Shrimp with Capers, Lemon and Feta on Orzo

Welcome to February, everyone! I don't know about you, but things are finally starting to settle back into a familar pattern around here. The holidays are over, my decorations are down and we are all looking forward to the next school bread with spring.

As always, I love fitting new, shiny recipes into our weekly meal plan. Today's recipe combines all my favorite flavors, from the lemony orzo, to the salt capers and feta... and of course, the shrimp! I don't fix shrimp at home often, it is not my husband's favorite, but I really should use them more. I love how fast and easy they are to work with.

I had a really hard time keeping quiet about this recipe. My Secret Recipe Club assignment for February with Thyme for Cooking Blog arrived in December and I was tickled that she had several drool-worthy shrimp recipes listed. We took a short break from posting with the group for the holidays, but it is back and I hope you will be as excited about this recipe as I was.

Katie's blog is full of amazing looking dishes with great instructions and fun personal stories. I was immediately drawn to her seafood section and would love to try her Shrimp in Green Garlic Sauce and Shrimp and Spinach Pie soon. But ultimately I decided to go with her Shrimp with Capers, Lemon and Feta on Orzo recipe.

It just happened to contain all my favorites. How could I not make it?

Katie is also a world traveler, and I really enjoyed reading her stories about navigating life in France. It reminded me of my own experiences abroad with cultural differences and hospital stays.

One small change was made (unintentionally) to Katie's original recipe. Though I would have made her recipe as written, I had to make a last-minute substitute. Her recipe called for red bell peppers and when I went to grab mine from the crisper drawer, they had all gone bad.

I am always irked when that happens this time of year.

Lately my youngest, who is almost 3, has been a real terror on shopping days. The worst experience was when he decided it was funny to scream the entire time we were in the grocery store! Oh, the horror! He wasn't upset or mad, he is just really interested in getting reactions out of strangers these days. So he screamed and screamed.

It worked perfectly for him, too. Every. Single. Stranger. Looked. So he continued to scream and smile and laugh from aisle to aisle.

I was mortified!

So, I have been trying to keep my shopping trips to a minimum. My husband has been traveling most weekends, so it is just me and the kids. Last minute trips to the store are not really an option. I try to grab everything I need for the week and if something goes bad, I find an alternative.

To preserve the need for color in this dish, and keep the Mediterranean flavor, I went with grape tomatoes. It did add a nice burst of flavor with the lemon and salty ingredients. I tossed them in last so they were warm but still firm.

If you decide to give this dish a try, which I sincerely hope you do, I would suggest using either the red bell peppers or grape tomatoes as fit your own tastes ... or crisper drawer.

Shrimp with Capers, Lemon and Feta on Orzo

Adapted from Thyme for Cooking Blog

You Will Need:

• 12 oz. large shrimp, thawed and cleaned
• 1 medium leek, sliced and cleaned
• 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 lemon juiced (4 Tbsp. divided)
• 2 Tbsp. capers, drained
• 15 Kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 3 oz. feta, cubed
• 3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 c. orza

Cook the orzo as directed on the package. Toss drained orzo with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Add the paprika and leek. Saute till tender. 

Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp is evenly pink.

Toss with the remaining lemon juice, capers, olives and tomatoes. Warm through. 

Remove from the heat and top with feta and parsley.

Serve the shrimp mixture over the orzo and enjoy!

See? Isn't that easy? And look at that gorgeous dish.

Note - In case you are also living with someone who is not a huge shrimp fan, grab a bag of frozen, cleaned shrimp at the grocery store and make a half recipe for a quick dinner for one. This may be my new favorite weekend treat when I am sans hubby.

Ready for some more delicious meal ideas? Check out The Secret Recipe Club recipe linky below:

An InLinkz Link-up

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