One of the things I love so much about the weather transitioning to Summer is that is has be craving more salads. I have been trying to mix up my traditional salads and that's where the craving for this spicy shrimp and quinoa salad came into play. Wow, it is good!

Let me start out by saying that I am not a fan of really spicy food and I loved this. It is a mild heat with the mix of the chili powder and paprika in the shrimp marinade. You could certainly add more of less heat depending on your liking.

This salad is healthy and the ingredients are clean and easy to prepare. You will find that it is filling yet it won't weigh you down. It makes for a perfect lunch, dinner or side salad to bring to a Summer BBQ. See below the recipe for my "make ahead" tips! I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do this Summer!

Spicy Shrimp & Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

Half a pound or about 8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
1/3 cup chickpeas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Half an avocado, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil for cooking

Shrimp Marinade:

3 Tsp. lime juice
2 Tsp. olive oil
1/2 Tsp. chili powder
1/4 Tsp. paprika
1/4 Tsp. Lawry's season salt
Ground pepper

Salad Dressing:

1 small shallot, diced
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
Drizzle of honey, about 1/4 Tsp.
Pinch of ground cumin
Salt and ground pepper

Serving size: 2

Combine all the ingredients for the shrimp marinade: lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, paprika, Lawry's season salt and ground pepper in a bowl. Add in the shrimp and toss well. Marinate for a half hour in the refrigerator.
Rinse and drain quinoa and cook according to box directions. Set aside.
Combine all the ingredients for the salad marinade: diced shallot, lime juice, olive oil, honey, ground cumin and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Sit with whisk. To the bowl, add the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, chickpeas, feta cheese and avocado and toss gently.
Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator. In a cast iron skillet, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan set to medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes on eat side until cooked and pink in color.
Divide the quinoa mixture evenly among 2 plates. Top each serving with shrimp and serve.

Make Ahead Tip! If you would like to make this ahead of time, or are cooking for a large crowd, you can marinade the shrimp and make the quinoa salad mixture (without the avocado) and keep in the refrigerator. Right before you're ready to eat, cook the shrimp and dice the avocado and serve.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light