Three cheers for an easy meal that’s fresh, healthy and clocks you under 30 minutes. It was due time I shared the recipe for my healthy Greek salad with spicy shrimp, rainbow quinoa and avocado. Complete with some of the best Mediterranean flavors (cherry tomatoes, hummus, cucumber, arugula, lemon, oregano and garlic), it’s both a powerhouse lunch and a dinner entree that will be on high demand. I love to add a pinch of cumin and cayenne for a kick (because #duh) and top with my favorite Greek salad dressing.
Of course, you’ll feel great about eating this salad. With plenty of fresh veggies, good fats and lean proteins, it will sustain you without slowing you down. Instead of feta or another cheese, I opted to use hummus because it still gives you that irresistible creamy texture. And if you’re looking to make this salad vegan, simply remove the shrimp and sub it for tofu (or nothing at all). It lends itself to be a fantastic, easy lunch whenever I do so.
To serve, I love to plate the salad on a large platter. But if you’ll notice in the pictures, I created four miniature salads on the platter, rather than mixing it all up. This way, when serving themselves, each individual can grab the corner and get every ingredient perfectly proportioned without disrupting the others serving. Everybody’s happy! Enjoy! Truly, MKR
- Fresh arugula (I used 1 1/2 containers)
- 1 1/2 cups rainbow quinoa
- 1 pound fresh, wild caught shrimp; tail on, heads off and deveined
- 1 cucumber, halved and then cut into half circles
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup hummus (any flavor you prefer)
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 lemon halved
- Your favorite greek dressing
- For the Shrimp
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon oregano, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 tablespoon organic olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Add 1.5 cups of quinoa to 3 cups of water in a medium size pot, covered, and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until you see that the majority of the water has evaporated. Keep covered, and remove from the heat, fluff with a fork.
- While the quinoa is cooking add your shrimp to a medium/large bowl and add lemon, diced garlic, diced oregano, cumin, cayenne, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt & pepper. Mix till shrimp are completely covered.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive to a skillet and heat over medium/high. Once hot, add shrimp and cook approximately 2 minutes per side or until done.
- Begin layering your salad: arugula, quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, shrimp, avocado, and a few dollops of hummus. Squeeze half a lemon over the plate, and serve with your favorite greek dressing.
