Chili Shrimp Quinoa Salad

It's hard to believe it's the week of Thanksgiving. I can feel your stress radiating from here. Whether you're riled up about the family coming to visit, or the travel you have to do to get to your family, or just the food that's going to be there throughout the next week...as Aaron Rodgers would say "R-E-L-A-X". And the Packers are now 1st in the NFC north, so my friend is doing something right. My advice to you is this: make a concentrated effort not to stress eat this week. Focus on building really filling, really nutrient dense meals. Like, oh, I don't know...THIS DISH. Boom. It's an entire meal salad that you can have for dinner, take to lunch and build over and over again. It's full of beauty booster nutrients (shrimp is awesome) and is perfect for that winter salad kick off. 

Shrimp is one of my favorite holiday foods. And I know that sounds totally strange, but I always remember my Grandma putting out shrimp on the appetizer table during a family gathering. It's just one of those foods that makes me happy and ready to take a nap on the couch all at the same time. It also makes me immediately expect vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce will come out of the kitchen moments later (love you Grandma!), but that doesn't happen with this dish apparently. 

For a shrimp sauté and salad dressing in one, I tossed shrimp in a pan with chili, lime juice and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter which is actually now sourced from non-GMO ingredients and has a new olive oil formulation. AND it's a good source of omega-3's (which I literally take every morning-beauty booster power up ahoy!). Check it out and review it for  yourself. 

Chili Lime Shrimp and Quinoa Salad

adapted 

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/4 cup lime juice, divided
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 3 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread, divided
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined uncooked extra large shrimp, (about 16 to 20)
• 3 cups mixed spring greens
• blood orange, sliced

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions- make sure to rinse before cooking to get the bitter coating off! Best way to ruin quinoa.  

2. Melt 2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and chili powder and cook until bubbly. Stir in shrimp and cook, turning once, until pink, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon Spread and 2 tablespoons lime juice into hot cooked quinoa. Arrange quinoa on plates. Top with shrimp; drizzle any sauce remaining in skillet over shrimp. Plate with greens and blood oranges. Mix together and enjoy! 

To a happy and healthy Thanksgiving week! 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.