Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa

I've got a confession to make: Lately, I've been a little bored by quinoa. When I first discovered the superfood a couple of years ago I used it in everything from muffins, to burgers, to salads, and cakes. I got a little burned out on the stuff and turned to other grains like farro, spelt, and wheatberries. So it was quite a surprise to me, when I found myself adding a box of quinoa to my Trader Joes basket a couple of weeks ago. I thought to myself "This is red quinoa. Normally you only cook with the brown quinoa. This could be different, new. Maybe this will get you excited about a food you should be eating a lot more of again". So last night, I got to cooking, and guess what? I love quinoa again!! This meal is super fast. While the quinoa is cooking, you can prep and cook the shrimp so everything is ready in about twenty minutes. There's so much flavor in the garlicky, spicy, and slightly tangy sauce. For me, the garlic flavor was even more pronounced since I used a roasted garlic tomato sauce from my beloved TJ's. So now that I'm excited by quinoa again, I want to know what are your favorite ways to use this miracle seed?




Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa
(From Healthy Green Kitchen)



Makes 2 servings

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
Large pinch of sea salt

For the shrimp:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small bunch of kale, roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used roasted garlic sauce)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 pinches red pepper flakes
Coarse sea salt to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving, optional

In a large saucepan, bring the water, quinoa, and salt to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Let stand, covered for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shrimp and kale. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through and the kale has wilted. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Season with salt as needed.

Serve the shrimp and kale mixture on top of the quinoa and top with Parmesan if desired.

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