May 15, 2010

Grilled Garlic Shrimp + Quinoa with Garlic, Nuts, & Raisins

Before I dive into this recipe, I want to give a shout out to my first born. Not the usual shout out of, “Leave your sister alone!” or “Get your tongue off the shopping cart!”, but. . .

Happy 3rd Birthday!

I love you, and I’m so proud of how you’ve grown this past year! (And thank you for being potty trained. That was thoughtful of you.)

*sniff*

Anyway . . .

We discovered quinoa last year, and since then I’ve played around with it, but haven’t loved it. It can be very bland unless you blast it with a lot of flavor.

Like a big ol’ blast of garlic.

I loved the technique of sauteing the garlic in oil, then adding both the garlic and the garlic-inflused oil into the quinoa. Double whammy. The nuts and raisins added some nice texture and flavor, too. I think I can safely say we love quinoa again. Especially with this yummy grilled (I really like grilling stuff, if you hadn’t noticed by now) garlic shrimp I whipped up to go with it.

Oh yeah, I learned something new about quinoa . . . did you know that it’s low in carbs and one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom? Didja?

Quinoa with Garlic, Nuts, & Raisins + Grilled Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients:

For the quinoa:
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1/4 cup nuts (pinenuts or chopped walnuts/pecans recommended)
2 T preferred cooking oil (grapeseed or coconut)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 T fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

For the shrimp:
1 lb large, uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 T butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch Kosher salt
metal or wooden skewers

Directions:

To make the quinoa:
Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, raisins and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

To make the shrimp:
Combine melted butter and garlic in a small bowl. Let it sit while you prepare the shrimp.

Preheat BBQ grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat.

Rinse shrimp, pat dry, and place on skewers, piercing each shrimp in two places to keep them from moving around too much. Sprinkle shrimp with a pinch or so of salt, then brush the garlic-butter on one side. Place skewers on the grill, butter-side-down. Brush the other sides with remaining garlic-butter. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are mostly pink. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until fully cooked and pink. Don't overcook them or they'll turn rubbery.

Serves 3-4.

Serves 3-4.

Quinoa recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine Apr 2010 (Ellie Krieger)
Shrimp recipe from Perry's Plate

30 Minutes and Under, Gluten-Free, Main Dish Seafood, Paleo/Primal, Perry's Plate Originals, Side Dishes

13 comments »

13 Responses to “Grilled Garlic Shrimp + Quinoa with Garlic, Nuts, & Raisins”

1

Joanne — May 15, 2010 @ 5:58 pm

I love quinoa! Especially in pilafs like this! Great dish.

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2

nitzomer — May 15, 2010 @ 6:02 pm

Happy Birthday Sophie!

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3

grace — May 16, 2010 @ 9:53 am

quinoa is definitely a power-hitter and i'm always looking for new and tasty ways to get it into my belly. i like the add-ins here–chewy and crunchy, nutty and sweet. win!
and happy birthday to your tyke! :)

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4

Megan — May 16, 2010 @ 3:33 pm

Happy birthday to your daughter! My first born is also 3, such a fun (and trying) age. Love the dish, it looks fantastic!

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5

Kathryn — May 16, 2010 @ 4:43 pm

I really wish my family liked shrimp because I want to try the last two shrimp recipes you've posted! Maybe I'll just make dinner for myself :)

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6

Linz — May 17, 2010 @ 4:10 pm

Ohhh – thanks for the quinoa recipe…I am always looking for ways incorporate it!

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7

Kathryn — May 25, 2010 @ 7:35 am

I made this tonight with some freshwater shrimp and it was delicious! Even Jon ate some :)

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8

cakeflower — June 27, 2010 @ 3:26 pm

I found Quinoa has more flavor when you cook it in chicken broth…not so bland. Thanks for posting this!

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9

Kristi — January 7, 2011 @ 7:27 am

Well this was downright tasty! Thanks so much for the yummy recipe! It was easy, delicious, and the perfect way to end a not-so-perfect day (flat tire catastrophe, sigh…).

Hey, this is a very yummy quinoa recipe if you need another way to use quinoa ; )

http://itwasamazing.blogspot.com/2010/03/keen-wah-quinoa.html

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10

gwen — May 21, 2011 @ 4:20 am

For some reason, I was convinced that quinoa would taste like a chewy, bland blend between couscous and tapioca pearls. I don't know how I came up with that, but I was convinced. But I made this for my parents, who requested a quinoa dish, and we all LOVED it. I'm a convert – which is good, considering the health benefits!

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11

Meghan — April 6, 2012 @ 5:04 pm

oh my goodness… what a winner!! I loved it. I added lemon to the shrimp too- just delicious!

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