Camarones al mojo de ajo #LitHappens

Tender, plump, juicy shrimp drowned in garlic, butter and lime juice. Absolutely amazing.

This dish was inspired by We Never Asked for Wings, our Lit Happens book club pick this month......

I chose this novel for #LitHappens this month after reading the author, Vanessa Diffenbaugh's first novel, The Language of Flowers for my Cook the Books group.   That review and post will be published next month.

Our Lit Happens Book Club is a facebook group lead by my friend Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  Lit Happens is not a blogging group.  It is an online group that all get together, read the chosen book, and discuss it on the event page.   The discussion is lead by whomever chooses the book for the month.  

I, however, find food inspiration in nearly every book I read and movie I watch.  So I tend to share a recipe each month from the Lit Happens selection as well as a review of the book here on my blog.  

The novel I chose this month brought out huge emotion in all of whom read it.  We were moved from tears to anger to relief to joy.  Some of us.  Others got stuck in the anger and thought the book ended up just a little to tidy for the story.  I did not.  

The story revolves around a family of immigrants who live in an area filled with Mexican immigrants, some here legally and some not.  In this story, Letty was born here in the USA to undocumented immigrants.  Letty was smart, popular and destined to go far until she found herself pregnant and unmarried at 17 years of age.  

Letty's son, Alex, is 14 years old when this story starts and the novel bounces back and forth between Letty's perspective and Alex's perspective.  It tells the background story of how Alex, and later his younger sister, come to be cared for by their grandparents as Letty works three jobs to support them all as well as send money to family still in Mexico.  

The story introduces us to another family of a mother and child who are both undocumented having run away to the USA to escape an abusive home.  Their lives become intertwined when Alex and the daughter become close friends who are always there for each other.

This dish was inspired by a lunch that is shared between Letty and a co-worker as they are first getting to know each other.  We enjoyed this on a Taco Tuesday and we loved it just as much as Letty.  

The description of this dish in Letty's words had me put down the novel long enough to do a google search.  I found this recipe at My Latina Kitchen. It was shared as an appetizer but we had it as an entree served with Spanish Rice, Refried Beans and soft, warmed corn tortillas.

I did not love this novel as much as The Language of Flowers but it brought out a lot of the same emotions.  Diffenbaugh is certainly able to make you feel as if you are in the middle of her novels and develops characters who are very human, with all the good and bad that you find in every person in the  world.  I would definitely recommend this novel to you, my readers, to enjoy.

I am also sharing this with the Foodies Read group.  Head over and take a look at what other's are reading and eating this month. 

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (Mexican-Style Garlic Shrimp)

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 15 M

Tender, plump, juicy shrimp drowned in garlic, butter and lime juice. Absolutely amazing.

ingredients:

• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, tails and veins removed
• 5 T. butter
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Handful of parsley leaves, chopped
• juice of 2 limes
• dash of cumin
• salt and pepper, to taste

instructions:

How to cook Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (Mexican-Style Garlic Shrimp)

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over med high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant and the onions are translucent.  
2. Add the shrimp, season with cumin, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes.  
3. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and parsley.  Serve immediately.

NOTES:

Adapted from a recipe found at My Latina Table

Calories
381.64

Fat (grams)
23.32

Sat. Fat (grams)
10.67

Carbs (grams)
16.79

Fiber (grams)
1.78

Net carbs
15.01

Sugar (grams)
8.62

Protein (grams)
27.18

Sodium (milligrams)
1307.97

Cholesterol (grams)
277.43

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Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm

#Mexican, #shrimp, #garlic, #tacotuesday, #MexicanMonday, #quick, #easy,

Entrees, Appetizers, Shrimp, Seafood,

Mexican

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