Athenian Orzo

I am always amazed by the pace that picks up in September. I love the return to school and getting to know my new class. This month we ate many repeat meals in an effort to keep cooking during the busy start to school. I forgot we made this recipe at the start of summer until I was looking through recipes to revisit. This is another simple, tasty, and fairly healthy dinner. I found this recipe on Gourmet: Day to Day. 

You will need:
*1 1/2 teaspoons EVOO
*1 small onion, chopped

*4 cloves garlic, minced
*
1/4 cup dry white wine

*2 large tomatoes, chopped (or canned diced will work if fresh aren't an option)
*
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

*1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
*
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
*
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

*Freshly ground pepper, to taste

*Pinch of crushed red pepper

*1 pound medium shrimp,  peeled and deveined
*
1 cup orzo
*
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil.


2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened (about 3 minutes). Add wine and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper; cook for 5 minutes. Drop in shrimp and cook, until barely pink, about 3 minutes.


3. Cook orzo in the boiling water until tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Toss with the tomato-shrimp sauce. Sprinkle with feta and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley.
 Bake, uncovered, until the feta is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shrimp, Black Bean, and Pineapple Foil Packets

It's spring in New England. Last week I was grilling these foil packets in beautiful, warm weather, and this week I needed to wear my down jacket again as the morning temperatures were below freezing. Mother Nature just wanted to remind us that we weren't anywhere close to summer yet!

This recipe from Cara's Cravings was perfect. I can already predict that this will be repeated for lunches and dinners throughout summer. It comes together easily and is quite flavorful. If you're tempted to try this before your grill is ready, you could also heat the packets in the oven.

You will need:
*8oz raw, medium-sized shrimp (peeled, deveined)
*1 cup canned black beans
*3/4 cup pineapple, diced
*1/3 cup red onion, diced
*2 tablespoons jalapeno, minced
*1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
*2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
*1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
*3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
*1/4 teaspoon chili powder
*pinch of salt
*freshly ground black pepper
*2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (omitted, but I'd use if I had it on hand)
*1/2 avocado, diced
*rice or other grain for serving

1. Preheat grill at medium. It should reach about 350-400 degrees.

2. Rinse shrimp and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

3. In another larger bowl, combine the black beans, pineapple, red onion, jalapeno, and ginger. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice, coriander, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin.

4. Spray 2 large pieces of aluminum foil with olive oil. Spoon half of the black bean mixture into the center of each and top with half of the shrimp. Squeeze the remaining lime juice over the shrimp. Seal the foil by bringing the edges together and folding down to make the packets. Make sure it is sealed well on all sides.

5. Place the foil packets on the grill and cook, covered, for 10-12 minutes.

6. Remove the packets from the grill. Carefully open the foil packets and stir the contents. Top with the diced avocado and serve over rice.

If you'd like to see the nutritional information for this recipe, please visit the original recipe via the link above.

Garlic Coconut Shrimp

I love shrimp, and I often order it when we are out to dinner. However, I do not cook with it, and I don't know why. Maybe this is the first of many shrimp recipes to come this spring/summer! This recipe is from Gina's WW blog. I have yet to try a dinner from Gina's blog that we did not enjoy.

You will need:
* 1 1/4 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
* 4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
* 1/2 cup cilantro
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* kosher salt
* 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
* 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
* 14 oz can light coconut milk
* 1/2 lime, squeezed

1) Heat oil on low in a medium-sized saucepan. Add red peppers and saute until soft (about 4 minutes). Add scallion whites, 1/4 cup cilantro, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for another minute.

2) Add tomatoes, coconut milk, and salt to taste. Cover and simmer on low about 10 minutes to thicken the sauce and blend the flavors.

3) Add the shrimp and cook 5 minutes. (Mine needed a bit longer) Add lime juice.

4) Serve topped with scallions and cilantro.