Laura swore by this one! I trusted her. She delivered! Thanks, girl!
(See her modifications and then see mine in red.)
Ingredients:
- ¾ lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined (Laura used one pound.)
- 4 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks (Laura used a container of cherry and halved them.)
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped, optional (See directions for my suggestions.)
- ½ cup chopped sweet onion (See directions for my suggestions.)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced (See directions for my suggestions.)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (Laura used 2 tablespoons.)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2½ teaspoons cajun seasoning, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2½ cups cooked quinoa (See below for the best way to cook quinoa...)
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Gwyneth Paltrow taught me how to cook the perfect quinoa.
-Rinse 1 cup uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. (Although this may sound like an unnecessary step, it really makes a huge difference in flavor, since quinoa's natural coating tastes like soap.)
-Place it in a pot set over high heat with 1 3/4 cup water and a big pinch of sea salt. Bring the quinoa to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, place a dry paper towel between the pot and the lid (lid back on), and let the quinoa sit for at least 5 mintues before giving it a fluff with a fork. You'll have a little more than 2½ cups, so make sure you measure it out for the recipe when you need it.
Also, to minimize prep and time, I put the seeded jalapeño, onion, and garlic cloves in a food processor and it was all minced in seconds!
Now let's continue...
Gwyneth Paltrow taught me how to cook the perfect quinoa.
-Rinse 1 cup uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. (Although this may sound like an unnecessary step, it really makes a huge difference in flavor, since quinoa's natural coating tastes like soap.)
-Place it in a pot set over high heat with 1 3/4 cup water and a big pinch of sea salt. Bring the quinoa to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, place a dry paper towel between the pot and the lid (lid back on), and let the quinoa sit for at least 5 mintues before giving it a fluff with a fork. You'll have a little more than 2½ cups, so make sure you measure it out for the recipe when you need it.
Also, to minimize prep and time, I put the seeded jalapeño, onion, and garlic cloves in a food processor and it was all minced in seconds!
Now let's continue...
- Toss the shrimp and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning together; set aside.
- Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning; set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet (or any oven-safe skillet). Cook the shrimp until opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Cook until the onion and jalapeño are tender, stirring often. Mix in the quinoa, tomato paste, ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning and tomato chunks. Top with the shrimp and then sprinkle with the fontina cheese.
- Place in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, turn on the broiler to high and broil until the cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes from blogger:
*If you don't like quinoa, you can sub the quinoa for brown rice.
*If you do not have a cast iron or oven-safe skillet, after mixing in the quinoa, tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, and tomato chunks in step 4, transfer the ingredients to a casserole dish and then top with the shrimp and fontina cheese.
*If you do not have a cast iron or oven-safe skillet, after mixing in the quinoa, tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, and tomato chunks in step 4, transfer the ingredients to a casserole dish and then top with the shrimp and fontina cheese.
*www.thisgalcooks.com