i’m having one of those totally uninspired days.

nothing exciting is happening. the shock of sunshine and warmth outside has worn off and i’m being unappreciative because, well, it’s the first of may and it damn well should be sunny. so in an attempt to make myself a little less cynical and a little more cheery, i’m having a salad loaded with brightly colored things tonight.

if only i could sprinkle some glitter and unicorns in there…then i think i’d really cheer myself up (can you tell jason is out of town this week?).

shrimp, pea, and avocado quinoa salad | things i made today

i absolutely love the dressing/marinade on this salad. there is so much flavor in asian dressings and it usually stems from three ingredients: rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. the rest you can mix and match to play up different ingredients but if you have those three, you are basically guaranteed something interesting.

shrimp, pea, and avocado quinoa salad | things i made today

and then there are the peas. two kinds, not just one: edamame (which are a bean technically, but for today’s purposes lets keep them in the pea category based on color alone) and snap peas. as a child, there were certain fruits and vegetables i could gorge myself on. sugar snap peas were one of them. closely followed by cherries, grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, okay any type of berry, and apples. when i say “as a child” i mean from childhood until indefinitely  because this is still a habit i keep. i ate half the snap peas while making this recipe.

moving on.

shrimp, pea, and avocado quinoa salad | things i made today

this salad can be served warm, but i prefer the quinoa cooled completely and just a little warmth from the shrimp. it’s really up to you.

Shrimp, Pea, and Avocado Quinoa Salad
Cuisine: Main Dish
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa, dry
  • 2 cups water
  • zest from ½ a lemon
  • juice from ½ a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lb shrimp
  • 1 avocado, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup edamame, cooked
  • 6 ounces sugar snap peas, halved
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Combine quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger, honey, red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and olive oil to make dressing. Whisk ingredients together. Put shrimp in a large bowl and pour about ¾ of dressing on shrimp. Marinate for ½ an hour, or more if possible.
  3. Cook shrimp over medium heat just until pink. Remove from heat and combine quinoa, avocado, edamame, snap peas, and shrimp in a large bowl. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add additional dressing if needed. Otherwise reserve that for tomorrow's salad.

adapted from steamy kitchen’s healthy asian favorites cookbook.

recipe rephotographed September 2014.

3 Comments

  • 08 / 30 / 14 / 9:32 am

    […] Edamame. I’m remaking this shrimp, pea, and avocado quinoa salad. […]

    writes Farmer's Market/CSA Series {Week 13} | Things I Made TodayReply
  • 09 / 18 / 14 / 2:30 pm

    Great summer salad! I just wanted to let you know that I have a website (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes that I find and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind.

    writes AlyssaReply
    • 09 / 18 / 14 / 3:40 pm

      That sounds great, thanks Alyssa!

      writes VickyReply

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