Hi friends, happy new month! Hopefully you’ve been staying safe and finding ways to find joy daily. One of the things that has brought me joy is the amount of home cooking and baking happening. From kitchen newbies to accomplished chefs, folks are giving new recipes a try. Even better, home chefs are cooking with ingredients already in their freezer, pantry, or refrigerator. Sound like you? If not, you too can get into the cooking game with this easy quinoa recipe:
Lemon Turmeric Shrimp & Quinoa
This recipe was born out of me needing dinner on a weeknight and not simply defaulting to cereal (can y’all relate?) I had already prepared quinoa earlier in the week, so I had it on hand which meant this meal came together in under 30 minutes. One caveat, for meals like this I often cook without measuring as I like to freestyle so the measurements are based on what I think I used! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Shrimp (I used about 5 large deveined, tail off since it was a single serving)
- 1 cup of quinoa cooked (if you are making this at the time of recipe, follow package instructions and note that 1/2 cup of raw quinoa yields roughly 1 cup cooked)
- Vegetables (your choice of medley, I used fresh broccoli and carrots but frozen would work well)
- 1/2 lemon (I used a fresh lemon but you could also use bottled lemon juice)
- Turmeric (I love turmeric and used but you could always begin with 1/2 tbsp)
- Black pepper (a pairing must for the turmeric; I used McCormick)
Directions for easy quinoa recipe:
- If you are cooking your quinoa, begin with this preparation as it will take the longest. Follow package instructions. If already prepared, save the reheating until the end.
- Prepare your protein- Depending on what you use, cooking time will vary. For shrimp and meat, you’ll need to heat until thoroughly cooked. For beans such as chickpeas, you can add at the time of vegetables. Once cooked, remove from pan and set aside.
- Prepare your vegetables- Fresh or frozen, add your veggies to a frying pan and cover with water. Let it boil and then cover for a nice steaming effect. Once cooked, drain excess water and add in protein (shrimp, meat, chickpeas)
- Add in turmeric and black pepper to coat everything.
- Squeeze lemon juice (about a tablespoon) onto the food in pan.
- Stir so that all flavors meld together and serve over heated quinoa.
Substitutions for this easy quinoa recipe:
- If you don’t eat seafood, feel free to add your favorite meat protein or if vegan, chickpeas or double up on vegetables.
- If you don’t have/eat quinoa, rice or another grain would work well.
- Oil is not necessary for this recipe 🙂 I try to reduce my oil consumption as a way to monitor cholesterol so I often cook with just water. When I do use oil, olive or avocado oil are my go-tos.
Share your thoughts!
What do you think of this recipe? Are you a fan of turmeric in your cooking? Is cooking a form of your self-care these days? Let me know in the comments below. If you make this dish, let me know on Instagram or Facebook and share to Pinterest!