Our poor guests this weekend – Thursday was beautiful, so I’m glad we started the weekend early with the pool, some brews, and live music. We certainly kicked off the weekend right before Friday was rain and more rain, leading us to bowling and the carousel. You know, some of my least favorite things. But hey, the kids had a blast!
And at the end of the day, it’s fun to have a long weekend, even if the weather doesn’t cooperate fully. The foot waves our return boat trip from the dunes yesterday? WOOF.
Our guests inquired before they headed out way: “Do you guys want any cucumbers from our garden? We’ll bring them!”
“NO, NO, NO thank you!” we replied. Our garden is FULL of cucumbers. We’ve already lost count of our yield, but I’m going to ballpark 30 and we’re producing 2-3/day, sometimes more. Needless to say, we can’t keep up and as it goes, our kids’ consumption is going down just as our garden yield is peaking. I’m getting busy on these cucumbers!
Our guests left with us pickle dip from Sam’s Club or CostCo (can’t remember which), and man does it go well on cucumber slices. We’re also making at least 1-2 recipes a week that use cucumbers…and delivering them to our neighbors, as well as to our officemates.
And if you’re curious about all the basil/pesto recipes on the weekly menu – we made our first batch of pesto from the garden basil this weekend, too.
But, for now, cucumbers. All the cucumbers!
This salad is all about the veggies that are so perfectly complimented by the bold, blackened shrimp and tangy citrus-herb dressing. This simple salad is just that (despite the ingredient list that is falsely intimidating for a well-stocked kitchen). We devoured this salad and deconstructed it for the girls. A definite win for both the palate and the garden!
Blackened Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Citrus-Herb Dressing
This salad is packed with bold, blackened shrimp and tangy citrus-herb dressing that perfectly compliments summer's crunchy, colorful, crisp veggies!
Ingredients
Blackened Shrimp:
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail off, patted dry
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Avocado Salad:
- 12 cups fresh mixed greens, gently packed (about 8 oz)
- 2 avocados, thinly sliced
- 2 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 ears cooked and shucked corn on-the-cob
Citrus-Herb Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the paprika, oregano, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until well-mixed. Add the shrimp and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted and hot, add shrimp and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning once. Cook until pink and cooked through. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
- While shrimp cook, prep veggies and combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake until well-combined.
Notes
Salad recipe adapted from Mash and Spread, dressing recipe adapted from Healthy Little Peach
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4 recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 545Total Fat: 42.5gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 793mgCarbohydrates: 25.3gFiber: 8.5gSugar: 6.0gProtein: 21.0g
Want more show-stopper salad recipes?
- Strawberry and Avocado Chicken Salad with Crispy Fried Goat Cheese and Lemon Poppyseed Vinaigrette
- Chicken Caesar with a Twist
- Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing
- Crispy Italian Chicken and Bacon Salads with Tahini Pesto Dressing and Sourdough Croutons
- Kale and Brussels Sprout Ceasar Salad
- Tex-Mex Chicken Chopped Salad
- Kale Salad with Peanut Dijon Dressing
Weekly Menu: July 17th – 21st
- Sunday: Pesto Paninis
- Monday: Curry Chicken (jarred sauce) with basmati rice, naan, steamed broccoli
- Tuesday: leftovers/carry out
- Wednesday: Baked Pesto Salmon with green beans and garlic-herb rice
- Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Be well,
