Day 10: Quinoa with Shrimp and Goat Cheese

This is actually two recipes merged together.

Quinoa with Spinach and Garlic
Recipe courtesy of: My friend Heidi
Serves: 4-6
Prep and cook time: 25 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed (or purchase pre-rinsed quinoa)*
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add quinoa to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until quinoa starts to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add broth, black pepper and red pepper flakes to skillet; bring to a boil. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low and simmer for 13 minutes; stir in spinach. Cover skillet and cook until spinach and quinoa are tender and liquid is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes; season with salt.

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Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Courtesy of: Ina Garten via Food Network
Serves: 4-6
Prep and cook time: 10 minutes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

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This is seriously one of my favorite things on earth. Heidi and I were both trying to eat better earlier this year (and now we're both pregnant so that kind of fell by the wayside), and she shared this quinoa recipe with me, along with a few tips:

1. Saute the spinach with a little olive oil and garlic before adding it to the quinoa.

2. Add mushrooms. I just threw them in with the onion and garlic since they take a while to cook down.

3. Top with crumbled goat cheese. This is a VERY IMPORTANT STEP. It totally makes the dish.

And then I take some liberties of my own:

1. Double the red pepper flakes.

2. Add roasted shrimp.

Quinoa is a complete protein on it's own, but I never need an excuse to add shrimp to something. I love it, and it's good for you. We've made this roasted shrimp a few times (you're meant to let it cool and serve it with cocktail sauce) and it's so good...and a very simple way to cook shrimp without having to fire up the grill. I make this at the same time, let it cool a bit (important, as it gets kind of wet after roasting), and then toss it in the pan with the quinoa at the end to heat it up.

A really easy, really yummy, really fast dinner (or side dish, if you don't want to eat a dinner plate full like I do). Just don't forget the goat cheese. Like I said, VERY IMPORTANT.