spiced shrimp salad

even though we are only on the third day of twenty-seventeen, i feel like so much has already happened. 

i've never really been someone who is good at "relaxing." maybe that's why i like yoga so much. even in my relaxed state i like to move around. unless my butt is parked in the sand somewhere, i'm terrible at sitting still. so after two days off at home, celebrating our anniversary and a new year, i was ready to attack. 

in two days i've already filled january's calendar. i picked up a few more yoga classes and a couple more spin classes as well as a cooking demo. and somehow i still found the time to cook and shoot this tasty salad as i prepped and planned for two collaborative photo shoots today. and i topped it off this morning by teaching my first class of this week's 13 classes i'm teaching. 

basically, i'm going for it this year. when planning to start our own business, we always knew that the first couple of years would be intense. and here we are. in the middle of it all. and i'm embracing it. 

i've declared this the year of growth. growth in my personal life, my yoga practice, my cooking, my business, my family. growth in everything. and the first things i'm working on are more quick, easy and satisfying dishes. gone are the days where i get to spend all day barefoot in my kitchen making stews and all day sauces. i need low work, high impact here people! and i'm starting out with a bang. this shrimp packs a huge flavor punch, is healthy and quick and easy to prepare. triple threat. 

spiced shrimp salad
serves: 1
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 12 minutes
ingredients: 5 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (4 oz if you need to get another size). 2 cups mixed greens. handful of cherry tomatoes, halved. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 1 tbs lemon juice. 1 handful seasoned croutons

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start by mixing half your salt and pepper, all the cumin, paprika and mustard together in a small bowl. 

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whisk in 2 tbs of the olive oil until it makes a paste. 

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pat your shrimp dry and remove the tails. you can easily remove the tails by pinching the base of the tail, lightly squeezing and then pulling it away. 

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discard the tails and rub the shrimp down with the spice rub. 

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in a pan, combine the shallot, 1 tbs of the olive oil and a pinch of remaining salt and pepper over medium heat. cook the shallots until they are starting to brown. stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 

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while your shallots are cooking, make your dressing. in a small bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and whisk to combine. set aside. 

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in a salad bowl, combine your lettuce, croutons and tomatoes. drizzle with dressing and toss well to combine. 

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when your shallots are cooked, add in your spiced shrimp and cook till pink and cooked through, flipping once. about 3 minutes total. 

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top your salad with shrimp and salad and serve warm. 

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xo, a

spiced shrimp salad
serves: 1
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 12 minutes
ingredients: 5 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (4 oz if you need to get another size). 2 cups mixed greens. handful of cherry tomatoes, halved. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp paprika. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 1 tbs lemon juice. 1 handful seasoned croutons.
start by mixing half your salt and pepper, all the cumin, paprika and mustard together in a small bowl. whisk in 2 tbs of the olive oil until it makes a paste.
pat your shrimp dry and remove the tails. you can easily remove the tails by pinching the base of the tail, lightly squeezing and then pulling it away.
discard the tails and rub the shrimp down with the spice rub.
in a pan, combine the shallot, 1 tbs of the olive oil and a pinch of remaining salt and pepper over medium heat. cook the shallots until they are starting to brown. stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes.
while your shallots are cooking, make your dressing. in a small bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and whisk to combine. set aside.
in a salad bowl, combine your lettuce, croutons and tomatoes. drizzle with dressing and toss well to combine.
when your shallots are cooked, add in your spiced shrimp and cook till pink and cooked through, flipping once. about 3 minutes total.
top your salad with shrimp and salad and serve warm. 

 

friyay happy hour: pom + st. germain sparkler

oh what a difference a year makes. 

this time last year i was driving down to dana point for our wedding rehearsal the day before our wedding. i was an energetic mess. so nervous, excited and STRESSED. it just felt like everything was crazy and new. because it was. 

currently i'm laying on my bed, with my cat at my feet watching an episode of parenthood and chilling. 

but the crazy part is all the stuff that happened in between. this year has been the most exciting, scary, challenging and full year of my life. it was an emotional roller coaster. i literally started my whole life over. we got married, i started MANY new jobs, wes and i started our business, we went to RIO for the olympics?! just those three weeks were a ball of emotions all on their own. i became a yoga instructor, a spin instructor and started teaching swim lessons again. we even had a feature on 100 layer cake

so much happened and it was all awesome. some of it really hard. but all amazing. 

but now, i'm tired. and i'm spending the next few days relaxing, celebrating with my husband and drinking some delicious champagne cocktails out of some stunning champagne glasses we got from our friends over at cherished rentals

pomegranate & st. germain sparkler
serves: 2 cocktails
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
ingredients: 8 oz sparkling wine (champagne, cava, prosecco, whatever you have on hand). 1 oz pomegranate juice. 15ish pomegranate seeds & 2 rosemary sprigs for garnish.

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start by pouring half the pomegranate juice in each glass. 

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then divide the st. germain between the two glasses. 

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top the glass with your sparkling wine of choice. 

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garnish with pomegranate seeds. 

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top off each with a rosemary sprig and serve. 

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happy 2017! 

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xo, a

pomegranate & st. germain sparkler
serves: 2 cocktails
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
ingredients: 8 oz sparkling wine (champagne, cava, prosecco, whatever you have on hand). 1 oz pomegranate juice. 15ish pomegranate seeds & 2 rosemary sprigs for garnish.
start by pouring half the pomegranate juice in each glass.
then divide the st. germain between the two glasses.
top the glass with your sparkling wine of choice.
garnish with pomegranate seeds.
top off each with a rosemary sprig and serve.