Summer Berries and Shrimp Salad

Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a salad person. I never order dinner salads at restaurants. I like the side salad I make at home, but mainly I eat is because it is good for me. I tend to have great disdain for meat of any sort on a salad.

That said: this week (yesterday) we got our farm share from Rosedale's Farm and it included 2 different kinds of lettuce. I had not yet made my menu for the week and was feeling very uninspired for dinner and asked ryan for ideas. I got the usual "whatever" response at first, and after pressing him, he came up with a dinner salad with seafood, chicken or steak on it (he IS a salad person). So I decided to do it - after all, what better way to highlight some good lettuce than in a big salad?

I decided to go with shrimp since I had a few bags of cooked frozen shrimp in the freezer. Thawed it and shook it up in a container with the little honey we had left (about 1/4 cup) and about 1/3 cup of Orange Juice. I then put it all in a large hot skillet. After about 2-3 min i poured the excess liquid off and cooked the shimp another minute or so (so a couple edges looked slightly brown).

In the meantime, I washed and tore up the lettuce in a big bowl. I tossed the lettuce with some honey roasted Almond Accents (LOVE them, all the flavors are great in salads) and a small bit of Good Seasons Italian made with Pear White Balsamic (went very light on the dressing). I plated the salad and then topped each with the shrimp and fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries that I bought from the farm and some of the blueberries than came in our share.

And the verdict from this non-salad person? ABSOFREAKINLUTELY FABULOUS! Honestly, it was a great summery meal - light but filling. The fruit was a great addition, and the shrimp had a nice sweetness. We both honestly thought it looked like something we would see in a restaurant. It was a beautiful presentation and so colorful! I may not be converted into a total salad-phile but I will definitely make this meal one more time before the summer is over, I now have a dinner salad that I love :)