Quinoa with Shrimp and Bean Saute

I am trying out quinoa for the first time after Jillian and I went on our inaugural trip to the awesome Whole Foods in OP. Another Eating Well recipe! I wanted to try something gluten free (the quinoa) to see if it settled my stomach down. Then I accidentally had a blueberry muffin with it. DUH!

Snapping the green beans made me long for summer and brought me memories of my mom and I in the kitchen snapping them and then simmering them for a long time and having just green beans for a few meals in a row. So good!!

Back to the food: Norris loved the meal, and I am still trying to decide if I like the flavor of paprika. I thought the meal was really good, but there was one flavor that just wasn't clicking with me, and I'm pretty sure it's the paprika. If you like paprika, or don't mind it, you'll really like this!

Paprika Shrimp & Green Bean Saute with Quinoa

ingredients adapted slightly from Eating Well

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
4 cups green beans, trimmed (about 12 ounces)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 T minced garlic

2 teaspoons paprika

1 pound raw shrimp (21-25 per pound)

1 16-ounce can great northern beans (or some kind of white kidney bean), rinsed

2 cups hot cooked quinoa

¼ cup sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Paprika Shrimp & Green Bean Saute Instructions
1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put green beans in a steamer basket, place in the pan, cover and steam until tender-crisp, 4 to 6 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and paprika and cook, stirring constantly, until just fragrant but not browned, about 20 seconds. Add shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, about 2 minutes per side. Stir in beans, vinegar and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup parsley.

3. Divide the quinoa among the plates. Top with green beans, then the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup parsley.

How to cook quinoa

(as instructed on the bin at WF!)

1 cup quinoa

2 cups cold water
1/2 t salt, optional

Soak the quinoa for 15 to 20 minutes in water in its cooking pot (different water from the 1 1/2 c). If you don't have that long, soak in hot water for 5 minutes.

Rinse and drain the quinoa.

Place quinoa in empty pot, pour 2 cups cold water over top, and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then cover with lid and reduce to simmering.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to sit with lid on for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff, just like rice!

Why quinoa is awesome:

It's not technically a grain, but we use it like one

It's the only "grain" that is a source of complete protein all by itself

It's gluten free

and many other nutritious benefits...look them up if you want to know more.

and I present my rigged steamer...I was thinking about buying a steamer basket, but thought it would take up a lot of space. This colander fits right down into my stockpot and a little saucepan lid fit tightly over the beans! So, if you don't have a steamer, give it a try! I'm still considering buying one so I can put more food into it to steam...we'll see...