Avocado Shrimp Salad!

I made this salad for us a few weekends ago and was delish! Definitely not my own creation - I found it from a link someone posted on Facebook to "Natasha's Kitchen" (link it below!). 

I basically followed the recipe below, except I decided to put our protein (shrimp for me, cubed firm tofu for Brent) on skewers and BBQ them!  I also BBQ'd a cob of corn that I topped the salad with.  But yes, I think the rest I followed along

A little tip for those who don't use tofu a lot in their life - when you take it out of the package, rinse it off well with cool water and then be sure to get the moisture out afterwards by placing the tofu between a few pieces of paper towel.  Push down on it to squeeze some moisture out, or put something flat and heavy like a cookbook on top of the paper towel for a little while!  

Then I cut it up into cubes and marinated the tofu for about an hour to be sure the flavor soaked in before I put them on skewers and BBQ'd!  For the shrimp, I just got them ready (tails off etc) and tossed with some olive oil and the Cajun spices below before putting on skewers to BBQ for a few minutes.  

Follow along the rest of the instructions here and it's a nice summer salad!!

Ingredients for Cajun Shrimp:

• 1 lb medium shrimp (31-40 Count), peeled and deveined 
• (or if you're me, it was about 10 pieces of shrimp, and about 15 cubes of tofu for Brent!)
• 1 tsp cajun spice
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Ingredients for Salad:

• 1 medium romaine lettuce (5-6 cups chopped)
• ½ lb (3 medium) Roma tomatoes, sliced
• ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ English cucumber (or 3 small), sliced
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1 cup corn kernels (from 2 freshly cooked cobs)

Ingredients for Cilantro-Lemon Dressing:

• Juice of 1 large lemon (3 Tbsp)
• ½ small bunch of cilantro (1/2 cup finely chopped) or parsley
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt or ¾ tsp table salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper

How to make Avocado Shrimp Salad:

1. Pat dry shrimp with paper towels and place in a medium bowl. Add 1 tsp cajun spice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, a pinch of salt and stir to combine.
2. Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp butter and once its melted and hot, add shrimp in a single layer. Sauté 2 minutes per side or just until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Chop, rinse and spin dry 1 medium head of romaine lettuce. You should end up with about 6 cups lettuce. Transfer that to a large mixing bowl. Now add 3 sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, sliced cucumbers, 2 sliced avocados and 1 cup cooked corn.
4. To make the dressing, start with 3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, now finely chop about ½ cup of cilantro and stir that in. Add 3 Tbsp of olive oil and extra virgin has the best flavor. Season with 1 tsp salt and a generous pinch of black pepper and stir that together.

Her dish looks much prettier than mine :) Here's a link to Natasha's Kitchen:

http://natashaskitchen.com/2017/05/19/avocado-shrimp-salad-recipe-video/