What you keep in your pantry and refrigerator determines how healthy your diet will be. Seems obvious, right? By keeping good ingredients on hand the question of “What’s for dinner?” can be answered with healthy options.

I like to keep frozen shrimp in my freezer for those nights when I want to get dinner on the table in a hurry. It defrosts quickly, cooks quickly and makes a last minute supper feel special. Choose shrimp without sodium triphosphate or other preservatives (the ingredients panel should just list shrimp) for better taste and texture.

Lately I have also been keeping kale on hand, especially the Tuscan kale variety, also called Lacinato kale or cavolo nero. Kale is packed with vitamins, and has been associated with cancer fighting, detoxification and lowering cholesterol. Its mild flavor blends well into many dishes, such as soup, salad and stuffing.

This dish comes together from start to finish in about 40 minutes, cleaning and prepping the shrimp and kale constitutes most of the prep time.

Shrimp with Kale and Rice

1 lb. frozen shrimp, size large (26 - 30 shrimp per pound) or larger

1 bunch Tuscan kale

¼ Cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 cup rice

Salt & pepper

Defrost shrimp and remove any shells, including tails. Wash kale thoroughly and remove tough center stem.  In a large sauté pan with a lid, sauté onion and garlic gently in olive oil with zest of two lemons and pinch of red pepper flakes over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add rice and toss to coat with oil. Cook rice a minute or two with onion mixture. Roughly chop kale and add to pan with onion mixture and rice. Season liberally with salt and pepper again. Add 2 cups water and cover pan. Simmer about 5 minutes and then add shrimp and juice of 1 lemon. Simmer 10-15 minutes longer, until all liquid is absorbed, and top with remaining lemon juice just before serving.

Serves 4.