Strawberry avocado spinach salad with shrimp tossed in a delicious strawberry vinaigrette dressing, topped with pumpkin seeds for a crunchy bite.
It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room –>>Salad! So beautiful, so bright, crunchy and fresh, amazingly nutritious and… NOT very enticing! (for the most part). Why do I say this?
Fake is not my name…
Nope, I never liked salads and probably never will. In fact, I often wonder if people truly enjoy digging in to a big bowl of green roughage, or are they just ‘following the good reasons’? Don’t take me wrong, I am the type who will try (almost) anything for the sake of health but I am honest when I say, salad isn’t the most delightful thing for me to eat.
However lately Ron has been bugging to me eat a salad everyday. HE eats a bowl of pure lettuce every.single.day. and if he were to miss it, the world would probably end -not even kidding! Given that there has been several occasions when he tried to give me advice (which I didn’t listen), and he turned out to be right, big time… I’ve decided to follow his advise.
Part of the reason is because I am dealing with a minor health problem and eating lots of vibrant salads will sort of flush out toxins from my body while nourishing and supporting healing.
Luckily there are a few things I can do to make this meal more appealing, inviting and fun to eat. For me this means perhaps adding fresh strawberries which I love love looooove, and why not drench it in a super healthy homemade strawberry vinaigrette dressing to make this salad that much better! I also know myself too damn well to throw some shrimp in the middle cuz there is no way I am leaving a tail of it behind. And how about those glorious fresh spinach that I am growing right outside my door!!
It turns out that salad CAN taste good after all.
Is your Salad game going strong?
If you are the salad-loving type, I know you will enjoy this every bite of this. However if you are struggling to eat salads (like me), give this a try because it is like no other or simply swap a few ingredients for others that you might like best. Maybe you will enjoy blueberries instead of strawberries, or arugula instead of spinach. Maybe chicken is a better fit for you. Either way, it’s worth a try.
This strawberry avocado spinach salad with shrimp tossed in a delicious strawberry vinaigrette dressing, topped with red onions and pumpkin seeds for a crunchy bite, is a delightful meal perfect for those hot summer days when you body crave cold foods. A bowl packed with nutrition and flavors that no one can resist!
Please note…
I wanted to share this recipe with you along with the true and accurate story about how I truly feel rather then some enthusiastic story that isn’t real. I love food and am certainly grateful for all foods, even more so when grown from the Earth. However, being authentic to myself and others is something of great value to me and I don’t plan on compromising.
Enjoy!
- 10 large shrimp
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- 3 tbsp maple
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- pinch of salt
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup strawberries, halved
- ½ cup red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (or nut/seed of choice)
- ½ avocado
- Pre-heat a cast iron skillet until surface is smoking hot. Meanwhile add the shrimp ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine. Sauté the shrimp for about 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp is no longer pink.
- Add all the ingredients to a blender cup and work it for about 1 minute. Transfer to an air tight covered glass jar and refrigerate remaining dressing for future use.
- Add all the ingredients to a large glass bowl. Top it with shrimp. Pour a generous amount of dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Where do you find maple?
You can find maple syrup at most grocery stores.