Shrimp Stir Fry with Snow Peas, Mushrooms, Sweet Peppers & Baby Corn Cobs

Printable Recipe

Soaking time for mushrooms 10-20 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8 -10 minutes

Serves 2-4 (depending on how many vegetables used)

Ingredients:
1lb/450g large uncooked shrimp, peeled
Vegetables vary depending on what's in your fridge or pantry.  Here's what I used this time
1/2 tin baby corn cobs, drained and cut in half
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dried Chinese Shitaki mushrooms, re-hydrated & sliced (reserve the mushroom water for the sauce)
1 onion, cut in wedges
2 cups or so sweet snow peas
2 cups small red, yellow & orange peppers, seeded and cut into wedges
3 cups or so of spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1-2 tbsp canola oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)
Sauce: a dash of this and a dash of that -
1 clove garlic, minced or sliced on a microplane (my latest fave slices them paper thin)
1" nub of ginger, finely grated
dash of dark soy (it's thicker and sweeter, but still salty so use sparingly)
dash or two of hoisin sauce
1 tbsp or so Asian chili garlic sauce or Sriracha sauce
dash of sesame oil
(reserved mushroom water only if needed)

Directions:
1. Prepare all ingredients and line up sauces by the stove, as this cooks up very quickly.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large heavy bottomed skillet over high heat.  When it almost starts to smoke, add the onion wedges and mushrooms.  Toss and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the peppers, corn cobs, shrimp, ginger and garlic.  Toss well  for another minute or so.

3. Add the soy sauce, hoisin and chili sauce as well as the chopped spinach.  Toss and allow the natural juices to mix with the sauces.  The shrimp should  be pink when cooked through.  (2-3 minutes).  If the sauce starts to disappear before the shrimp are done, add a little mushroom water.  Continue to toss until done.

Serve over rice or as we did, just as is.

Simple Swiss Chard & Mushroom Stir fry

Peeking out at the top of the photo - great as a side dish with this Garlic Rice and Grilled Butterflied Lamb with Anchovies, Rosemary & Garlic or tossed with pasta or rice as a main.

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 onion, diced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini and shitake, but use whatever you prefer… or have on hand)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp ketjap manis (Korean ketchup) or use soy sauce & some grated ginger

Directions:
1. Prepare the Swiss chard: cut off the stalks and separate from the leaves. Coarsely chop the stalks and leaves separately.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté the onions, mushrooms and Swiss chard stalks until the onions are translucent, mushrooms start to golden and stalks are tender (about 5 minutes) and then add the Swiss chard leaves & garlic over medium heat until the leaves are wilted (2-3 minutes). Add the ketjap manis and toss well. If the vegetables are dry, add a touch of water.

Great as a side with grilled meat like the Butterflied Lamb with Anchovies, Rosemary & Garlic and my Best Garlicky Rice Ever. Or tossed with your favorite noodle as a vegetarian main.

Baby Bok Choy & Shitake Stir Fry

Baby Bok Choy & Shitaki Mushroom Stir Fry
Adapted from Basic Thai Cooking

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Baby bok choy, bottoms, trimmed, rinsed well of sand, drained dry – amount depends on the size – remember that they shrink a bit in the cooking. This time, I found packages of tiny bok choy – one package would feed 2-3 people. If you find the larger bunches, figure on 1 bunch per person, chop into 2” pieces.

1 cup dried shitaki mushrooms
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce ( more if you like more heat)
1 tsp sesame oil
Variations to vegetables – baby corn cobs, sugar snap peas, trimmed and julienned, small broccoli spears, asparagus, sweet red bell peppers…and/or anything else you like

Directions:
1. Place the shitake mushrooms in a small deep bowl and cover with boiling water. You might need to place another bowl or plate set over the mushrooms to keep them submerged. Let stand for 5 minutes – or the time it takes to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Prepare all the ingredients in small bowls to have ready for cooking which really takes less than five minutes. Garlic & ginger in one, oyster sauce, chili sauce & sesame oil in another. Cut the vegetables into 2” chunks. Drain the mushrooms and reserve the liquid in case the sauce dries up before the vegetables are soft. When slicing the shitake remember to remove the remnants of the stem if it feels tough.

3. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté until you get that wonderful aroma – about 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat up to high and add the vegetables and sauce. Toss and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Taste for seasoning and serve.

Shrimp & Scallop Stir Fry with Baby Bok Choy

Shrimp & Scallop Stir Fry with Baby Bok Choy
Adapted from The South Beach Diet Supercharged

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
½ lb/450g large shrimp, shelled & deveined
½ lb/450g large sea scallops (Digby scallops if you can get them), rinsed & patted dry
2 large scallions/green onions, white & green parts thinly sliced
2 large clove garlic, minced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2lb/1kg baby bok choy, rinsed, drained, dried & coarsely chopped (don’t skimp like I did…they really shrink up once chopped)
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (I actually used dark mushroom flavored soy sauce from my local Asian market – I had wanted to add some reconstituted shitake mushrooms, but didn’t have…will definitely do so next time)
2 tsp chili garlic sauce ( more or less depending on how much heat you like)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the shrimps, scallops, scallions and garlic and toss well.

2. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat and add the shrimp/scallop mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink (3-4 minutes). Transfer to a large clean serving bowl.

3. Return the pan to the stove, still at medium high heat, and add the bok choy (there should be “juices” left from the shrimp & scallops in the pan. Cover and cook (stirring occasionally, until the bok choy is tender crisp (another 3 minutes or so). Drain any liquid in the skillet and add the bok choy to the seafood.

4. Return the skillet to the stove and add soy sauce and chili. Stir to combine and bring to a boil (just takes a few seconds). Add the seafood & bok choy and toss to coat. Cook only long enough to reheat. Transfer with slotted spoon to a serving bowl and boil the “sauce” until it thickens a bit. This doesn’t take very long. Pour over seafood and bok choy and serve.

Great dish on its own, but even better over rice (If you’re not South Beach Dieting) or multigrain pasta (if you are into SBD, phase II).