Cilantro...

Cilantro is such a wonderful herb, so fresh and bright! It makes me think of summer, and always has to be included in salsa in my opinion! But when you go to the store and want to buy some fresh cilantro, you usually end up buying a huge bunch of it, because that is the way it is sold granted it is pretty cheap for the amount you get. But unless you have a recipe that uses a ton, then you always have leftovers, or at least that is the way it always happens at my house. So, today I had leftover cilantro, and decided to make some pesto out of it. I normally use cashews with cilantro in my pesto, but since I have a bunch of peanuts in my fridge, I decided to branch out today. Once I tasted it I thought it might be good in some wraps with shrimp for dinner. I end up cooking shrimp a lot, since they are a quick cooking source of protein and they are delicious! They ended up being really good with the pesto, so I decided to share the recipe.  The funny thing is I still have leftover cilantro...hmmm...maybe some salsa?
Shrimp Wraps with Cilantro Peanut Pesto
Makes 4

pesto:
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1 Tbsp peanut oil
juice of 2 large lemons
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp driec ground chipotle pepper
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
40 medium raw shrimp(31-40 per lb), peeled, deviened and tails removed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

4 8 inch whole grain tortillas (I use Ezekiel brand)
1/2 cup carrots, cut julienne
1/2 cup cucumber, cut julienne
4 romaine lettuce leaves
To make pesto, combine all the ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth then set aside. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread shrimp out on prepared baking sheet and roast until pink, opaque and cooked through about 5 minutes (more or less). Remove from oven and let cool. To assemble wraps, lay 4 tortillas out on a counter. Spread the upper half of each with about 2-3 Tbsp pesto (you may have some left over), then top each with 10 shrimp (in the upper third of the tortillas). Place the carrots and cucumbers on top of the shrimp, dividing evenly among the 4. Top each with a lettuce leaf, and roll up tightly, starting at the top. cut in half and secure with toothpicks if desired!