Lemon and Garlic Shrimp with Chickpeas

First of all I wanted to thank all of you

for your sweet thoughts and prayers yesterday.

My grandma is doing much better
and there were no blockages found in her heart!

So no more depressing posts I promise, it's almost Memorial Day weekend people!  Yep that means the pool officially opens, a three-day weekend (or four-day depending on how long you take off!) is right around the corner and that also means I'm headed to the lake in two days!  So of course knowing I'd be in my bathing suit 90% of my vacation, I needed a light, yet filling dish to eat this week!

This literally has to be the easiest thing I've ever made and will feed a lot of people!  Shrimp are loaded with lots of protein, are carbohydrate-free which is helpful in losing weight and vitamins D and B3 are perfect for processing fats.  Shrimp are extremely low in calories too and are my go-to-meal anytime I need to lose a few pounds for an event or just want to slip into my teeny bikini.  Combine this with fresh lemons and roasted chickpeas and you've got yourself one healthy dish!

Now I've already told you how incredible fresh lemons are for your body, but they really give shrimp such a great flavor too!  I've also added some crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of kick and some garlic and roasted chickpeas for added flavor and more fiber.

I also took out about half of the oil that the original recipe called for, I just didn't think this needed that much.  I substituted the oil with freshly squeezed lemon juice and thought it tasted incredible.  Serve this with a bright green side salad (or over top of it) and you're all set!

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Servings: 6

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories: 186

Fat: 6.4 g

Carbs: 16.3 g

Fiber: 3 g

Protein: 15.6 g

Old Points: 3.7 pts

Points+: 5 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine 

2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled with tails intact

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 lemon, sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Rinse and drain your chickpeas and toss with one tablespoon of olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Arrange chickpeas in a layer on the bottom of your baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden.  

Meanwhile, toss your shrimp, one tablespoon of olive oil, juice of one lemon, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and one teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.  Allow shrimp mixture to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.

Once your chickpeas have finished baking, spread your shrimp mixture over the roasted chickpeas and place a few lemon slices over top.  Return your dish to the oven and bake for 5 to 8 minutes longer.  Shrimp should be pink in color.  Once done cooking, squeeze additional lemon juice over top and garnish with chopped parsley.  Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Isn't this just a fabulous summer dish??
Enjoy friends!!