Southwest Shrimp Cobb Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Eating the same salad every night can get boring. You want to get your veggies in, have a lighter fare; but mixed greens can become monotonous. Bacon aside, the dressing is light and the fat in the avocados are nutritionally dense. This just leaves a little bit of shredded cheese, and everything in moderation, right? This Southwest Cobb Salad is delicious and won't screw you out of your whole morning workout.

Ingredients:

2 heads romaine

1 avocado

bushel of cilantro

1/4-1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese

2-3 eggs

1/2 can black beans

1/2 can corn

3-5 strips of thick cut pepper bacon

1 lb shrimp (plus or minus... this isn't an exact science)

1 packet taco seasoning

Chipotle Ranch Dressing (click on this hyperlink for recipe and additional shopping items)

Instructions:

1. Rinse and cut your romaine. (I like to chop it up fairly small, similar to a chopped salad). You can lay it flat on a serving plate for multiple people, or separate it into bowls. (This of course depends on how you plan on serving it.)

2. Bring a pot to boil and place 2-3 eggs into the pot. Boil for 8-10 minutes. remove from heat, allow to cool and peel the eggs. Once they have cooled, slice or dice them and set aside.

3. Sautee the shrimp in a pan for 5-6 minutes, add the taco seasoning and a half packet (the taco seasoning packet) of water. Cook the shrimp an additional 2 minutes. Set this aside as well.

4. Cook your bacon to the desired finish... crispy, fatty, somewhere in between. Dice it up and set it aside.

5. Prepare the salad by adding the corn, beans, eggs, shrimp, bacon, shredded cheese, avocado and cilantro leaves.

6. Toss with the Chipotle Ranch (recipe link above.)

Enjoy!