low carb or no carb diets, some only eat carbs twice per week, some practice conscious combining others just juice it and call it a day.
While these diets may work for the short term, giving yourself the opportunity to showoff a “killer” body in the miniscule costume, it is a fact that once you resume normal eating habits, you will regain that lost weight.
I’m not against periodic dieting, in fact that, coupled with constant exercise can be one way to prevent keeping the weight on. However, I have also realised that once we become watchdogs over every meal, and are vigilant about developing healthy and clean eating habits, shedding those few pounds before carnival may not become such an annual insurmountable, and painful task.
Enjoying delicious salads with your meals is a healthy habit to adopt, they add lots of fibre and vitamins to your diet and can be quite sustaining as well.
SWEET AND SOUR CARIBBEAN SLAW
2 cups grated red cabbage
1 cup grated green cabbage
1 carrot grated
1 red onion, grated
1 bell pepper, julienned
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Dressing
1 cup vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
METHOD
Place all the vegetables into a salad bowl.
Bring the vinegar to a boil, add sugar and cook for one minute until sugar dissolves.
Stir in garlic and sesame oil.
Cool and pour onto salad and toss.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serves 6
GREEN PAW PAW SALAD
1 green paw paw, about 4 lbs.
1 carrot grated
1/3 cup each chadon beni, mint and basil
1 hot pepper, seeded and julienned
1 tomato, seeded and cut into strips
Salt to taste
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
METHOD
Peel and grate paw paw coarsely, place in a colander to drain off any excess juices.
Combine with carrot, tomato, hot pepper, salt and fresh herbs.
Pour on dressing and toss gently. Sprinkle with peanuts if using
Refrigerate until ready for use.
For the dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
METHOD
Combine all ingredients and stir.
Serves 4 to 6
MEDITERRANEAN PASTA SALAD
1 300 gram package of penne pasta, boiled and drained according to package directions
1 lb small or medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup Greek black olives
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs - chives, parsley, basil, chadon beni
Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste
Pinch sugar
METHOD
Marinate shrimp with garlic, salt and pepper for about 15 minutes.
Steam shrimp for about eight minutes until curled and pink.
Remove from steamer and cool, refrigerate.
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and blend well.
Place pasta and shrimp into a large salad bowl; add olives, pepper, tomatoes, onion and cucumber.
Pour on dressing and toss well.
Gently fold in feta.
Add fresh herbs and serve.
If not serving right away, do not add herbs, cover and refrigerate.
Add herbs before serving.
Serves 6 to 8
