Good Eats:: Panko Shrimp and Broccoli Pilaf

We love to eat brown rice since it's healthy and very versatile but rice gets boring after a while even if you pair it with yummy foods. So, I finally learned how to make a simple pilaf and with the right yummy (not quite as healthy) foods like breaded shrimp, it was a delicious dish!

Shrimp Breading Station

Panko Shrimp
Ingredients::
Any size uncooked shrimp
Lemon
Salt/Pepper
Flour
Egg
Almond Milk

Panko Bread Crumbs

Extra virgin olive oil

*amounts are based on how many shrimp you make

How I made them::

1. Soak your uncooked shrimp in lemon juice, salt and pepper.

2. Dredge in flour.

3. Dip in a 1 to 1 mixture of egg and almond milk beat together.

4. Cover in panko crumbs.

5. Fry in a few table spoons of olive oil on medium-low heat. You want the pan warm enough to cook the shrimp as the breading fries but not so hot that the oil is spitting out at you. Keep it safe, they will cook best on a lower temp so they don't burn on the outside without the shrimp cooking on the inside.

Broccoli Rice Pilaf

Ingredients::

2 cups Brown Rice

3 TBSP butter

4 cups of water (or 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken broth)

1/2 cup toasted almond pieces

2 cups cooked chopped broccoli

How I made it::

1. Melt 2 TBSP butter to coat a saute pan. Add rice and brown for 3 minutes.

2. Slowly add your liquid and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Rice should be moist and sticky.

4. While rice is cooking, saute almond slices or chopped almonds in a pan in 1 TBSP of butter. If you use sliced almonds you may want to chop them up before or after cooking before adding to your rice.

5. Cook broccoli. You can buy a frozen bag of chopped broccoli or cook a head in boiling water, cool and chop yourself.

6. When the rice is done cooking, add your almonds and broccoli and any salt/pepper to taste.

Serve the Broccoli Rice Pilaf with Panko Shrimp on top. I drizzled it with a mixture of a light greek dressing and light soy sauce. These shrimp would also be fantastic with a mango chili sauce - something sweet to compliment their slightly salty taste. Enjoy!