Rice Pilaf with Lemon Shrimp and Feta

This delicious meal was inspired by the lemon olive oil that I found in Sorrento, Italy. I was craving some sort of lemon Greek shrimp and knew this was the perfect occasion to use this special olive oil. I added fresh lemon juice and zest as well to make sure this dish had enough zing. Don't worry, if you don't have lemon olive oil- simply use regular EVOO and add a little extra lemon juice.

I always find it challenging to know what to cook in the summer, as it's usually too hot to use the oven. This meal was so easy to make and was all prepared on the stove- no oven necessary! I bought frozen shrimp at Whole Foods that I simply defrosted in the fridge overnight and they were absolutely perfect.

The base of this dish is a simple rice pilaf. To give it that yellow color that we all know and love, you need to add a few strands of saffron. You can find saffron anywhere, but I happened to buy mine at Trader Joe's. It is a little pricey, but all you need are a few strands and you will get a deep gorgeous yellow rice pilaf. I promise!

Because my husband and I had this one dish as our entire dinner, I decided to throw some greens in to make it a complete meal. I used a big bag of baby spinach, but feel free to switch it up and use any green you have on hand- kale, arugula, swiss chard- anything will work just great!

Lemon is my superfood of the week. Lemons contain Vitamin C which helps protect your immune system and wards off infection. Lemons also contain antioxidants which have cancer fighting properties. Lastly, lemons are fantastic for digestion. If you really want a clean digestive track, try having a glass of water with a squeezed lemon every morning when you first wake up!

Ingredients:

20 medium size shrimp- peeled and deveined

1/2 cup orzo

3/4 cup white rice

1.5 cups low sodium chicken stock

12-16 oz bag baby spinach

1/2 cup cubed feta

1/2 onion chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1 lemon juiced and zested

1 tbsp. lemon olive oil

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

6-8 strands saffron

salt/pepper

Directions:

1) Melt butter in a medium size pan over medium high heat.

2) Add rice and orzo and toast until it smells nutty- about 3-5 minutes.

3) Add saffron and stir another minute.

4) Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn to low and simmer for 20-23 minutes.

5) Meanwhile, coat shrimp with lemon olive oil, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.

6) Heat a skillet with the EVOO on medium high heat. Add shrimp and cook until just cooked through about 3-5 minutes.

7) Remove shrimp from skillet and place in bowl.

8) Add the onions to the skillet and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes

9) Add garlic and stir until fragrant.

10) Add spinach to skillet and cook until wilted.

11) Remove from heat and add shrimp and rice pilaf. Stir until well combined. 

12) Add feta just before serving.