Shrimp with Roasted Peppers and Black Beans

To make this you should have some lovely NYT-style black beans in your freezer to thaw out like I did. Maybe a nice cache of roasted poblano and red bell peppers too. That way it would be really easy for you to throw this together!
I guess you could always open a can of black beans and saute add them to some sauteed onions, garlic and cilantro, but how nice would it be if you had a whole bunch of home-cooked beans in your freezer just waiting on you to love them? This dream is even easier to make come true if you've got yourself a pressure cooker. Which I now do! Finally got over my parent-induced fear of those beasts. You never forget the top of one of those suckers blowing sky high when you're nine. These days there are safety features in place that won't allow the pots to be opened while still under pressure. And, my electric one doesn't make all the scary noises I remember emanating from my mother's steam breathing monster.

Ok, back to the recipe...you could also use non-roasted poblanos and just saute them up with the corn and roasted red peppers. AND, you could also just buy jarred red peppers to use in the sauce and to dice. So, a lot of short cuts you can take if you're short on time.

I had to make something with shrimp even though I'd gone to the store to buy fish fillets. When my fishmonger calls me to tell me they've got fresh Gulf shrimp in, I'd best follow up. Takes a lot of work to cultivate that kind of relationship and I don't wanna mess it up!

There are no real quantities here folks, just add stuff to taste.

Shrimp with Roasted Peppers and Black Beans:

A pot of NYT black beans (or canned beans added to sauteed onion/garlic/cilantro)
however many largish shrimp you've got, peeled and deveined
a couple cloves of garlic, chopped
a dash of chili powder (go easy on this one)
a touch of cumin
kosher salt
olive oil
roasted (or not, if not roasted saute these before adding shrimp to skillet) poblano peppers, diced
roasted red bell pepper, diced
frozen corn, thawed
roasted red pepper sauce (recipe follows)
optional: diced jalapeno or serrano, seeded
queso fresco (with jalapeno), grated
fresh lime wedges
fresh cilantro

Heat pot of beans.
In a bowl, toss shrimp with garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt.
Heat oil in non-stick skillet and add shrimp, cooking ~1-2 minutes on first side, then flip.
Add in poblanos, red peppers, corn and jalapeno if using and heat through while second side of shrimp cooks.
Toss with grated queso fresco and remove to a bowl. Add in some roasted red pepper sauce and toss to coat. You don't want to heat the sauce in the skillet or the yogurt might curdle.
To serve, layer beans topped with shrimp mixture, fresh cilantro and a nice squeeze of lime.

Red Pepper Sauce:
(adapted from Biscuits, Pancakes and Quick Breads)

2 large roasted red bell peppers
1 Tbs canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2-1 tsp Asian chile-garlic sauce
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (I made this a second time with veggie broth)
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt (Fage...original recipe uses sour cream)
(original recipe also used 1 Tbs chopped cilantro added after taken off heat)

Finely mince 1 1/2 of the peppers (dice the remaining 1/2 pepper to add in to your shrimp hash).
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion, minced peppers, chile-garlic sauce, and cumin. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes, until onions begin to soften.
Stir in the broth and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until reduced somewhat.
I blended it at this point with a stick blender in a smaller bowl. You could also use a regular blender.
Wait for the sauce to cool, then whisk in your yogurt and season with salt and pepper if needed.
If you're making the sauce in advance and plan to use it later, refrigerate it; reheat gently without letting the sauce come to a boil.

Yields about 1 1/2 cups of sauce