She Said:
This was never the way I planned. Not my intention.
I got so brave, wine in hand. Lost my discretion.
Perhaps it was the 5 days spent at a conference in Orlando this week. After arriving home Friday evening to say I was ass-kicked would be an understatement. And the idea of a scale after 5 straight days of conference food left me searching for the nearest bottle.
Lucky for me, while I was away Steve attended a wine tasting of the Top 10 Summer Wines at Whole Foods. I often wonder how we get invited to these from time-to-time, and then I see my credit card statement detailing the aftermath of said tastings. It is much safer for the male half of this relationship to attend because the last time I brought along a girlfriend and ended up with 18 bottles of what was sampled that evening.
Never before this night have we tried the recipes accompanying the featured wines. But after the week I had this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Steve had specifically mentioned a Greek wine that he tasted, Kyklos Moschofilero. Per Whole Foods description: “This light straw-colored white has melon, white rose, and citrus flavors with some fresh vegetable notes, providing a zingy, pleasant finish. A great pairing with seafood, this is a fun substitute for chardonnay or pinot grigio.” Our take was slightly less refined and simply put, it reminds me of a sauvignon blanc in that it is both light and crisp. This is a great summer wine and pairs very well with seafood. Suggested as a pairing with a calamari pasta, we opted instead for an alternative recipe of shrimp and mango ceviche.
We both loved this dish, so much so that we felt we needed to share it. It is perfect on a 90 degree plus summer day when you don’t want to heat up the house and are vying for something light, fresh and delicious. In other words, perfect for every day for the next three months. The ideal combination of cilantro, lime, shrimp and mango left us yearning for immediate transportation to the Caribbean. Try this and serve it to friends. You won’t be disappointed.
We followed the recipe exactly and opted to serve it over a bed of a baby Asian lettuce blend. I thoroughly enjoyed the crunch of the lettuce and imagine that this would also be fantastic with some tortilla or pita chips as a dip.
Whole Foods Shrimp and Mango Ceviche:
Serves 6 to 8
This fully cooked, brightly flavored ceviche is good enough to eat all by itself, piled into bowls over shredded lettuce and served as an appetizer or light lunch. But don’t hesitate to scoop it up with tortilla chips, too.
Ingredients
3/4 pound (about 30) medium peeled-and-deveined shrimp
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
6 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 tomato, cored and chopped
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded (if desired) and finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Method
Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add shrimp and cook until pink and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again.
Chop shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add onion, lime juice, cilantro, mango, tomato, jalapeño and salt and toss well. Cover and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
Nutrition
Per serving: 80 calories (10 from fat), 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 75mg cholesterol, 330mg sodium, 8g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 10g protein






