One of my favorite ways to plan a meal is to go to the farmer’s market and see what calls to me. I look for bright colors, bountiful displays and fragrant aromas.  I’m not afraid to be hands on and pick up a vegetable, feel its skin and put my nose right up for a big whiff.  If it doesn’t look or smell good, then back it goes. 

It’s impossible for me to walk by the vivid reds and oranges of the heirloom tomatoes without grabbing a few as I did this week.  Not only do they add beautiful color to dishes, but their sweet juices are also a welcome addition to most other ingredients.

With tomatoes in hand, I wandered to see what would be a good companion for them.  My eye caught the long lean, waxy yellow and greens of some zucchini stacked up like a pyramid.  They were firm, dense, and unblemished so they came home with me too.  I never leave the market without some fresh herbs, and this week, the mint was screaming the loudest with its robust aromatic scent, so in the bag it went, and so began my dinner.

I think fresh vegetables need little manipulation when they’re bought at their peak, so I simply sautéed my farmer’s market ingredients with some onion, shrimp and a little lemon and cayenne for a subtle, but nice kick.  It proved to be an easy, but healthy and satisfying dinner full of great color and flavor.

Shrimp and Zucchini Sauté

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• ½ onion
• 2 zucchinis – green and yellow
• 12 shrimp – peeled, cleaned and deveined
• ½ lemon
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts
• ¼ cup goat cheese

Instructions

1. Dice the onion and sauté in a pan coated with olive oil.  Sweat until the onions are translucent – about 3 minutes.
2. Cut the zucchini in matching 1” pieces and combine with onions in the pan.   Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste.  Cook approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add shrimp to the pan and cook until opaque, about 3 minutes.
4. When the shrimp is nearly done, squeeze the lemon juice over all the ingredients, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. 
5. When the lemon juice has nearly burned off, add the tomatoes, a dash of cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Take off the heat and garnish with goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.