Kale Caesar Salad with Honey Spiced Shrimp and Chickpea Croutons
Sweet and savory shrimp, crispy chickpeas, and a punchy chili lime yogurt dressing team up to deliver this anything-but-boring take on a kale Caesar salad.
Servings: 3 entree-sized salads
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 1 pound raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and thawed (if frozen)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- a few grinds of black pepper
For the chickpeas
- 15 oz chickpeas one can (or use cooked dried chickpeas)
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil enough to coat chickpeas
- salt and pepper to taste
To assemble the salad
- 6 cups chopped salad greens I used equal parts kale and Romaine
- 1 avocado, diced or sliced
- Chili lime Caesar dressing to taste
Instructions
- Make the chili lime Caesar dressing (linked in this post)
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Toss chickpeas in 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt/pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Place them in the preheated oven and set a timer for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the spice mix for the shrimp. Combine the ingredients listed in the “for the shrimp” portion of the recipe: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, olive oil, and honey. Add the raw shrimp to the spice mix and toss to coat. Pour onto a sheet pan and arrange in a single layer.
- When the 15 timer sounds, give the chickpeas a shake to ensure even cooking. Add the shrimp to the oven. In 8-10 minutes, the chickpeas should be crisp and browned and the shrimp should be cooked through. You’ll know the shrimp are done when they curl into a “c” shape.
- Assemble your salads. I like to toss just the greens with dressing first. Top with warm shrimp and chickpeas, diced avocado, and an extra drizzle of dressing. Eat up!
Notes
While the chickpeas get a head start in the oven, make the spice mix for the shrimp. Add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, olive oil, and honey to a bowl large enough to hold the shrimp. Stir to combine into a paste. Add the shrimp, toss to evenly coat them in the spice paste, and then pour them onto a sheet pan and arrange in one layer.