Test, Test, Does this Still Work??

Wow, it has been forever since either of us updated this thing, huh Mom.  You were better than I was.  You made a post in September.  We shall not count how long it has been for me.  What do you say? Want to give it another go?  I say we make a spring time resolution and vow to post one recipe a week.  (Or more!) The nicer weather is coming and I just feel like both of us are going to get on a cooking kick!  Soooo, here is my Kickoff Recipe!

Shrimp and Chorizo Paella

This is from our good friend Rocco DiSpirito again with his wonderful cookbook Now Eat This!.  We are trying to get back on a good eating routine so we turned back to him.  We did the whole chicken and vegetables thing for a while....BORING!  We need flavor! We need excitement!  We need satisfaction in a bowl.  Andrew picked this recipe cause he was in the mood for something totally different.  The good news is this recipe, which they say serves four will most likely give us 6 servings.  So, the nutritional information might be a little less even.  But here is what the book says it will be.

341 calories per serving, 8.2 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs, 185 mg cholesterol, 5 grams of fiber.  (As opposed to traditional paella at 900 calories and 42 grams of fat!!!)

Ingredients:
- 2 ounces chorizo, sliced into 1/4 inch half moon slices (Not going to lie, I pretty much doubled this.  It is Andrew's favorite sausage!)
-6 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads (I omitted this - I'm a girl on a budget you know)
- 1 3/4 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth (I only had beef broth so I used that instead)
-  One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
- 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup frozen peas

Directions:

1.  Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.  When the pot is hot, add the chorizo and cook until the fat begins to render, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute, stirring often until it is fragrant, about a minute.  Then, add the saffron, rice, and broth.  Cover the pot an bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cook at a very gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.

2.  Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.  Cover the pot and continue to cook for another 25 minutes.

3.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste, and stir the shrimp and the frozen peas into the mixture.  Cover, and continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked through and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes.  (I had to let it go a little longer and turn up the heat to get my shrimp nice and pink)

4.  Allow the paella to rest for about five minutes, covered.  Then fluff the rice with a fork and serve!