Fat Tuesday Inspiration

This past Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday, inspired me to do a little cooking in honor of Mardi Gras. I got home from work a little early and was very excited to actually have time to cook a decent dinner. The spicy taste of the south can be overwhelming, but I do love Old Bay seasoning, so deciding what to make was a no-brainer. I don't have exact quantities for this recipe. Instead, I simply measured to taste, especially since I was only cooking for one.
Here's what you'll need for my grilled Old Bay Shrimp:frozen shrimp, washed and thawedOld Bay seasoninggarlic powderpaprikalime juicecooking spray
Place the shrimp in a small bowl. Pour about 1 tbsp of lime juice, along with the garlic powder, paprika and Old Bay into the bowl and mix with the shrimp. Spray your grill pan with cooking spray and pour the bowl of shrimp onto the pan. Grill at medium to high heat. Shrimp cooks very quickly on the grill so make sure to watch it closely. You can use any vegetables you'd like with this dish. I had zucchini, carrots and cauliflower on hand, so that's what I used. Cut up all your veggies and put into the grill pan along with the shrimp. Pour a little more lime juice and Old Bay on the shrimp and veggies and continue to grill until done. You'll know you've cooked the shrimp and veggies enough when they are slightly charred. I served the shrimp and veggies over quinoa and brown rice, following the instructions on the package — nothing fancy there. There was just enough of a spicy kick from the Old Bay, balanced out by the acidic taste from the lime juice, to make this dinner a really tasty dish. The quinoa and brown rice combination was delicious with this mixture as well. I want to start cooking with quinoa more often; it's not only delicious, but so healthy. My Fat Tuesday dinner was a success. Paired with a glass of red wine and good television, I was a very happy diner!