Chipotle Shrimp Salad

October is here, October is here!! Yippee skippy, the holidays are just around the corner, as are many hours I will spend cooking and baking for them. And with all that cooking (mostly the baking, though) comes that extra, um…winter bulk. And lord knows I don’t need any extra bulk.

So, when I come across a salad recipe such as this one, I get a little giddy. And surprised. Not surprised at how good it was – and it was so good – but moreso that I liked it so much without any sort of salad dressing.

I freaking love salad dressing. All kinds of salad dressing, and on many food items other than salad. But, I can’t say I had previously ever eaten a salad without dressing, nor had any desire to. I had to look at the recipe a couple of times to make sure I hadn’t missed it somewhere, but alas lime juice is the only thing added at the end. And I didn’t miss the dressing one single bit.

Yum, yum, yum. A great entree salad, without the added calories of cheese or dressing. Yep, I’d say that meals like this will definitely help me fight off the winter bulk. But, do be careful with the chipotle…it is quite spicy, so if you are sensitive, you may want to cute back on the amount used in the marinade. Even I, lover of spicy food, felt my tastebuds burning.

Chipotle Shrimp Salad
Source: Bev Cooks

Ingredients

• 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1/2 cup brown jasmine rice
• 1/2 cup freshly cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 (14.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 romaine hearts, sliced into thin ribbons and chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado, diced
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. In a food processor or blender, puree the chipotle peppers, with sauce, until smooth.
2. Place the shrimp in a small resealable baggie and pour the chipotle mixture on top. Seal the baggie and squeeze to coat all the shrimp. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rice according the package instructions, with the cilantro and juice from 1/2 the lime. Squeeze additional lime juice in after it’s finished cooking.
4. Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the beans. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, cumin and chili powder. Keep warm until ready to serve.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and add the shrimp in a single layer. Sear for 2 minutes, then flip and sear for an additional minute.
6. Divide the romaine between 2 serving dishes, top with rice, beans, shrimp, avocado and tomatoes.
7. Add a final squeeze of lime juice and enjoy!