This make ahead salad helps lessen the stress for an easy brunch with friends. It’s perfect for those warm weather days and your guests can build this salad to their liking. The best part?! The basil vinaigrette is all part of my good mood foods!
Grilled Summer Veggie and Shrimp Salad
Ingredients
- 10 ounces mixed greens
- 3 zucchini trimmed, cut in half through the middle, then thinly sliced into planks
- 3 ears corn
- 1 pound peeled deveined shrimp the bigger the better! maximum 20 per pound
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Some sort of green garnish leftover basil or cilantro work, I used chives because I had them!
- 8 ounces goat cheese broken into big pieces
- 1 cup candied nuts I use the sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe’s
- Totally optional: everything but the bagel seasoning
Basil Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 anchovy filets or 2 tbsp capers
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Blend everything together!
- Vegan: use 1 cup raw cashews + ½ cup water in place of the yogurt. Use 1 tablespoon capers in place of the anchovies or just omit and add a smidge of soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- Place the 10 ounces of mixed greens in a bowl and set aside.
- Toss the 3 sliced zucchini and 3 ears of corn onto a large serving platter (you’ll use this for serving, so pick a pretty one). Throw the 1 pound of peeled deveined shrimp in a separate bowl. Pat them dry. Drizzle everything with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a big pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Toss to coat.
- Grill the 1 pound of deveined shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, until firm and opaque. Grill the 3 ears of corn for about 8 minutes total, rotating often. Grill the 3 sliced zucchini for about 4 minutes per side, until grill marks emerge and they’re nice and tender.
- Wipe off the serving platter, then pile everything back onto it as it finishes on the grill!
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice over top. Grind some fresh black pepper on top and throw some chopped herbs on there to make it all look beautiful.
- Crumble the 8 punces of goat cheese onto a small plater. Garnish with a glug of olive oil, a few grinds of black pepper, and everything but the bagel seasoning. This is just to make it look special and fun, totally optional.
- Pour the 1 cup of candied nuts into a serving bowl.
- Place the greens, grilled veggies and shrimp, goat cheese, nuts, and basil dressing into the center of your table and let everyone dig in!
- 10 ounces mixed greens
- 3 zucchini trimmed, cut in half through the middle, then thinly sliced into planks
- 3 ears corn
- 1 pound peeled deveined shrimp the bigger the better! maximum 20 per pound
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Some sort of green garnish leftover basil or cilantro work, I used chives because I had them!
- 8 ounces goat cheese broken into big pieces
- 1 cup candied nuts I use the sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe’s
- Totally optional: everything but the bagel seasoning
Basil Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 anchovy filets or 2 tbsp capers
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Blend everything together!
- Vegan: use 1 cup raw cashews + ½ cup water in place of the yogurt. Use 1 tablespoon capers in place of the anchovies or just omit and add a smidge of soy sauce