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Summer is salad season, and I find myself whipping something together with a simple protein and flavorful dressing just about every day for lunch.
This recipe uses a variation of the Autoimmune Protocol compliant “Ranch” dressing found in The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook, except instead of dill and lemon, I use cilantro and lime. It is thick, creamy, and delicious!
If you’ve got a sensitivity to coconut, don’t fret — you can experiment making your own creamy dressing using an avocado blended instead of the coconut concentrate. It won’t be as pretty, but it will taste delicious!

- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 12 ounces peeled, deveined shrimp
- ½ head romaine, shredded
- 1 carrot, grated
- ½ green apple, cored and chopped into chunks
- 1 avocado, pitted and chopped into chunks
- 1-2 tablespoons cilantro, for garnish
- ½ cup Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing (recipe below)
- Place the coconut oil in the bottom of a skillet on medium heat. When the fat has melted and the pan is hot, saute the shrimp in batches, making sure not to crowd, and cooking for 1-2 minutes or until opaque and fully cooked. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Place the romaine, grated carrot, green apple, avocado, and cilantro in a large bowl with the shrimp. Arrange, or toss to combine.
- Serve with cilantro-lime ranch dressing.
- ⅓ cup coconut concentrate
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup filtered water
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- Place all ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and mix until thoroughly combined. If the dressing is too thick, thin with water until the desired consistency is reached.
- Add the cilantro and blend for 10 seconds more, or until just combined.
7 comments
This looks absolutely wonderful. However, I’m totally confused about shrimp. What are the cleanest shrimp to buy?
Hi Suzanne,
I like to buy wild-caught shrimp, not farmed. Hope it helps!
How should we store it? Can’t refrigerate it due to the coconut butter…Is it okay on the counter for 5 days?
Hi Kendra, store the dressing in the refrigerator and pull out for an hour or so before using.
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Is this stuff the same as coconut concentrate, coconut manna or coconut butter?
https://smile.amazon.com/Lets-Do-Organic-Creamed-Coconut/dp/B00113ZZ5U/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=creamed%2Bcoconut&qid=1552362329&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1
Katie, yes that will work!