Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry

I love quick food. I especially love quick, healthy, delicious food! Stir-fry is quick. Stir-fry is also quick, healthy, and delicious! If we were doing one of those "process of elimination" or "deduction" exercises, one might ultimately deduce from my statement that I love stir-fry...and one would be correct!
If you have leftover rice or quick-cooking minute rice, you can have this entire meal ready in less than 30 minutes. QUICK! Stir-fry is a wonderful way to get lots of veggies, fiber, flavor, and healthy protein into your diet. To this stir-fry, I added shrimp, broccoli, bell pepper, and carrots, and served it over some unsalted brown rice (the stir-fry had plenty of flavor on its own!)

The lengthiest part of this process is prepping your add-ins (chopping the broccoli into florets, slicing the bell pepper, etc.), which usually shouldn't take long anyway--isn't that great? Get excited, folks. One of my favorite parts of tonight's recipe was using sweet chili sauce. I love that stuff! Sweet, tangy, a little spicy...mmm.
I adapted the recipe from here--and as usual, adjusted for one person (though I had a little leftover to use for lunch tomorrow! Hooray!) Know that as with all of my recipes, this one is extremely versatile. You can throw in some sugar-snap peas or baby corn--you can use steak or chicken instead of shrimp; noodles in place of rice--the possibilities are endless! Get creative. Get quick. Get to stir-frying : )
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup brown rice (or use leftovers if you've got them!)
  • 1 pound extra-large shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1/2 bell pepper, sliced
  • 1/2-1 cup baby carrots, halved
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions. Dry shrimp with paper towel; set aside.

Heat a skillet or wok over high heat for a few minutes. Remove pan from heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil and broccoli, carrots, and bell pepper very, very carefully (oil may spatter). Return pan to heat and cook undisturbed for 1 minute. Toss vegetables and cook for one additional minute. Veggies should be crisp-tender.

Add remaining two tablespoons of oil and shrimp, stirring frequently until shrimp are opaque throughout, about two minutes; within the last 30 seconds of cooking, add in garlic. Remove pan from heat. Stir in sweet chili sauce and soy sauce, and toss to coat. Serve with prepared rice.

4 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, Esther. I have been CRAVING stir-fry like nobody's business and gave in to Mr. Chopsticks today. It's delicious, but can get expensive! I'm going to try your recipe and load up on veggies!

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    1. Hey, Torie! Thank you for stopping by : )

      Man, when that craving hits, there's no telling what can happen! HA! Yes, do try this one--and add TONS of veggies! The quick cooking helps to keep lots of nutrients in the veggies while maintaining a fabulous crisp-tender texture.

      I hope it turns out well! Let me know!! : ) Thanks for the comment!

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  2. I'm looking for a dish that I can serve to my visitors for my wife's birthday tomorrow. I think this one is perfect, because it's healthy and it's very easy to cook. I will definitely create this for tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!

    Beef Stir Fry

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Alejandro! Thank you so much for stopping by! I think that both the beef AND shrimp stir-fry dishes will be perfect for your wife's birthday dinner. Consider serving it with a warm, brothy soup or a cool cucumber salad to round out the meal!

      http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/japanese_cucumber_salad.html

      How thoughtful of you to cook for her and her guests! I hope she loves it. Wish her a happy birthday from me, and good luck!

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