Lenten Meals

Alright Peter, I've got the recipe for you. Sorry if my raving has started to get on your nerves, but seriously- this meal was delicious. Creamy beans + delicious shrimp + DILL AND LEMON. Did I mention this meal was delicious?

 I feel kind of funny posting this, because even though this recipe is technically lenten, it's certainly not a bland food- fasting is about not only abstaining from animal products olive oil and wine, but also about reviving our hunger for Christ. We achieve this by attempting to adhere to a fairly strict fast- simple foods, simply prepared, in smaller portions. This recipe is certainly none of those things (well, it is pretty easy to make- so there's one!) but it does not contain any meat or dairy products and I thought it was worth a share.

This is the original recipe. I don't like scallions and if you've hung out with me in the kitchen at all you know I LOVE dill (some would call it an addiction...they would be what I like to call 'haters' in American English. dill rocks.) So the recipe I am writing down here is a tad bit different from the one on the web site. But here's the gist of it:

• 1  10-ounce  box couscous (1 1/2 cups)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3  tablespoons  unsalted butter So, here I used olive oil. Ok, technically it's not lenten, but you can hardly consider the super-market stuff they sell at Publix to be the same as the fragrant green gold they used in the ancient church. (p.s. can you tell I'm Greek?)
• 2  cloves garlic, chopped
• 4  scallions, chopped I used 1 large white onion, as scallions suck 
• 1  pound  medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1  15.5-ounce  can cannellini beans, rinsed --> in the running for new favorite bean. sorry chickpeas (and my entire yoga class.) 
• 1/2  cup  fresh flat-leaf parsley ALL THE DILL. 
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice (or as much as humanly possible

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil.
2. Stir in the couscous and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and let sit off heat for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork before serving.

I crossed out the above directions because there's directions on the box. just follow those. 

1. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter  olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the garlic and scallions  onion and cook for 30 seconds until the onion begins to clear. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they begin to turn pink, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans, parsley ALL THE DILL, lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons butter olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
4. Cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the couscous.

I would add toasted pine nuts too. Because they are awesome. And since I don't have any fancy pictures of my beautiful kitchen masterpiece, here is the Real Simple version, (which is also obviously much prettier than mine:)

καλή πέπση!