This clean eating quinoa garlic shrimp and cilantro salad is both different and delicious!
If you’ve been following along with me on Facebook, you probably know that I tried eating Paleo for three months. I had some “interesting” side effects, so I gave it up for about a month. But I realized pretty quickly that the benefits outweighed the minuses. So I did some research, figured out what the issues were, and then went back to my paleo plan. But….
While I was doing my research, my doctor also told me to add a few grains back into my eating plan to see if it would help. I figured that quinoa would be the most benign of all grains since in actuality, it’s a seed. So I’ve been experimenting a bit more with quinoa and it’s been a delicious experiment!
That said, now that I know what caused my initial issues, I will be giving up the quinoa again. But in the meantime, I’ll just take you on my little “back and forth trip” here and share this really yummy salad. It’s simple to make and so crazy delicious that it took everything I had not to eat it all in one sitting.
Portion control is a constant struggle…
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MORE CLEAN EATING RECIPES:
- Clean Eating Cilantro Quinoa Salad
- Clean Eating Vegetarian Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Carnivorous Possibilities
Enjoy!
CLEAN EATING QUINOA GARLIC SHRIMP & CILANTRO SALAD RECIPE:
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 lb. frozen pre-cooked shrimp (thawed and chopped)
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
- 7 medium garlic cloves
- 1 medium lime (juice only)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (roughly chopped and loosely measured)
Combine the quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil
Reduce heat to low and cook covered for about 15 minutes or until the water is cooked out
Allow to sit and cool, fluff with a fork
While the quinoa cooks, sauté the garlic and shrimp in the coconut oil.
Do not discard the water that cooks out of the shrimp
Combine everything together in a large mixing bowl, allow to cool slightly and serve.
Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Elle says
For the benefit of those of us who follow your blog but are not on facebook – would you be willing to share what were the side affects of the Paleo diet and how you’ve dealt with them? I’ve been reading a lot about Paleo written by people who swear by it but I know that any diet is not for anyone and I would be most interested to read what could be the downsideqside effects.
Thanks!
The Gracious Pantry says
Elle – I was having a difficult time leaving the bathroom. Turns out much of my stomach upset was due to an excess consumption of coconut milk. Now that I’ve reduced that, the symptoms, while not gone, are definitely improved.
jamie says
I am a regular follower of your blog. I eat paleo too. I was curious to know what your side effects were.
The Gracious Pantry says
I couldn’t get out of the bathroom. Turns out that coconut milk is a stomach irritant and I was drinking a lot of it. Now that I’ve backed off from it, the issue is still there, but greatly reduced.
cleaneatingwench says
Is this able to be frozen and then defrosted? I cook for 1 and am hoping to save some for later
The Gracious Pantry says
CleanEatingWench – It would probably be okay, yes.
Bonnie says
I have just started following your blog because of another blog and I just love it. Thank you for sharing your experiences, I had to chuckle over the portion control because that song plays in my head constantly. It’s more like an evil laugh. I am attempting the diet described by Julie Daniluk in her book, Meals That Heal Inflammation. I think it will be awesome if I can stick to it and make the lifestyle changes. In the meantime I am seeking blogs like yours that have healthy meals and shared experiences. I do appreciate it! So I guess it’s bad if I eat a meal that was intended to feed 4? Hahahaha!
The Gracious Pantry says
Bonnie – Ha! Afraid so… though I wish it wasn’t! (did I just type that out loud?)
julie says
Are you getting away from clean eating and going Paleo now? I just started following all of your clean eating tips and this kind of throws me! I’m taking baby steps and wonder if clean eating and paleo are kind of related. Any advice? And people rave about coconut milk and coconut water and I just don’t get the appeal!
The Gracious Pantry says
Julie – Not to worry. All my recipes are and will be clean. You don’t have to use coconut milk in a recipe unless it really adds to the flavor. I use it because I can no longer have dairy. It just doesn’t agree with me. But I have many recipes here that do include dairy. I have a little something for everyone.
Michelle says
I have bought a bag of frozen shrimp when it was on sale, now I know what I’m going to make with it! Can EVOO be substituted for coconut oil?
The Gracious Pantry says
Michelle – Yes it can.
Cecilia says
This is delicious! I’ve made it twice now, and it’s so easy and yummy.
The Gracious Pantry says
Cecilia – I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Cynthia says
This was my first clean recipe and let me say..yumm!! Looking forward to more!
The Gracious Pantry says
Cynthia – Glad you enjoyed it!
caroline says
so sorry if this is a dumb question, but 7 cloves?? Are these pressed/chopped when combining with oil and the shrimp? It just seems like a lot of garlic 😛
The Gracious Pantry says
Caroline – You don’t have to use that much if you think it will be too strong for you. I just type up the recipe the way I make it. It was yummy!
Kelli says
SO GOOD! I just made this for lunch. I used raw shrimp so that it would soak up the garlic flavor a little more.. I conveniently had a cup of dry quinoa left in my pantry so this was perfect. 🙂 I think this, and the Green Quinoa are my favorite quinoa recipes so far!
The Gracious Pantry says
Kelli – Awesome! Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Shirl says
Just tried this, and my whole family loved it. I am not a fan of cilantro, but this was so good! Thank you for this site. So many “healthy” recipes are complicated or expensive, but I see one after another on here that I can’t wait to try!
The Gracious Pantry says
Shiri – Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Margie Duerr says
I made this last night. I followed the recipe to the T and it was FANTASTIC!!! I love easy and delicious so it was a WIN WIN!!! Thank you for your site, a friend recommended it and its so helpful!!!
The Gracious Pantry says
Margie – My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Mary says
I made this once already, and it was fabulous! Lots of flavor, very tasty! I wondering if this salad would work for a summer party dish to share?
The Gracious Pantry says
Mary – Sure! But I would keep it on ice to keep the shrimp safe. Wouldn’t want to make anybody sick.
Mylene says
Oh my gosh! This recipe is amazing. I just made it, but included cucumbers and tomatoes and it was DELICIOUS! Thank you for the recipe.
The Gracious Pantry says
Mylene – My pleasure! 😀
Kare says
Hello,
Can’t wait to try this one. Just a question for you. Do you make the coconut milk yourself (from the coconut itself) or do you buy the can one? I make my own, learned while watching my grandma growing up. I’m not a big fan of can coconut milk.
The Gracious Pantry says
Kare – I do used the canned variety because it’s what I have available to me here. But if you have the homemade stuff, that is always the better choice. Enjoy!
Helen says
This was excellent. I served it warm(-19C outside) and added a little extra spice. It’s a new fave in our house!
The Gracious Pantry says
Helen – Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂