Traditional Mediterranean ingredients — lemon, garlic, oregano and feta cheese — liven up this main course salad. With its plump pink shrimp, red bell pepper strips and vibrant green romaine and spinach, it's as pleasing to the eyes as to the palate. Make the salad even healthier by adding some of your other favorite vegetables, such as steamed and chilled asparagus cuts, pea pods or broccoli florets.

3 cups water
1/2 medium lemon, thinly sliced
1 medium garlic clove, halved, and 1 medium garlic clove, minced, divided use
4 whole peppercorns
1 pound fresh or frozen peeled shrimp, 21 to 26 count, thawed if frozen (see Cook’s Tip on Shrimp, below)
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano
4 ounces romaine or mixed salad greens, torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
3 ounces fresh spinach, torn into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 12 wedges
2 tablespoons crumbled fat-free feta cheese

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, lemon slices, halved garlic, and peppercorns just to a simmer, covered. Add the shrimp and cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the shrimp turns pink. Drain, discarding the lemon, garlic, and peppercorns. Spread the shrimp in a single layer on a large plate. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cooled.

Meanwhile, put the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Pour in the broth, whisking to dissolve. Cook over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, or until boiling and thickened, whisking constantly. Pour into a small bowl. Let cool at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, and minced garlic into the broth mixture. Set aside.

Arrange the remaining ingredients except the feta cheese on plates. Top each salad with the shrimp. Drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle with the feta cheese.

In most recipes, the sizes of shrimp are interchangeable. That is fortunate, because shrimp size can be confusing. What is “small” in one part of the country may be called “medium” in another area. So it is more accurate to refer to the number of shrimp per pound. If, for instance, a recipe calls for 16 to 20 count, that means there should be 16 to 20 shrimp per pound. If you use shrimp that are a bit larger than called for, add a small amount to the cooking time; conversely, if you use shrimp that are somewhat smaller than called for, don’t cook them quite as long as the recipe says. Watch closely, and always cook shrimp until it is just slightly pink; overcooking will cause it to be tough.