Some days you just need a salad. In our case, that day was Monday. We had grilled all weekend, thanks to the gorgeous sunshine that finally warmed our corner of the country, and the family had eaten a lot of heavy meats (exception: me, of course, but I always welcome a Salad Day).
This particular salad is great for spring and summer because you still get to grill! The salad-shunning man in your life will be happy to know this. No BBQ? Middle of winter? I will admit to not wanting to deal with the massive propane monster on our deck, so I used a cast iron grill pan on the stove for the shrimp skewers this time.
And it's easy. The worst part, as in any recipe involving shrimp, is cleaning the little buggers. It's almost enough to make me swear off shrimp forever. If you have already sworn them off, it'd be great with baked tofu, too.
If you can't find Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing, first: I suggest you search longer and harder because it is completely delicious. If you still can't find it, you can make up your own marinade/dressing with 1/2 cup Kraft Catalina dressing, 1 T sesame oil, 1 t ginger (diced fresh is better), 1/2 t garlic powder (again, minced fresh is better but a little harder), and a good splash of rice wine vinegar.
Mandarin and Almond Shrimp Salad
16 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 c sesame ginger dressing
1 head romaine, cut up
1 15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 c sliced red pepper
1/2 c sugar snap peas
1/3 cup almonds
1/2 c cucumber, sliced
Soak skewers in water if using bamboo. Skewer shrimp and marinate in 1/3 c sesame ginger dressing for 30 minutes or longer in the refrigerator.
Remove shrimp, discard dressing.
Heat grill on medium-high. Grill shrimp 4-5 minutes each side, turning once.
Toss lettuce with 1/3 c dressing. Arrange salad, veggies, and almonds on individual plates, and lay shrimp skewer across each one.
Drizzle shrimp with remaining 1/3 c dressing.
And your colorful dinner's done! Embrace the Salad Days... even if you're no longer in your salad days.
