Spicy Shrimp with Couscous

  Happy, Happy Wednesday!! I hope that everyone is having a delightful week so far. Any big plans for the weekend? I'm seeing a weekend involving water in my future, it is way to hot for anything other than palm trees and beach umbrellas! I went outside this evening to tackle some planting and almost melted. Seriously, it was tragic. And I'm pretty sure our neighbors think I'm always covered in potting soil with my hair sticking straight up. Which isn't too far from the truth I guess. At least we have the sun back! After a week straight of pouring down rain it felt soggy even when you were inside.

  The rain always makes me want to crochet for some reason and so I've been spending a lot of time curled on the couch with my hooks and yarn. I've got two blankets I'm working on and a pile of wash clothes. Not to mention the unmentionables, aka the projects hidden in my craft room. What I really need to do is put away the yarn and deal with the laundry. Maybe tomorrow.

  The other day I came across a recipe for shrimp with brown butter sauce here and I was immediately in love with the idea. So I was off buying ingredients and making a spicy shrimp with couscous for lunch. 

     Ingredients for 4:

1 cup uncooked couscous

1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

20 large shrimp (add more if you like. Cooked or raw will work)

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

5 Tablespoons butter (unsalted)

4 green onions, diced (optional)

4 Tablespoons chopped unsalted cashews (optional)

Preheat oven to broil.

Start your couscous cooking. Next mix 2 Tablespoon of olive oil with the spices (chili powder, garlic, pepper, and cayenne). Once they're mixed well, toss in a bowl with the shrimp and set to the side.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté them. Set to the side when done. Return the skillet to medium heat.

Back to your shrimp. I put these into the oven when I start browning the butter. Put the shrimp onto skewers and then onto a baking sheet, or you can always just lay them flat on the sheet if you don't have skewers. Put them in the oven on the middle rack and cook approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. If they're uncooked, insure that they're cooked through. 

Around now your couscous should be either cooked or almost done. Add the mushrooms into it and stir so that they warm up.

Add the butter to the skillet, stirring while it melts. Once melted, keep stirring until the butter browns. Add the browned butter to the couscous and stir together well. Divide amongst four bowls. Add the shrimp and top with cashews and green onions if you desire. 

We were huge fans of this recipe! It's full of flavor but still light so that you don't need to nap afterwards. My husband asked that it be recorded and made again soon! Yummm, I love shrimp!