South of the Border Shrimp

• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (or a little more)
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 small can chopped green chilis
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 lbs. medium raw peeled shrimp
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper
• 1 small jar picante sauce
• 1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, grated
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• sliced jalapeno peppers, to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet.  Add black beans, cumin and chilies;  simmer on low heat until mixed well and beans are tender.  Remove from skillet.  Melt butter in the same skillet and add shrimp.  Season with red pepper and sauté about 3-5 minutes.  Add picante sauce and simmer another 3-5 minutes, stirring well.  Return black bean mixture to skillet;  blend well with shrimp mixture.  Simmer five minutes until all flavors merge. 

Option 1 – Serve over rice and top with cheese, sour cream, and jalapenos.  To make healthy, I used brown rice and low fat sour cream and also used less butter.  It was surprisingly delicious.  I didn’t know if these flavors would work together, but they do.

Option 2 – Spoon mixture into warmed flour tortillas, and add cheese, sour cream and jalapenos.  This is what the original recipe intended.

(Lee)