Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

small pineapple, courtesty Josch13, pixabay.com

Oh, the elegant, beautiful, and delicious Pineapple!

Here is a new recipe (that's sort of a mixture of recipes) that I tried out that was a  hit and tons of fun. It's another Thai based dish, so be sure and do all your prep ahead of time because once you begin, this goes fast.

As many of you know by now, I love spices and sauces and think that certain ones are just outstanding. I am always learning more. As my understanding and use of these expands, I try to name important or essential ones I use in my own recipes. I have listed the ones I used for this dish below in the ingredients.

Note: the recipe below is a big one, good for eight people and great for entertaining, but it doesn't reheat again well, so reduce the size to 1/4th if it's just for two.


Recipe

Ingredients:

10 ounces or large handful of uncooked, peeled raw shrimp –bite size–  or, if like me, you like jumbo shrimp, just cut up (each piece into three) for bite size pieces ahead of cooking

1-1/2 cups of cut pineapple 

2-3 Tbsps grapeseed oil (superior cooking oil)

3-4 cups precooked and refrigerated (24-48 hours) plain Jasmine Rice

Add and mix together:

3 Tbsps soy sauce ( I use gluten free low sodium)

1 Tbsp Red Boat Fish Sauce
(ONLY use Premium Fish Sauce)
(I use different brand Premium Fish Sauces for different dishes. This one is very good in this dish and available at Kroger's and Whole Foods)

2 tsps curry powder (Morton and Bassett is awesome - if you can find it,  keep it with your choices spices! I swear this spice makes this dish unbelievable!)

salt and black and white pepper and a tsp. sugar

Set Aside:

1-3 long sliced Thai peppers and seeds (include seeds with these peppers only)

1-3 Fresno Peppers* (optional) (cut up into thin pieces or chopped small)
(Important Note: Remove Seeds! They will make you choke!)
(*Can substitute with cherry chilis or 1/4 red bell pepper)  (NO seeds with any of these peppers!)

1/4 cup chicken stock or less as needed while cooking

fresh lime zest (1/2 lime)

fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)

1 egg (room temperature)

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/3 cup raw whole cashews

salt and black and white pepper


Cut and Prepare and Mix Together:

1-3 grated or julienned carrots

 plus

1-2 cups of assorted small cut vegetables (I used a combination of scizzor-cut fresh snow peas and sweet peas with stick-cut mushrooms and cilantro and added some of my julienned vegetables* in too.  (*see labels)  Whatever is in the fridge can work, some people add in frozen peas, but I like fresh whenever possible.

For Garnish:

Serve with extra Cut Cilantro and Soy Sauce

Prep

1.  Place shrimp (if frozen) in cold water bowl to defrost, then cut into bite size pieces
(or, if fresh, rinse, cut if necessary, and set aside)

2.  Run fingers through cooked rice to unclump with a little drizzle of grapeseed oil - set aside.

3.  Cut Pineapple into pieces and set aside

4.  Cut or Julianne fresh combined-vegetables (as described above)

5.  Assemble other ingredients separately (as described above)

Directions

1.  In wok or large frying pan heat grapeseed oil with liberal salt and black and white pepper at medium high, stir in cashews, turning quickly until light brown - remove with a screened or slotted spoon and set aside on separate plate (can place paper towels on plate to drain)

2.  In same pan, add Thai peppers and Fresno and red peppers stir and press until fragrant but do not burn (about 1 minute), remove with screened or slotted spoon set aside on separate plate.

3.  Add shrimp to the pan and cook until pink and push to side

4.  Crack egg into pan and scramble and push to side of pan

5.  Add vegetable mix to pan and continue quickly stir-frying (the little cut pieces will cook fast) –add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan as needed to keep from sticking or a little chicken stock 1 Tbsp. at a time.

6.  Now add in rice, pineapple chunks, lime zest, and lime juice and return the cashews and cooked peppers to dish and stir egg back in from side, stirring quickly (Note: don't use chicken stock in at this point, after rice is added, or it will become soft. If needed, add a little more grapeseed oil.) Add in bean sprouts.

7.  Add sauce mixture stirring quickly.

Check dish and, if wanted, add extra salt and black pepper to taste

Serve Immediately with Cilantro Garnish and Soy Sauce on Table

For Fun: Serve in Cut Out Pineapple Shells!

Enjoy!

-bbffair

My Tom Yum(m) Soup - Very Spicy

Tom Yum(m) Soup

Where have I been? You guessed it! On an adventure into Thai cooking!

OMG! I LOVE Thai food! And now I have  just a few beautiful recipes to share that I have made my own.

For today, here is my Tom Yum(m) Soup! The picture on this post is of my lunch. Isn't it beautiful!

I make it extra, extra hot and spicy!


Okay, here goes:

My Tom Yum(m) Soup

Ingredients List:

6-8 cups (1-1/2 to 2 boxes ) Chicken Stock (Organic Pacifica brand is very good)

2 stalks of lemon grass

Zest of 1 medium lime
       (Note: Some recipes call for Tafir (lime) leaves. They are hard to find for me right now, but lime zest works great as a substitute.)

5-6 red Thai chili peppers (wear gloves for handling these -they WILL burn you or your eyes!)
      Take off stems and slice lengthwise into 2 or 4 strips and then chop and put aside, keep seeds for cooking too

2-3 tiny fresh red cherry peppers (the size of a cherry tomato) (do not use these seeds - they might make you cough) -or 1/4-1/5 of a fresh red bell pepper - sliced thin

Generous handful of Shitake  mushrooms (can be substituted with brown mushrooms) sliced thin

1 lb. package of frozen large raw peeled and devined shrimp (thawed in cold water while you prep recipe)
      (or fresh raw peeled and devined large shrimp)

Juice of medium lime

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1-3 T. of high quality fish sauce

Broccoli - one large stalk chop up the stem into thin pieces and also the flowers into little pieces

1-4 short dollops of Chili sauce* (I use Sriraja Paniich or Taste of Thai Garlic Chili Sauce)
(*Note: I like this better than regular garlic which I don't really like to handle and find it integrates very nicely and doesn't "stand out" if you know what I mean.)

1/2 package of ripe fresh cherry tomatoes
 
 ~~

Prep:

Prepare all the ingredients as directed above and in step 2 below before beginning.

~~

Directions:

1.  Pour chicken stock into a pan and bring to boil.

2.  Cut off the bulb and any brown tops of the lemongrass and peel the outer layers. Chop the good (edible) white portion of the lemongrass into tiny pieces. Cut the upper stems in 3-4 places slightly (not all the way through) and then bruise (hammer and bend) and add the pieces and the bruised stems into the now boiling chicken broth for about 2 minutes

3.  Add the garlic sauce dollops to taste (I use 4 good ones). Add the cut up Thai peppers and seeds, the red peppers, lime zest, and mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium-simmer for 2 minutes.

4.  Add shrimp and broccoli and simmer medium for 4 minutes until shrimp is pink and done.

5.  Reduce heat to med-low. Add fish sauce, juice from one whole medium lime, and tomatoes.
Can cover, if desired. Cook about 3 minutes. Stir well -gently simmer.

(Usually this is about perfect for my tastes. But test it for yourself. If too salty, add more lime juice. If too sour, add 1/4 t. sugar. Not spicy enough for your taste, maybe another dollop of chili sauce will take it there!)


*Options:   1/4 t.  sea salt
                  1/4 t.  sugar
                  1/2 can evaporated milk or coconut milk

(Note: I don't add milk to mine or sugar)


6.  Remove lemongrass stalks and discard. (They add flavor to the soup but are not edible like the chopped parts.)

7.  Serve with fresh cilantro and/or Thai chili sauce.

~~

As you can see above, I make mine VERY spicy! I swear by this soup! It will clean you up, clean you out, make your eyes water, wash out your sinuses, possibly helps prevent cancer (yes. really! see this link!), and fill you up, satisfy your hunger and appetite, and for almost no calories.  Let me repeat: almost NO CALORIES!

My recipe comes to about 78 calories a cup or 155 calories for a 2-cup serving.

For a more traditional recipe with coconut milk where I got my inspiration (I don't like coconut and like mine spicier.):  http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipes/r/tomyumkung.htm

1-2 cups equals a very nice serving. I save the extra soup right in a sauce pan and reheat it and have lunch for three or four  days.

It is grrreeat for detoxing and dieting as well as hot Thai taste and great nutrition!

Enjoy!

-bbffair

Grilled Shrimp

This is one of my favs.

First I make my trusty Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing with just a tad less mayo and the buttermilk and I put it in the fridge to get nice and chilled. And I keep it in a non-see-through container because I don't want to be too tempted to use this except sparingly for treats like this. Or, you can make a partial amount. It's also best fresh and leftover amounts should be tossed after a week.

Use very fresh shrimp or prawns, raw, and divined, and peeled (tail optional).

And, by the way, fresh water shrimps that have been cracked open with the shell are amazing, like mini-lobsters. Again, buy very fresh.

I put them in a low pan and spray the shrimp with Pam Olive Oil and coat them with Chef Paul Prudhomme's seafood magic, both sides. No oil! No bad calories. Just yumm.

Then, it's a couple of minutes under broil or (skewered) on the grill, turned half-way.

I love the Ranch Dressing as a dip for these. I have these cute little chicky bowls that I put a little personal dip in for each plate and you can measure it to be certain about the calories. (There are about 110 in two TBSPs so I keep mine to four TBSPs when I'm making a whole meal of it. That still keeps my total calorie count for a half-pound of grilled shrimp and dip to about 460 calories).

Okay, there ARE calories in the dip, but it balances out, does not wreck my diet, and, there is NO oil on the shrimps, so it's a nice, neat-o trade.

-bbffair

Grocery List - Continued /AKA The Basic Spices

Meet Chef Paul Prudhomme, one of my heroes!! Yes, the originator of Seafood Magic, one of my most indispensable spices. I LOVE this spice! I love cooking with it on shrimp and seafood and chicken too (better even than the poultry seasoning by far).

And if I ever get a chance, I'm going to eat at Chef Paul's restaurant down in Louisiana and thank him personally! And I LOVE that it's available everywhere!

Get some, cook with it. It is awesome! And, oh, did I bother to say it has a calorie count of one big fat 0, zero-bazero calories. Yep, my kind of hot and spicy!

Okay, back to:

The Grocery List - Continued
(AKA: " The Basic Spices!")

-Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic

-(If you're out and about and can get to a William-Sonoma store, they also have a Potlatch Seasoning, a rub for salmon and seafood that is really, really good too. The only problem for me with that is that the store is not my corner grocery store and I am not a mall girl except when I am on a shopping spree.)

-McCormick Lemon and Herb (I like this so much better than lemon peppers that get too gritty and I like my peppers fresh and separate. This is a very nice lemon herb, but sometimes hard to find.)

-Original Spike gourmet seasoning (Although I don't use this as much as I used to, it is wonderful on fresh corn or on some sandwiches.)

-fresh ground pepper (There IS a difference between fresh pepper and old pepper, so buy it in smaller quantities and more often!)
-fresh pepper-mill black pepper
-fresh four-peppercorn pepper-mill (great on eggs!)

-Pam Olive Oil nonstick spray

-Original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Packets

-small container of buttermilk (When the recipe comes up–very soon!–for spicy shrimp/but not a regular household item as it will not keep.)
-small jar of Hellman's Mayonnaise (Sometimes you have to go there.)

-fresh cilantro
-fresh big white nice looking mushrooms
-a fresh cucumber
-fresh red radishes
-a nice fresh avocado or two
-fresh lemons

-one seedless watermelon (Oh come on, it's summertime!)

(Note: make sure you still have Del Monte's original recipe canned stewed tomatoes and Freshlike canned small sliced beets in your cupboard from an earlier list too.)

-Imagine Bistro Organic Cuban Black Bean Bisque (You'll find this in the health food section and, OMG! A long time ago, my husband and I passed through Asheville, North Carolina and had the best darn bowl of black bean soup I've ever had in my life and it also happened to be my first too. It was sooooo delicious that, four years later, we went out of our way on another southern trip and back to Asheville with another bowl of that very same black bean soup in mind. Alas, in spite of Asheville being a very good stop altogether, the soup was no longer to be found. Many, many years and many samplings later, finally, this is IT! This is incredible, back-to-Asheville fine fine fine!) (4 servings in a box.)

-Pacific Natural Foods All Natural Thai Sweet Potato Soup (Small box - 2 servings a box.)

-tin foil

-ginger sauce (we are always on the hunt for good ginger sauces and they always seem to come and go. Please let us know if you find one that is worth hunting down. I am talking about the orangish-yellow colored sauce that doesn't have any stand-out onion overtones. Right now, we are settling with the Whole Food's 365 Soy Ginger Sauce.

-soy-ginger sauce (same story as above - only this one is the dark, thick, black colored sauce. Right now we are going with Annie Chun's.)

(If you can find it, the Ginger People sauces are top! Buy the Lime Ginger (it is awesome all by itself over sea bass on the grill!) and the Spicy Ginger Teriyaki Sauce. The store locator is found here: http://www.gingerpeople.com/storelocator/location/map/
They were everywhere in our town and then they all but disappeared with only one or two of their unbelievable sauces to be found! Why is ginger such a fleeting find???)

-Korean Sweet and Spicy Sauce (There are a number of brands. I'm still experimenting. One has 100 calories and another 45 per serving. I like the spicy, less sugary variety and, so far, nothing beats the kitchen-made sauce that our local Thai restaurant puts together. Grin!)

Okay, you are set up nicely with this list.

For the soon-to-be-following recipes, you will also need on the day you plan to cook it:

-fresh peeled and divined raw shrimp
-fresh thick even piece of nice salmon
-fresh (or still frozen with the ice crystals still on them in the fresh fish department) big sea scallops

NOTE: You will want to get your fish fresh daily. (Always do that! And smell it too. Old shrimp stinks. Fresh fish never does. If it doesn't look good to you, keep shopping.)

-bbffair

Once Upon A Time in Mexico

Okay, here is a true story.

Once upon a time, (a long time ago), I was in college in Southern California and it was spring vacation. I didn't have a lot of money. So I got on a (very long) bus and went down, down, down into Mexico.

I got a cheap hotel. I walked to the beach every day and walked on the beach every day. I got sunburned. And, at the time, I didn't like or trust the food south of the border. So every day, I ate shrimp cocktail for lunch, snacks, and dinner.

Hmmm. Delicious! Yes!

When I got back, I had lost a LOT of weight and I was already thin and in shape.

Shrimp cocktail (and nice beach walking) can do wonders for a girl!

P.S. When I allocate one night (like Friday or movie night or dancing night out night) a week to a dinner of just a LOT of shrimp cocktail, (I often buy a pound and share it with my husband! Yep! That's a half-pound a piece!) my waistline gets trimmer naturally!

-bbffair

Shrimp Cocktail

What do you do when you had a very healthy, but too big meal?

Eat a Big *Shrimp Cocktail Only* dinner the next day!!!

Delicious, low in calories, high in yumm and feeling fed factor,
and back on track!

-bbffair