5/9/12

Jicama and Pineapple Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette


People have asked me if I've craved anything this pregnancy and I'd say for the most part I have just loved my favorite foods even more. Fruit is always one of my favorite things to eat, and now instead of an apple or some pineapple each day, my diet might include a grapefruit, orange, apple, bowl of pineapple, and possibly a frozen banana for good measure. Sometimes I think this baby is going to come out made entirely of fruit.

The one exception to this general trend is that ever since I've been pregnant I've been wanting to eat shrimp even more. I liked shrimp before but I rarely ate it. Now I find myself at restaurants choosing my main course based on the amount of shrimp in it. Running across a recipe with fresh pineapple (my favorite fruit) AND shrimp in a salad, then, is just about heaven for me. It's not just a pregnant-woman-weird-craving heaven, though. It's a genuinely good salad with a bit of a sweet and sour taste from the pineapple and cilantro vinaigrette. The jicama gives it great crunch and the mild flavor of the avocados and shrimp go well with the rest of the salad. It's a great light lunch or side dish for some grilled meat. You can leave out the shrimp if you aren't a fan or want to make it vegetarian. For now, though, I'm leaving it in and enjoying every bite.


Jicama and Pineapple Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 fresh pineapple - peeled, cored and cut into chunks
  • 1 jicama, peeled and julienned
  • 1 cup cooked shrimp
  • 3 cups mixed baby greens
  • 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Directions

  1. In a blender, combine the lime juice, rice vinegar, cilantro, salt, pepper and sugar and process until the cilantro is chopped fine. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Pour into a medium bowl and add the pineapple and jicama; toss to coat. Allow to sit 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  2. Place the spring mix in a large salad bowl; top with the marinated pineapple and jicama, scatter the avocado and shrimp over the lettuce; drizzling the remaining vinaigrette from the jicama/pineapple bowl over the salad. Serve immediately.
Prep Time: 10 min Resting Time: 30 min - 1 hour  Serves: 4


Recipe Source: adapted from allrecipes.com



10 comments:

  1. this salad looks so refreshing and light!  I love the crunch from the jicama. 
    Pregnancy does weird things to your taste buds...no doubt about it.  

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  2. This looks so good.  I love jicama.  And avocado.  Katie loves shrimp and pineapple, but hates avocado.  Maybe we'll have to make this, but have it be "top as you want."

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  3. Thanks, Ben. It would be easy to top as you like. Just make sure you both like cilantro. :)

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  4. I've never had a jicama, and shrimp weirds me out in salads. I think if I could translate this into a pasta though, it'd be fantastic. I love hearing what people crave while pregnant--I have enough random cravings as it is, I can only imagine what my future will bring if I ever get pregnant :)

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  5. This is definitely my kind of salad! I have almost all the ingredients so will plan to make this soon. Great springtime recipe, Nicole!

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  6. This combines all of my favorite ingredients too! I LOVE jicama. It's so crunchy and juicy...it goes so well with everything here. I can see why this is what you crave :)

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  7. This salad looks so light, fresh and tasty!

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  8. Oh my gosh! That sounds like a great salad! I love pineapple too! So good!

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  9. I don't like shrimp, but I could see this salad being amazing with a cajun chicken! Must try it! :) 

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  10. I had a big salad with shrimp for dinner tonight.  This one looks great - love jicama!

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