Food For Thought

Food For Thought has a wonderful fundraising cookbook, and now you can buy it right here on our website! It’s a fun and flavorful way to support the food bank. The book is full of recipes — actually more than 500 of them — ranging from the simple to the sublime.

Here’s a seasonal recipe from the book, to whet your appetite:

White Bean Salad with Shrimp and Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. freshly ground back pepper, divided
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
5 oz. torn spinach
2 (19 oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
4 bacon slices
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

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Cook or steam asparagus until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse with cold water. Sprinkle shrimp with 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1/2 tsp. salt. Heat oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; saut 4 minutes; remove from pan, and place in a large bowl. Add asparagus, spinach, onions, and beans to shrimp; toss well.

Add bacon to pan; cook over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Reserve 1 Tbsp. drippings in pan. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes or until soft, stirring fequently. Remove from heat; add remaining pepper, salt, bacon, broth, and the remaining ingredients. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

This recipe was submitted to the Food For Thought Cookbook by food bank friend Patricia Willets. Thanks, Patricia!