Diana’s Healthful Seafood Stew

By naramit/Shutterstock

You don’t need to worry about precise measurements, cooking times or ingredient preparation. The recipes give you general guidelines. You may want to make changes to use up ingredients you have on hand; you may not be able to find an ingredient in the store; or you may just prefer some other ingredient or seasoning. Be brave!

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• pinch cayenne, to taste
• 4 cups cooked barley, brown rice or other whole grains of your choice
• 1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, undrained, broken up
• 1 red bell pepper, cut in 1/2″ chunks
• 1 pound asparagus, cut in 1-2″ pieces (reserve the tips)
• 1 6-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained
• 2-3 pounds cleaned mixed seafood of your choice (peeled shrimp, scallops, lobster tails, mussels, clams, 1″ chunks of any fish, etc.)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onion, celery and garlic to soften, 5-10 minutes. Add the oregano, cayenne, cooked whole grains, tomatoes, red bell pepper and asparagus (except the tips).  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until the asparagus are tender. Stir in the asparagus tips, artichokes and seafood, cover and cook about 5-10 minutes more, or until the seafood is opaque and any shells are opened.

6 servings