The other day I tweeted a recipe for Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa which @drwinnie had created. The dish looked so delicious that I wanted to make a version that was dairy free. Also, instead of using tomato because I've been plenty of tomato sauces this week, I went with a lemony twist.
Kale and Quinoa are two of my favorite power foods because they both have lots of flavor packed with nutritional benefits. Quinoa has plenty of protein and is a good alternative when you're cutting down on meats or want more protein in food you can chew versus adding protein through protein powders for shakes and drinks.
Plus, this recipe is pretty easy to make. The only real time consuming thing is cooking the Quinoa.
Ingredients (makes 2-3 servings):
- 20-24 medium shrimps, thawed. I just bought some pre-frozen shrimp in a bag.
- 1 big handful of cut kale. I used enough to fit into a 2-cup bowl. Kale shrinks when it's cooked but not as much as spinach. I'd guess to about 1/3 it's original size. If you like kale, use more.
- 1 cup uncooked Quinoa. Makes about 3-cups when cooked.
- 1/2 lemon
- Diced garlic about 5 cloves
- 1 small shallot sliced
- Garlic powder
- EVOO(olive oil)
- Sea salt
Let's get cooking:
- Make the Quinoa first. Here's how I cook Quinoa. The shrimp and kale part of the dish take almost no time to make, so since the Quinoa can take almost an hour, if you do the pre-soaking like I do, it's best to cook the Quinoa first and then let it cool down while you cook the shrimp and kale.
- Thaw the shrimp if you bought pre-frozen. What I do is take the frozen shrimp and then soak them for about 10 minutes in a bowl of medium warm water from the sink. Using too hot water will start cooking the shrimp, so warm is good.
- In a saute pan on medium heat, put in about 1-1/2 tbsp of EVOO and add in the garlic and shallots. Saute until it starts to soften, then add in the shrimp and season with a few shakes of garlic powder and about a pinch or two of sea salt. Continue to saute the garlic, shallots, and shrimp and cook until the shrimp starts to turn pink.
- Toss the kale into the pan, and squirt about 1 tbsp of water on top of the kale. The water will help steam the kale. Mix the kale in with the garlic, shallots, and shrimp. Cover the pan for about a minute so the kale can steam and shrink. Check on the kale to see if it's at the level of softness you like. Mix it around. If you want the kale softer, cover the pan again. I like the kale to have a little bit of crunch so I don't steam for too long.
- Now that the shrimp is cooked, taste one of the shrimps. If it needs more seasoning, add more garlic powder or salt. I added a little bit of pepper. Continue to mix everything.
- When the kale is to your liking, take the pan off the heat, and then squeeze the half lemon around the dish. Mix everything again in the pan.
Place the cooked Quinoa on a plate, and then top it with the garlic shrimp and lemony kale with shallots
Enjoy!
all pics taken with an iPhone 3GS
