Grilled Shrimp and Crispy Chickpea Salad

In the mood for a change of salad greenery? Get it? Greenery instead of scenery! Hahaha. Even though this is just a change in toppings and not greens, so really that joke had no place. None-the-less these little crunchy chick peas would be a wonderful addition to any salad.

Overall, this salad is is delicious! It's a tad spicy - if you have a weak tongue, tone down on the amount of crushed red pepper. It takes a while to make (shrimp needs to marinate for an hour), but is definitely worth it. We ended up using our leftover shrimp on a pizza with roasted red peppers and goat cheese the next night and that was pretty delicious too.

Ingredients

MARINADE/SHRIMP

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  

DRESSING

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

CHICK PEAS

• 6-ish cups canola oil (enough that will cover the chickpeas)
  
• 3 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

SALAD

• 9 oz. baby spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, torn
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup diagonally cut green onions
• 1/2 cup goat cheese

Directions

1. Marinade: Combine olive oil, lemon rind, lemon juice, parsley, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. Add shrimp; toss well. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, prepare dressing: In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon rind, lemon juice, honey, crushed red pepper and salt. Stir well with a whisk. Place in fridge until shrimp has been grilled.
   
3. Add canola oil to a Dutch oven, heat over high.
4. Dry chickpeas thoroughly in a single layer on paper towels. Place half the chickpeas in hot oil; fry 4-6 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove peas from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat procedure with remaining chickpeas.
5. Right before you grill the shrimp. heat oven to 350. Place chick peas on a singe layer on a cookie sheet. Place in oven to make extra crisp (10-15 minutes). *This step is optional, it just makes the chick peas crispier.
6. Remove shrimp from marinade; discard marinade. Thread shrimp onto skewers.
7. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
8. Place shrimp on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill shrimp 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until done.
9. Add chickpeas, spinach, mint, remaining parsley and green onions to large bowl with dressing. Toss gently to combine. Top with chickpeas, goat cheese and shrimp.