Get This In Your Belly: Lemon Butter Shrimp and Peas with Cauliflower Rice
Y’all know I love my cauliflower rice, so I’m always looking for things to put with it. Sometimes I don’t want something as heavy as a curry (though, saying that, I’m eating exactly that as I’m typing this!) and prefer a lighter, brighter meal and that’s where my lemon butter shrimp come in.
Plenty of people will read this and think, “Well, butter isn’t very healthy!” That’s where you’re wrong, friends. For those following a grain-free, sugar-free diet, moderately high amounts of healthy fats are imperative to help your body metabolize the protein we’re taking in and to help burn fat. Embrace fat! Embrace butter! Besides, this recipe doesn’t actually call for all that much of it.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1/4 – 1/2 lb medium shrimp – I buy mine pre-cooked, deveined and frozen for maximum ease
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic (or a clove, I suppose)
- 3/4 cup low sodium organic chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp butter (grass fed, where possible – I like Kerrygold)
- 1 Tbsp red chili flakes
- 1 small lemon
- 1 cup green peas (I use frozen for this recipe)
- salt and pepper to taste
Alright, this is a pretty simple recipe with pretty simple directions, so here goes:
1. Place olive oil, minced onion, garlic chili flakes, salt and pepper in a large pan and cook through until onion is translucent – roughly 3 to 5 minutes, though going a little longer certainly won’t hurt.
2. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth. Pacific does those cute little 1-cup cartons which come in handy – you may use more or less than my measurement, but the 1-cup portions are great. Let everything simmer in the broth for a minute or two before adding your frozen shrimp and allowing to thaw through entirely, continuing to stir every once in a while.
3. Add in your butter and the juice of your lemon – sometimes I use 1/2 a lemon, sometimes I use a whole one. This is entirely up to you according to how lemony you like things! Live it up, live the dream.
4. Your peas should be the last thing to go in since they “cook” (read: thaw and warm) so quickly.
That’s it. That’s literally all there is to this one. Put some cauliflower rice (recipe here if you scroll down) in the bottom of a dish, spoon some of your shrimp mixture on top, mix it all together and you’ve got an absolutely delicious meal.
But wait, here’s a bonus: DRINK PAIRINGS! I try to avoid alcohol because of the sugar involved, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to enjoy beverages other than water with my meals on occasion. Iced tea is one of my favourite things on the planet, but I’m not just talking Lipton crap (shouts to Lipton – I grew up on it!).
My obsession lately is Kusmi teas – and I do mean obsession. For this recipe, I recommend Kusmi’s Strawberry Green Tea – iced, of course. Drink it unsweetened or, if you’re like me, throw in a little stevia powder while it’s still warm, then ice it up and get your drink on. It’s so, so good. You could even add some fresh mint leaves if you’re feeling really fancy.