Shrimp with Mint Pesto & Quinoa

there is no clever title, no play on words...

I know i've said this before, but this year, i'm dedicated to trying to be a better CSA participant...

No, really.  stop laughing.  i mean it!

this is the first blog installment of 'things i was skeptical of but made anyway just cause otherwise the ____ was going to go bad and big nicks is only a phone call away if it sucks'

lucky for us, it didnt suck. in fact, i think that we might even buy mint one day, just to make it again. easy, fresh, fairly healthy... what could be better?

---

Shrimp with Mint Pesto & Quinoa
courtesy of Bon Appétit, via Epicurious, modifications by me

(The original recipe was written to be an appetizer, but after a tiny bit of tweaking, was super-easy to turn into a meal.)

3/4 c quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 c water

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 head spring garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons (packed) Parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño chile
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cups (packed) fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/6 cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 large uncooked shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined, tails left intact (note: our lb of shrimp had about 20 shrimps in it!)
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 head spring garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

***

For quinoa:
Bring water to a boil
Add quinoa, reduce heat to simmer.
Cover & cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally to ensure it is not burning to the bottom of the pan

For mint pesto:
Combine first 6 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, process until mixture is smooth.
Add mint leaves and lemon juice; process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl.
Add oil and process until mint pesto is smooth and creamy.
(Can be made 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

For shrimp:
Preheat broiler.
Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper.
Whisk oil, garlic, and parsley in medium bowl to blend.
Add shrimp; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
Arrange shrimp in single layer on broiler pan.
Broil until opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. (note: we left ours in for about 5-6 minutes. but i'm also the person who, despite knowing better, orders tuna cooked well... so, yeah...)

mint chocolate crack

a few weeks back, when i made my crabcake feast, i intended to make dessert as well. However, wine took over that night and dessert fell by the wayside.

but i'm nothing if not determined. or is it stubborn? no matter, either way, there would be chocolate mint bars...

the pictures are kind of lacking as is the story, but these may be the perfect fudgy minty chocolately crackness...



perhaps the only thing i can teach you, oh lovely internet, is that a pizza cutter makes an awesome brownie cutter :)

---

Chocolate Mint Bars
courtesty of southernfood.about.com / Diana Rattray (with minor changes by me)

Brownies:
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup sugar

1 ounce unsweetened melted chocolate
1 ounce semisweet melted chocolate
1/2 teaspoon peppermint flavoring

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Frosting:
2 tablespoons softened butter or margarine
1 tablespoon cream

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
few drops green food coloring

Topping:
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, melted with 1 tablespoon butter


Preheat oven to 350°. *
Prepare 8x8 baking dish by lining with parchment and spray with cooking spray for baking (butter/flour)

Combine eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, and granulated sugar; beat well. Add the 2 ounces of melted chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint flavoring; stir until well blended. Stir in the flour; blend well.

Pour into a baking pan. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. (tester should come out fairly clean) Cool on wire rack.

Thoroughly blend the 2 tablespoons butter and the cream; add confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon peppermint flavoring, along with the food coloring. Spread over the cooled chocolate peppermint bars.

When frosting is firm, spread chocolate and melted butter mixture over the top and swirl, if desired. Refrigerate until topping is firm.

Cut into small pieces, as the bars are pretty rich.




*note... my oven may have been closer to 335° or 340°... i didnt notice this until the brownies were taking forever to cook... but they were kinda awesome, so you may want to do the same and leave them in for 35 - 40 minutes instead... just a thought.