roasted shrimp and veggies salad

Roasted Shrimp and Veggies Salad!

Why does everyone think salads have to be a pile of plain raw veggies, over some iceberg lettuce, and a giant blob of bottled dressing on top?  Those salads make me very sad.  If I had to start a diet plan that included salads like that, I would be cheating by day 2!  Just saying...

One of my favorite salads to date, was at this amazing Greek restaurant outside Detroit.  It had just about every veggie imaginable, grilled, chilled, and tossed in a very light vinaigrette over spinach.  It was so simple, but there was so much flavor and different textures, it was delicious!

My version includes roasting a variety of random veggies in my fridge.  It is served cold, so it is a great make ahead salad to keep for a week's worth of mix and match lunches!  

My first veggie to tackle, happened the night before.  Gorgeous baseball sized beets, trimmed, scrubbed, wrapped individually in foil, and roasted for an hour at 400*.  When they are cool to touch, the skins just rub right off.  Chop in a large dice, sprinkle with salt and a splash of balsamic vinegar, and let marinade in the fridge overnight.

Now, for the fridge cleanout part...  I had a few cauliflower florets, pint of cherry tomatoes, a few radishes, yellow bell pepper, and green beans.  I like to chop them in similar sized pieces for ease of eating.  The color blocking is my having too much fun with colors.  Feel free to mix all your veggies together!

I also tossed some frozen large shrimp on another pan.  Sprinkle everything with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cooking spray and roast at 450*, until the shrimp have just cooked, and the veggies have a great char to them.

Now, because we had fresh beets, I thought it was worth a mention that beet greens make for an incredible sturdy salad!  They are pretty bitter, so I recommend using a pretty tangy vinaigrette dressing, but they are full of so many  vitamins, minerals, and fiber!

And this is why I did the color block roast!  I love having a salad with many different flavors and textures, and I feel like when it looks gorgeous like this, I am so much more excited about eating it!  Hope you can make this salad technique your own, enjoy!