Jumpin' on the shrimp train...

Jeff always has a smile on his face when he opens the refrigerator and spies a mound of shrimp chilling out. I'm sure if he had his way, we would have to include it once a day! Now, I'm not that big of a fan yet, but be assured I am slowly coming around!

Covering the bottom of our plates for this Brown Rice with Shrimp, Snow Peas and Avocado is a layer of brown basmati rice - you could use any long grain rice, but both of us quite like the nutty, more hearty flavor that the brown basmati lends. I gave quite a large range for the cooking time for this part as it just depends on your rice and the amount of heat used - don't be afraid to peek early to check for doneness. If the rice is done and all of the liquid has not been absorbed, I usually turn the pot over into a strainer, wait for moist of the liquid to stop and place the rice back in the warm pot for a few minutes.

Since the shrimp take such a short amount of time to cook, we waited until the rice was finished before starting them. In a layer of shimmering olive oil, we tossed in the peeled shrimp, crisp fresh snow peas and a few matchstick-cut ginger root. After a couple minutes of being tossed around, the shrimp were just pink and the snow peas still crisp, yet becoming tender. The shrimp mixture is served on the bed of rice with a chopped avocado placed on top for bit of creamy richness. The sauce accompanying this dish is a citrusy combination of soy sauce, fresh lemon juice, rice vinegar and just a couple teaspoons of brown sugar to balance the flavor. A little puckery and a touch salty, we served this in small bowls on the side - this way you can control just how much you or your guests would like to add.

Recipes
Brown Rice with Shrimp, Snow Peas and Avocado