Apricots are in season right now and oh-so-deliciously juicy, but they’re one of those fruits that can feel tricky to incorporate. Dried apricots are our most typical form of ingesting this fruit – and while season obviously doesn’t matter there, you do up your sugar intake (since the water is removed during the drying process, the sugar content goes up – plus it’s easier to pop quite a few in your mouth at once!) vs noshing on the fresh fruit…and a whole apricot only has 17 calories, making it particularly waistline-friendly.
In addition, apricots really are a great health pick: their vivid-orange flesh is a tip-off that these fruits are absolutely stuffed with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant, and a great source of vitamin A, which is essential for eye, bone and immune health. In fact, Women’s Health Magazine tells us that researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that adults with the highest blood carotene levels were less likely to keel over from disease (always a good thing)!
If you need a more exciting and adventurous way to incorporate these juicy buggers into your diet, Women’s Health magazine featured a delicious savory, grilled apricot dish this month. It’s a fabulously unique way to eat this fresh fruit hot – to round out the meal, make a little extra marinade and toss with some quinoa or bulgur wheat, and serve the skewers on top!
Apricot Shrimp Skewers
Ingredients:
2 tbsp + 2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 apricots, quartered, pits removed
12 metal or soaked wooden skewers
Lemon wedges
Directions:
- In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest and juice, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Add shrimp to marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Preheat grill to high. Toss apricots with remaining oil and a dash of salt. Thread 2 shrimp and 2 apricot pieces onto each skewer, alternating shrimp and apricot.
- Grill skewers until shrimp flesh is firm and pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with lemon wedges.
Makes 4 servings
Nutrition info per serving:
240 calories
12 g fat (1 g saturated)
9 g carbs
320 mg sodium
1 g fiber
24 g proetin
raising the barre 