Baked Shrimp with Lemon Garlic Crumbs

Due to the Lenten season and not being a huge fish fan, I am always trying to come up with ways to spruce up shrimp. I also am allergic to handling the raw shrimp, so I buy the shrimp that has already been cooked. That way too, it's not as gross to handle! haha.

Here is what the Watsons are having this evening:

Baked Shrimp with Lemon Garlic Crumbs
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (approx 1 slice bread)
3 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon fresh lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons butter

Directions

1. With food processor running, drop garlic cloves into top feeder tube and process until finely minced.

2. Add 1 slice of cubed bread pieces, parsley and lemon rind and process until fine crumbs.

3. Remove mixture from processor bowl and stir in salt,, lemon juice and melted butter and mix lightly.

4. Spray four individual gratin dishes with nonstick cooking spray and divide shrimp evenly between the dishes.

5. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the shrimp and bake at 400° for approximately 15 minutes or until shrimp are done and crumbs are light brown.

I don't have any garlic bulbs on hand, just the already minced garlic, and I have a jar of breadcrumbs, so that is the tweaking I did to the usual recipe. I will either server on top of hot steamed rice or on top of pasta.

I will try and post pictures while I am cooking. But, here is the recipe for now!

Twofer

Two recipes for you tonight.

Squash Puff (from my MIL)
3 cups cooked squash
1/4 cup milk (evap, cream, milk, whatever)
2 T flour
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1 T orange rind, grated
2 beaten eggs
2 T melted butter
1 T brown sugar

Mix all together. Place in buttered 1 qt casserole dish. Place casserole dish inside another pan with hot water. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until firm in center.

I add extra brown sugar because we like things sweet around here. I even put some on top.

Next up, also meat-free:

Herbed Rice Pilaf from Gooseberry Patch: What's For Dinner?
1 T butter
1/2 c long-cooking rice, uncooked
1 T onions, diced or minced
1/4 t salt
pepper to taste
1/8 t each dried tarragon, thyme, basil, parsely
1/2 liquid (broth of some sort)

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Cook and stire rice and onion until onion is translucent. Stir in seasonings and cook for 1-2 additional minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. Serves 2.

I would recommend following the directions on the rice that you're using for the liquid to rice ratio. For example, I used to 1 cup of liquid to 1/2 cup rice. Also the rice directions should give you some idea of how long your rice will simmer. This was my first time making this. It's so simple and really quite tasty.

Black Bean Burgers

Sorry to be hogging the bloglight...but i've also been feeling ambitious like jill has.

Amazingly delicious. 8 minutes to make. 3 minutes to cook.

Black Bean Burger
(adapted from Cooking Light & snagged from someone else's cooking blog)

2 cups rinsed, drained, canned black beans
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg white
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (we had cheddar on hand)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup cornmeal


Place 1 1/2 cups beans, garlic, and salt in a bowl. Partially mash with a fork. Place 1/2 cup remaining beans and egg white in a food processor. Process 30 seconds till well combined. Add bean puree to mashed beans in bowl and stir till combined. Add cheese and onion and stir till combined. Divide bean mixture into four parts and shape into patties. Place cornmeal in dish (or plate) and dredge both sides of patties.

Add oil or cooking spray to a skillet and cook patties till brown or for 3 mintues.

Notes: I was too lazy to get the food processor out and have to clean it after so i mashed eveyrthing with a fork and was satisfied that it would still taste just as delicious.

I don't know what the point of the cornmeal is, but I think it sort of helped hold these guys together. They are very fragile. i don't think it would be lacking much flavor without them.

I am terrible at estimating how/when things are cooked, but they started to smoke a little so I figured they were done...I hope you all have better judgement than me. ;)

THESE ARE DELICIOUS!! I topped mine with sour cream, avocado and more cheese. mmm..
the picture is my dinner. (salad is not shown). I cut up some tomatoes and also some herbed artichokes. (in the dish).