Sunday Night Dinner: Almond Pesto Shrimp over Brown Rice

Yesterday was a very rainy, cozy Sunday with lots of entertaining sports on television. We were not interested in venturing to the grocery store and therefore I was tasked with improvising and making do with what we have, which turned out to be delicious! When we moved to Boston we started to grow herbs on our balcony (which have now moved inside, but are still doing really well!) always having fresh herbs really helps in situations like these. I have also started to buy fish, shrimp and chicken when they are having specials at Whole Foods and freezing it which is very cost-effective and convenient. Here is what we put together!:

Ingredients:

1 pound peeled, de veined shrimp

2 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup thinly sliced cherry tomatoes

1 cup brown rice

1 cup vegetable broth

2 scallions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

Almond Pesto:

1 cup basil leaves

3 minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sliced almonds

salt

pepper

First things first, I prepared the pesto. In a blender, mini chop or whatever you have that blends things (I use a Cuisinart Mini Chop which is great for kitchens with limited storage space) add all ingredients: basil, olive oil, almonds, garlic, salt and pepper and "blend" until well mixed but still coarse. Remove from mini chop and set aside, pesto will be served at room temperature.

Next, start cooking the rice, place 1 cup of dry brown rice in medium sized pot, add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of vegetable broth and 1 teaspoon of olive oil and boil. Once water is boiling, cover and reduce heat to low, cook until all liquid is evaporated.

Chop tomatoes, scallions and zucchini. Over medium-high heat in a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil, add peeled garlic cloves and scallions to skillet and saute for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and zucchini, reduce heat to medium and saute for 12-15 minutes or until soft, stirring regularly.

           

Add shrimp and cook for 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve shrimp and vegetables over rice, and add a tablespoon of pesto on top to mix evenly.

Enjoy!