Fried “Rice”

I finally bought a wok.

This is pretty exciting and intimidating at the same time.

I’ve never owned any fancy kind of cookware.  Granted, I bought it at Marshall’s for $10, but I still bought a wok.

I let it sit on the kitchen counter for a few days, price sticker still on it.  I’d look at it and think, “Do I really this?” I mean, it was only $10 but … do I need ANOTHER cooking vessel?  (Brad’s answer – No) But it’s a wok! Shouldn’t every kitchen have one? Sure!  After a couple of days I finally took the sticker off and threw the receipt away.  No turning back now!

I let it sit for a few more days.  I’d stare at it and think, “What am I going to make?”

Yes. I seriously asked that.

I’ve never made fried rice.  I love ordering it.  But I’ve NEVER made it.  So fried rice is the first thing up in the wok.  But not just any fried rice.  I’ve had my eye on this recipe from Rosie the Londoner.  She has a guilt free egg fried “rice” recipe that sounds amazing. And since it’s a new year, might as well be healthy (just to start eating delicious trash later).

Bust out that wok I know you all have tucked behind all of your pots and pans and preheat that sucker.  No oil just yet.

The “rice” is not just rice, though.  Cauliflower, friends.  Cauliflower.  You take that cauliflower and zip it through your food processor with the grate attachment.  Chop up some onions and garlic as well (but don’t mix them together).

Once the wok is hot, drizzle some oil (not olive oil, something with a higher smoking point so you don’t fill your kitchen with burn) down the sides of the wok and toss in your onions and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes or until they start smelling delish.

Toss in your shrimp if they’re raw.  If they’re cooked, skip this step and add them in last to warm them up.  Cook your shrimpies until just cooked – they’ll stay in the pan so you don’t want to over cook them.

Dump in your “rice” and stir, stir, stir! After a few minutes, drizzle in some soy sauce and continue to stir.

I also added in a little bit of rice vinegar. Once everything is incorporated, make a little well in the center of your wok and crack an egg.

Let the egg cook a little bit until the white starts to set and then break the yolk.  Stir that around a little bit and then stir the whole thing again. Once the egg is cooked, remove from heat and serve.  That’s it! So simple!

It doesn’t look glamorous but man is it tasty.  And not bad for you at all.  Serve it with some sweet chili sauce or sriracha, depending on how you like your heat.  Don’t forget the cilantro! Because that makes anything delicious.  Experiment with your proteins.  Chicken, steak, tofu.  Add more veggies – snow peas, shredded carrots, peppers.  You really can’t go wrong with this basic fried “rice” recipe.

Now I want to stir fry EVERYTHING.  This wok is fun!

Coconut Shrimp Soup

Martha Stewart is just awesome.  I don’t care if she went to jail.  That’s just street cred.  She’s a food genius.  Or at least hired someone who writes amazing recipes.  I’ve been wanting to make this recipe from her cookbook and finally did.  Amaze.

You’ll need:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 pound (6 to 8 medium) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 ounces angel-hair pasta
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Coarse salt
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil.

Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions.

Shrimp, Squid, Scallop and Sausage Paella!

I’m finally using one of my new Ina Garten cookbook.  I found a recipe that I’ve been wanting to make.  Paella!  I had a bag of frozen squid, shrimp and scallops in my freezer for this very recipe.  As soon as I saw the recipe I knew EXACTLY what I was going to make.  I had almost everything except the saffron.  If you have a Trader Joe’s near you – don’t groan!  Their saffron is $5.99!!!!!!!  It’s .020 oz, may not seem like much, but that is MORE than enough for this recipe.  I was psyched to not only make paella but to finally use saffron.  Little things in life excite me!

you’ll need:

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (~2 onions)
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves)
• 2 cups white basmati rice
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat (that’s what Ina called for – I went with my seafood trio, or whatever seafood you prefer)
• 1 pound sausage, sliced
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof dutch oven. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell peppers and cook over medium heat for 5 more minutes. Lower the heat, add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the rice, chicken stock, saffron, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. After 15 minutes, stir the rice gently with a wooden spoon, and return it to the oven to bake uncovered for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the rice is fully cooked.  Remove from oven.

Add the sausage, seafood and peas and stir gently. Cover the paella, and allow it to steam for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve hot.

Man, it was goooooooooooooooooood.  And there was a toooooooon left over.  Win-win.

lemon basil pasta with shrimp

i love pasta but sometimes i want something other than a red sauce.  with the weather getting warmer i like to keep my dinners light tasting yet still delicious.  and i also like to cook for the least amount of time possible.  a hot kitchen on a hot day is not ideal.  this quick meal is a one-pot stop that will get you from the stove to the table in no time.

• spaghetti
• 1 pound shrimp
• chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/ teaspoon salt
• fresh baby leaf spinach

bring water to a boil and add the pasta.  after 8 minutes toss in the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes or until the shrimp is done and pasta is al dente.  drain.  place pasta mixture in a big bowl and stir in basil, capers, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  serve pasta mixture over the spinach and enjoy.

i really liked this dish.  simple, fresh, nothing too complex but still enjoyable.  i think next time i will try chicken or salmon.  they would mesh well with the other ingredients in my opinion.

while i’m on the subject of the ingredients of this dish, i’ve always been weary about capers.  i don’t know why because i’ve never tried them.  i decided to go ahead and try them at least once and i was pleasantly surprised at how yummy they were.  they definitely added the extra zing to this dish that makes it great to enjoy in the spring time.  consider me now on the caper bandwagon.