Springtime Dinner: Citrus-Marinated Shrimp with Grilled Onion and Orange Salad

Spring is sometimes tough, cooking-wise. I'm totally over sausage and pasta and anything involving potatoes with cream, but the markets are still painfully barren. There's asparagus, sure, and lots of lettuce, but that's about it for good local produce.

So I'm always on the lookout for lighter recipes that include ingredients that are easy to find in the spring, or that don't suck out of season. This one, for a citrusy grilled shrimp, served with a grilled onion and orange salad, is perfect.

Look how pretty the salad is, even before it's all mixed up:

Puts me in a good mood just looking at it.

The onion in question is a sweet onion, which makes this an especially good late spring recipe. Vidalia onions are all over the store right now - and they're cheap, too. with just a little grilling, they make a great addition to citrusy shrimp. Plus, in this recipe, the addition of a few minced chipotles adds just the right amount of heat.

Served with rice (we just can't go carb-free around here), this made a super nice weeknight meal. Simple, flavorful, colorful. Perfect for springtime.