Garlic Shrimp over Quinoa
"This is based on a prize winning recipe by Joseph Lanni of Brooksville, FL from some magazine--not sure which one."-Kathy Jackson
submitted by: Kathy Jackson
serves:
Ingredients:
1 lb raw shrimp thawed peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped (1/2 t dried crushed)
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or celery salt
1 1/2-2 cups dried quinoa (small grain, complete protein, available from most health food stores, and some supermarkets)
1/2 cup pine nuts toasted
1 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
2/3 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup(1/2 cube) butter, melted
8 oz fresh spinach
12 olives (pitted and halved)
fresh parsley to garnish
shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Rinse shrimp; pat dry. Marinate shrimp in a Ziploc bag with oil, garlic, and spices for 1 hour in fridge. Meanwhile, prepare quinoa by washing well in warm water (very important, or it will taste "soapy"), then cook with 1 part quinoa, 2 parts chicken broth, and pine nuts like you would rice, bringing to a boil, then covering and simmering for about 20 minutes until tender and fluffy. Stir tomatoes and onions into quinoa and set aside. Combine lemon juice and melted butter; set aside. In a large skillet, cook and stir shrimp with marinade over med heat for 3-5 minutes or until shrimp are just done. Pour half of the butter mixture over shrimp in hot pan. Spread spinach on bottom of serving dish, pile quinoa mixture on top, spread shrimp across top of quinoa, then spoon the remaining butter mixture over the top of everything. Sprinkle with olives, parsley, and Parmesan.
