Cari Fit

Fitness Advice, Workout Tips, and Inspiration

Recipe of the Month!

Summer Chopped Salad by Giada De Laurentiis

I don’t know about you…but I’m not ready for summer to end! Extend your summer a little longer with this great, light summer salad loaded with fresh summer veggies. I made this salad last night without shrimp as a side to go with my grilled fish and it was great. One tip…if you grill the romaine lettuce like she says, make sure it is dry (except for the olive oil) before you place on the grill, or it will end up soggy! The agave nectar makes the dressing just lightly sweet (for more on Agave…read below).

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Recipe:

Yield: 4 servings; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 12 to 14 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• Olive oil for drizzling
• 1 head romaine lettuce, cut lengthwise into quarters
• 1 ear of corn, husk and silk removed
• 2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
• 6 colossal or 12 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 head butter lettuce, torn
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups store-bought tortilla strips, such as Mission Restaurant Style
DIRECTIONS

For the salad: Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the romaine lettuce, corn, zucchini and shrimp with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the romaine lettuce, turning occasionally, until crisp-tender and browned in spots, about 2 minutes.

Coarsely chop the grilled lettuce and place in a large salad bowl. Grill the corn and zucchini for 2 minutes on all sides until crisp and tender. Remove the kernels from the corn and add to the salad bowl. Chop the zucchini into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Grill the shrimp for about 2 to 3 minutes each side until the meat is opaque and cooked through. Cool slightly and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the chopped shrimp, butter lettuce, tomatoes and avocado to the bowl.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and agave nectar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Garnish the salad with tortilla strips and serve.

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About Me

About Me
Cari Shoemate

Hi! I'm Cari! I'm a fitness star turned Mom of 3 who lives in Houston, TX. Getting fit and healthy is a journey and one I understand well. After graduating from college I worked in a corporate setting for many years and gained a lot of weight and had an unhealthy lifestyle. Finally, after I had enough - I decided to regain my healthy lifestyle that I had in college by fitting in workouts and eating healthier. Eventually, I left my corporate job to become a full-time personal trainer and group fitness instructor. I also created Bombshell Bootcamp over 10 years ago and it has become one of Houston's top bootcamps! My passion then turned into greater opportunities to write workouts for national magazines, appear on tv doing workouts and speaking about healthy and fitness, making fitness DVD's and working with many celebrities. Fast forward a few years....and then I had my first baby! I'm now a Mom of 3 little ones and try to incorporate healthy living and exercise in our family's lives. Not only do I still blog about workouts and fitness, but I have shifted some to include family fitness, family travel, fashion, health/beauty and general lifestyle.