Shrimp Roasted with Lemon and Thyme Over Red Wine Braised Lentils

I have water in my kitchen (finally)! It is nice to be back at my range doing what I love to do, cook! I, like all chefs, am obsessed with food and I am constantly thinking about blending flavors and coming up with new dishes. I am equally as obsessed with nutrition and making sure I teach my kids, and my husband for that matter, how to eat well and eat right, which technically isn’t always the same. Most of the food I cook for my family and my clients is low-fat and low-calorie but high in nutrition and full of flavor.  I love to cook with tons of fresh herbs and I am always looking for ways to add more fiber and protein to meals without making them too heavy and meat centered.

In my quest to figure out the best way of eating for me, I have been a raw vegan, a vegan, a vegetarian, a pascatarian and a full on meat eater! These days I find the best way of eating for me and my family is based on balance. My dishes aren’t centered around meat, but rater seasonal produce and other fiber rich complex carbohydrates.  We typically have a different protein source each night for dinner and always eat at least one vegetarian dish per week. I find by making fiber rich complex carbohydrates and seasonal produce the star of the show you can nicely balance the flavor profile with whatever protein source you choose to add.  

One of my favorite protein and fiber packed complex carbohydrates to use is lentils.  Lentils, a small member of the legume family, are so underused in everyday cooking in the United States! They are extremely inexpensive ($1.77/pound at Whole Foods) and full of nutritionally beneficial, properties, not to mention they add a wonderfully nutty and earthy flavor to a variety of dishes. They provide cholesterol-lowering fiber which also is beneficial to those who have to manage blood-sugar disorders.  Their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal, which both helps those with weight-loss goals as well as those with blood-sugar disorders. Lentils are also packed with vitamins, minerals and protein and still only weigh in at 230 calories per cup!

One of my other favorite go-to protein packed meal stars is shrimp. Nutritionally shrimp are very low-fat and low-calorie, but high in protein.  4 oz of shrimp weigh in at only 112 calories but boast just over 23 grams of protein. Shrimp also provide an excellent source of selenium and vitamin B12. I have heard from so many people that they just can’t cook shrimp without over cooking them. Try this method of roasting the shrimp with lemon and thyme. By oven roasting the shrimp you are keeping them at a perfectly even cooking temperature which will help to avoid over cooking.  Also, by roasting them with flavorful lemons, garlic and herbs and serving them over rich earthy lentils you have no need for the typical butter and pasta which is commonly used to turn the naturally low-fat, low-calorie shrimp into a calorie laden carb-overloaded meal! Enjoy!

Shrimp Roasted with Lemon and Thyme

1/3 cup olive oil

1 lemon, zested then cut into thin wedges

3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1 pound medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp honey

1-2 heads Belgian endive, core removed and thinly sliced root to top (lengthwise like matchsticks)

3-4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced root to top (lengthwise like matchsticks)

What to To:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In an 8x8 baking dish combine olive oil, lemon zest and thyme. Add shrimp, toss in the oil mixture and season liberally with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes, you want to watch them closely, check every few minutes (they are done when they are curled up and pink with some caramelization.) Add the honey to the liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the baking dish, toss to dissolve. Tent until ready to assemble.

Red Wine Braised Lentils

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of crushed red pepper, or to taste

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups dry red wine, I use 2 Buck Chuck

1 cup French green lentils

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

What To Do:

In a medium sized sauce pan or Dutch oven over med-high heat add the oil  and let it warm, then add the onion and cook until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook while stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add water and wine, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add lentils and salt, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Taste lentils and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. 

To Assemble

Transfer cooked lentils into large wide family style serving bowl.  Arrange shrimp and lemon wedges on top, poor all shrimp liquid over the dish and top with thinly slice Belgian endive and scallions. Enjoy!

Waste Not Want Not Tip:

Tip #1)

Kitchen garden experiment via Pinterest! I love this, haven’t bought scallions in a few weeks! Just place the white root end of the scallion in a clean glass jar and fill with enough water to cover the roots and place it in the sun; mines in my kitchen window. In only days you will see the green portion of the scallion regenerating! Change the water often to avoid a funky onion smellJ

Tip #2)

When you are picking the leaves off your fresh herbs, like parsley and thyme, save the stems until the end of the week then throw them into a pot with some mirepoix and whatever other scraps you have saved and make veggie stock! I save all of the stems of my mushrooms in a baggie in the freezer, and any onion or carrot scraps I get from making even knife cuts. You can use the veggie stock right away, leave it in the fridge in a sealed container for up to five days, or freeze it to use anytime in the next six months.

Classic Vegetable Stock

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, medium dice

2 stalks celery, including the leaves!

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

8 sprigs fresh parsley

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

2 quarts water

What to Do:

On medium-high heat, heat the oil in a stock pot and add onion, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add water and bring to simmer.  Simmer uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain and discard vegetables.

Other ingredients and scraps to consider: mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus trimmings, corn cobs, fennel stalks and trimmings, bell peppers, pea pods, chard stems and leaves, celery root trimmings, marjoram stems and leaves, potato trimmings, garlic… the list is endless!!!