Bean and Shrimp Salad with Curried Yogurt

Here's a tasty dish on the lighter side for a fresh start to the new year.  I still have holiday leftovers so I'm not quite ready to start eating clean, but soon you should see plenty of lighter dishes here.  

This recipe uses crisp beans, which I love.  I used a mix of purple and yellow beans.  They look great raw, but the purple ones turn dark green when cooked.

I really should get back to cooking with shrimp more often.  They are satisfying but very healthy, and it's easy to always have some waiting in the freezer to quickly defrost.  

This recipe comes from Cooking Light.  Here's what you need:

1/4 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 pound green, yellow, purple or mixed beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound large raw shrimp, thawed if frozen
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

It seems like a lot of ingredients but you can change up the fresh herbs and use what you have.  The yogurt is more of a dipping sauce so you can skip it if you like, but it adds a nice creaminess and makes this more of a meal.

First, make the dressing.  In a large bowl, whisk together the shallots, parsley, tarragon, oil, vinegar and mustard.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Mix the yogurt, honey and curry powder and lime juice in a small bowl and set aside.   

Trim the beans and cook them in boiling, salted water for about 3 minutes until tender but still crisp.  Drain them and rinse under cold water to keep them crisp.

Mix the cooked beans with the shallot vinaigrette.  

Peel and de-vein the shrimp and cook them in a tablespoon of oil over medium heat until pink and just cooked through. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and thyme.  Toss the shrimp with the beans and dressing.

Serve with the curried yogurt on the side.  This makes a great lunch or light dinner and keeps well for leftovers the next day.  Enjoy!