Today’s recipe is another one brought to you (and me) by my mom. This one didn’t come out of the McCormick cookbook she sent me, but it DID come from their website. My mom saw the quinoa and decided to pass the recipe on to me since lately I’ve had a bit of an obsession with the stuff.

Paprika Shrimp with Citrus Cilantro Quinoa

(from McCormick)

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped

Bring quinoa and water to boil in small saucepan on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 13 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Mix paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cayenne.

Thread the shrimp on skewers, and brush with 1 tbsp olive oil. Coat shrimp evenly with seasoning mixture.

Mix orange juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, honey, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper in large bowl until well blended. Add quinoa, oranges and cilantro.

Toss to mix well.

Sprinkle with almonds.

Grill shrimp over medium heat about 4 minutes on each side until pink and cooked through. Serve with quinoa.

This was quite yummy! It’s been a long time since I’ve had shrimp (boo, landlocked states), so it was an especially welcome treat! Nick had a classmate over to study and they both really liked this. I’m converting people over to quinoa, one by one! The orange and cilantro in the quinoa made it really fresh and summery and it went well with the slightly spicy shrimp!