- Nosh With Me - http://noshwithme.com -

Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Broccoli


Don’t worry, you’re on the right blog. This is Nosh With Me. But now we’re cooking!

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but I don’t eat cookies, cakes, and candy for every meal. I do try to cook every now and then, but I have to admit, I am horrible at it. I think what makes me a good baker is what also makes me a terrible cook. In baking there are always exact measurements and specific ingredients, and in order to make a substitution you need to know about the ingredients. In cooking, if it tastes good, it works.

What I do cook is always very simple and usually something that either can be grilled or steamed, or comes from the freezer section of Trader Joe’s. I do have a few actual recipes that have proven successful, but they tend to have lots of cheese and aren’t very healthy. Now that I’m back to counting points, I’m constantly searching for easy low-fat yet still yummy recipes. Fortunately for me, shrimp is both delicious and a good protein, and the last time I was at the market, I bought a two-pound bag (hello, I live alone) of fresh frozen shrimp (it was on sale and the fish guy said it was an amazing deal–I’m a sucker) and I immediately got to work searching for recipe that seemed foolproof. Fortunately, I stumbled upon this one.

The original recipe includes peppers and asparagus, but I’m more of a broccoli fan, so I swapped that out. It also says to cook the vegetables in oil and add lemon zest and salt, but I steamed my broccoli and left out the salt and zest (I’m living on the edge here). I didn’t make any additional changes, but I did omit the parsley, just because I can’t stand the stuff (why yes, I am a picky eater). I am quite pleased with the results–the sauce is garlic-y and lemony and it was great spooned over the broccoli and shrimp. And the way I prepared it made it only three points so I enjoyed it with some brown rice (from Trader Joe’s, naturally), yum!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
steamed vegetables
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound raw shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Steam vegetables and cover to keep warm.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and add to the pan along with salt. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the vegetables.

Adapted from Eating Well [1].