Recipe Swap: Chili Lime Shrimp Salad

Our theme for this week's swap was "Too Hot to Cook." Each recipe was meant to either be no-cook or grilled and I received this chili lime shrimp salad. I love all of the ingredients in this salad so I knew I would love it! I usually have most of the ingredients on hand so I decided to make it for lunch one day. However, I just read through the initial ingredients and not the recipe itself so I didn't realize I was also supposed to make a dressing. I didn't have all of the ingredients for the dressing so I just drizzled some olive oil and balsamic vinegar on my salad and topped  with some cilantro leaves. In the recipe below I included the dressing recipe as well for anyone who would like to make it! I enjoyed this salad and will definitely make it again at some point in time. Thanks for a wonderful recipe, Jen!

Chili Lime Shrimp Salad
Source: Becoming Pigzilla

Ingredients:

For marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb fresh peeled and deveined shrimp (I used salad shrimp.)

For salad:
4 cups spinach leaves
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup corn
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
Handful of grape tomatoes, quartered
Dressing:

1 jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp agave (honey would work just fine)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients up through garlic. Whisk together. Pour marinade over shrimp and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. Prepare dressing. Pulse the jalapeno, garlic and ginger root together in a food processor. Add lime juice, water, agave, balsamic vinegar, salt and cilantro leaves and pulse to combine. With the process on a low setting, pour in the olive oil until blended.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp with marinade to pan and toss lightly to heat. Remove from heat. Alternatively, you can use uncooked shrimp and grill.
4. Prepare salad. Toss all ingredients together. Add shrimp and drizzle with dressing. Or drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add some cilantro leaves.

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Honey Lime Chicken Spinach Salads

I have made this chicken twice already. Both times I made it for dinner and served it on its own with rice & vegetables. I had a little chicken leftover from last night's dinner and decided to turn it into a salad for lunch today. But you can always just use the chicken portion of the recipe for a grilled chicken dinner! I think they would also make fantastic sandwiches. I love how these flavors combine together and infuse the chicken as you marinate it. I am usually not a fan of whole chicken breasts because they can dry out pretty quickly, but this marinade keeps the chicken moist and flavorful.


Honey Lime Chicken Spinach Salads
Source for chicken: grocerybudget101.com via Kitchen Meets Girl (slightly adapted)

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons hot sauce or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (I usually slice the breasts in half to make cutlets)
Spinach leaves
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1-2 Tablespoons feta cheese
Balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Directions:
1. Combine the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, lime juice, garlic cloves, hot sauce, red pepper flakes and cilantro in a small bowl.

2. Put the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag or dish and pour the marinade over it. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour.

3. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side or until the juices run clear. Slice into strips.

4. Prepare the salad - put as many spinach leaves as you want on a plate, then top with sliced strawberries, feta cheese, chicken, and a drizzle of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar.Pin It

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce Chicken Salads

We typically eat salads as a side most nights of the week. It's an easy & quick way to add vegetables to a meal. Plus, that allows me to be lazy with my sides. I really would like to start experimenting with different sides so that will have to change soon though. Often in the summer I like to eat large salads as my main course. Once I saw this recipe I knew that I would need to make it soon because it combines some of my favorite things. I thought this salad was really good, but I would add more vegetables to it next time, especially to add some additional color. I'm sure that will be easy to do as more produce starts popping up at the farmers' market! I also forgot to add some cheese to it, which I love on salads. However, I just saved myself some calories so it's up to you whether you want to add some to it. Honestly you can add anything you want and I'm sure it will be great. The main star is the BBQ sauce.

Just a couple notes: 1.) The sauce is pretty spicy. I would recommend leaving out the seeds of the chipotle pepper if you don't like that much heat and that will tone it down for you. I happen to like heat though so it was perfect for me. 2.) You will have some leftover sauce to use in other meals. I'm excited to come up with ways to use it! 3.) If you don't like Greek yogurt like my husband, you can either use sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt in the dressing or just put some ranch on it like he did.

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce Chicken Salads
Source: Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats, who adapted the sauce from Tofu-N-Sprouts
Ingredients:

For the sauce

1 mango, chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

For the dressing

2 Tablespoons prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt1-2 teaspoons lime juice (maybe more, maybe less)salt & pepper

For the salad

2 chicken breasts1 cup of frozen corn, thawed & heated through or fresh ears of corn
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
CroutonsSpinach leaves

Directions:

1. For the Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce: Combine all ingredients for the sauce into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. Blend with an immersion blender (or cool and blend in a regular blender or food processor).

2. For the dressing: Whisk together BBQ sauce, Greek yogurt, and lime juice in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. For the salad: Marinate chicken breasts in just enough of the prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ sauce to cover the breasts. I marinated mine for about 2 hours. Grill over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side until no longer pink in the middle. Or if you don't have an outdoor area like me, use a grill pan or a George Foreman. If you want to use fresh corn, you can grill it at the same time for about the same amount of time.

4. Put spinach on plates, then top with grilled chicken, corn, cilantro, and croutons. Drizzle with prepared dressing.

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Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad

I watched a lot of Food Network while I was in between work and student teaching. I saw this recipe and immediately had to make it. I ended up going to the store the next day to get all of the ingredients. This salad is SO good. I felt just a little bit of summer while eating it!

Strawberry Mozzarella Salad
Adapted from Ellie Krieger on the Food Network

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 heart romaine lettuce, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces (3 cups lightly packed) (I just used leaf lettuce because it was cheaper)
1 8-ounce container of strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons (omitted - I can't find basil in the store anywhere!)

Directions:

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar salt and pepper. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and toss with half the dressing. (I just drizzled the lettuce with all of these things instead of mixing separately)

Toss the strawberries with the remaining dressing and place 1/4 of the berries on top of each mound of lettuce. Top each with cheese and sprinkle with the basil.

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Napa cabbage salad with buttermilk dressing

I still had some Napa cabbage left over from the dumplings and have also been trying to find ways to use up the rest of the buttermilk from sugar cookies I made for Christmas and found this recipe. I didn't have everything for it and I think if I did then the salad would have turned out more flavorful. I liked the dressing, but the salad itself was pretty bland. Oh well, at least I got rid of some ingredients and had a healthy lunch! It also takes no time at all to throw together. I halved this recipe since I was only making lunch for myself, but the recipe posted is the original.

Napa cabbage salad with buttermilk dressing
Adapted from Gourmet, as seen on Smitten Kitchen

This salad needs some color!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip Light)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot (Omitted)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives (Omitted)
1 pound Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (4 cups)
6 radishes, diced (Omitted)
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced diagonally

Directions:

Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved, then whisk in chives.

Toss cabbage, radishes, and celery with dressing.

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Napa cabbage salad

I had a ton of Napa cabbage left over from the Asian dumplings I made earlier this week. So I went searching for a recipe to use up some of it. I still have a ton left so I think I might make a different salad tomorrow with it. I just really hate to waste food. The verdict: this salad was really good. I honestly didn't know how it would turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised. It would go along really well with an Asian dish, but I ate it on its own. Oh, and I used the serving size calculator and only made 1 serving since I knew Jon wouldn't eat it!

Napa Cabbage Salad
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 head napa cabbage
1 bunch minced green onions
1/3 cup butter
1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, broken
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (Omitted since I didn't have any)
1 cup slivered almonds (I just chopped up some regular almonds with my Pampered Chef chopper)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Finely shred the head of cabbage; do not chop. Combine the green onions and cabbage in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Make the crunchies: Melt the butter in a pot. Mix the ramen noodles, sesame seeds and almonds into the pot with the melted butter. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake the crunchies in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven, turning often to make sure they do not burn. When they are browned remove them from the oven.

Make the dressing: In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and let cool.

Combine dressing, crunchies, and cabbage immediately before serving. Serve right away or the crunchies will get soggy. Pin It