I am not sure how I ended up subscribing to Allrecipes magazine, but I was going through my April/May issue and came across this recipe for Honey-Orange Firecracker Shrimp and thought I would give it a try.  You can accompany the shrimp with a Mesclun and Mango salad with Ginger-Carrot Dressing and Lemon Basmati Rice.  I made the rice, however I only made the dressing for the salad and mixed it the spinach greens I already had on-hand.

The shrimp was amazing.  Don’t let the title scare you, it’s not that spicy. I had never used a cornstarch coating, which this recipe calls for instead of flour (remember Shake N Bake?).  I’d have to do some research to determine if there are health benefits to cornstarch vs. flour.  But, the result netted (funny seafood reference) a crispy coating that allowed the spices to be the focus.  I plated the shrimp on top of the rice and piled the spinach salad next to it.  To pull the entire menu together took about an hour, but it was well worth the time.

You can access the recipe from here, but I will share the Ginger-Carrot Dressing.  I used alot more shredded carrot than the recipe called for because carrots are so good for you and colorful.  Tip:  My grocer sells small containers of shredded carrot in the produce section.  I usually keep a container on-hand in the refrigerator and toss carrots in muffins, scrambled eggs, salads, etc.

Ginger-Carrot Dressing

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 TBL toasted sesame oil

1 TBL grated fresh ginger

1 TBL shredded carrot (I threw in a handful)

1/4 tsp fresh lime juice

I mixed ingredients with a wire whisk in a medium sized bowl.  Tossed it with spinach and sprinkled sesame seeds over the salad.

Perfect summer weeknight meal!

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