Creole shrimp and chicken over GARLIC polenta

My family went nuts over this, so hopefully you will too.

This is a pretty simple dish I learned from watching my mom cook, I just put my own twist on it.  The shrimp and chicken are cooked in tomato sauce with white wine, onions, carrots and spices, and served with garlic infused polenta.

 The ultimate comfort food, but also kinda fancy and easy- what more could you ask for.
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I cooked the shrimp and chicken in two separate pots because my sister can't eat fish, but this can be done in one pot so I'll write the directions for the 1 pot version.

Important:  This recipe below is only for the shrimp and chicken. I used Uncle Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Polenta and followed the directions on the bag.  
​The only thing I did differently was add 1 clove of chopped garlic and 1 tsp ground garlic and parsley flakes to the water for the polenta.
 I made the polenta while I was also making the shrimp and chicken creole-- multi-tasking!

Here is the Uncle Bob's Red Mill Polenta I used ​

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Ingredients

3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1/2-1 pound shrimp, deveined 
(I kept the shell on for more flavor, but if you don't want a mess while eating I'd suggest peeling the shrimp first)

6 oz can tomato paste (organic if possible)

1/2- 3/4  cup white wine of choice
(any white wine is good, just make sure the wine is not too sweet)

2-3 tsp paparika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

3 large carrots, roughly chopped

1/2 white onion, finely chopped 

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 cup water

2 tbs olive oil

1 frozen pack of French style green beans and broccoli


Directions
 In a large pot, bring oil to a medium high heat.

Add chicken to pot and brown for about 5 minutes, stir every minute or so to make sure chicken is seared on all sides.

Next, add the carrots, onion and bay leaf and simmer on medium high heat until onions are translucent.  Keep tossing every few minutes to avoid burning.

Then, add salt, pepper, paprika, fresh garlic, garlic powder, cayenne, oregano, and cumin.

Reduce heat to medium and add tomato paste.  Stir the tomato paste into the juices of the chicken until it's fully dissolved and let simmer.

Next, add water and white wine.

Bring heat back to medium high, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, give the mixture a stir and add shrimp.  Return stove to medium heat.

Let simmer until shrimp are fully cooked (about 10 minutes) then remove from heat.

By the time the creole is done, your polenta should be ready as well.

Depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts, they should be fully cooked between the braising and simmering.  However, always check the internal temperature to ensure your chicken is fully cooked.

For the green beans and broccoli:
In a microwaveable bowl, add 1 bag French style green beans and 1 bag frozen broccoli.

Next, add 2 dashes of garlic salt, cover and microwave on high until vegetables are cooked (about 7 minutes)

Toss vegetables halfway through to ensure there are no cold spots.

Finally, serve garlic polenta in a bowl and top with vegetables and ladle shrimp and chicken creole-- don't forget to the delicious tomatoey and wine broth over the entire dish at the end.
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Garnish with chopped green onions and enjoy!