Dec 5 Dinner Blog

I was unable to shop on Sunday for the week.  I was away and didn’t even get a chance to prepare a menu and master shopping list.  Usually a recipe for disaster.

But my sister saved me.  As we were talking, she mentioned this couscous dish that she loves and reinvents throughout the week.  My curiosity was piqued!  As I pushed the cart through the grocery store, she walked me through the recipe and I gathered all the ingredients.  I could feel the stress of not having a shopping list in hand melt away.

This is a very easy recipe that can be put together quickly and tweaked throughout the week to keep it fresh.

Mediterranean Quinoa with Shrimp and Vegetables

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Kids for 2 Meals with enough for about 2 lunches

Rating:  10 all around!

3 C Quinoa

1/4 C Olive oil

Juice of one lemon and zest from 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

1 Cucumber, diced in small cubes

Feta Cheese

12 Pitted Olives

1 Onion, diced

1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes

3/4 C Black Beans from can or other shelf stable container

1.5 lbs Peeled, deveined Shrimp

1.75 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, baked, grilled, or somehow cooked and diced. (for the second meal)

Instructions

1.  Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.

2.  Juice lemon, zest 1/2 of a lemon and mix in small bowl with olive oil.  Set aside.

4.  Saute onion until soft and clear.  Set aside. Cook shrimp in same skillet with a bit of olive oil.  If you have any other vegetables you want to finish up, feel free to add.  I added some left over diced bell pepper.

5. Once shrimp turns pink (3-4 minutes), it is time to put dinner together.  Mix lemon-olive oil mixture into quinoa.  Add cucumber, feta, olives, cherry tomatoes and black beans.  Mix well.  Then add shrimp and serve! (If this is the second meal, add the chicken and serve!)

6.  Easy and delicious!  But the best part is that you can reinvent the meal two days later with chicken!  You could even add other vegetables such as squash or broccoli to give it a different taste!

Ratings

Everyone rated this dish a 10!  Now that’s a winner!