Grilled Shrimp Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

In recent weeks I’ve been consistently guilty of committing one of the seven deadly sins.

Greed you ask? Nope.

Maybe envy? Not a chance.

No, ladies and gents my deadly sin is good old gluttony.

Usually my diet consists of relatively healthy items mixed in with the occasional ( ok maybe a tad bit more than occasional) indulgence, but lately, I’m finding every excuse under the sun to regularly consume items that are horrifyingly bad for me.

French Fries? They’re vegetables.

Cheese pizza? That’s my calcium intake for the day.

Burgers? I can’t live without protein, right?

The list goes on and on. I never thought I would say this about any of these items, but for this week, I’ve had enough pizza, pasta, sweets, and treats.

Right now I want something light and refreshing but still totally satisfying – and that’s where this salad comes into play.

I’ve taken some of my favorite ingredients, added in some peppery arugula and have come up with a pretty healthy entrée. Roasted shrimp and meaty prosciutto fill you up and make this salad feel like a complete meal that won’t weight you down. Finish off with some homemade garlic croutons and citrusy lime vinaigrette – two finishing touches that really tie the whole thing together.

Who knew a salad could so easily curb my gluttonous tendencies?

Roasting is always the way I go when adding shrimp to a dish; it gives it so much more flavor than boiling or sauting. Be careful though because they are very easy to overcook. If your shrimp are curled up and look like the letter o, you will have tough, chewy shrimp! Pretty c’s are the way to go. On to the croutons! Homemade croutons are the absolute best. Trust me. You will never buy storebought croutons again after making them yourself at home. Completely worth the extra effort.

Throw in some thinly sliced red onion and corn straight off the cob and you’re good to go.  Tossing everything together is the last step!

Roasted Shrimp, Prosciutto, and Arugula Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Serves 4 small portions 2 entrée portions

12 medium sized shrimp peeled and deveined

¾ cup prosciutto chopped

¾ cup fresh corn

1 small red onion thinly sliced

8 ounces arugula

1 cup croutons (recipe follows)

Lime vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Mix all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper.

Lime Vinaigrette

Zest of one lime

Juice of 2 limes

2 teaspoons honey

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch of coarse black pepper

¼ cup olive oil

Mix zest, juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil.

Croutons

2 cups day old french or ciabatta bread (cubed 1 inch pieces)

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toss bread with oil in mixing bowl until all pieces are coated.  Add spices. Toss until evenly coated.  Spread on baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 min or until light brown.