From That To This: Shrimp and Quinoa

School is out and I have slightly more free time than normal, which means more time to try new meals! During a break at work last week I decided to hop on pinterest for some food inspiration and this recipe was the first post on my "suggested pins". I opened the page to check out the ingredients and skim through the recipe and it seemed pretty easy. That was it. I love seafood, and I think y'all know how much I like quinoa. Decision made - I was cooking shrimp and quinoa that evening. It was love at first sight (soon to be love at first bite).

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh shrimp w/ tails

1/4 cup chopped onion

4-6 cloves chopped garlic

chili powder

Old Bay

1 cup quinoa

1/8 cup chopped parsley

(Not Pictured)

 1 tbsp olive oil

1 can chicken or veggie broth

butter

The first thing you'll start to make is the quinoa - that way while it boils, you can cook up the shrimp. All you need to do is chop your onion and garlic and toss them in a cooking pot with olive oil on medium heat. (Be sure to save about 1/3 of your garlic to cook with the shrimp.) Allow these to cook until the onions are clear (about 2 minutes or so). Feel free to add a tsp or so of the chili powder and even a bit of Old Bay. Add the uncooked quinoa and can of broth to the onions and garlic along with a little more spice. Spices are really personal to your taste, so only you will know what you like and don't like. Place the lid on the pot and let cook until all of the liquid is gone (about 15-20 min).

** hint: one of my roommates from my volunteer year taught me to crush a garlic clove with the side of a knife (as seen in the second photo) to make taking off the outer layer easier. Maybe this is common knowledge. I was never taught the trick and was impressed. Thanks Lou.

While the quinoa is cooking, peal the skin off of your shrimp and wash thoroughly. Start melting about 2 tbsp butter in a saucer with the rest of your chopped garlic and add your shrimp along with some good ol' Old Bay. Cook the shrimp until they are no longer clear. The shrimp will shrink a little and turn that pink color we are used to seeing with shrimp cocktail. This will cook in about 5-7 minutes. If you think it's done, it probably is. It's surprisingly easy to tell.

**hint: the original recipe says to leave the tails on the shrimp, but during my process of removing the skin about half of my tails came off and I liked those shrimp better. Next time I make shrimp I will probably take the tails off from the get-go.

By this point, your quinoa will either be done or have a very short amount of cook time left. Once it is done, dish a nice sized portion on a plate and top it with some of your delicious shrimp. Chop up some fresh parsley to sprinkle on top and bon appetit!

**hint: the original recipe suggests melting butter with garlic and drizzling it on top of the plate. I'm sure it is delish, but I'm not much of a butter person so I opted out.

Try it out and let me know what you think! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Peace,
Sarah