Tequila Lime Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables

Oh, how I love the summer months. I love grilling.  I love fresh produce.  I love the simple meals that can be quickly pulled together with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Today I am sharing one of those meals with you.  It came together with mostly things I already had in my refrigerator, pantry or little garden.  It was oh, so simple, but oh, so spectacular.  I can say that because I never cease to be amazed at just how wonderful a simple meal can be.  That's what Just One Donna is about.  Keep it simple, but wonderful.

I made this dinner last Sunday.  Now, you should know that in general, I don't like to have complicated meals on the weekend.  My family is together on the weekend and I like to spend as much time as I can engaged with them and our home.  I look for simple, but pleasing meals to serve on the weekend.  Last Sunday was a lovely, sunny day.  We spent much of the day working in our yard, transplanting bushes and keeping up with the garden.  There wasn't a lot of time to spend thinking about dinner.

Shrimp is a perfect solution when you are looking for something that will be quick.  So, I started with shrimp.  I decided the shrimp should be cooked on the grill, on skewers, so then all I needed to decide on was the marinade.   I thought a tequila-lime marinade would be tasty.  With that decided I moved on the question of what to serve with the shrimp. Sugar snap peas are abundant in the garden right now, so I decided to make that the central accompaniment.  Would you like to see where this thinking took me?

Tequila Lime Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables
Serves 4
For the Shrimp

• 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in hot water for one hour
• 38 jumbo shrimp, size 21-25, peeled and deveined
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons tequila 
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

For the Mixed Vegetables

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 4 medium carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 mint leaves, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place the bamboo skewers in hot water for at least one hour.  This will help to keep them from burning on the grill.  If you are using frozen shrimp, defrost them,and remove the shells.  Early in the day heat the 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet.  Add the 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and the minced garlic. 

Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool.  You just want to infuse the oil with the red pepper and garlic flavors.  About 15 minutes before preparing the shrimp on the grill, mix the olive oil mixture with the juice of the lime, the tequila and the grated lime zest.  Whisk the mixture and pour it over the shrimp.  Let it sit for 10 minutes and them place the shrimp on the skewers.  I put 5 shrimp on each of the skewers.

Prepare the vegetables.  Heat one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  Add the vegetables all at one time.  Stir them in the pan cooking for about 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the vegetables from the heat.  Add the chopped mint and set the pan aside until the shrimp is cooked.  You may be tempted to leave out the mint, but please don't.  The mint adds that certain something that makes this dish special.

Cook the shrimp on the grill, approximately 3 minutes per side.  Don't over cook.  Shrimp cooks very quickly.

Divide the vegetables among the plates.  Top with the shrimp skewers.  Serve and enjoy.

Click the link to get the printable Tequila Lime Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables recipe.

Enjoy!