Cajun Shrimp

This is one of my go-to recipes for a quick and easy dinner. The only time consuming part is the cooking of the brown rice. I usually cook it early in the day and toss it in the fridge until I'm ready to cook dinner. 

3 Tbsp olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic minced

1 small onion, diced
2 Tsp Cajun seasoning
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
Kosher salt and pepper 

2 medium tomatoes, chopped or a pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups cooked brown rice
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add garlic and onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add Cajun seasoning and shrimp. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in rice and 1/4 cup of water. Cook for 3 minutes. Top with chopped parsley.

Review - Super easy and everyone loves it. There's nothing crazy in this dish, so the kids willingly eat it. That's always a plus. Now you could make white rice to speed up the cooking time. I'll leave that decision up to you.  I usually serve this dish with a salad.

Jambalaya

1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 cups chicken stock
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
8 ounces andouille or kielbasa sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

In a large skillet cook onion, celery, pepper, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, sausage, rice, and seasonings (thyme through bay leaf). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in shrimp. Return to boiling. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes until shrimp are opaque and rice is tender.

Review - Fast and easy and everyone liked. It was a tad too spicy for Josie. I think I was a little heavy handed with the red pepper flakes. I love one dish dinners!