Shrimp in the Street

So yesterday was an awesome spring day! I woke up late, dallied on the internet, and then spent the afternoon on the beach with one of my girlfriends. Of course, it was only the beach at the lake, but that's better than nothing, right? Why is going to the beach so relaxing? Lying in the sun, reading and relaxing and listening to the [in this case, small] waves lapping at the shoreline. Is there anything more perfect?

When I got home, I did a small amount of half-hearted cleaning. My neighbor's son, who's 4, actually helped me vacuum... and was excited about it! Wish I was... no, actually, that'd be a bit weird! Next, I went to the store to get some stuff for an impromptu shrimp fry in the street orchestrated by the neighbors.


After about 15 minutes of serious debating on what I should contribute, I decided to make an avocado and mandarin orange salad with honey-lime dressing. Of course, almost none of the ingredients were organic because I didn't want to drive 30 minutes away, but despite my guilt it was still delicious. I chopped my avocado really small, and I wish I wouldn't have. I think the flavor impact would have been much better had I been thinking more about what I was doing instead of chatting with the neighbors and downing pineapple-infused tequila shots! They are such a bad influence, my neighbors! I must've been thinking a little bit, though, for I used a whole-grain mustard w/ garlic and I think it added tons of flavor. Of course, if you aren't obsessed with mustard like The Hub is, you could just use regular whole-grain mustard and add a clove of finely diced garlic.


All the food was sooo good! We had fried shrimp and crawfish, french fries, my salad, baked beans and mac & cheese. Yum! I think I gained about 10 pounds eating so much of everything!! but it was DEFINITELY worth it! All in all, I think we had four pounds of shrimp and a pound of crawfish. And among 7 adults and a handful of kids, we ate every last bite! We definitely know how to eat on the street!

Avocado and Mandarin Orange Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard with garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch salt
1/4 cup olive oil

2 hearts of romaine, shredded
2 small bunches of scallions, or 1 large bunch, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 avocado, diced into pieces just a little smaller than the mandarin oranges

Make the dressing: In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing, minus the olive oil. Once thoroughly combined, slowly pour the oil in, whisking briskly. You can also pour everything into a jar and shake to combine.

Make the salad: Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing, tossing to coat. Yum!

Note: If you're not going to serve the salad immediately, then don't add the dressing until you are and be sure to coat the avocado in a teaspoon of the lime juice so that it doesn't brown.