i call it shrimp and quinoa and black beans and pineapple

i am thankful to be home. to be well fed. to be wearing comfortable clothes, have running water, electricity, a cozy bed, good things to read, a blog to have fun with, good friends, and love. these little life luxuries make the things i am not so thankful for (like traffic, litter, gas prices, snobs, cleaning the cat box...) a bit more bearable. they make me realize that i have it pretty good. things could be better, let's say in a place with no traffic or litter, but i'd still have to clean the cat box. i'd rather not talk about litter or the latter litter for that matter as a way to end this blog entry. so i'll close with tonight's dinner...an amalgamation of things recently purchased at the farmer's market. items i didn't think i would use together but have worked out really well for this evening. did you know you can buy shrimp and fish at the farmer's market? i didn't until i did. i haven't found a name for this dish yet, and i don't really know what geographic region it might best reside in...i'll have to think about that. for now i call it shrimp and quinoa and black beans and pineapple since that's pretty much all that's in it.

--cook 3/4 c quinoa in 1 1/2 c water for about 15 minutes.
--while that cooks, reheat about 1 1/2 c black beans on low adding a dash or two of ground cumin.
--in a saucepan, melt 1/2 tbsp. butter and 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. once butter is melted, add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic. before garlic browns, add 1/2 lb. peeled/deveined shrimp. cook over medium low heat until bright pink, sprinkling with another dash of ground cumin. be careful not to overcook as the shrimp can get rubbery.
--right before the quinoa is done, add 1 c chopped pineapple (no this did not come from the farmer's market--i don't think pineapples or bananas grow in california) and the juice (about 1/2 c).
--spoon a generous serving of quinoa into a bowl. top with beans. top with shrimp. top with sauce from pan. top with salt. repeat in second bowl. serves 2.

was so yummy i scarfed it up without taking a picture, so you'll have to settle with the one posted here. similar to an evening in our house, except ken's usually the sous chef and i'd be the one in the apron (though i rarely don one). enjoy.