Freekeh and Shrimp… Say What?!?! – Taste 'N' Dash

Yes, you heard right… Freekeh.  Have you had before?  This was the first for me too.  I was perusing down the aisle recently at my local World Market store and came across Freekehlicious.  I stopped for a sec and thought what an odd food packaging name but also started wondering if this was named after a song.  Come to find out Freekeh is the actual name for this type of grain.  

Freekeh is an ancient grain, found 2000 years ago and commonly eaten in the Middle East and Northern Africa.  It is a young wheat that is harvested when it is still green and then roasted.  The texture is chewy and has a nutty flavor.

Freekeh has three times the amount of fiber and protein than brown rice.  Also, high in iron, niacin, vitamin B6 and magnesium.

You can get Freekeh whole or as a cracked grain.  The cracked grain takes less time to cook and freekah can substitute pretty much any type of grain dish.  For this recipe I used the whole grain.

I decided to combine freekeh with shrimp, mushrooms, zucchini and hazelnuts.  I also mixed in a honey lemon vinaigrette that had quite the punch.  This dish was exceptionally good and kept me full all night.  I didn’t have any late night cravings which is not the norm for me.  

Ready to get your freekeh on???

Lets talk ingredients- freekeh, hazelnuts, mushrooms, zucchini, shrimp, garlic, vegetable broth, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. 

And for the vinaigrette- olive oil, lemon juice, zest of a lemon, honey and red pepper flakes (not pictured).  

Combine freekeh and vegetable broth in a pan.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.  Cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes, until water is absorbed.

While the freekeh is cooking lets get the other items going starting with the hazelnuts.  Place the hazelnuts in a large pan on medium heat and toast for 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove and place to the side.

In the same pan on medium heat add butter and saute mushrooms for 5 minutes.  Next add the zucchini.  Saute for about another 7 minutes.  I also added a dash of pepper.

Umm…. I forgot to add the garlic. My plan was to add the garlic in the beginning with the butter then work in the remaining ingredients.  Ooopps.  No worries.  Just add now… 

Now that the veggies are cooked down add your shrimp.  I used cooked shrimp for this one but raw will do too.  At the same time add your spices… cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.

Saute for three to five minutes.  Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10  minutes.  Since zucchini has a high water content you will not need to add any additional liquid to simmer.  If you are not using zucchini or any other vegetable high in water add about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth to simmer.

And for the vinaigrette… whisk the olive oil, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and red pepper flakes.  

Now lets build the dish.  Before adding the freekeh and hazelnuts make sure all the liquid evaporated from the shrimp and veggies.  If not, then drain the remaining liquid before adding the freekeh and hazelnuts. Stir in the lemon honey vinaigrette.

Sprinkle some parsley and transfer to a serving dish or right to the plate.  Up to you my friend…

And there you have it…. 

If you do not have a World Market nearby you can also purchase freekeh at any Whole Foods Store.

What song did you think of when you read Freekeh?!?!?!  😉

Enjoy!  

Freekeh, Shrimp and Veggies

2014-12-28 17:48:03

Serves 4

  1. 1 cup Freekeh, whole grain
  2. 3 cups vegetable broth
  3. 1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
  4. 1 tbsp butter
  5. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  6. 2 cups mushroom (combo of shiitake and cremini), sliced
  7. 2 cups zucchini, quartered
  8. pepper
  9. 1 lb shrimp
  10. 1 tsp cumin
  11. 1 tsp salt
  12. 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  13. 6 tbsp olive oil
  14. 3 tbsp lemon juice (one lemon)
  15. Zest of one lemon
  16. 2 tablespoon honey
  17. Pinch of red pepper flakes
  18. Chopped Parsley
  1. Combine freekeh and vegetable broth in a pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes or until water is absorbed.
  2. While the freekeh cooks, prepare the other ingredients. On medium heat, add chopped hazelnuts to pan and toast for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and place to the side.
  3. In the same pan add 1 tbsp butter and garlic on medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute.
  4. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
  5. Next add the zucchini and dash of pepper. Saute for about 7 minutes.
  6. Now that the veggies are cooked down, add your shrimp, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.
  7. Saute for a three to five minutes. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Since zucchini is high in water you will not need to add any additional liquid to simmer. If you are not using zucchini or any other vegetable high in water add about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth to simmer.
  1. Whisk the olive oil, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and red pepper flakes.
  1. Before adding the freekeh and hazelnuts make sure all the liquid evaporated from the shrimp and veggies. If not, drain the remaining liquid before adding the freekeh and hazelnuts.
  2. Stir in the lemon honey vinaigrette.
  3. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle some chopped parsley.
  1. I served with a tomato and mozzarella salad with balsamic dressing.
  2. This can also be served as a side dish.

Taste ‘N’ Dash http://tastendash.com/

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