Mango and Avocado Quinoa Salad with Blackened Shrimp Recipe

Since I am currently on my Wild Rose Detox, I figured I should reflect this on my blog via this healthy recipe I made recently for my Christmas party potluck. This recipe came from a blog called 'Daily Crave' and I loved it because it combined my favourite ingredients, mango, avocado, and shrimp together!

Quinoa is a complete protein and a super grain/seed which is rare in the plant world. It also provides calcium, iron, magnesium and cooper, as well as fiber. I like to cook it in chicken broth to give it more flavour and stir it into soups, chilis, stews, or eat them like rice with a side of veggies and chicken perhaps. I bought my quinoa from Costco (check out my US healthy grocery shopping trip post).

Mango and Avocado Quinoa Salad with Blackened Shrimp

(makes 2-3 servings, gluten free,  low fat)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken stock

pinch of salt

1 large mango, pitted and diced

1 large avocado, pitted and diced

handful of cilantro

freshly squeezed lime juice

1-2 tbs of olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

Blackened Shrimp

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and devained

blackening or cajun seasoning

salt

2 tbs olive oil

1. Add quinoa, chicken stock, and a pinch of salt to a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and then cover with a lid and turn the heat down. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Alternatively, you can use a rice cooker as the water to quinoa ratio is the same as rice.

2. For the shrimp, place all of the shrimp in a large ziplock bag and add a drizzle of olive oil. Shake and coat completely. Then add your blackening seasoning (you can easily make your own if you can't buy it in stores) and shake the bag again to distribute the seasoning evenly.

3.Heat a tbsp of olive oil to a medium-high heat pan. Cook shrimp on each side for a couple minutes, or until they turn pink. Once the exterior is pink, remove from heat completely. Make sure to not overcook the shrimp.

4. Mix the cooked quinoa with the remaining ingredients, season wtih salt and pepper and serve with the shrimp and fresh cilantro garnish.

If you want to see the original recipe, click here.

This dish was a hit with everyone at the potluck so do yourself a favour and try out this recipe for your next potluck. :D People will love you for bringing such a healthy yet delicious dish! I will definitely be making this again once summer rolls around.

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://www.eatingwithkirby.com/2012/11/healthy-avocado-smoothie-recipe.html