Sauteed Cajun Shrimp

What a colorful dinner!  It's a great way to lighten up your kitchen this winter.  C has a pallet a little different from mine, he likes spicy meals with a lot of different flavors.  I have a more plain pallet, don't need extra salt, pepper, etc.  In an effort to make myself try some new things though, I made sauteed Cajun shrimp, and ended up really enjoying it.  It was a hit with both of us!  It was very flavorful without having to add anything other than the recipe ingredients, and I could feel my lips after eating it.  Bonus.

In a medium sauce pan with a lid, heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for around 3-5 minutes, until soft.

Add broth and bring to a boil.  Then add rice, and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for around 20 minutes until rice is tender.

The recipe calls for two medium sized red bell peppers.  I used a green and a red, and I don't think it made a difference.  I sliced them lengthwise into stripes and then cut the stripes in half.  I thought I would look less like a slob eating them this way :)

I used 2 1/2 andouille sausage links. I cut them into slices and then cut the slices in half again.  This sausage is great, it's spicy and will add flavor to anything you put it in.

I love shrimp!  I used pre-cooked frozen shrimp.  I rinsed them off in hot water to defrost them a bit, and then took the tails off and cut them in half. 

While rice is cooking, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add peppers and cook for 4-6 minutes until tender.  Add sausage and shrimp and cook until shrimp is opaque.  Season with salt and pepper.  I just added some pepper here, as I usually don't like to add any extra salt.  It's a very beautiful dish to make, as you can see!

Divide rice among four plates or bowls, and top with shrimp mixture.  Drizzle with any plan juices.

You have to like peppers to enjoy this dish, but it was very flavorful.  It also was very filling, and healthy for you.  I used brown rice instead of white rice, which I think helped the cause.  Recipe makes around four servings, so I was able to learn it's great as leftovers too.

Any big plans this weekend?  Hope its a great one!

Sauteed Cajun Shrimp

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 can (14.5oz) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup long-grain white rice *I used brown rice

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 red belle peppers, sliced lengthwise into strips, then cut in half

8oz precooked andiouille or kielbasa sauce, thinly sliced

1 pound frozen large shrimp, thawed, and peeled

In a medium saucepan with lid, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium heat. 

Add onion, cook for around 4-6 minutes until soft.

Add rice, season with salt and pepper.

Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer until rice is tender, around 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.

Add bell peppers and cook until tender, around 4-6 minutes. 

Add sausage and shrimp and cook until shrimp is opaque, around 3-5 minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper.

Divide rice amount four plates; top with shrimp mixture, and drizzle with any pan juices.