Steamed Shrimp Po Boys with Cajun Vegetable Quinoa

Mardi Gras is right around the corner, so I thought I’d bring some N’awlins flavor to the blog this week. I was fortunate enough to visit the Big Easy almost 15 years ago to the date for a high school band trip. I fell in love with the music, the architecture, the elements of Voodoo, the unique accent, and of course, the food (beignets, dirty rice, bread pudding, Cajun seafood, I’m talking about you)!

One taste of Cajun food and you’ll quickly learn that it packs some seriously bold flavor from the herbs and seasoning. I don’t usually cook Cajun-style because my spice cabinet lacks the required seasoning. And I don’t always have the time or energy to spend an entire evening figuring out which spices to use. After a long day of work, I want to whip up something quick, effortless, and healthy that yields minimal dishes. Anyone in the same boat? If so, I’ve got a sweet solution for you.

I was recently introduced to the greatness that is Simply Organic Steam Gourmet Parchment and Seasoning Kits. With these kits, you’ve got dinner in the bag, literally and figuratively. These kits take the guesswork out of seasoning. Each kit is equipped with a packet filled with a vibrant, organic blend of spices and herbs. Season your protein or vegetable with the packet contents and then throw everything in the parchment bag. In 30-45 minutes, you’ll have a healthy, flavorful meal on the table. Sounds like a weeknight win to me! Take a look around the Steam Gourmet page and explore all the flavor combinations and ways you can win back your weeknight with a delicious, organic dinner that takes little prep and even less clean-up.

Let’s explore how these Steamed Shrimp Po Boys with Vegetable Quinoa translate into a weeknight win:

1. Prep time: 10 minutes. Season your shrimp, chop your veggies and prepare the tomato sauce for the quinoa side dish. Then, transfer everything (shrimp, cooked quinoa, sauce, and veggies) into the bag and bake.
2. Bake time: 30 minutes. While the shrimp and quinoa are cooking, get all your sandwich fixins’ ready. French bread, lettuce, tomato, and a Cajun-seasoned mayo are all you need for these Steamed Shrimp Po Boys.
3. Once cooking is complete, assemble your sandwiches and scoop the vegetable quinoa directly from the bag to your plate.

You see? You’ll have an absolutely bold and tasty meal ready-to-go in under an hour. I am completely pro-sandwich (we’re in the middle of a soup and sammy theme after all), but if you’re looking to slash more time and calories from the meal, skip the po boy part and serve the shrimp with the vegetable quinoa so it’s like a quinoa jambalaya. Either way, this is Weeknight winning for sure!

Steamed Shrimp Po Boys with Cajun Vegetable Quinoa

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Krista

Serves: 5 servings

Ingredients

Steamed Shrimp

12.5 oz uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ Simply Organic Steam Gourmet Cajun seasoning packet

Vegetable Quinoa

1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, choppped
1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes
1 cup cooked quinoa
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Creole seasoning
½ Simply Organic Steam Gourmet Cajun seasoning packet (reserve 1 tbs for mayo)
1 dried bay leaf (optional)

Po Boy fixings

10 oz of french bread (sliced into 4 equal portions)
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
⅓ cup mayo (I used reduced fat)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tbs cajun seasoning (from packet)

Instructions

Place shrimp in a bowl and sprinkle with half of the Cajun seasoning packet. Toss to combine and evenly coat the shrimp with the seasoning. Set aside.
Place all of the vegetable quinoa ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
Place the parchment bag in a large casserole dish and open it. Transfer the vegetable quinoa to the bag, spreading it out creating a bottom layer. Then, top the quinoa with the shrimp. Fold the opening of the bag under twice and crease to seal. Bake for 30 minutes.
While the shrimp and quinoa are cooking, prepare the sandwich fixings. In a small bowl, mix the mayo, garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, and Cajun seasoning. Stir to combine.
When the shrimp and quinoa are done cooking, remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, cut a slit down the middle of the parchment bag.
To assemble the po boys, spread each piece of French bread with 1 tbs of the Cajun mayo. Fill each piece of bread with an equal portion of shrimp, tomatoes, and onion. Serve the po boys with a side of vegetable quinoa.

Notes

Serving size: 1 sandwich + ⅓ cup vegetable quinoa
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 431 Fat: 7.4g Carb: 60.2g Fiber: 6.7g Protein: 29.1g Sugar 10.2g Sodium: 1188mg
Weight Watchers Points (calculated on member website)
WW: 10 Points Plus

These Steamed Shrimp Po Boys with Cajun Vegetable Quinoa are in the running to become the Ultimate Weeknight Dinner as part of Simply Organic’s #weeknightWIN recipe contest. If this recipe sounds amazing to you, please vote for it here! You can vote once every 24 hours. I’d really appreciate the support!