Ingredients:

• 1 Lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup fresh, sliced mushrooms
• 1-6 oz. jar of marinated artichokes, drained
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp. prepared basil pesto
• 4 pita pockets
• 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

Serves 4

Directions:

Add olive oil to pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden. Add shrimp, mushrooms and artichokes. Sauté until shrimp are pink and tails curl up (5-8 minutes). Add pesto and heat through. Spoon mixture in pita pockets and add mozzarella to melt. Enjoy.

Make this recipe lighter:

The recipe is lighter already by using olive oil as opposed to butter or margarine. Use canned artichokes not marinated in oil to reduce the fat even more. Check the different store-bought pestos and choose the one with the lowest fat. Eliminate the cheese or use a low-fat or fat-free variety. Try whole grain pita pockets or skip the pockets altogether.

Substitutions:

If you happen to have your own homemade pesto lying around, by all means…You can also replace the artichokes and mushrooms with your favorite vegetable or leave them out altogether. Remember, this may affect your cooking time. If necessary, cook your substitution vegetables first or in a separate pan so as not to overcook the shrimp. You can also exchange the shrimp for scallops if you wish. Another variation is to try different types of cheese. This recipe really is very versatile.

When do we EAT? Can we Entertain first?:

Seafood is generally not that great reheated, but this dish is so quick you shouldn’t need to prepare in advance anyway! Just have your mushrooms pre-sliced (same day to prevent bruising) and defrost, peel and devein your shrimp in advance.