Whip It up Wednesday with Chef Herzig: Avocado Cream Shrimp with Lemon Pesto Capellini

Each Wednesday, we will partner with peace love food Chef Laureen Herzig to break up your day with easy lunch recipes and live cooking classes! Check out the shopping list for the week’s recipe below to pre-purchase the ingredients so you can follow along in your own home if you want. Each live cooking class will be hosted at 12PM and only last 20 minutes or less.

Today’s recipe:

Avocado Cream Shrimp with Lemon Pesto Capellini

Shopping List:

• 8 ounces fresh or frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 2 ounces capellini
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ¼ cups fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 medium avocado, seeded, peeled, and chopped
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 red sweet pepper, seeded and cut into matchstick-size pieces
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cooking Tools Needed

• Colander
• Knife
• Sauce Pot
• Spatula
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Mini Food Processor – can substitute with blender
• Dry Measuring Cup
• Sauté Pan
• Measuring Spoons

Directions

• Step 1

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, toss with lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste, set aside.

• Step 2

Meanwhile, in a food processor combine 1/4 cup of the spinach, the basil, avocado, half-and-half, salt, and black pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Set aside.

• Step 3

Heat skillet over medium heat with olive oil.  Add sweet pepper; cook 3 minutes. Add shrimp; cook 2 to 3 minutes more or until the shrimp are opaque. Stir in the pureed spinach mixture, heat through. Remove from the heat. Add the remaining 1 cup spinach, the tomatoes, and the cooked pasta; toss to combine. Divide in serving bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.