Tag Archives: shrimp

Szechuan Shrimp and Rice Stir-Fry

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Happy New Year everyone!

The holidays have come and gone, and it’s hard to believe we are already into year 2013! Looking back throughout the past year, 2012 was a very stressful one for myself, as there were a lot of challenges and changes, as well as a lot of adjusting and accepting that was required. That being said, I’m excited for 2013 to begin. A new beginning is much needed and I hope to do my very best to make this year a good one. Early this year I will be starting school again, which I’m excited about. This in itself is a new beginning, one that will allow me to one day gain the title of a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. Other than obviously studying, I hope to spend 2013 cooking new, delicious meals, spending time with family and friends, all while making new memories and embarking on new adventures.

This Szechuan style stir-fry is so incredibly flavourful, since it’s made with fresh ingredients including a large amount of ginger and garlic. I find that taking the time to make your own homemade sauce, is much better and healthier than any store-bought sauce. Stir-fries are an easy way to eat your grains, a variety of vegetables and protein, all in one easy to make dish. There are endless variations of asian inspired stir-fries, so it’s all about incorporating what you have, and being creative in the kitchen!

20130102-220835.jpgSzechuan Shrimp and Rice Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole-grain brown rice

  • 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped

  • 5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 1 inch ginger, finely chopped

  • 1 cup peppers, thinly sliced (I used orange and yellow)

  • 1/2 cup carrot, grated

  • 1 sprig of celery, finely chopped

  • 1/2 cup corn

  • 1/4 cup peas (I used from frozen)

  • 4 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped

  • 3/4 teaspoon chili powder

  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

  • Salt to taste

Directions:

Cook rice accordingly and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes. Add onions and salt, cook until onions are translucent (about 6 minutes). Add carrots, peas, corn and celery. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Add shrimp, soy sauce and chili powder. Cook until shrimps are pink in colour, about 6-8 minutes. Add peppers, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in Szechuan sauce. Keep stirring until sauce has thickened. Mix in rice, cilantro and green onions. Mix well and serve with a garnish of green onions.

Szechuan-Style Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

  • 2 teaspoons corn starch

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1 teaspoon sweet-chili sauce

  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced

  • 2 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped

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Shrimp Linguini in a White Wine Tomato Sauce

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This is a quick, yet completely satisfying dish that can be ready in just half an hour. This Italian inspired meal consists of succulent shrimp smothered in a lightly spicy tomato sauce, infused with white wine, garlic, a hint of onions and Italian seasoning. Adding shrimp to pasta is an easy way of incorporating some light protein and amazing taste!

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Ingredients:

  • Package of Linguini
  • 398 mL can of tomatoes, diced and skinned
  • Pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup dry, white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper powder
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Sauté onion for 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add wine, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add shrimp and cook until thoroughly pink. Check to make sure sauce is seasoned enough with salt and pepper. Serve over top of linguini, or pasta of choice, and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

As you can tell by this recipe, I like to drench my sauce in wine, as opposed to allowing most of the wine to evaporate. This method allows you to really taste the white wine in the sauce, which is what I love!

For the wine, I used Prosecco, which is actually an Italian sparkling, dry, white wine. I had no idea I was using sparkling wine for this sauce, until I actually took a sip of the wine with my meal! I would have never known the sauce was made with sparkling wine, because the bubbles completely disappear. I definitely learned something new, and acquired a new found love for Prosecco.

Ps. Merry Christmas :)

Grilled Chicken, Sweet Potato Mash and ‘Blackened Shrimp’

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Lemon-Rosemary Grilled Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash, Grilled Asparagus and ‘Blackened’ Shrimp

Today, I decided to make a traditional chicken dish, consisting of rosemary, lemon and garlic, with some grilled asparagus and a creamy, delicious sweet potato mash. Whenever consuming meat, it’s always best to eat vegetables as well. Choosing two different veggies to accompany the meat is ideal, as this not only ensures extra nutrients, but is definitely a lighter and healthier option. Vegetables add great colour and taste to the dish, keeping in mind that different, deep, bright colours usually means a variety of different vitamins! To make this meal a bit more special, I decided to make a semi-spicy ‘blackened’ shrimp side dish as well. The shrimp’s seasoning really adds the perfect kick to the shrimp. The picture of my superbly filled plate below looks a tad on the busy side, but everything tasted great and went well together. I contemplated to create three separate blog posts, however I decided to throw everything together for one big savory party!

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Lemon-Rosemary Chicken:

Ingredients:
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup fresh rosemary
  • 2 large lemons (zested and juiced)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:

Wash and cut chicken breasts into desirable pieces and set aside. In a small food processor (I used The Magic Bullet), blend rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until completely blended. Drench chicken in this mixture and marinate for a half hour. Grill chicken with marinade until browned (6-8 minutes). I used the George Forman grill.

Sweet Potato Mash:

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Unlike some sweet variations of sweet potato mash that use brown sugar or maple syrup, I enjoy more of a savory version that includes garlic. Sweet potatoes are known to be a ‘superfood,’ as they are high in vitamins A, and contain vitamin C, B6, fibre, potassium and many other nutrients. For this reason alone, I usually tend to cook with sweet potatoes more, as opposed to regular potatoes. This tasty side dish can be served with virtually any meat or fish.

Ingredients:
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 1.5 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons 2% milk
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Wash and cut the sweet potatoes length-wise in half. Place the skin side on a baking pan. Bake in the oven at 400F until soft, about an hour. Melt butter in a pot on medium heat and fry garlic until slightly browned. Scoop out the inside of the sweet potatoes and mash in the pot with the butter and garlic. Remove from heat, and add milk. Stir until entirely smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Asparagus directions: Wash and trim the stocky end off. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill for 5-6 minutes.

 

‘Blackened’ Shrimp:

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Ingredients
  • 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons celery, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red pepper, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme)
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 1/4 cup white wine
Seasoning Ingredients:
  • 1.5 teaspoons paprika
  • 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Add together all of the seasoning ingredients and mix well. Marinate shrimp in seasoning, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, red pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, parsley, saute for another 2 minutes. Add wine and let reduce to half. Toss the shrimps in and saute until cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Healthy Asian Stir-fry

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This thai inspired dish consists of soft and light rice noodles, crunchy vegetables and succulent shrimp. I think this quick and easy stir-fry is definitely better than ordering out, considering most of those dishes are heavily greased or consist of unnecessary, and potentially harmful ingredients. It’s always better to make your own (healthier) restaurant-style meal.

This is a very versatile dish, because you can toss in whatever vegetables you like, and can either omit the shrimp or even substitute it with some tofu.

Ingredients

  • 1 package of rice noodles
  • 1-2 cups shrimp (I used frozen, cooked shrimp)
  • 2-3 cups assorted vegetables of choice (I used from frozen)
  • 1.5 tablespoon freshly chopped ginger
  • 1.5 tablespoon freshly chopped garlic
  • 1/3 cup sliced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (preferably low sodium)
  • 1.5 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • sesame seeds
  • 1 Lime

Heat wok or large frying pan on medium heat. Add olive oil. Fry garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Mix water and cornstarch in a separate dish and add to pan. Now add the vegetables and shrimp. Stir very well. Cover for about 3 minutes and then keep stirring until your vegetables and shrimp are defrosted/cooked. Add onion when your shrimp and vegetables are almost done. In the meantime, boil noodles in a separate pot for 3-4 minutes, then drain and set aside. Once the stir-fry is ready, toss your noodles in and mix all together. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top to garnish. Squeeze some fresh lime over your dish and enjoy.

* Add crushed peanuts or cashews for extra protein, texture and taste!

* While your veggies and shrimp mixture is cooking, drizzle some honey for extra sweetness.