Shrimp and Asparagus salad

Here's another one from the WW in 20 minutes book ... I should point out, hubby is not a fan of asparagus. I am not either, but then again, I'm not a fan of many veggies, but I keep trying. I actually have some asparagus in the freezer that I may try this with soon.

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
2 tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb peeled/deveined shrimp (cooked)
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 ed onion, thin sliced
2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
2 hard cooked eggs, sliced

Fill large skillet with 1 inch of water and bring to boil. Add asparagus and cook, covered, til crisp tender 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool running water.
Whisk together lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper in small bowl, set aside.
Transfer asparagus to bowl. Add shrimp, onions, parsley, tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing & toss to coat evenly. Top with eggs.

Serves 4

Just another Herb Viniagrette

Yup. That's pretty much it. But you know what ... any vinagrette is better than no vinagrette.  And honestly, I keep forgetting how much I love the simple flavors when they are made fresh, at home, right before dinner...so much for the bottled salad dressing that I can get dirt cheap. This is dirt cheap too and so much fresher tasting.

In a jar with tight fitting lid (doesnt' need to be large, my tostidos salsa jar was way too big) add:

juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard (anything but the bright yellow kind)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped/minced
a few twist of fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbs italian seasoning (dried herbs) or use thyme, basil, etc.

Put on the lid tightly and shake to mix well. Dress the salad and mix well. Our simple salad with dinner last night?  2 romaine hearts, chopped, half of a iceburg head, chopped, 2 plum tomatoes, chopped 1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced and topped with fresh parmesean cheese.  This was actually better than the pasta we had with it, in my opinion. I love fresh salads!

Evil Noodle Salad Dressing

I love, love, love a spicy steak salad, or rather, an Evil Jungle Salad from Houston’s, or a spicy Asian Noodle Salad … the names can go on & on. These are generally just a bed of greens, some thin noodles, basil, mint and cilantro and thin sliced steak served with a nice spicy dressing. Some, like the one from Houston’s counterbalance the spiciness with avocado and mango slices which is delicious, but not mandatory. I am only giving the dressing recipe as the salad should be how YOU prefer…

1 lime
½ cup olive oil
½ cup soy sauce
3 tbs sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 ½ tbs ground ginger or 3 tbs fresh grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Red pepper flakes to desired hotness
Cilantro, if available, chopped. Do NOT add until you are ready to serve the dressing, otherwise it gets icky.

Squeeze lime to get as much juice as possible into wide mouth jar that has a tight fitting lid. Add rest of ingredients, put lid on and shake, shake, shake. Add cilantro to jar and shake right before serving. I do not normally refrigerate as it firms up but I suppose you could/should.