Orange Shrimp and Ramen Stir-Fry

Orange Shrimp and Ramen Stir-Fry

Chinese take-out isn’t necessarily Chinese food. It is usually very Americanized and might not even be recognized by a person who is actually from China. Orange Shrimp and Ramen Stir-Fry is Chinese take-out and not Chinese food. That being said, it is delicious and really easy to make.

I bought the shrimp already cleaned. If you are going to clean them yourself, it will add a great deal of time to the prep. I also bought different colored baby bells, just to add variety and color. If you want, you can buy a package of frozen peppers and onions to save time. They do not need to be cooked, just defrosted.

 

Servings: 6 
Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and a knife, a large, deep skillet, tongs, a large pot, a small bowl and a fork, paper towels, a wooden spoon 
Time:  prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 15-20 minutes; Dinner in about 30 minutes

 Ingredients:

• 1pound large shrimp (31/35 shrimp per pound)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium bell pepper (8 ounces)
• 1 small onion (4 ounces)
• An orange with a really nice, clean skin
• 3 green onions
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ⅓ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• A pinch of red pepper flakes (or more depending on your taste)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 packages of Ramen noodles
• Cooking spray
• Salt

1. If you didn't  buy the shrimp cleaned, do that first. Place them in the fridge until needed. Scrub the orange and slice it into eighths. Mince the garlic. Slice the pepper into long, thin strips and remove any white pith. Slice the onion into rings and then slice the rings in half. Slice the green onions into thin slivers. Open the packages of ramen, discarding the foil packets of salt.
2. Fill the pot with water and put it onto boil.
3. Rinse the shrimp, pat them dry and salt them. Drying them makes them get crispier.
4. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium. When the skillet is hot, cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side and remove to the plate. Don’t crowd them, you may have to cook them in batches.
5. Add more spray to the same pan and sauté the garlic, onion and bell peppers until they are cooked enough for you. I like them still a little crispy. Remove them to the plate, too.
6. Pour the chicken broth, orange juice and soy sauce into the still hot skillet. Bring to a boil and stir, scraping up any bits left on the bottom of the pan.
7.  Add the cornstarch to a bowl with about 3 tablespoons of very cold water. Use the fork to mix until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add the cornstarchy water to the sauce and stir. Allow it to boil. The mixture should thicken.
8. Turn the broth down to a very low simmer and add in all of the cooked veggies and shrimp. Sprinkle on the red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust the salt.
9. Place the ramen in the boiling water. DO NOT OVER COOK THEM. It only takes 3 minutes. As, soon as the ramen is done, use the tongs to move them from the boiling water to the shrimp and toss to make sure everything is coated. Add in the orange slices and green onions and serve right away.

Shrimp and Pineapple Stir-fry

My mom is living with us while she fights cancer. She loves pineapple and shrimp, so I made this for her. It was so good. The dish is beautiful and would be great to serve to guests.

As always, here are my suggestions for tweaking the recipe. You can buy the shrimp already cleaned. It saves you about ½ hour. You can also use fresh pineapple. If you do that substitute orange juice for the pineapple juice. That way you won’t have a jar of pineapple juice you won’t use going bad in the fridge.  I try never to ask you to purchase anything that you will only use in the specific dish we are making. Buy hoisin sauce. Once you taste it, you will find uses for it. Your favorite hot sauce will do if you don’t have sriracha.

Always read the entire recipe before you begin.

Shrimp and Pineapple Stir-fry

Servings: 6-8
Time:  Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 20 Minutes;  Dinner in 40 minutes
Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a can opener, a whisk, 2 mixing bowls,  a deep, non-stick skillet, tongs, a paper towel lined plate, paper towels, and a large serving platter

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds medium cleaned shrimp
• Enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan twice
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• ¼ cup of cornstarch
• 1 cup of snow peas
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger or ¼  teaspoon powdered ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1-20 ounce can of pineapple chunks or 2 cups of fresh pineapple
• 3 cups of steamed white rice
• Sesame seeds and 2 green onions for garnish

Sauce

• ½ cup pineapple juice 
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• ⅛ cup COLD water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (optional)

1. Place the cornstarch into one of the mixing bowls. Generously sprinkle the shrimp with salt, garlic powder and onion powder. If you are using powdered ginger, sprinkle that on, too. Place the seasoned shrimp into the cornstarch and toss to coat. Set aside. The shrimp will get sticky, don’t worry.
2. Drain the pineapple, reserving ½ cup of the juice. Put the cold water and cornstarch into the other mixing bowl. Whisk until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Whisk in the juice, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Stir in as much or as little sriracha sauce as you want. Set aside.
3. Cut the bell pepper into long thin strips, removing the seed and white pith. Set aside. Mince the ginger and garlic. Roughly chop the green onions, using both the white and green parts. Set aside.
4. Cover the bottom of the skillet in a generous amount of oil and heat over medium-high. Sauté the shrimp in a single layer until they are crispy and then flip and cook through. This should take no more than 2 minutes per side. You may need to cook them in batches to keep from crowding them. Remove them to the paper towel lined plate when finished. You can keep them warm in the oven on the lowest setting.
5. Wipe out the skillet. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat over medium high, Add the peppers and snow peas. The peppers take longer than the peas, so I put them in a minute or two first. Sauté until they reach your desired tenderness tossing almost constantly. Push to the side and add the fresh ginger (if you are using it) and garlic. Sauté until fragrant. Add in the pineapple and the sauce, whisk until the sauce thickens and gently toss all the vegetables until everything is coated. Taste and adjust the salt.
6. To serve, make a bed of hot white rice. Top with the vegetables. Then top the vegetables with the shrimp. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and green onions. Serve hot.

Italian American Shrimp and Pasta

Italian American Shrimp and Pasta

We are in at the end of the third week of being locked down. When it became obvious that going to the grocery store was a bad idea, my husband I went to work. We cleaned out our freezer and pantry and made a list of all the food, spices and cooking products we had. Then we figured out the amount staples we went through in a week (bread, milk, eggs, flour, sugar.) I studied the list of food we already had and began to research ‘recipes with 5 ingredients or less.’ I also scrutinized soup companies’ websites for easy recipes. Then I thought about which meals my family actually enjoys. No sense making food no one will eat. Then I came up with a list of recipes that could be made from frozen and canned food. I tried to make recipes that could be reused if there were leftovers (sloppy joes become chili, leftover pork and rice become stir fry.) Then we made a list. We are hoping to make it for at least two and possibly three weeks without going to the store again.

My first real lock down meal was shredded beef tacos. I put a chuck steak in the Instant Pot with a can of Ro-tel, taco seasoning and beef broth. I reserved the leftover liquid. We made tacos with the beef. I took the leftover beef and liquid and combined them with a big can of black beans. I served that over rice. There was enough for lunch the next day, too. Right before that I made Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken and  Sheet Pan Beef and Broccoli. Both of these recipes can be made from ingredients you probably already have.

Someone asked me what I would recommend stocking up on. I would know first whet my family was willing to eat. Then I would build plans around that. Oil based salad dressings can act as sauces and marinades, so I bought quite a few of them. Frozen vegetables and canned veggies are always good to have. Go to the ethnic section of the grocery store and buy sauces (chili sauce, garlic sauce, sweet and sour sauce, sofrito etc.) Don’t be afraid to buy packets of flavorings. These are usually found with the gravy, Buy that, too. Sauces, flavorings and gravy can make meals less boring. Meatballs served in sweet and sour sauce are very different from meatballs served in a tomato sauce or even a cream sauce. Also think of meat as a flavoring rather than the main event. The chuck roast I wrote about earlier made 3 meals for 3 people, because I shredded it and used it in tacos. If we had eaten it as a roast, it would have only been one meal.

Finally, don’t buy more than you will need or use. We need to realize that other people need food, too.

I made this dish before we ever went to the store. I found a box of frozen creamed spinach, a pound of frozen shrimp and a bottle of salad dressing when we were organizing. This was really good. It was also delicious served cold the next day.

This meal is good lock down food because it is quick, tasty and easy to make with products that will keep. You can also substitute chicken or pork in this dish. You could even eat it without meat. Frozen broccoli or peas in a cheese or butter sauce would also be delicious substitutes for the spinach.

Any small tube-shaped pasta like macaroni, penne, rigatoni or ziti would work in this recipe. I used cavatappi, which is the Italian word for corkscrew. Shaped pasta like farfalle (bowtie), fusilli, or small shells could be substituted. You could even forego the meat and used a filled pasta like tortellini or ravioli.

Servings: 4-6

Time:  Active time: 5 minutes; Cook: 15 minutes; Dinner in 20 minutes

Hardware:  measuring cups, a deep non-stick skillet, a bowl, tongs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. 21/25 count shrimp-cleaned with tails removed
• 1-10-ounce package creamed spinach
• 1 cup oil based Italian salad dressing
• ½ cup milk
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking spray (oil, butter)
• 8 ounces of prepared pasta (tube or shaped-see above)

1. Cook the spinach and pasta according to the package directions.
2. While they are cooking, heat the skillet on medium-high. Use whatever (oil, butter, cooking spray) to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the clean shrimp and salt and pepper it. Cook the shrimp on each side for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through. Remove the shrimp to the bowl with the tongs. 
3. Add the salad dressing, spinach and milk to the same pan. Mix until the sauce comes to a low boil. Reduce the heat and return the shrimp. Adjust the salt.
4. Serve immediately over the drained pasta.

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken

I have relatives who live in Louisiana and all week leading up to Ash Wednesday they were posting pictures of parties and parades, wearing purple ball gowns and gold masks. One of my aunts even has a Mardi Gras tree, which is like a Christmas tree, but not.

All of that led me to think about Cajun/Creole dishes. I LOVE Shrimp Etouffee, Dirty Rice, Po’ Boys and Jambalaya. I love sippin’ bourbon and listening to jazz. I love everything about Southern Louisiana and the people who live there.

However, my mother is very sick, and I haven’t had time to do much but work and coordinate her care. So, I made this sheet pan Cajun Chicken. Is it really Cajun? Not really. Is it easy, delicious and inexpensive? YES.

It was especially delicious. My husband, who says maybe three words a year, let me know how much he liked it. And I overheard my notoriously picky mother telling my sister how good it was.

You can tweak this recipe to make it your own. Slices of smoked sausage can be added with the chicken. You could use kielbasa or andouille. The andouille is a little spicy. You could also use shrimp instead of crawdads or leave the seafood out altogether. I purchased all the vegetables already chopped up to save time. It is more expensive to do that, but anymore I am so swamped that I’m willing to buy a little time.

Servings: 4-6

Time: Prep: 15 minutes (5 inf you buy pre-sliced veggies); Cooking: 40 minutes-dinner in an hour

Hardware: A cutting board and knife, a measuring spoon, 2 large mixing bowls, a baking sheet, foil, tongs

Ingredients:

• 1-pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1-pound cooked, peeled crawdads (or 1 pound cleaned, raw shrimp)
• Canola oil
• 1 ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes
• 3 large bell peppers (1 each green, red and yellow)
• 1 large sweet, yellow onion
• 1-pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Salt & pepper
• Cooking spray
• Chopped green onions and hot sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Cover the baking sheet in foil and generously spray with cooking spray.
2. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place it into one of the bowls. Use enough oil to coat the chicken and toss it with the tablespoon of Chachere’s.
3. Scrub the potatoes and slice them as thin as possible. Wash and seed the peppers. Cut the peppers and onions into bite sized chunks. Place the veggies in the other bowl. Use enough oil to coat all the veggies. Toss in generous amounts of salt and pepper and the paprika.
4. Spread everything out evenly onto the foil, making sure to scrape all the oils and spices out onto the food. Add the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle everything with the remaining teaspoon of Chachere’s and the thyme.
5. Roast for 30 minutes. Add the crawdads and roast for 10 more minutes. If you are using shrimp, salt and pepper them and sprinkle them with a little Chachere’s.
6. Serve warm. Top with chopped green onions and offer your guests hot sauce.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

Honey Walnut Shrimp

If you’ve ever eaten at Panda Express, you’ve probably had this dish. Crispy shrimp and glazed walnuts make a tasty combo. Now, you can have it at home, in the middle of the night, in your underwear.

Figuring out the sauce was the hard part. I know that Bang Bang Shrimp’s secret ingredient is mayo and to make Sweet and Sour Meatballs you need ketchup, so I went the condiment route. Mayo it is! Then honey and cream complete the simple sauce, which I will be serving over other dishes. Panda Express uses tempura batter, but I took a short cut. Easy is my favorite flavor.

Servings: 3-4

Time:  Prep: 20 minutes; Cooking:  20 minutes; Shrimp in 40 minutes

Hardware:  A measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knife, 3 deep bowls, a whisk, tongs, a skimmer or a slotted spoon, a saucepan, a deep, heavy skillet, a parchment covered, plate a paper towel covered plate, an oil thermometer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup walnuts
• Salt & Pepper
• 1-pound large shrimp (peeled and cleaned)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup cornstarch
• ½ cup mayo
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Oil to fill the large skillet halfway
• Cooked white rice and 2 green onions

1. Slice the green onion. Generously salt and pepper the shrimp. Set aside.
2. Bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium. When the sugar has dissolved, add the walnuts and boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove the walnuts with the slotted spoon and allow to cool on the parchment covered plate.
3. Add enough oil to fill the heavy skillet up halfway. Heat it on medium high. When the temperature reaches 375°, the pan is ready.
4. Beat the eggs in one bowl. Place the cornstarch in another. Dip the shrimp first in the egg mixture, then in the cornstarch and then place in the hot oil. Fry them for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Use the tongs to turn halfway through. Don’t crowd the shrimp. You may need to cook them in batches. Move them from the oil to the paper towel lined plate. Keep them warm in the oven on the lowest setting.
5. When the shrimp are finished whisk the mayo, honey and heavy cream together in the third bowl. Toss the warm shrimp and walnuts with the sauce.
6. To serve, place cooked white rice in a bowl, add some shrimp, walnuts and sauce, then garnish with slices of green onion.