salad

Tex Mex Shrimp Salad

Dinner, Recipes

INSTRUCTIONS 

Roasted Chickpeas

  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Drain and rinse chickpeas and then pat dry. It is important to make sure they’re totally dry before you toss them with the olive oil – damp chickpeas won’t crisp up in the oven.
  • Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle olive oil and season with taco seasoning.
  • Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes, shaking half way through. You want them crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. Once done, remove and let cool!

Shrimp

  • Remove tails and skin from the Shrimp, rinse and pat dry. Season with your seasoning of choice. I personally love The Spice Lab Seasoning, Spicy Seafood. You can get this at your local Publix if you are in the Florida area.
  • In a medium-large pan, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until completely pink and slightly browned on edges.

Dressing

  • Combine ranch, cilantro, avocado and water into a processor or blender and blend until smooth. You can make your own ranch if desired. The Kitchen Girl has a great recipe. However, I find it is easier to do it with premade ranch and the grocery store does have some great healthy options. I choose to add avocado to incorporate a healthy fat and to increase the creaminess of the dressing.

Assembly

  • In a large bowl, mix the lettuce/spring mix with the dressing so that it is lightly covered.
  • Top with all the veggies and chickpeas and then place shrimp on top. If you would like to use Corn Riblets to add some aesthetics, try my recipe here.
  • Garnish with cilantro if desired!

INGREDIENTS  

Salad and Toppings

  • ¼ cup Bell Peppers, Diced
  • 4 cup Spring Mix
  • ¼ cup Tomato, Diced
  • ¼ cup Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained
  • ¼ cup Red Onion, Diced
  • ¼ cup Corn

Roasted Chickpeas

  • 16 oz Chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Taco Seasoning

Shrimp

  • 15-20 Shrimp Prawns, no tails
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Spicy Seafood Seasoning, Taco Seasoning or Salt and Pepper

Dressing

  • 2-3 tbsp Ranch Dressing
  • 1 tbsp Cilantro
  • ½ Avocado
  • 2 tbsp Water

INSTRUCTIONS 

Chickpeas

  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Drain and rinse chickpeas and then pat dry. It is important to make sure they’re totally dry before you toss them with the olive oil – damp chickpeas won’t crisp up in the oven.
  • Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle olive oil and season with taco seasoning.
  • Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes, shaking half way through. You want them crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. Once done, remove and let cool

Shrimp

  • Remove tails and skin from the shirmp, rinse and pat dry. Season with your seasoning of choice.
  • In a medium-large pan, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until completely pink and slightly browned on edges.

Dressing

  • Combine ranch, cilantro, avocado and water into a processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Assembly

  • In a large bowl, mix the lettuce/spring mix with the dressing so that it is lightly covered.
  • Top with all the veggies and chickpeas and then place shrimp on top.
  • Garnish with cilantro if desired!

Tex Mex Shrimp Salad

Salad and Toppings

  • ¼ cup Bell Peppers, Diced
  • 4 cup Spring Mix
  • ¼ cup Tomato, Diced
  • ¼ cup Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained
  • ¼ cup Red Onion, Diced
  • ¼ cup Corn

Roasted Chickpeas

  • 16 oz Chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Taco Seasoning

Shrimp

  • 15-20 Shrimp Prawns, no tails
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Spicy Seafood Seasoning, Taco Seasoning or Salt and Pepper

Dressing

  • 2-3 tbsp Ranch Dressing
  • 1 tbsp Cilantro
  • ½ Avocado
  • 2 tbsp Water

Chickpeas

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

  2. Drain and rinse chickpeas and then pat dry. It is important to make sure they’re totally dry before you toss them with the olive oil – damp chickpeas won’t crisp up in the oven.

  3. Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle olive oil and season with taco seasoning.

  4. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes, shaking half way through. You want them crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. Once done, remove and let cool

Shrimp

  1. Remove tails and skin from the shirmp, rinse and pat dry. Season with your seasoning of choice.

  2. In a medium-large pan, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until completely pink and slightly browned on edges.

Dressing

  1. Combine ranch, cilantro, avocado and water into a processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Assembly

  1. In a large bowl, mix the lettuce/spring mix with the dressing so that it is lightly covered.

  2. Top with all the veggies and chickpeas and then place shrimp on top.

  3. Garnish with cilantro if desired!

Main Course
Advertisement

Caprese Cucumber Salad

Appetizers, Snacks & Sides, Recipes

This super simple salad is a perfect side for your next BBQ or Italian dinner. It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is very refreshing. You can eat it as is, serve it with bread or add cold pasta in it.

INGREDIENTS  

  • 1 cup Mozzarella Pearls
  • 1 Small Cucumber
  • 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
  • 1-2 tbsp Basil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1-2 tbsp Balsamic Glaze

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Cut Tomatoes in half, roughly chop basil, cut cucumber and de-seed it by scraping seeds out with a spoon, then chop cucumber into 1/4 inch pieces.
  • Combine all veggies and herbs in a bowl, lightly salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with Balsamic Glaze and serve cold.

Caprese Cucumber Salad

  • 1 cup Mozzarella Pearls
  • 1 Small Cucumber
  • 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
  • 1-2 tbsp Basil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1-2 tbsp Balsamic Glaze

  1. Cut Tomatoes in half, roughly chop basil, cut cucumber and de-seed it by scraping seeds out with a spoon, then chop cucumber into 1/4 inch pieces.

  2. Combine all veggies and herbs in a bowl, lightly salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with Balsamic Glaze and serve cold.

Appetizer

Blue Cheese Steak Salad

Dinner, Lunch, Recipes

The first time I had a salad with steak and blue cheese was in Jupiter, FL at U-Tiki. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. The vibe is great if you are looking for a tropical ambiance on the water. Normally I am not the one to order a salad when eating out, but I saw this lady next me order the Filet salad and oh my goodness! When I tell you this was the biggest salad I had ever seen, I mean it. It had 4-5 Filet medallions on it, a tower of spring mix lettuce, tomatoes, blue cheese and their crispy onion rings. It was so good that I craved this salad for weeks so naturally, I tried to mimic it last night.

I didn’t use Filet on mine in the photos below because the store was out. However, I have used Ribeye, New York Strip and Filet before and all taste great. I would recommend that if you want a good texture, you should avoid any really lean red meat because it can be a bit tough once it is cooked.

Cooking The Filet or Steak – Pan Seared

If you have access to a grill, I think grilled Filet and steak is the best option for additional flavor. However, the Pan-Seared Filet from Shawn Willams on Kitchen Swagger is fail proof. I have detailed out the instructions below with my recommendations.

  1. Preheat the oven to 415° F.
  2. Shawn recommends remove steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, this is to bring the steak to room temperature and ensure your cooking times are more accurate. However, I have found that if you like your steak a little more pink in the center that only taking it out for 15 min or so will allow you a more crispy outside and a nice pink inside.
  3. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper or steak seasoning. In my recipe below, I use Montreal steak seasoning. However, you will notice that the herbs in the seasoning will burn. I typically like the flavor more so I will use Montreal seasoning and then just scrape any burned seasoning off at the end.
  4. Add the unsalted butter to an oven safe cast iron skillet and turn up high. Wait for the skillet to become very hot first. Place the Filets or thick cut steak face down and sear undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip the and sear for an additional 2 minutes. This will give your Filets a nice seared edge. NOTE: If you are not using Filet, you will want to ensure your steak is at least an 2in thick. If it is not, it will cook too fast.
  5. Transfer your skillet directly to the oven using oven mitts. DO NOT GRAB SKILLET WITH BARE HAND.
  6. For rare, bake for 4 minutes. Medium rare, 5-6 minutes. Medium, 6-7 minutes. Medium well, 8-9 minutes. Remember, depending on the size of the steak, the more or less time it will take. Take the skillet out and place on pot holder to let cool. The steak will continue to cook while it is cooling. NOTE: If you do prefer your steak on the rare side, you can cut it before it is done cooling to ensure it doesn’t overcook to your liking. If it is too rare, you can always nuke it in the microwave or put it back in the oven for a few seconds. However, this can change the texture of the steak.

INGREDIENTS  

  • 1 5-8 oz Filet
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • Salt, Pepper or Steak Seasoning to taste
  • 2 cup Spring Mix
  • ½ Avocado
  • ¼ cup Cherry Tomatoes
  • ⅛ cup Sliced Red Onions
  • ¼ cup Blue Cheese
  • 2 tbsp Blue Cheese Dressing
  • 2 tbsp Crispy Onions

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Preheat the oven to 415° F.
  • Season steak with salt and pepper or montreal seasoning on both sides.
  • Add 2 tbsp. the unsalted butter to an oven safe cast iron skillet and turn up high.
  • Once skillet is scorching hot, put steak in and sear on both sides for 2 minutes. Only flip once.
  • Once seared, transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 4 min if you want it rare. Medium rare, 5-6 min. Medium, 6-7 min. Medium well, 8-9 min. Remove and let cool.
  • Halve tomatoes, halve avocado and remove pit, slice 1/2 avocado into 5-6 slices and thinly slice red onion.
  • In a salad bowl, mix spring mix and blue cheese dressing and transfer to plate or serving bowl. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, blue cheese, crispy onions and avocado.
  • Cut steak into 1/4th inch slices and add on top of salad. Serve when steak is still warm.

Blue Cheese Steak Salad

Steak Salad with Blue Cheese, Red Onion, Crispy Onion, Avocado and Cherry Tomato.

  • 1 5-8 oz Filet
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • Salt, Pepper or Steak Seasoning (to taste)
  • 2 cup Spring Mix
  • ½ Avocado
  • ¼ cup Cherry Tomatoes
  • ⅛ cup Sliced Red Onions
  • ¼ cup Blue Cheese
  • 2 tbsp Blue Cheese Dressing
  • 2 tbsp Crispy Onions

  1. Preheat the oven to 415° F.

  2. Season steak with salt and pepper or montreal seasoning on both sides.

  3. Add 2 tbsp. the unsalted butter to an oven safe cast iron skillet and turn up high.

  4. Once skillet is scorching hot, put steak in and sear on both sides for 2 minutes. Only flip once.

  5. Once seared, transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 4 min if you want it rare. Medium rare, 5-6 min. Medium, 6-7 min. Medium well, 8-9 min. Remove and let cool.



  6. Halve tomatoes, halve avocado and remove pit, slice 1/2 avocado into 5-6 slices and thinly slice red onion.

  7. In a salad bowl, mix spring mix and blue cheese dressing and transfer to plate or serving bowl. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, blue cheese, crispy onions and avocado.

  8. Cut steak into 1/4th inch slices and add on top of salad. Serve when steak is still warm.

Main Course
blue cheese, salad, steak

For other dinner ideas click here.