Fried Shrimp Salad

Here is a very yummy salad from Paula Deen's September magazine! It makes a filling dinner - chockfull of calories because of the shrimp but you also get lots of green veggies!

Fried Shrimp Salad

Makes 2 large salads

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (6 oz.) bag 5-lettuce mix

1 (5 oz) bag spring lettuce mix

1/2 cup asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces, and blanched (steam for just 2 minutes)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup bleu cheese crumbles

1/4 cup candied pecans (we used plain, chopped)

12 frozen, breaded shrimp (Paula says to fry them but we baked them according to package directions)

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, shallot, honey, mustard and pepper.

In a large blowl, combine lettuce mixes, asparagus, cranberries, bleu cheese, and pecans.

Just before serving, plate the lettuce and top with shrimp. Add desired amount of dressing. Serve immediately.

Playing with my macro function. Oh this looks so good!

You can, of course, fry your own shrimp but I have yet to master frying anything. Grilled shrimp would also be good and be healthier.

You can play around with adding other vegetables like squash - or goat cheese instead of bleu would give it a softer texture and less intense cheese taste.

Even if you don't want to make the entire salad, the dressing is especially good and simple to make together!