Just Good Food: Salads

 Not just for rabbits:

Some people think of salads as "rabbit food".  But, I value them them as an accompaniment to almost any entree. During the heat of summer one cam be an entire meal in itself.

So, herein is a carefully curated selection of salads in chronological order beginning with 2005 through the past week.

I am interested in any thoughts that you might have about "just good food".

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

National Shrimp Day

It's back!

Once again, May 10 is, among other things, National Shrimp Day.

Shrimp Cocktail: photo by Cliff Hutson

Shrimp Facts

Type of Food: Seafood

Produced From: Decapod crustaceans

Total Calories: 99 (one serving, 99 grams)

Total Fat: 0.3 grams (one serving, 99 grams)

Total Protein: 24 grams (one serving, 99 grams)

Total Carbohydrates: 0.2 grams (one serving, 99 grams)

Shrimp Noodle Bowl: photo by Cliff Hutson

Shrimp is also a good source of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, in addition to astaxanthin, which may have a variety of health benefits.

Fiesta Shrimp Bowl: photo by Cliff Huston

Some say that shrimp is the most popular seafood in America; and seems to be a hit worldwide as well.

Shrimp Tacos: photo by Cliff Hutson

A search of "shrimp" in my food photography files seems to bear out the hypothesis that I am doing my share when it comes to consumption. I hasten to point out that I try to be judicious in my purchases. 

National Shrimp Day

National Shrimp Day

Shrimp & Tricolor Pasta: photo by Cliff Hutson

May 10, among other things, is National Shrimp Day in the US of A.

Shrimp Bowl: photo by Cliff Hutson

Some say that shrimp is the most popular seafood in America; and seems to be a hit worldwide as well.

Shrimp Fried Rice: photo by Cliff Hutson

A search of "shrimp" in my food photography files seems to bear out the hypothesis that I am doing my share when it comes to consumption. I hasten to point out that I try to be judicious in my purchases. 

Southwest Asian Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson

Seafood Month Challenge

Lionfish: photo by Cliff Hutson

National Seafood Month

October is National Seafood Month, a time to highlight smart seafood choices, sustainable fisheries, and the health benefits of eating a diet rich in seafood.

Scallops and Broccoli Slaw: photo by Cliff Hutson

How to Celebrate National Seafood Month

There is more than one way to celebrate the month. The one I really like is put forth by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, which helps us make better choices for healthy oceans. They have issued a challenge ( #SeafoodMonthChallenge ) to post one seafood dish each week on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

I am not going to throw myself in to this, but I was challenged enough to go through my archives to find some photos that I thought were pretty good.

Shrimp Tacos: photo by Cliff Hutson

Calamari Steak and Pasta: photo by Cliff Hutson

Cod and Greek Salad: photo by Cliff Hutson 

It should be noted that I prepared all of these dishes prior to photographing them. And, I ate them soon after that.

Lionfish

I am issuing an additional challenge that people should try to eat more Lionfish. Eating an invasive animal for lunch or dinner is a great way to protect our environment. It reminds me of the the TV program, "Dexter". Which is to say, this is one of those instances where I can kill and eat something without any pangs of remorse nor guilt.

A Batch of Books & Another Anniversary

August 2017 Reading: photo by Cliff Hutson

Harlem Detectives Series

All of the books that I finished reading this August were from one series by the American author Chester Himes. Interestingly enough, my binge watching the Netflix series "Luke Cage" led to my discovery of the author. I read six of the eight books which feature two black NYPD detectives — Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson.

The stories are very well done, and can be said to rival the works of Raymond Chandler and Walter Mosley, as Luke Cage remarks more than once - this show is very clever in its allusions to culture and literature.

While the depictions of police brutality and blantant racism may be disturbing to many people, I highly these books to fans of the hardboiled detective genre. And, the TV show is not all that bad, either.

Jambalaya: photo by Cliff Hutson

10th Anniversary

"The general rule [is] that whenever anything artistic is described as a “journey,” you can be pretty certain of going nowhere. "

- Peter Schjeldahl

I began writing this blog ten years ago this week. The first post was on September 4, 2007. It has been an interesting journey, even if the progress is uncertain. This morning I scrolled through a list of all the posts and found that by a large factor, the most viewed post is "Jambalaya with Shrimp, Ham, and Andouille Sausage", from January 2008. Why that is I have no idea. I have, in my mind, written many more informative posts, and may be even a thoughtful one or two. But, I guess my reading public knows what it likes.

Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Shrimp & Avocado Salad by Cliff Hutson

Shrimp, Hass avocado, and Roma tomatoes on hearts of Romaine lettuce with Italian dressing

Shrimp Po' Boy

Originally a classic from Louisiana, this po’ boy sandwich is my creation of breaded shrimp, lettuce, tomato and my secret dressing on a fresh baguette.

Shrimp Po' Boy 

Jambalaya with Shrimp, Ham, and Andouille Sausage

Jambalaya with Shrimp, Ham, and Andouille Sausage, originally uploaded by The Marmot.

I cooked this back in October. It was the first dish that I had prepared in a long time. Luckily, my affinity for Creole and Cajun cooking stood me well. As it has tomatoes this is a Creole version (red jumbalaya.)

Thinking about this tonight prompts me to give a shout out to The Southern Foodways Alliance . The SFA documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South. Quoting from their web site "We set a common table where black and white, rich and poor -- all who gather -- may consider our history and our future in a spirit of reconciliation."

Sounds good to me, check them out: SFA