Grilled Shrimp Salad with a Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

Pin It

Chris and I have been craving healthy dinners the past few weeks, so I've been perusing my "Healthy Eating" section for some recipe inspiration. Salads always seem like the way to go, but I find myself having to add a lot of fixings so that we aren't starving a few hours later. A simple protein (like shrimp) and tons of other vegetables are an easy way to load up a salad and make it a hearty main course. Top with a delicious vinaigrette and you're done. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Dressing: 

• 1/4 cup balsamic
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Shrimp:

• 1/4 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 1/4 cup canned corn, drained
• 1 bag salad greens
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced

In a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and Dijon. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper. 

Lightly spray a grill pan with cooking spray. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes per side or until pink. Remove from the grill and set aside.

Add the corn to to a dry skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until begins to char.

Add the salad greens to a bowl. Top with corn, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms and shrimp. Drizzle salad dressing over top.

Source: SK Original

Roasted Red Pepper Salsa

Pin It

Happy Memorial Day! This salsa is a perfect accompaniment for grilled steak and probably grilled chicken. We couldn't get enough of this. The roasted red peppers have a hint of a smoky flavor while the jalapeno adds subtle heat to the rest of it. The lemon juice, garlic and oil mellow out the flavors and combine them into a refreshing topping for steak right off the grill. I would have eaten this straight from the bowl if there were any leftovers. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe 

Ingredients

• 3 large red bell peppers
• 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced
• 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat broiler to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Cut each pepper in half and remove the seeds. Lay each pepper, skin side up, on the baking sheet. Press down so the peppers lay flat.

Broil for 15-20 minutes or until peppers are charred. Remove from oven and place in a large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let stand for 20 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off the peppers. Cut the peppers into small chunks and toss with remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve on top of grilled steak or chicken.

Source: Adapted from Epicurious

2-Minute Chunky Salsa

Pin It

Chris' mom made this one weekend as an appetizer and I immediately fell in love. It was so simple to make, but it was a perfect accompaniment to our Cuban lunch. We paired it with lime flavored tortilla chips and it was gone in a flash.

If you're looking for a simple side to make, this is the one for you. You can claim it as your own, and it only uses two ingredients. The taco sauce provides a little heat, while the chunks of tomato make the salsa light and refreshing. We serve this as an appetizer, but it would be great on tacos or any other Mexican dish. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) bottle taco sauce
• 1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped into big chunks
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Mix the taco sauce and tomato pieces. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Chris' Mom