Last spring one of my friends was preparing for a surgery and was on a very restrictive diet. To liven things up, I offered to make supper with lots of fresh ingredients from the farm. It was a really fun challenge to prepare a 5-course meal that was under 1000 calories.

This is the first course in the Asian-themed, low-calorie, five-course meal: shrimp lettuce wraps as an appetizer.

ingredients

2 Tbsp lime juice
1 to 2 Tbsp gochujang (which is a Korean hot pepper paste), or your favorite hot sauce
1 Tbsp oil (try sesame if you have it)
2 tsp honey
1 green garlic, grated (or 1 clove garlic)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 head romaine lettuce (or other head lettuce), leaves separated
1 cucumber, cut in small cubes
several radishes, sliced (or substitute salad turnips)
several leaves fresh mint (or basil, or cilantro), cut in small ribbons

directions

Combine lime juice, gochujang, oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and shrimp in a bowl, stir, and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange shrimp on a sheet pan and roast until just opaque throughout, about 10-15 minutes.

Allow shrimp to cool slightly, then lay out lettuce leaves and fill with shrimp, cucumbers, radishes, and mint.