{italian seasoned shrimp salad}

The weather here in Georgia has been gorgeous these past few days.  It’s inspired me to want to “lighten up” our dinners.  I don’t know about you, but as soon as spring hits it makes me want to eat salads and fruit for some reason.  So last night I whipped this up…

 

And let me tell you, not only was it super light, but it was delicious as well!  To make Italian Seasoned Shrimp Salad you’ll need:

 

• Cooked, Peeled, Deveined Cocktail Shrimp (mine was on sale at Kroger)
• Romaine Lettuce (chopped)
• shredded mozzarella
• half of an Italian Salad Dressing Packet
• minced garlic
• 1 T Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 T EVOO
• Caesar or Italian Dressing
• a few bell peppers (or any veggie you’d like to add to your salad)

Since the shrimp I chose to use were frozen, I gave them about 5 minutes in a bowl of warm water to get the frozeness off of them (let’s pretend that frozeness is a word, shall we?).  While my shrimp were thawing, I washed and cut all of the fresh veggies.  I can’t wait to use my own homegrown veggies from our garden this summer!

Once my veggies were all ready to go and the shrimp wasn’t quite as frozen, I heated the EVOO and garlic in a pan.  After about 3 minutes I added the shrimp, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and half of the Italian Salad Dressing Packet.  I let all of the ingredients melt and blend together and made sure the shrimp got a good coating of everything as well.

 

You can most definitely overcook shrimp (especially since the shrimp I chose to use was precooked).  I cooked them for about 2 minutes total.  Once the shrimp were cooked and coated in all that Italian yumminess, I got to work pulling those little shrimp tails off.  I may have even sampled a shrimp or two or five.

We chose to use a Caesar dressing that we had in the fridge, and let me tell you, it was a nice, light choice!  Here is the finished product once again!

 

What about you?  Do you suddenly have the urge to eat lighter and healthier now that the weather is getting warmer?  Do you have any fabulous salad recipes that you’d like to share?  I’d love to try them if you’re willing to share!

I’m linking up today with Alison at Oopsey Daisy for her Wednesday’s Wow-zer’s post. Head over to her blog to check out other delicious recipes and fun projects!