Saturday, December 31, 2011

Protein power

I have been collecting food magazines and articles for a while now, and every now and again I go through some of them with the hopes of finding an old gem that can be reused. Such is the case when I flipped through the 2009 edition of "Eat Smart" with Ellie Krieger. My boyfriend was coming over for dinner and I wanted to make something hearty but different, and voila! - Baked shrimp with tomatoes and feta. Succulent shrimp soaked in rich tomato sauce, baked with feta cheese and topped with fresh parsley and dill - that's exactly what I was looking for.
I used black tiger shrimp

What you'll need:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
2 14.5 oz cans no-salt added diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp finely minced fresh dil
1 1/4 pounds frozen and thawed medium shrimp, peeled
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
orzo or rice (this dish can be served on either, I used orzo)

What to do:


  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ohio and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 
  3. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken.
  4. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, dill, and shrimp and season with salt and paper.  
  5. Sprinkle the feta over the top.
  6. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese melts, about 12 minutes. 

Cooked orzo
You can use pretty much any type of pasta for this recipe, but I decided to use orzo as I'm a huge fan of this grain. Orzo (an italian "barley") bears a close resemblance to rice, just but a bit longer (almost as large as a pine nut). Traditionally, it's used as the base for many soups, but I think it can be used interchangeably with any other grains in cold and hot pasta dishes. The nutritional info alone is pretty remarkable - In 1/2 cup of Primo brand orzo pasta, there's 300 calories, 1.3 g fat, and 10 g of protein! Add that with the shrimp packed sauced and you've got a protein packed meal.



Top with some shaved parmesan cheese and serve!  :)

Bon appétit!

A.C

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