BBQ Shrimp with Spring Veggies

Here's a quick and simple to make shrimp dish that's sure to have your tastebuds tasting springtime. While many of these vegetables are available year-round, they're freshest when picked fresh locally. They're even better when you can pick them from your own backyard garden! I was able to use the first asparagus spears of the year along with some green onions out of the garden. The red and yellow peppers came out of my freezer, and the rest came from the grocery store. However, they taste like spring to me!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice

8 oz shrimp

1 tsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbs BBQ sauce

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup chopped red and/or yellow pepper

1/2 cup snap peas, cut into 1/2-inch lengths

1/2 cup asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch lengths

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped pineapple

1 green onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tsp minced ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbs tamari soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

black and white sesame seeds

Directions: Cook the rice as directed. For a quick dish, use precooked microwave rice. Heat the butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook the shrimp for about 4 minutes, until they are opaque. Add the BBQ sauce and continue cooking for another minute. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean. Add the olive oil, together with the vegetables. Cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, and the asparagus gets bright green. Add the soy sauce and olive oil. Taste, adding salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve by spooning 1/2 cup of brown rice into each of two bowls. Add half of the vegetable mixture to each bowl. Top with 1/2 of the shrimp. Sprinkle each serving with the sesame seeds and serve. 

Serves 2

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I usually like cooking my own brown rice in a rice maker, but sometimes time demands a quicker cook time. I've found that Seeds of Change Brown Basmati Rice tastes good, is low in sodium and cooks in 90 seconds! All is good.