Spinach and Black Bean Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

I found THIS salad and it got my creative juices flowing.  (No pun intended.)  I created the following salad based on what I had at home.  I'm a little hesitant to publish it on the blog because I feel like it's a salad "in progress" but I also really loved the flavor and I just want to fine-tune it.  


We just bought a juicer this week and have really LOVED using it.  Yesterday I bought strawberries and they were already going bad.  (A major pet peeve of mine.)  Anyway, instead of adding the strawberries directly to the salad I made a dressing out of them.  However, I think adding the strawberries to the salad and pouring fresh squeezed lemon juice over this dish would be AMAZING.  


Ingredients:
1 can of black beans - rinsed and drained 
1 can of whole kernel corn - rinsed and drained 
1 avocado - chopped 
1 mango - chopped 
1 bunch of cilantro - chopped
1 bunch of green onions - chopped 
1 cucumber - cut in pieces 
Fresh Spinach - to your liking 
*Chopped nuts would be yummy on this, but I didn't have any.




Dressing:
1 cup fresh strawberry juice
1 Tbs strawberry pulp
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
* whisk together and/or shake before serving. 


Put all the ingredients (and any extra you can think of) into a large bowl.  Use your hands to mix.  I like to sort of "mush" the fixins'  together so the flavors of the mango and avocado get onto the spinach leaves.  I poured the dressing over each portion of salad so it didn't go to waste, but you could add it to the whole salad if you wanted to.  


Let me know if you have any other ideas of items to add to this salad.  It was really yummy, but I do feel like something is missing. (Although, I think that I should have added more dressing.)  Good luck and ENJOY!  

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Cucumber Salad

I found this recipe HERE while I was searching for HCG Diet recipes. I also found THIS recipe that made me think of adding the cucumber and making a salad. (I haven't tasted that recipe, but it looks good too.) The Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Cucumber Salad is so yummy I plan to enjoy it for years to come. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Cucumber, julienned
• Small - medium shrimp, 15 - 20
• Coconut Oil, 2 Tbs
• Garlic, 2 cloves
• Ground Red Pepper, a dash or two
• Minced (dried) onion, a few shakes
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lemon, zested
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cilantro (chopped) to taste
• Green Onion (chopped) to taste 

Directions:

1. If shrimp is frozen, defrost it.
2. Julienne your cucumber. Toss your cucumber in a bowl with some sea salt, pepper, and dried minced onion, cilantro and green onion. (You could also add a little bit of lemon juice.) Set aside to "marinate."
3. Heat coconut oil in a skillet.
4. Add garlic (I use my garlic press) and ground red pepper, and a few shakes of the dried minced onion.
5. When the garlic and onion begin to brown, add the shrimp to your skillet. Cook the shrimp until golden, then flip those little buggers over and brown on the opposite side.
6. Now add your lemon zest and lemon juice. Let cook for a two or three minutes.
7. Optional: Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Put the warm shrimp over those flavorful cucumbers. Pour the rich "sauce" from the pan over your shrimp and cucumbers for an tasty dressing.
9. Toss and ENJOY!

**UPDATE - July 22, 2012: 

I found THIS way too cook shrimp.  I used all the same ingredients in the above recipe, but cooked it this way: 

1. Prehead oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with sides with foil.
2. Drizzle coconut oil on lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle the dry ingredients on top of the oil.  Lay SLICED lemons on top of the seasoning.  Lay the shrimp on top of everything.  
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Flip shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes, until light golden brown.

Turkey Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:

• ½ turkey breast, roasted and cooled, skin removed, cut into 1/2 “ cubes – aprox. 1 ½ lbs

• 4 Ribs celery, trimmed and chopped

• 1 cup cored and chopped red apple OR 1 cup nectarines

• 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and chopped

• ½ cup walnuts

• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1 cup yogurt cheese (you may need more depending on how big your turkey breast is)

• Juice of one fresh lemon

• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Place turkey, celery, apple, green onion, walnuts and cilantro in large salad bowl. Set aside.

2. In small mixing bowl, whisk yogurt cheese with lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad ingredients. Mix until dressing coats other ingredients. Chill.