Shrimp Lettuce Wraps + Sesame Peanut Ginger Dressing

TACOS. There I said it again. I wanted to make tacos again this week (shocker) but I opted for a lighter twist. I swapped out my go-to corn tortillas for big pieces of butter lettuce. In actuality I made lettuce wraps (like I did here) but I used shrimp. They were just as easy to make & fun to eat as regular tacos except I felt a little bit better about the extra helpings.  I loaded mine with veggies & some sesame peanut ginger dressing. Click through to get the recipe for the tasty shrimp I made for these, plus the dressing! Yep you get two recipes today. You can use them together like I did or just make one or the other (ex: make the dressing to serve with salad all week long or make the shrimp & toss with some quinoa).

Better Home Cooking Basics: #7 Dress Your Salad from the Outside

Whether you've made salad dressing from scratch or you just unscrewed the cap & are ready to dress you salad - dress your salad from the outside.  Don't dump the dressing all in the middle & wonder why you have salad dressing soup. Instead, start light. Drizzle a ring of dressing around the outside perimeter of your salad where it touches the bowl & then toss inward using your hands, tongs, a fork & spoon - whatever you've got.  Your salad will be more evenly dressed & you might even use less dressing, but only because you wanted to.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Strawberry-Basil-Lime Vinaigrette

I usually try to make my own salad dressing because if you've looked at the ingredients on a bottle of dressing lately you'll probably see words that don't even look like they would be food, most likely because they're chemicals (yuck!).  So I opt to keep it fresh with homemade dressings that will dress up even just simple mixed greens.

Ingredients

• 4 strawberries, roughly chopped with stems removed
• 1 small shallot, roughly chopped
• 5 basil leaves, roughly chopped or torn
• 1 lime, juice & zest
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Make it!

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
2. Store in an air tight bottle like this one I found at Fish's Eddy.

Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Hoboken is only a mile square but it has a ton of great restaurants.  Among them are some tasty Cuban spots like La Isla.  It's a casual little place with rarely an empty seat with tons of tasty dishes on it's menu. One of my favorites is the spinach salad. It's just fresh with a combination of sweet and savory flavors as well as creamy and crunchy textures.  It's not a terribly complicated salad it's just the care they take to pile it on the plate.  It's really a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds too.  It's great on it's own or you can add shrimp or chicken to if if you want to "beef" it up. If you're ever in Hoboken, NJ I definitely recommend stopping by La Isla for a meal, if you aren't you can make a salad inspired by this great spot right in your own kitchen!

Immaculate Chicken Salad

I used to make this salad all the time at my collegiate coffee house job at Immaculate Consumption (man, I miss that place).  My gal Maggie recently reminded me of it. So naturally, I had to make it.  It's a great take on chicken salad full of crunch & flavors & is mayo-free!  You can eat it served between some lettuce, tomato, a slice of provolone (like Immaculate) & bread as a sandwich or over some lightly dressed greens as a salad.  Click through to get this yummy recipe plus a bonus salad dressing recipe that really makes it sing in your salad!

Carrot Curl Salad

My mom makes this salad with blanched carrots cut into long rectangular pieces. I haven't mastered these long rectangle shapes & I'd rather skip cooking (a salad) all together in the summer. So my spin on this flavorful salad is to skip the cooking and just stick with making carrot curls with your veggie peeler (you have to peel the carrots anyway so just keep going!). The curls are thin enough to make them easy to eat and they give the feel of pasta so it's a satisfying salad texturally too!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb carrots (wash, peel & peel again!)
• 1/2 large onion (cut into strips)
• 1 cup fresh basil (chiffonade)

Dressing:

• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 large garlic cloves (grate these if not using a food processor or blender)

Make it!

1. Blend the dressing ingredients together in a food processor or blender. 
2. Toss dressing, carrots, onions & basil together. 
3. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. 

Shaved Zucchini, Asparagus & Pea Salad

 

I think the easiest way to make something look and taste fancy is with a vegetable peeler. No. Really it's true.  This salad looks so fancy pants your dinner guests will never know that it was so easy to make!

Learn how you can look like a fancy pants salad maker after the jump!