Foodie Friday: Shrimp Salad

I really love cooking and I really love eating, but there are some nights where I feel like a really large whale my attempts at eating healthy and working out haven't been happening as much as they should. Sometimes, despite trying really hard to live a healthy lifestyle, life gets in the way. There are obligatory dinners or no time to pop into the grocery store or a dessert that's just calling my name (okay maybe that last one isn't a real excuse). On nights like this, all I want is a really large salad.

Even with a salad, I want my meal to be flavorful and fulfilling. This shrimp salad hit the mark.

I started with one large head of romaine lettuce and added the following:

1/3 cup of diced tomato

1/3 cup of chopped yellow pepper

1/4 cup of kalamata olives

1/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Then I added some sauteed shrimp. The preparation was a piece of cake. I took one tablespoon of olive oil and a half teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and heated the two in a pan over medium heat. I added the shrimp and cooked for about 4 minutes on each side - or until pink.

Like homemade tomato sauce, homemade salad dressing is so much better than the store bought stuff. Here's what I used for my greek salad dressing:

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 small garlic clove minced finely

1/2 teaspoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of oregano 

Mix everything together (romaine, olives, feta, pepper, tomato, shrimp & dressing).

I paired my salad with a chunk of fresh sourdough bread and a big glass of sparkling water for a healthy and light summer dinner.