Sauteed Fern Shoots (Or Asparagus) And Shrimp With Lemon Balm Pesto

• For the Lemon Balm Pesto
• 1 cup fresh lemon balm leaves, washed and dried
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, washed and dried
• 1 large garlic clove, cut into pieces
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced almonds (unsalted)
• 1 small hot chile, such as Hawaiian chile pepper or Thai bird chile, trimmed, seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon gluten free Tamari
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (plus more to taste, if necessary)
• For the Pohole, Shrimp and Noodles
• 6 ounces dried rice noodles (Bahn pho, flat rice noodles)
• 2 cups cups pohole (fern shoots), rinsed, trimmed, cut into 1-2 inch lengths (or Asparagus)
• 1/2 pound shrimp, deveined peeled
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons canola oil

1. Bring a kettle (or pot) of water to boil.
2. Place dried noodles in a baking pan. When the water just begins to boil, pour or ladle water over noodles to cover. Let noodles sit for 10 minutes. Check the consistency. I let my noodles sit for 15 minutes and they were just right, with a little bite to them. Thoroughly rinse noodles under cold water to stop them from cooking. Place in a bowl, and coat with a drizzle of sesame oil to prevent them from sticking. Set aside.
3. Make pesto:rnCombine lemon balm, mint, garlic, almonds, chile and tamari in a blender. Turn machine on, and drizzle in oil. Scrape sides with spatula, add lemon juice and puree until combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. If you are using soy sauce instead of tamari, you might need a little more than one teaspoon. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat sesame and canola oils. Add fern shoots and saute for a minute or two. Add garlic, shrimp, and cook, stirring, until shrimp are opaque in the center, about 3 minutes.
5. In a large shallow bowl, gently combine noodles, sauteed pohole and shrimp, and lemon balm pesto. Serve and enjoy immediately.

balm leaves, fresh mint, garlic, almonds, hot chile, tamari, canola oil, lemon juice, shrimp, rice noodles, shoots, shrimp, garlic, sesame oil, canola oil

Taken from food52.com/recipes/11786-sauteed-fern-shoots-or-asparagus-and-shrimp-with-lemon-balm-pesto (may not work)