Sumptuous Swirls

Swirling plates and swirling waters surrounded our sumptuous picnic meal today.  The menu included a delicious salad of shrimp and farmers market vegetables.  The dessert was a blueberry upside-down cake.  Here's a closer look:

The salad ingredients work together to provide a perfect seasoning and moistness without an added dressing. 

Shrimp and Spring Vegetable Salad

(2 Servings)

Saute onions, garlic and peppers in olive oil.  Add shrimp and 1/2 teaspoon oregano.  Brown shrimp on 1 side for 3 minutes.  Turn.  Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano.  Brown on second side for 2 minutes.
1/4 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 mini sweet peppers, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
10 jumbo shrimp, peeled deveined and tail removed
1 teaspoon oregano

Add potatoes, cut side down to hot pan.  Add wine.  Heat for 1-2 minutes.
1/4 cup white wine
4 new potatoes, cooked and halved

Remove from heat.  Mix in asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes and olives.  Refrigerate overnight.
4 fresh asparagus spears, microwaved for 2 minutes.
4 broccolini spears, microwaved for 2 minutes
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup black olives, chopped

Blueberry Upside Down Cake

(Serves 6)

Grease a 7 inch springform pan with olive oil spray.  Wrap foil around bottom of pan and place it on another baking sheet.  Add berries, sugar, lemon juice and buttery spread.  Bake in 400F. oven for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven to cooling rack and reduce oven temperature to 350F.
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon buttery spread

Cake
In a separate bowl, mix flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda and lemon zest. 
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

In bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar.
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar

Alternately add dry ingredients with yogurt and buttery spread.  Mix until flour is incorporated.
2/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
3 tablespoon 1 teaspoon melted buttery spread

Spoon batter over blueberries in springform pan.  Smooth surface.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes on rack.  Release pan sides from cake and remove.  Turn cake onto a cooling rack with piece of foil on bottom to catch the dripping juices.  Remove bottom cake pan and cool.  Garnish with mascarpone cream.

Our picnic today was at Valley Falls State Park near Fairmont, West Virginia.  The falls were the highest we've ever seen.  The friendly maintenance workers gave us a ride on their all terrain vehicle to show us the hollowed out tree and took our picture.  It was a beautiful Sunday.