Shrimp and Pesto Dirty Rice

I am always trying to come up with quick and easy, but tasty and healthy lunches and dinners.  I frequently make a big batch of brown rice on Monday and then incorporate it into different recipes through out the week.  I love brown rice because it is a complex carb and it keeps you fuller, longer.  It also provides much-needed fiber and B vitamins.

I like brown rice because of the nutty flavor and the hearty texture, but, I found this little tid-bit about it on WHFoods.com and now I love it even more…no more white rice in this family!

The process that produces brown rice removes only the outermost layer, the hull, of the rice kernel and is the least damaging to its nutritional value. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Fully milled and polished white rice is required to be “enriched” with vitamins B1, B3 and iron.

So, here is a really quick recipe I made the other day for lunch using some brown rice that I made the day before.  It was filling, colorful and tasty!  Hope you like it too.

Shrimp and Pesto Dirty Rice

2 Cups Pre-Cooked Brown Rice (I prefer short grain)

1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili’s (you can use chili powder if you can’t find these)

1 teaspoon chicken boullion

1 clove fresh crushed garlic

3/4 Cup water

1/2  Cup chopped red onion

1/2 Cup chopped red bell pepper

Fresh cracked Sea Salt and Black Pepper

1 lb peeled and cleaned shirmp

2 Tablespoons Basil Pesto (I like to make a big batch and freeze it)

1/4 Cup crumbled Feta Cheese

In a medium pot over medium heat, combined the rice, chipotle powder, chicken bouillon, garlic and water.  Stir well and bring to boil.  After the rice mixture comes to a boil, cover it and reduce the heat to a simmer.

While rice is simmering, in a separate medium pan,over medium heat, sautee the onions and bell pepper with one teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper until thoroughly cooked and caramelized (the onion will be slightly golden at this point).  Turn the heat up to medium/high and add the pesto and stir.  Now, add the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes…just until they are fully pink.  It is so easy to overcook shrimp, and when you do, they taste rubbery, so be careful during this part!

To serve, pour the shrimp over the rice and top with crumbled feta cheese.  Makes 2 servings.