Southwest Shrimp Salad

Summer nights call for dinners that are flavorful and light.  Here's a filling dinner salad I made in about 10 minutes that was healthy and satisfying without being dense. 

Gosh I love shrimp. 

Okay, here we go!

Ingredients (1 salad):
-1/2 head of romaine lettuce
-1/2 poblano pepper, diced
-2 stalks celery, chopped
-2 stalks green onion, chopped
-1 cup shrimp, thawed (I used precooked)
-2 tsp taco seasoning

Dressing
-1 tbsp taco seasoning
-1 tsp chili powder
-a splash of vinegar
-5 seconds of a fine stream of olive oil

1.  The first thing I did was chop my veggies.  Here are the green onions and celery.

Chop chop chop.  I didn't used to like chopping vegetables until I got my awesome santoku knife, but now it's so much easier.

Here's my romaine lettuce.  I didn't buy the kind that just has the hearts.  These are big and leafy.  I split the head right in the middle and stored the rest for another salad for another time. 

Chop, wash, spin.  Lettuce is done, no need for pictures of that process, right?  Okay.  Here's my poblano pepper.

Contrary to what you might think, these peppers are not spicy.  They are slightly spicier than green bell peppers.  But if you're not willing to risk it at all, stick to your bell peppers. 

Cut the poblano right down the middle.  Pretty! 

Seed and slice.  Done.

2.  I love using taco seasoning for marinating things.  I learned this from my parents' shop where they use a taco seasoning + water mix to steam chicken on a hot grill.  So I used it to make my boring shrimp a little more exciting.  Boring shrimp:

Exciting shrimp:

Saute them briefly in a pan with a little water (like maybe two tablespoons' worth).

3.  Making your own salad dressing is an empowering act.  Prepare dressing by adding taco seasoning and chili powder in a bowl. 

Splash the vinegar and whisk around, then stream in olive oil for about 5 seconds.  

4.  Toss veggies in dressing, then top with shrimp.  That's it!

Look how gorgeous this salad looks!  It's chock full of all those vegetables you promised your doctor you would start eating. 

Topped with flavorful shrimp that adds depth to the green, this salad is a great standalone dinner salad that is both healthy and delicious!

Mmm!  You could also substitute shrimp for chicken if you have some, or thick portabella mushrooms if you wanna go all veggie.  Just prepare them the same way you would the shrimp, but adjust cooking time. 

Enjoy your lovely summer evenings, and eat something healthy like this that won't undo the calories you burned in your cardio sculpt class! :)

For a printable version of this recipe, please click here.