Ah, the winter! The time when you keep telling yourself you need to eat healthier, but at the same time are craving comfort foods. So why not do both, I ask? As any of my friends and family will attest to, I’m a carb FANATIC! Especially pasta. Ooh, pasta stuffed with stuffs… I mean, seriously, there are days I will cave and (yes, it’s OK to judge me) just go to the store and buy a can of Chef Boyardee. YES! I know! Here I am trying to maintain a food blog, and I’m telling you I short-cut to Chef Boyardee!
On to healthier things! I was poking around the internet the other day looking for something fun and different to make for dinner (which, let’s be honest, is pretty much the norm for me). I stumbled on the Philadelphia Cooking Creme site, and saw that not only do they have just the regular flavor (which I’ve used to add to spaghetti and marinara sauces) but also a Lemon and Herb flavored one! That started the wheels turning. In the back of my head I heard “no meat Monday.” Hmmmmm….
Next stop was the best place on Earth–the grocery store. There’s just something about seeing all those fresh fruits and vegetables, the fish and meat in the produce section, the lady next to the frozen bins trying to hand out tid-bits of bread with some brand-name sauce. “Yes, please! That smells delicious!” I gathered up my findings after discovering that shrimp were ON SALE! (yes, I’m a victim of the “s” word) and headed out (um, yes, I promise I paid for everything). To dinner, and beyond!
Shrimp Orzo with Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
- 12oz orzo pasta
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 12oz bag shrimp, deveined and uncooked
- 8oz snap pea pods
- 1 10z container Philadelphia Cooking Creme Savory Lemon & Herb
- 1/3 c milk
- 1 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt
- pepper
Directions:
Cook pasta according to box directions. I usually add a few chicken bouillon cubes into the water for flavor, this doesn’t add much other than a little color and a bit of flavor.
Depending on what kind of shrimp you find, you’ll want to make sure they are deveined, and shelled. Set aside. In a deep saute pan, melt butter and oil. Toss in minced garlic, cook just until you can smell it, then toss in the shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Don’t they look delicious?
Pour the shrimp back into the bowl with all the wonderful juices and bits.
Now for the creamy goodness!
Toss that whole container into the pan. Add in milk and stir to combine. Toss in tomatoes, pea pods and cooked shrimp. Let it simmer for a minute, then, if your pan is big enough, add in the orzo and stir it all together. If not, put the orzo back in the pot you cooked it in, and pour in the sauce to the orzo. Either way, I promise it will come out delicious!
Enjoy!
Aunt Kookie's Cookatorium 
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