First post of a marathon of "catch-up" posts...mmmmm salad

I guess I should start out with yet another apology for being such a lazy blogger and well also a lazy cooker.  I guess I needed a little break, but thats really no excuse, so I'm very sorry for anyone who looks forward to new recipes on this blog.  Lucky for you I'm about to post A LOT, so try to keep up my friends, there's tons of good food to come.  

This salad is a awesome refreshing summer meal.  I often feel like when I make my own salads they aren't hearty enough for a meal, but this one really was, especially for a hot summer night.  It was very simple and we were able to use fresh greens from the garden, which is always great.  I did not follow the recipe for cooking the shrimp.  I felt like it would be more flavorful if I sautéed the shrimp with garlic and S&P and I was right, the shrimp was awesome, and all in all this was a really delicious light summer meal.  You can cook the shrimp however you like.  I could see this being a great side salad also, with or without the shrimp, to a larger meal.  Alright friends...onto the recipe. 

Shrimp and Snap Pea Salad with Ginger Dressing

12 oz sugar snap peas, stem ends and any strings removed

1 lb shrimp, medium, peeled and deveined 

4 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced

1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower (or olive)

3 T fresh lime juice

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

1 T chopped peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup water

1 large head Boston lettuce

2 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil; add salt.  Cook snap peas until bright green, about 2 min, then reduce to simmer and add shrimp.  Cook until shrimp is opaque and peas are crisp-tender, about 1 min.  Drain and rinse under cold water.

In a blender, combine white parts of scallions, oil, lime juice, carrot, ginger, and water; process until smooth, about 2 min.  Season with S&P.

Toss lettuce, peppers, green parts of scallion, snap peas and shrimp with dressing in a large bowl. 

Serves 4 as a main course. 

I also sauteed the peas with the shrimp after they were cooked through.

ENJOY!

Logan Rating: ***