Some of my favorite times to cook are spur of the moment, using whatever is on hand, hanging out with friends.

Last night I went over to my friend Lauren’s house for a Monday night movie. Have y’all seen The Impossible? It’s one of the best movie’s I have seen in a LOOOOOONNNG time! It is the incredible story of a family of 5 that all survived the Tsunami in Thailand. It was stunningly emotional and perfectly showcased the strength of humanity. It was a beautiful movie and I highly recommend it!

Anyhoo back to the salad, we were chatting about what in the world we would do for dinner and I remembered my mom mentioning she had seen a good citrus salad recipe recently. So pulling some shrimpies from the freezer and using some orange and avocado we had our own version of a delicious citrus salad.

 

I always have shrimpies portioned and frozen in the freezer as a go-to protein. They thaw fast and cook even faster- what more could you love about them? Oh, they are delicious too!

 

Who doesn’t love a picture of lettuce?

Ingredients: makes 2 entree salads

4 cups mixed greens

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveigned

Pinch of cayenne pepper and or paprika

1 Tbsp dill

1 large garlic clove, smashed still in one piece

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large orange

1 large avocado

1 Tbsp honey

Juice of 1 lime, about 2 Tbsp

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Recipe:

For the shrimp, start by peeling and deveigning then pat dry. Season with cayenne, paprika, dill, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and drop the garlic clove in to season the oil. In two batches cook the shrimp for about 3 minutes on each side until bright and orange. As the garlic starts to brown- remove from the oil. Remove shrimp and set aside.

For the dressing, in a small bowl add honey and lime juice. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble: slice the avocado lengthwise and scoop out cubes. Cut wedges of the orange (supreme) by cutting off the peel, pith and membranes and then cut each section out of the center. Dress the salad greens with the dressing, layer the orange pieces and avocado, then top with shrimp. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and enjoy!

 

Now please rent “The Impossible!”