Asian Shrimp Salad, Age Spots and Angeline Wine

Could someone out there please clarify and explain to me the meaning and purpose of age spots?!  I haven't even hit my half century milestone birthday age yet and I am starting to look like a Dalmatian with all my age spots.  Since I wake up with sore, achy muscles every morning, cannot remember what I did last week and continue my battle with "silver highlights" in my hair, I'm pretty sure that I don't need reminded of my age by those obtrusive spots arriving on my body every other week.

A few years ago I noticed a spot on my chest, since I wear a lot of v-neck style shirts.  I was concerned that it may be skin cancer so I proceeded to my dermatologist in California.  He took a three second look at it and said so matter of fact, "Oh, it's just an age spot".  WHAT???!!  Well, in my vain manner, I asked him to freeze it off...I mean really, I wasn't even 45 years old yet and that just would not do.  

So, he proceeded with my request and got a little overzealous with the dry ice and froze a little too deep of skin layers.  So, now instead of a dark spot in the middle of my chest, I now have a white spot.  See what that vanity got me - nothing!  Lesson learned...don't try to alter mother nature, you'll never win - just deal with it.

To take my mind off my spotty self, I came up with this salad from three other spinach-shrimp style salads I came across, plus added in some refrigerator items that needed used up.  It was so unbelievable, the girls inhaled the shrimp and asked for seconds.  The infused shrimp tasted like we were sitting at Benihana's grill table, they were that authentic. Yummy!!

Paired our pear accented salad (no pun intended)
with Angeline Pinot Noir wine.

Asian Shrimp and Spinach Salad
(Serves 4 as a dinner entree)

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 Tbl. red wine vinegar
2 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbl. fresh orange juice
1 Tbl. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbl. Dijon mustard
1 Tbl. honey
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Shrimp:
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails off
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp. honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Salad:
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
8 cups baby spinach
1 pear, peeled and diced
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, salted

For the shrimp, in a large bowl whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, honey, garlic, olive oil, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper.  Add the shrimp to the marinade, toss to coat, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

While the shrimp is marinating, cook and dice the bacon, wash baby spinach leaves and dice the pear (sprinkle a little lemon juice on pear to keep from turning brown).

Prepare the salad dressing by whisking all the salad dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat the grill to high.  Remove shrimp from the marinade.  Skewer and grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until just cooked through. Remove from skewers, cover and keep warm.

Toss the spinach to coat with some of the salad dressing and place in the center of your individual serving plates.  Arrange the bacon, pears, and shrimp around spinach and spoon more of the dressing all over.  Scatter the peanuts over the salad.

Enjoy!