My first Quinoa recipe!

Cajun Shrimp Quinoa

This week my family is trying new recipes from Pinterest!  Last night I made my first recipe using quinoa.  Everyone loved it!!  Of course, I made a few changes to the original recipe to make it even better!    

Ingredients

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• ½ medium chopped sweet onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2½ tsp McCormick Gourmet Cajun Seasoning 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2½ C cooked quinoa
• 1 C shredded fontina cheese (this cheese smells so bad but it taste fine!)
• Fresh cilantro for garnish (jordan, you can leave this off)

Instructions

1. Toss the shrimp and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning together, set aside.
2. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet (or any oven-safe skillet.) Cook the shrimp until opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan along with the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Cook until the onion and jalapeno are tender, stirring often. Mix in the quinoa, tomato paste, ½ tsp Cajun seasoning and tomato chunks. Top with the shrimp and then sprinkle with the fontina cheese.
5. Place in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, turn on the broiler to high and broil until the cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.
6. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Enjoy! -paula