Butter Lettuce and Shrimp Salad

So, if you have read some of my recent posts you'll know that I eat gluten free - an extremely difficult task at times but you do learn how to make every single kind of salad in the process! I recently also decided to try and avoid red meats for a while, so far its been working out and there are a lot of fish and chicken dishes I've been coming up with that are easily just as good as a burger. This recipe was inspired by a fellow favorite blogger and a while back she did this recipe with avocado, shrimp and endive. She also did a video on it which if you watch it you'll see how incredibly easy it is to make. 

You know me - I like to put my own twist on everything - so here is my own recipe on shrimp salad. P.S. Make sure to check out her blog Because I'm Addicted and her Vimeo channel LEAFtv as well!!

Butter Lettuce and Shrimp Salad

1 Lemon

1 Avocado

1 Vine Ripe Tomato

5 - 6 Butter Lettuce Leaves

6 Shrimp (peeled and deveined) 

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

S & P

**This recipe yields one person according to the leaves and shrimp

If your shrimp are frozen (like mine) I put them in a strainer or colander in the sink and let the cool water run over them for about five to ten minutes until they're thawed. Then I lightly pat them dry, place them in a bowl and add one tablespoon of olive oil, one half juice of the lemon and salt and pepper. Let them marinate for about ten minutes - or longer - while you get the rest of the ingredients ready. I personally like long strips of lettuce in this salad, it looks elegant and you can twirl them on your fork making it easier to eat. How I do that is I pick a few of the outside leaves and place them one on top of the other so that they all fit together; then, starting from the bottom of the leaves, I roll them into each other upwards making a little roll-up. Then simply slice the log of lettuce and you'll get them into long thin strips. Put the leaves in a bowl and move onto the tomato - I usually cut it in half and then dice it into medium sized cubes then put that in the bowl. Next the avocado - half it, remove the pit, and remove the flesh from the skin and then slice into long thin strips and add to the bow. Add the juice of the other half of the lemon and the other tablespoon of olive oil. Now you're ready to saute the shrimp. In a small skillet saute your shrimp for about two minutes on each side - they don't take very long on each side if you over cook them they become rubbery so be careful! When they're beautifully pink and cooked through add them to your salad and toss! 

 

Friday Favorites

Today's favorites are short and sweet - just a few things I've collected over the week that I'm looking forward to. I also have a short and sweet soup recipe that I whipped up today when I didn't feel like making anything that was too time consuming. It was very tasty and its even good cooled or at warm temperature. But first things first, here are the Friday favorites:

 [whole artichoke that will be used in a recipe found at this blog]

 [one of my new favorite ingredients; recipe coming soon]

[cozie recently bought from a good friend in honor of our 2012 graduates]

Bell Pepper and Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

 1 yellow bell pepper

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 can chili ready roasted tomatoes

1 can cannellini beans

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano 

2 Turkish bay leaves

1/4 cup chopped parsley 

5 cups chicken stock 

s & p

In a large pot saute garlic and bell pepper in olive oil for five minutes until soft. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Add chili ready roasted tomatoes and cannellini or white kidney beans. Cook for about two minutes then add five cups of chicken stock - I used two cups of broth and then used chicken bullion cubes and water to come up with the remaining three cups since I ran out of broth. If you do it that way then bring the soup to a boil and then add your bullion cubes, usually one cube is good for one cup of water. Let simmer for ten minutes after adding your two bay leaves and parsley. Ready to eat!

This recipe can be used with any other vegetables too so you can use what you have on hand. Also the spices I chose can be substituted out for other ones or you can choose not to use them all together. I like the cumin because it gives a bit of heat and smokey-ness to the soup and the bay leaves bring out such a deep depth of flavor that makes it more vibrant. However, these aren't required so if you don't have them don't worry! Salt and pepper will do just fine but make sure to season liberally and TASTE it to check the flavor - you can always add more but you can't take seasoning out!