Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 medium celery salks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1 tsp jarred minced garlic
14 ½ oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp canned tomato paste
¼ cup red wine
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 leaf bay leaf
1/2 tsp paprika (use smoked, hot Spanish vareity if available - omit cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried basil, or to taste
1 tsp dried oregano, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste (use Hickory smoked variety if available)
1 1/4 pound shrimp, raw, peeled, and deveined
2 medium scallions, chopped including some greens
2 Tbsp cilantro, or to taste, chopped (can use Italian parsley instead)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (can use bottled)
2 cup cooked brown rice, hot

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large skillet, stir in flour and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.  If necessary, add water a teaspoon at a time to make mixture smooth.  Stir in celery, onion, garlic, and peppers, sauté for 5 minutes.  Add undrained canned tomatoes, paste, wine, broth, and all spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.  Add shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes until shrimp pinks.  Stir in scallions, cilantro, and lemon juice, simmer for about 1 minute.  Remove skillet from heat and remove bay leaf.

Yields ½ cup rice with 2 cups of shrimp creole per serving.

Special Information:
This is an easy to prepare, one dish meal.  You can vary the amount of the spices to suit your own tastes, making it as hot or as mild as you'd like.  You may also use any size shrimp you'd like, but I recommend either 21/25 or 26/30.