Shrimp and Quinoa

Black Bean Company
1529 Savannah Hwy.
www.blackbeanco.com
With in the next couple weeks Black Bean Co. will open its newest restaurant in West Ashley in an old Burger King location along Savannah Highway. The location is appropriate as owner/chef Ellis Grossman is reinventing fast food in Charleston. His organic healthy options are proof that food can be delivered quickly and healthy at the same time. Black Bean Co. already has restaurants downtown, James Island, and Mt. Pleasant.
Black Bean Co. specialize in carry-out, delivery, catering, and online ordering of Energy Food, which can be made Vegan, Vegetarian or Gluten-Free Friendly upon request. For this recipe Grossman created a healthy spin on the traditional southern dish shrimp and grits. Using the power food quinoa instead of grits and then adding fresh ingredients.
 
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. 21-25 shrimp
• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 cups water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 4 stalks celery, sliced into 3 inch matchsticks
• 1 cup tasso ham
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• ½ cup white wine
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup minced garlic
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. cayenne
 
Directions:
 
 Quinoa:
Add 3 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. Let soak in refrigerator for one hour.
Then, place quinoa and water in a sauce pot and boil until water is absorbed. Hold, to the side, until ready to serve.
 
Tasso sauce:     
Place olive oil in a large sauté pan. Once olive oil is hot, add garlic, peppers, onions, celery, and tasso. Sauté peppers, onion, celery and tasso until soft.
Then deglaze pan with white wine.
Next, add white pepper, coriander, chili powder, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, fresh thyme, and cream. Let sauce simmer for 5 min.
Finally, add shrimp to sauce until shrimp is cooked.