Black Garlic Shrimp and Mushrooms with Zucchini Noodles

Life often brings twists and turns our way. Sometimes we help create those twists, and sometimes they just seem to find us. Sometimes they are so intense it feels like a roller coaster ride. Sometimes they are mild like an easy afternoon drive through the hills. We may enjoy the twists, or we may find them distressing. We may not have control over every twist and turn… though we do have a choice in how we interact with life’s changes. Do we choose to ride the roller coaster with our eyes open and hands in the air, feeling the motion of each curve and observing the effects it has on our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits? Living openly in each moment of the ride? Choosing to consciously interact with the twists and turns?

This recipe reminds me of those twists and turns. The spiralized zucchini noodles, the black garlic, the mushrooms… twists on a classic scampi recipe. The original scampi is delicious, and the twisted version is out of this world. This is an opportunity. By being open to the changes, a new tasty dish arises. Take time to enjoy this one. Sense by sense. Choose to consciously interact. Mindfully hearing the sounds of the simmering, smelling the delicious aromas, feeling the textures of the ingredients, seeing the beautiful colors and shapes, and tasting the scrumptious twists.

My favorite tips:

*The beauty of this recipe is the delicious aroma that fills the kitchen when cooking this easy one-pan meal!
*I use Chardonnay in this recipe. You can also substitute your other favorite dry white wine, chicken stock, or veggie stock.
*To remove black garlic cloves from the head, chop the large end off and squeeze the black garlic out of the skins.
*Black garlic is a fermented garlic. I get mine from Savory Spice.
*To make black garlic paste, mince the black garlic and use side of knife to smash it. Continue this process until the garlic forms a paste-like texture. It will not be a perfectly smooth paste, and that is okay!
*When cleaning your fresh mushrooms, rinse and dry. Do not let them soak in water.
*For zucchini noodles, I make my own with a spiralizer for freshness. You can also buy them pre-cut in most grocery stores.
*If you don’t like zucchini, you can substitute with 1 lb of cooked linguine noodles.

Black Garlic Shrimp and Mushrooms with Zucchini Noodles

Recipe by AmiessaCourse: DinnerCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 – 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, small to medium, peeled and deveined

• 5 cups zucchini noodles, approximately 2 medium zucchinis

• 2 heads black garlic, cloves removed from outer skin

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 Tbsp shallot, minced

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 1/2 cup white wine, like Chardonnay

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

• 1 Tbsp butter

• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

• Garnish – additional fresh parsley, chopped

• Garnish – lemon wedges

• Garnish – cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• Garnish – extra lemon zest

• Garnish – extra red pepper flakes

Directions

• If making your own noodles, spiralize zucchini and set aside.
• Mince/smash black garlic bulbs into a paste. Set aside. See notes.
• Heat olive oil in skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
• Add shallot and cook until translucent, stirring frequently.
• Whisk in black garlic. Add red pepper flakes. Cook approximately 1 minute, stirring continually.
• Add wine, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir.
• Add mushrooms and butter. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat if necessary to maintain steady slow simmer. Reduce liquid by approximately half, stirring occasionally.
• Add shrimp and parsley. Cook until shrimp is cooked through but not over done. Approximately 3-5 minutes depending on size of your shrimp.
• Toss in zucchini noodles. Remove from heat.
• Serve hot with lemon wedges and other optional garnishes. Delicious with a side of fresh crusty bread!

Notes

• *I use Chardonnay in this recipe. You can also substitute your other favorite dry white wine, chicken stock, or veggie stock.
• *To make black garlic paste, mince the black garlic and use side of knife to smash it. Continue this process until the garlic forms a paste-like texture. It will not be a perfectly smooth paste, and that is okay!
• *When cleaning your fresh mushrooms, rinse and dry. Do not let them soak in water.
• *For zucchini noodles, I make my own with a spiralizer for freshness. You can also buy them pre-cut in most grocery stores.
• *If you don’t like zucchini, you can substitute with 1 lb of cooked linguine noodles.