Creamy Shrimp Scampi

A few weeks ago while browsing allrecipes.com (Yes, I am geeky enough to do that), I came across a recipe for creamy shrimp scampi. It looked AMAZING! But I was disturbed when I realized how high the calorie content would be. A special dish like this is okay once in a while on a holiday or birthday, but I was just planning dinners for an average week. Since I couldn’t get the idea of creamy, buttery shrimp out of my mind, I decided to make the recipe, but made some changes to make me feel less guilty about eating this on a random Tuesday. Here is how it came together:

Ingredients:

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 chopped shallot
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1T lemon juice
• 1C fat-free half and half
• 1/4 C butter
• 24 large shrimp
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Heat a Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Cook one chopped shallot and one minced garlic clove for about two minutes. 
• Add 1 C chicken broth and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to the shallot and garlic. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

• Add 1/2 C chicken broth and 1 C fat-free half and half. Let this simmer another 10 minutes to give the sauce a chance to thicken slightly.

• Add 1/4 C butter and melt. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add 24 large shrimp (peeled and deveined) and let them cook through.

• Serve this over rice or pasta and sprinkle with parsley.