Cajun Shrimp Cobb Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This salad was so good. If there is one thing that I've been craving this pregnancy, it's shrimp. Such a strange thing to crave, but my pinterest feed has been going crazy with shrimp recipes lately, and I've wanted them all. This one was no exception. I made this last Monday night for dinner and it was devine! I'm not going to lie and tell you that my toddler ate it all up. He actually only wanted the corn, and that was it. This salad also wasn't manly enough for my meat and potatoes kind of husband, but it was good. Since my boys left me with so many leftovers, I got to enjoy this again, and again for lunch throughout the week, and I wasn't complaining. However, all was made right with the world the following night when I made these beef and bean burritos.  

Ingredients: 

1 pound shrimp, peeled, and deveined*

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp creole seasoning 

4 slices of bacon, cooked and diced**

2 large eggs

5 cups romaine lettuce

1 avocado, halved, peeled, and diced 

1 cup canned corn, drained

1/2 cup feta cheese

For Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

1 cup fresh, chopped cilantro

juice of one lime

1 jalapeno (optional)

2 cloves garlic***

kosher salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil****

2 tbsp cider vinegar

Directions:

To make the dressing, place all ingredients together in the blender and then blend until combined. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400°. While waiting for the oven, start a pot of boiling water for the eggs. Hard boil the eggs by putting the eggs in the cold water, bring the water to a boil, let boil for 1 minute, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat. Leave the pot on the hot burner for 10 minutes, then drain and cool, and peel and dice. Cook bacon and dice, and set aside. Prep the avocado, corn, feta cheese, and lettuce. 

Toss shrimp in a bowl with oil and creole seasoning and then spread out in an even layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in the oven for 4 minutes and then remove. Place the lettuce in a large bowl, and then layer the ingredients in rows accordingly. Serve immediately with prepared dressing. 

*I used frozen shrimp that was already peeled, deveined, tails removed, and cooked. I thawed shrimp in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes before preparing for the oven. 

**I used precooked bacon that you can find in the deli section. It's cheaper than the uncooked, and only needed to be microwaved for 20 seconds before dicing. Easiest bacon prep ever. 

*** I used already minced garlic that is stored in a jar in the fridge. It lasts forever, and can be found in the produce section of grocery stores. Makes any recipe needing garlic so easy!

**** I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil, still tasted great, but I'm sure olive oil would have been better, and healthier, but we were out.