Garlic Basil Shrimp

When I see or hear about a "light" recipe, cookbook, chef, etc. I usually shudder a bit. It's not really my thing. I've seen Ellie Krieger on Food Network before, and usually I'd rather have the full-fat version of what she's cooking, mainly due to odd substitutions. A friend, Rebecca, and I swapped cooking notes and showed each other our favorite cookbooks and recipes that we use frequently for weeknight cooking a few weeks ago. As per usual, I kind of eye rolled when I saw her pull out the Ellie Krieger cookbook. Bleh. But I kept it to peruse through anyway and was pleasantly surprised to find more than a few recipes that piqued my interest. I've made two so far, and both are AWESOME!! Rebecca had actually made this recipe a few days prior to our recipe throwdown and could vouch for it's deliciousness. She was right on!!

I even told my husband, "This dish kind of embodies what I'm into with food right now. One, seafood. Two, pasta, but not saucy. Three, tomatoes, but not a tomato sauce...fresh, light, clean flavors instead of muddled gobbledy-goop." (I used to eat a steady diet of gobbledy-goop, which gained me about 50 lbs and took a long time to rid.) Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp (20 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 cups cooked orzo pasta, preferably whole-wheat

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, then add the shrimp and cook, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Return the shrimp to the pan and cook just until heated through. Serve with the orzo.