Hilarious!
Looks very tasty!
I love buttery, gooey and sweet delicious things to eat. Don’t you? They love me too, so much that they decide to stick around on my thighs, arms and belly. Lol. So in order to enjoy the fatty delicious foods I make sure I indulge in less fattening but still delicious foods 80% of the time. Guess what? They don’t have to consist of plain baked chicken!
I’m going to do my best to share with you every week a delicious but healthy quick meal. Why quick? Because I am a wife and mother of 2 in the process of growing a business. Meals during the week need to come together fast.
The first quick and less fattening dish is something I’m calling Smokey Sautéed Shrimp with Quinoa and Veggie Melange.
Why is it quick? Sautés are quick and the quinoa is already prepared and frozen from one of my favorite stores, Trader Joe’s (I also used their smoked salt).
Why is it less fattening and healthy? If you use a non stick pan you should only need about 2 tbsp of olive oil for the shrimp and the same for the quinoa mixture. What makes it healthy? The quinoa.Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Not only is it a protein its a complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair which is important for us muscle building bakers. [All information on quinoa was recieved from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice ]
Here’s what you need:
Smokey Sautéed Shrimp
1 pound of peeled and deviened jumbo shrimp
Salt -Trader Joe’s Smoked Sea Salt
Smoked paprika
Black pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 medium plum/Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil
Sliced green onion if you feel fancyQuinoa
Trader Joe’s Quinoa & Vegetable Melange
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp SaltFirst, grab your bag of quinoa out the freezer and cook according to the package instructions with a couple of exceptions, add about a half tsp of onion powder and a 1/4 tsp of salt. Let this sit covered until your shrimp are ready.
Now, I’m sorry but I don’t usually measure my seasonings so use good judgement and salt and pepper your shrimp. You can be more liberal with the paprika because it has no heat at all, just nice sweet smokey flavor. Let the shrimp sit Smash and rough dice your garlic, and seed and dice your tomato and set aside. If you’d like, go ahead and juice your lemon so you can separate the seeds and set aside. We’re ready to cook!
Set your non-stick skillet on medium high heat and let it get hot then add your 2 tbsp of olive oil (swish it around the pan a bit), and add your shrimp one at a time. Be careful not to over crowd the skillet because you’ll end up with boiled shrimp instead of sautéed. It takes no longer than 2 minutes on each side so have a dish handy to remove them. Once your shrimp are done and removed add your garlic to the skillet. There should be no need for additional oil. Watch the garlic so it does not burn and add the tomato just as you notice the garlic has softened. Stir it (I didn’t have to tell you that did I? Lol). Put the shrimp back in skillet with garlic and tomatoes, add the lemon juice and give it a good toss. Put it in a dish and you’re ready to eat. Oh and, if you feel a little fancy go on and slice some green onion to sprinkle on top.
XOXO The Passionate Culinista
All pictures and the recipes belong to me, Pam the Culinista. (except of course the lovely pre-package Trader Joe’s delight).
