Spicy Shrimp & Sausage Salad with Mustard Dressing

    Background info: I saw a beautiful recipe on Pinterest from Iowa Girl Eats. It's a pretty simple recipe for Spicy Shrimp & Sausage Skewers. I loved how it sounded, so I was going to make it! I had the shrimp ready, the sausage thawed, skewers soaked and ready....then I was like, "huh....I don't feel like bbq-ing because it's cold and rainy.....", so then I was like, "I guess I could make the skewers and just fry them up in a pan...", then I was like, "If I'm just going to fry these in a pan, why the heck would I take the time to put them onto skewers....?" Oh, the other problem was how small my shrimp were (they were shrimpy, haha, get it?). I couldn't find (or afford!) the really big shrimp that would have made these pretty (which is an important element to me in my meals!), so I was just going to alternate between shrimp & sausage instead of making them look amazing by having the sausage piece tucked into the shrimp (go check out the recipe at Iowa Girl Eats to understand what I'm saying!). Anywhooooooo.....

     I really added a dash of lazy to this recipe, but I loved how the salad turned out anyway! It still tasted great, and was a real filler!  

     Because I was originally going to eat a salad and have the skewers to the side but on the same plate, (not on top), I wasn't concerned about the dressing for my salad. But once I decided I was going to cook everything and throw it onto my salad, I suddenly needed a perfect dressing for it! I sometimes get a little obsessed about the dressings of my salads being exactly right!

    When I eat sausage I enjoy it with plain old mustard, so I wanted to create a very mustard-y dressing to go with it. My husband was extreeeeeeemely leery of a "mustard dressing", but he really enjoyed it because it was wonderful! It was sweet and tangy, you could taste the mustard which went really well with the sausage and the spicy shrimp! I also added some sour kraut to the salad....oh man, that was a perfect addition! Winner! 
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​Spicy Shrimp & Sausage Salad and Mustard Dressing
Makes 2 Huge Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Uncooked sausages (make sure they're gluten-free or paleo friendly if you have food intolerances)-we used some local water buffalo sausages
• 2 Tsp dried onion
• 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp chilli seasoning
• 1/2 Tsp paprika
• 1 Tsp Cayenne pepper
• 2 Cups shrimp (any size you like, really) thawed and peeled
• Salt & Pepper

For the Salad Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
• 2 Tsp maple syrup (or honey)
• 3 Tbsp yellow mustard
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

For the Salad:

• 6 Cups wash, cut-up romaine salad
• 1 large tomato (or 2 smaller), cut into bite-sized pieces (the exact size you choose is really a personal preference)
• Sour kraut (optional)

Method:

1. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once warmed, add the sausages, whole and un-cut, turning every minute or two, for about 12 minutes, or until nice and brown on all sides, remove from pan to a plate and set aside
2. While the sausage is cooking, mix the spices together in a bowl, then add the shrimp and a drizzle of olive oil and use your hands or a spatula to gently toss and coat the shrimp in the seasoning, set aside
3. To make the salad dressing, add all the ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Stick your finger in there and taste it to see if you want to add any salt or pepper. If it's too sour for your liking, add a little more olive oil and maple syrup. If it's too sweet add a little more vinegar or lemon juice. Set aside
4. Once the sausage is finished cooking and is removed from the pan, dump the shrimp from the bowl into the pan (if you've turned the pan off, just re-warm it on medium heat)
5. Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes before flipping over. Now, take your sausage you've cooked and slice into 1 inch medallions, or on an angle to make them more interesting 
6. Add the sliced sausage to the pan of shrimp to warm back up while the shrimp finish cooking (about 3-5 minutes more)
7. While the shrimp finishes cooking and the sausage warms back up, add the lettuce to the bowl with the dressing in it and use two large wooden spoons to toss & coat the salad in the dressing
8. Divide the salad into 2 bowls, and top with the tomato and desired amount of sour kraut (if using)
9. Top each salad with hot sausage & shrimp
10. Eat up! 

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    Honestly, this salad is soo good. I want to eat it every day, but alas, we don't have sausage and shrimp on hand in an endless supply! Booo hoo! 

    I know the sour kraut might seem a little weird too, but it added this whole different taste and texture element that created such a fantastic salad! So, if you like sour kraut normally, and perhaps usually eat it with your sausage, then you'll want to add it on this. Just trust me. 

    So, this weekend marks the beginning of our families Christmas holiday! We head South-West today to stay with & visit family. We shan't return home until the 28th, so it's a long haul! Some years the 10 days have gone by terribly, some years it's been amazing, but most years are a mix of the two! Between the kids and not knowing how they'll behave/react/cope, Adam and I trying to (and failing to) properly communicate, and pleasing family & friends it can be a roller coaster ride! But we are always happy to visit for Christmas, and the kids love seeing cousins and it somehow seems to work out. We know the outcome of the time away depends largely on our attitudes, so we've been working on keeping them in check and enjoying the season, regardless of the external factors! 

    Well, so, leave a comment just to say "hey", or to tell me what you think about this salad, and especially to tell me if you tried it!

    Have a wonderful weekend!     
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