Next time I'll make him Pad Thai, I promise.

Ever get stuck with a rather random ingredient and need to find something to use it in? I feel like that's a fairly common occurrence for me, especially since I like using, well, random ingredients. And I have a really bad habit of just kind of ignoring them until they go bad. So I was glad when the husband saw the half full bag of bean sprouts and requested a dinner using them last night.

I know what he really wanted was Pad Thai, but since he didn't specifically ask for that...sorry honey. You got Lemongrass Shrimp Salad instead. Since I based it off a Cooking Light recipe (Lemongrass Shrimp over Rice Vermicelli and Veggies), I'm going to repost theirs and just mark the things I changed.

Honestly, I was hoping it wouldn't take as long as it did to make, but I prepped everything while the shrimp marinated and still had time to sit down with a martini and the new People (damn you Heidi, you train wreck, you). So I can't complain too much. Especially cause it looks pretty impressive. It got a "whoa-oh!" from the hubby. I love that.

Lemongrass Shrimp Salad
Shrimp:
1/3 cup Thai fish sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh lemongrass (I used the kind in a tube in the produce department)
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
About a lb Medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Sauce:
About 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
handful shredded carrot (I bought a bag of them)
1/4 cup sugar
About 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
Squirt of Sriracha (about a tsp, vary depending on your taste)

Shallot oil:
1/4 cup canola oil
One large thinly sliced shallot

Remaining ingredients:
About 2 oz Bean thread noodles
One chopped head of romaine lettuce, divided
2 large handfuls of fresh bean sprouts, divided
2 large handfuls shredded carrot, divided
1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced, divided
Cooking spray
handful chopped fresh mint
About 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped


To prepare shrimp, combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally. Remove shrimp from bag; discard marinade.

To prepare sauce, combine the lime juice and next 5 ingredients (through sriracha), stirring with a whisk until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

To prepare shallot oil, heat 1/4 cup oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 5 minutes or until golden brown. Strain the shallot mixture through a sieve over a bowl. Reserve oil. Set fried shallots aside.

To prepare remaining ingredients, place noodles in a large bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes or til soft. Drain. Combine the noodles, shallot oil, about 3/4 of the lettuce, 3/4 the sprouts, 3/4 the carrot, and 3/4 of the cucumber, tossing well.

To cook shrimp, prepare the grill to medium-high heat. (I used an indoor grill)

Place shrimp on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill about 3 minutes on each side or until done. Divide the remaining lettuce into bowls. Divide the salad mixture into the bowls over the lettuce; top each serving with shrimp, about 3 tablespoons of sauce, and about 1 tablespoon fried shallots. Serve with remaining, bean sprouts, carrot, cucumber, mint, and peanuts.
Serves four. My calories should be about 50 cals lower (because I use less noodles, and you could lower them more by omitting the shallot oil...it's not really necessary), but their recipe is about 420 cals, 13g fat, 4g fiber, 52g carbs, 26g protein.