Zesty Shrimp and Quinoa Salad

Here is your next perfect thing to serve at a girls dinner! This shrimp and quinoa salad was delicious. The shrimp has an awesome kick to it which really gives this dish a TON of flavor. I'm having the leftovers for lunch today, yumm yumm.

Also, if you have access to a Trader Joe's I would use their frozen roasted corn for the corn in this dish, it's delicious.

Zesty Shrimp and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette - Ellie Hickey

Zesty Shrimp and Quinoa Salad slightly adapted from Ellie Hickey

Ingredients:

for the shrimp:

1 tablespoon cumin
3/4 tablespoon ground red pepper
3/4 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp

for the salad:

1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 whole jalapeno, minced, seeds removed
salt & pepper

for the lemon vinaigrette:

2 lemons, juiced (need 1/4 cup juice)
2 garlic cloves, microplaned or finely minced
dash of sweetener (like honey)
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper


Preparation:

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

Preheat broiler.

For the shrimp: combine first 5 ingredients in a small prep bowl. Combine oil and shrimp in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Sprinkle spice mixture over shrimp until evenly coated. Place shrimp on a foil-lined baking sheet and place in oven; broil 7-8 minutes or until done, turning once.

For the lemon vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Combine cooled quinoa with bell peppers, avocado, beans, corn, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Top with shrimp.

Pour lemon vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.

P.S. - As you can see from the picture, I left out a few ingredients from the original recipe like the cilantro and red onion!