The Many Benefits of Seafood
Feb 16, 2017
The Many Benefits of Seafood
--Eating seafood at least 2 times per week is recommended for promoting heart health and can even help reduce your risk for heart disease!
--Seafood provides heart healthy fats like polyunsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help our brains, heart, and immune system.
--Fish and seafood cooks very quickly compared to other proteins, which means dinner is on the table sooner!
--When prepared with little to no added fats, seafood has the least amount of calories per ounce compared to any other protein (i.e. beef, pork, poultry).
--Research has shown that the omega-3 fatty acids in seafood may even help reduce your chance of developing type 2 diabetes and help to lower blood pressure in people that have hypertension (also known as high blood pressure).
--Eating fish and seafood on a regular basis has been shown to help ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and even help to prevent osteoarthritis.
--The omega-3’s in fish and seafood have been shown to help ease the symptoms of psoriasis and eczema as well as protect our skin from harmful UV rays!
Here is a yummy recipe that you will be proud you made entirely from scratch….except for the pasta – because who really has time for that??
Arugula Pesto Penne with Shrimp
Minutes to Prepare: 25 Number of Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 12-16oz whole grain pasta
- 1-6oz container fresh arugula, washed and dried
- 2/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted (toasting is optional)
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- ½ cup parmesan cheese extra for a sprinkle on top
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil more for drizzling
- 12-16 stalks fresh asparagus, ends removed, sliced into ½ inch sections
- 1-8oz package sliced baby portabella mushrooms
- 1 lb shrimp, cooked (can be raw then cooked or frozen cooked & thawed out)
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
Directions:
- Cook pasta in a large pot of water until al dente (according to package instructions) and drain pasta.
- Meanwhile, add arugula, walnuts (or pine nuts), and garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse until everything is combined. Scrape down the sides of the processor with a spatula then add pepper and parmesan cheese and pulse again until the cheese has incorporated.
- Scrape down the sides one more time and slowly add in the olive oil while the food processor is on until it is completely mixed in. Set the pesto aside.
- Drizzle a little olive oil in the large pot and cook the asparagus and mushrooms until slightly tender (about 5 minutes)
- Then add the pasta, arugula pesto and ½ cup low sodium chicken broth to the pot and stir well to incorporate. Adjust seasonings to your taste preference before serving and sprinkle lightly with fresh parmesan.
Tips:
- Don’t like arugula or can’t find it? You can always do basil or try something bold like cilantro for the pesto instead!
- Swap out the shrimp for 1 ½ cups diced, boiled or grilled chicken in the recipe
- Try cooked peas or zucchini instead of asparagus
- Add additional veggies – the more the better!
Nutrition Facts (per serving):
Calories: 430 Protein: 24gm Total Carbohydrates: 45gm Fiber: 7.6gm
Total Fat: 21gm Cholesterol: 115mg Sodium: 252mg
Melanie Kluzek, Registered Dietitian for County Market
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