Tomato Shrimps with Avocado & Quinoa Bowl

Making your own marinara sauce from scratch is not difficult. But when you are pressed for time, even 15 minutes is a lot of time. Store-bought marinara sauce makes meal preparation easier and reduces cooking time as there is no need to prep. the onions, garlic, tomatoes; and it is not necessary to wait for the ingredients to cook down over the stove.


Pasta marinara sauce is not only good for pasta, it is also quite handy as "seasoning" sauce. For example, simply think shrimps and vegetables stir-fry with tomato-based "seasoning sauce" .  Oh, isn't that sweet and sour shrimps? Quite close.

Sweet and soup or tomato-sauce shrimps is the protein feature of the grain bowl today. With store-bought marinara sauce, these delicious tomato-sauce shrimps can be prepared in less than 20 minutes.

A kick-ass delicious homemade marinara sauce requires time - for the onions and tomatoes to meld down to sweetness and the entire sauce to flavor up. So, when short on time, my best friend is store-bought marinara sauce (for example, relying on Rao's Marinara Sauce to make this Ground Turkey Pasta ). Store-bought does not mean compromising on the quality of the product. We still have to ensure the ingredient list is basic - onions, garlic, tomatoes, dried herbs and spices.

My two current favorite store-bought marinara sauces are The Silver Palate (low sodium version) Marinara Sauce and Raos Homemade Marinara Sauce. Tried and tested, both sauces are made from few basic ingredients and relatively low in sodium compared to the many other brands on the shelf.


Tomato Sauce Shrimps and Veggies with Avocado, Quinoa Grain Bowl
Ingredients:
15-20 frozen shrimps, thawed (Note: These are smaller shrimps. If the shrimps are bigger in size, cut the number of shrimps used by half)
Handful of organic arugula
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper (any color), thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp marinara sauce as "seasoning" sauce The Silver Palate (low sodium version) Marinara Sauce OR Raos Homemade Marinara Sauce
1 serving cooked quinoa (part of advanced meal prep.)
Avocado, thinly sliced

Directions:
Saute shrimps with garlic, green onion, zucchini and bell peppers till the shrimps are cooked. Add arugula, then add marinara sauce to the shrimp-veggie mix. Simmer for 1-2 mins till the sauce combines with the ingredients. Serve with cooked quinoa and avocado.

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