With my pregnancy, I've been SUPER lucky to not really have any morning sickness! I've heard horror stories of friends who are sick every day... I guess this baby is just cooperating and taking it easy on me. While I never actually felt sick, I did have a few food aversions. The idea of protein just grossed me out. I could only eat a few bites of chicken or a tiny little slice of steak. This could really be a problem for someone who typically only eats protein and veggies! Luckily, even when I was feeling sick, I could almost ALWAYS eat shrimp! My local Whole Foods sells frozen wild caught key west shrimp. I'm not really sure what a key west shrimp is, but it was the only frozen option that was wild caught. Each week, I would buy at least one huge bag of frozen shrimp, so that if I was feeling queasy, I could quickly thaw out and cook up a few shrimp. This recipe is one of the most simple recipes ever!
Slightly Spicy Grilled Shrimp Skewers
* 1 lb of shrimp - preferably wild caught
* 6 cloves of garlic
* 2 tsp paprika
* 1 tsp chili powder
* 1 tsp red chili flakes
* 1 tsp cumin
* 2 tbs olive oil
Some people like to have shrimp with the tail on because it makes a nice little handle when you go to pick them up. Curt, however, doesn't need or want an extra step between him and food, so I usually just take the tail off and devein the shrimp while I'm at it.
Next, you just throw all of the ingredients in the bowl with the shrimp and mix it all up so that the shrimp have a nice coating. I usually use my hands because, for me, that's the best way to make sure that everything is thoroughly mixed and that every little shrimp is covered in the flavor.
I let the shrimp marinate for a few hours. I prepped this in the morning, then just let it sit through the whole day and grilled up the little suckers at night. You probably don't need to marinate them very long at all since it's more of a dry marinade and would probably stick to the shrimp even if it was only for a few minutes.
That night when I got home, I took the shrimp out of the fridge and started skewering the bad boys. I'm sure that if you didn't feel like skewering and grilling, you could just bake them, or saute them in a little bit of fat over the stove. Coconut oil or some butter would probably work just fine. I like mine grilled though since it's summer... how many times throughout the year can you really enjoy grilling, right?!
So here are my little skewers all ready to go. I turned on the grill and let it heat up a bit.
This is the best part about grilling shrimp.... it only takes a few minutes to cook! I let them sit for about 3 minutes on each side. You just want to make sure that you keep an eye on them because overcooked shrimp are rubbery and dry!
So here they are! Yummy grilled shrimp!
I served them with some creamed spinach. Yes, I know that dairy isn't paleo, however, when you're preggers, full fat dairy from grass fed cows is great for the little one... so I've been loading up! If you don't do dairy, you can always find a billion other sides.... some cauliflower rice, sauteed spinach, or even a green salad would be great with these skewers.
I loved this dish. It was super easy, it was fast, it was delicious, and it filled me up while providing me with some protein.
Enjoy,
Jenn
