Baby Spinach is Love.
A few of my daughters and I often have lunch at Applebee’s in Owensboro, Kentucky. There is a particular salad that my oldest daughter (Emily) and I are addicted to. I’m kind of surprised that the servers don’t just bring it to us automatically. It’s a grilled shrimp and spinach salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
Few things tickle my fancy more than trying to play copy cat with restaurant recipes, so I tried to knock this one out a few days ago.
I bought a bag of frozen Salad Shrimp, some baby spinach, a jar of roasted red pepper, a purple onion (I refuse to call it red, it’s purple), sliced roasted almonds, and a few vinaigrettes – one was a Red Pepper Parmesan vinaigrette and the other was my personal favorite (Ken’s Steakhouse Raspberry Vinaigrette with Walnuts – What?! Why so good?).
I thawed the shrimp, then tossed it lightly with olive oil. I threw on a little seafood seasoning and grilled it on my beloved George Foreman Grill. Then I tossed it into a gorgeous bed of baby spinach and added coarsely chopped purple onion, red pepper slices, and almond slices. I didn’t add any fresh bacon crumbles because, frankly, I was out of bacon! However, it would have been a great addition.
If it had just been my daughters and I, I would have marinated the salad with the Raspberry Vinaigrette, but my husband (the silly man) doesn’t like it, so I kept the salad bare and allowed people to add the vinaigrette of their choice. He opted for the Red Pepper and Parmesan Vinaigrette. It would have been better if it had just been a red pepper vinaigrette (sans the Parmesan) – the Parmesan was unnecessary and just got in the way, in this particular salad anyway. The Raspberry was the better call, in my opinion.
If you’re looking for healthier lunch alternatives, this is a great one. It’s also quick and easy which is usually a popular scenario for lunches.
Another great alternative would be to go the way of the Orient, and replace the red peppers with mandarin oranges – then use a ginger-based vinaigrette and maybe crispy Asian noodles in addition to the almonds. I’d also throw in some edamame.. I basically just look for ways to add edamame to my day – love it.
