Spicy Shrimp Quinoa

I realize this recipe is not vegan or vegetarian like all of my others but it was just too good to not share (or put here so I could remember it later)! So, to begin, I put one cup of quinoa and one cup chicken stock (you can use water, coconut milk, or any sort of stock you'd like) into a pot and brought it to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for about 10 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, I chopped half of one large golden onion and one and a half tomatoes. Then, I diced about six ounces of sun-dried tomato polenta.

First into the pan is the onions with a pinch of salt and of pepper. I use freshly ground all natural sea salt and whole peppercorns. Don't use any oils or butter at this point, as the onions need to "sweat". Once they begin to brown slightly, you can add either extra virgin olive oil or butter. At this point, add the chopped tomato as well and allow a nice sauté for at least five minutes. If your quinoa has finished soaking up all of the liquid and looks nice and fluffy, add in about half of the diced polenta, stir just a bit, recover, and turn off your burner while leaving the pot to stay warm. 

Once the tomatoes and onions have cooked, add in your shrimp and the rest of the polenta. If you have any scallions on hand, you can give them a rough chop and add them in at this time. Also, chiffonade and add any herbs you'd like, such as cilantro. I added turmeric and cayenne pepper, in addition to a little more freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Let all of this sauté for a few more minutes. A good rule of thumb is that the shrimp are cooked when they have formed a C-shape. If they have attained an O-shape, they have over cooked and will probably be chewy.

Once everything has finished cooking, mix everything together, plate, and serve!