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SPINACH SALAD WITH GINGER-ORANGE GRILLED - (Serves two)

(Last nights supper. Simple, tasty, healthy, quick and beautiful!)

Ingredients:

24-30 (31-40 count), raw, tail-on shrimp

Marinade: 2 c. fresh orange juice
1 T. (or more to taste) Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 T. minced ginger*
Scant ¼ c. honey

Salad: ½ bunch fresh spinach
½ c. packaged pre-shredded carrots
¼ c. thinly sliced red onion
¼ c. thinly sliced red capsicum (bell pepper)
2 small handfuls of candied pecans (see recipe below)

Dressing:
Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

*I used my back-up supply of minced ginger in the jar as I didn’t have fresh ginger on hand. If fresh ginger is available, for easy peeling use the edge of a regular dinner spoon to scrape the skin off.

Preparation:

Put the shrimp into a gallon-size Ziploc baggie. Pour marinade ingredients into baggie with the shrimp; seal, letting as much air out as possible. Scrunch sealed baggie to mix well. Place in small container in fridge for no more than 2 hours otherwise the citric acid in the orange juice will ‘cook’ the shrimp and make it tough.

Wash and cut spinach, onion and capsicum; toss together with shredded carrots in a bowl and divide onto two dinner plates. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Top each salad with a small handful of candied pecans.

Drain shrimp from marinade and put onto skewers. You can divvy the count up however works best for you. I eat about half of what my husband does so I put 6 or 7 shrimp on a skewer for me and then I make two more skewers with approximately the same amount on each skewer for my husband. Drizzle skewered shrimp with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil - cold pressed of course) and sprinkle lightly with Ivah Rae’s House Seasoning (recipe to follow). If you are using a Panini press, be sure to add only the amount of shrimp on the skewers that will fit the length of the Panini grill plates.

Shrimp cooks very quickly. To prevent overcooking, take shrimp off the heat as soon as both sides begin turning an opaque pinky-white color. It is better to be a little underdone rather than overdone as the shrimp will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat. I prefer to cook my shrimp on the Panini press rather than the grill for two reasons. First of all, it grills both sides simultaneously (with those beautiful little black lines) and takes only about 2 minutes. Secondly, the temperature is controlled whereas a BBQ often has hot spots and flare ups. Panini Press - Invaluable - Love it!

Once the shrimp are cooked, set the skewers askew to the greens on a salad plate, drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle a capful of Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar over each salad.

Couldn’t get much easier or faster! I chose my salad ingredients by using what I had handy. When I make any dish, I try to use as many colors as possible; not only for the beauty, but for health. Bright colored food = anti-oxidants. This is a good thing! It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) consider also the textures you are combining as well as how the flavors will complement each other. Don’t be afraid to play with your food! Have you ever had candied garlic? It’s amazing. I also made a recipe for Jalapeno Cheesecake, which I will share at some point. Sometimes the most unusual combinations are the most exciting!

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Candied Pecans:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup pecan halves
Sprinkle - dash or pinch of cayene pepper (how hot do you like it?)
Kosher salt

Preparation:  Spray sheet of foil with nonstick spray. Stir brown sugar, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar in heavy medium skillet over medium heat until sugar melts and syrup bubbles, about 3 minutes. Mix in pecans. Stir until nuts are slightly darkened and the syrup has evenly coated the nuts. This should take approximately 6-7 minutes. However, once the pecans start to turn dark, remove them from the heat immediately. Once they are done, they are done! Anything more will burn them. One way to test is to drop a bit of syrup onto the prepared foil. If it hardens quickly and is shiny, the nuts are candied. Scoop nuts onto prepared foil. Use two forks to separate the nuts into a single layer. Then sprinkle with sugar, salt & chili powder before they cool. After they cool completely they syrup will turn into a hard coating. I store the candied pecans in a Ziploc baggie. Not sure how long they stay fresh as they never last very long in my pantry! (They're also good just to nibble on!)

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These candied pecans go well in sooooooo many things. One of my favorites is to chop them up and add them to Pasta Carbonara. The sweet and salty flavors mix great with the complex nutty flavor of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the only kind of parmesan I ever use. (It may cost more but you use less as the flavor is so much richer than inferior versions which can taste bitter and often have a hard rubber texture.) Speaking of texture - Pasta Carbonara with candied pecans is an amazing combo - - crunchy pecans, grainy Parmigiano-Reggiano, al dente noodles and chewy pancetta. Your taste buds will dance with glee!!! (I promise to post my recipe for that soon!)

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Ivah Rae’s House Seasoning: (Makes approximately 3/4 cup)
1/4 c. Hot Shot Black & Red Pepper Season Blend (McCormick brand)
3 tablespoons of coarse kosher salt
3 tablespoons of onion powder
3 tablespoons of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of celery seed powder
1 tablespoon sweet paprika

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well with a small wire whisk to combine. Store in an airtight glass jar for up to 3 - 4 months. Please note that a little goes a long way.

Variations:  Set aside as much house seasoning as needed for your specific dish then add one of the following:

For added smokiness add a sprinkle of ground cumin.

For added tartness add a sprinkle of dried lemon or orange zest.

For added sweetness add brown sugar to taste

The amounts of your additions will vary upon how much of the house seasoning you are working with to begin with. Don’t be afraid to play with your food! The great thing is the variations are as endless as your imagination! I use my house spice on meats, roasted veggies, in marinades, dry rubs, etc.

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LadyJayPee was right! Food Blogging Rocks!