Summer Shrimp Salad

Summertime is all about fresh produce in my mind. Everything just tastes better when it’s freshly picked and you’re eating it on a warm sunny afternoon. Hubby and I have been eating this salad for weeks now. We make a big batch on Sunday night and it feeds us both for 3 days worth of lunches.

Neither of us have gotten sick of it yet, because we tend to tweak it based on what looks good at the store that week and what we have on hand. In general the flavors and textures are all the same but one week we had a half of a can of leftover black beans in the fridge. We threw those into the salad and it was still amazing. One week we subbed cilantro for the mint. It definitely gave the salad a different spin, but it was still amazing. One week I threw in some pumpkin seeds as well.

One of the best things about this salad is that it encouraged me to try a new food. Radishes. Growing up, my dad always had them in our garden, but I never liked them (not even sure if I had ever tried them). I took my first bite of a sliced radish a couple weeks ago and found out that I like them! Hooray for trying new things!

Now I have to tell you about this recipe. The original recipe is pretty complicated for a salad. Well, maybe not complicated, but definitely involved. Hubby and I have streamlined this process by taking a few short cuts. The major one being that we buy pre-cooked shrimp. Does the salad taste better when you cook the shrimp after marinating it? Yes. But is it a noticeable difference for the amount of time it takes? No.

The other major change that I made was the addition of quinoa. It’s just so hearty and good for you, that it really helps keep you full all afternoon after eating this salad. I’m printing the recipe how we make the salad below. Be sure to click through to get the original recipe if you’re interested. I also cut the oil out of the dressing to cut some calories. Feel free to throw some olive oil in with the other dressing ingredients if you’d like, but we really don’t miss it.

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Summer Shrimp Salad

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lime juice
3 Tbsp honey
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lb large cooked shrimp, peeled and cut in 1/2
12 oz snap peas, diced
2 cups bean sprouts
2 cups cooked quinoa
12 radishes, sliced
4 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Divide into 6 small tupperware containers.

Layer the remaining ingredients into 6 tupperware bowls. When ready to eat lunch, add the dressing to salad. Place lid on container and shake to coat everything with the dressing.

Recipe adapted from Cheeky Kitchen

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12 Responses to “Goat Cheese Cake with Peach and Blueberry Topping”

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    Fun and Fearless in Beantown — September 1, 2010 at 1:51 pm

    I’m like you and totally try out recipes based on photos! I think goat cheese and fruit are always a perfect combo. The goat cheesecake sounds intriguing!

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    Lauren — September 1, 2010 at 5:14 pm

    Looks and sounds amazing! I’m totally with you about photos of food – they are typically what tempt me to make a recipe.

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    Amanda — September 1, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    This cake looks DELICIOUS!

    I’d never heard of using goat cheese in a cheesecake, but I’m intrigued.

    I, too, much prefer pictures. Sometimes you just don’t put the ingredients together in your head the right way and it comes out looking totally different than you expected. I also flip through the book faster and I tend to not find recipes unless there are pics!

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    Beeb — September 1, 2010 at 8:10 pm

    i think trying something new without any idea what it should look like it rough. i love pictures but most cookbooks dont seem to have enough. i think thats why i love this blog so much, you take TONS! 🙂

    i am very intrigued by this recipe. but i dont eat blueberries or peaches. is it good by itself? or is the fruit greatly needed??

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    Jen — September 1, 2010 at 8:48 pm

    Beeb – It’s similar to any other cheesecake. It was good on it’s own, but the fruit really enhanced the flavor. Are there other fruits you like that you could top it with? Strawberries and blueberries would be great!

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    We Are Not Martha — September 1, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    Oh yum! I totally want to try this. I love goat cheese (and fruit) and bet this would make an amazing cake!

    I like photos too, but sometimes I get a little too into them. Like the other night when I forgot to add raisins to my cinnamon raisin bread because they weren’t in the photo 🙂

    Sues

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    Elina — September 2, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    I definitely prefer recipes with pictures but if a description is really good (or intriguing) or if an author points it out as a favorite… or lastly if it’s a source I trust, I go for it. With that said, I’m glad you made it and posted pictures. This cake looks (and sounds) absolutely fantastic!!!

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    flavourfulbounty — September 3, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    This looks really good. I agree that sometimes I eat with my eyes. I love photos, but not the ones that look almost fake since they are so perfect. That’s why I love food blogs – usually it is just the food as it will be served.

    I cook from a lot of different sources, and will try recipes that are appealing without any pics either. Sometimes it is more difficult when I am completely unfamiliar with the dish, though.

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    Ingrid — September 4, 2010 at 2:47 am

    Photos! I love yours…the “cake” looks so pretty with it’s white lip and fruit piled high.
    ~ingrid

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    Cara — September 4, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    Sounds wonderful. I can see how it would be more of a “cheesecake” than a “cheese cake” because there’s such a small amount of flour. As we move into fall, I bet it would be delicious with a topping of figs sauteed with honey… mmm… honey figs and goat cheese!

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    Shannon — September 15, 2010 at 1:45 am

    LOVE goat cheese cheesecake 🙂 peaches and blueberries seem like another good topper (i recently made one with figs and raspberries!)

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    Jay — February 21, 2011 at 10:42 pm

    i really have to bake that cake for my boyfriend who has a milk intolerance. thank you for posting this many recipes with goat cheese 🙂
    best wishes, jay, my blog: artandloveandme.blogspot.com

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