Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry

I love stir fry.  I have a go to recipe that I really like in a few variations:

Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry (EF, DF, GF), 

Chicken Asparugus and Mushroom Stir Fry (EF, DF, GF) and 

Shrimp Green Bean Stir Fry (EF, DF, GF).

I have tried this recipe with broccoli but the broccoli absorbs too much of the soy sauce and it is actually too strong.  So, my recipe seems to work best on the waxier varieties of vegetables.

I wanted to try a broccoli stir fry, since my kids actually really like broccoli.  I found this one online.  I think having less soy sauce with broth is a good solution to give the broccoli a nice flavor without over powering the vegetable.

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry - click to link to recipe.

* For those on a gluten-free diet, be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce.  Also, double check the ingredient lists for your broth and chili sauce.

Shrimp & Grits

I found this recipe on Pinterest and was so excited to try it.  My kids actually really love shrimp but they had not tried grits.  They liked the grits okay but gobbled up the shrimp.  My husband also really enjoyed this.

Shrimp and Grits - click to link to the recipe.

Recipe notes:  I pretty much made this recipe as described.  But I used 2 cups of broth in place of the water and bouillon cube, because that is what I had.  I also used my own Cajun Spices, adjusted for this recipe and to reduce the heat for my kiddos.  See spice adjustment below:

1/2 t seasoned salt
3/4 t garlic powder
3/4 t onion powder
Pinch white pepper
1/2 t black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 t thyme
1/8 t oregano

Gluten-free notes:  Grits should be gluten-free but check the label for those and the broth.

Shrimp Green Bean Stir Fry

This recipe is really just a variation of my other stir fry recipes also found on this blog:  Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry (EF, DF, GF) and Chicken Asparugus and Mushroom Stir Fry (EF, DF, GF).  Stir Fry is so good and allergy friendly.  I think it is worth reposting in numerous variations.

Both of my kids love shrimp, especially my oldest.  So, this was a big hit at my house tonight!

Shrimp and Green Bean Stir Fry  

1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed and halved

1 lb shrimp, deveined and peeled

1 T olive oil         

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ t ground ginger

½ t freshly ground black pepper

1 t cornstarch

¼ c water

¼ c reduced-sodium soy sauce*

2 T honey

Steam green beans in a steamer pan for about 10 min or until tender when pricked with a fork.  While the green beans are steaming, preheat skillet and add oil, shrimp and garlic to hot skillet and sprinkle with ginger and pepper.  Sauté, until shrimp are pink and slightly curled, about 3-5 minutes.  Add steamed green beans to skillet.  Mix water, cornstarch and soy sauce.  Pour over shrimp and green beans.  Add honey and stir until incorporated and sauce starts to thicken.  Serve over your favorite rice.  

Serves 4

* For those on a gluten-free diet, be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce.

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi Pasta

I have made this recipe twice now.  My kids love it!!  They both actually really like shrimp, broccoli and pasta so this recipe combines some of their favorites.  It also has a nice light sauce which is perfect for kiddos, especially my oldest who isn't a big fan of any sauces with tomato 'chunks'.

I have also used a couple of different kinds of multigrain pastas with this recipe.  This recipe is a delicious, well balanced recipe you can feel good about feeding to your family.  It would be easy to kick this recipe up a notch with a little added spice, if you prefer spicier dishes.

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi Pasta - I made this recipe as published in the January 2014 issue of Cooking Light magazine.  Click here for the recipe.

Gluten-free notes:  This recipe could easily be made gluten-free if you substituted your favorite gluten free pasta and made sure the chicken broth was also gluten free.

Thai Shrimp and Cabbage

I first tried this recipe years ago.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the shrimp and cabbage combination.  The original recipe cooked the shrimp and served it over the cabbage for a really low-carb dinner.  We like it better with the shrimp and cabbage served over rice.  Because this recipe has some Thai flavors, we serve it over deliciously fragrant Jasmine rice. 

If you like this recipe, you may also like Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry (EF, DF, GF).

Thai Shrimp and Cabbage

Inspired by Thai Shrimp and Cabbage Taste of Home June/July 2005

½ head of green cabbage, quartered and sliced

1 yellow onion halved and sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil         

2 lb shrimp

½ t ground ginger

½ t freshly ground black pepper

¼ t cayenne pepper

1 T cornstarch

½ c water

½ c reduced-sodium soy sauce*

¼ c honey

Stir fry cabbage in 1 T oil for about 10 minutes or until tender.  Remove and keep warm.  In the same skillet, stir fry onion and garlic in remaining 1 T oil for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Add the shrimp.  Sprinkle with ginger, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  Stir just until shrimp are browned on both sides.  In a small bowl, mix water, cornstarch and soy sauce until the cornstarch is dissolved.  Pour over shrimp.  Add honey and stir until incorporated and sauce starts to thicken.  Shrimp should be pink and slightly curled.  Stir back in cabbage and sprinkle with cilantro.  Serve over rice.

Serves 8

* For those on a gluten-free diet, be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce.

Shrimp Gumbo

As previously mentioned, I used to work under a boss with Creole ancestry.  I have always enjoyed Creole and Cajun cuisine and I asked him if he had any great recipes to share.  He directed me to a couple of excellent cookbooks and gave me his family recipe for Jambalaya.  One of the cookbooks he recommended is small little paperback called Cajun Cooking by Confident Cooking.  This cookbook assumes you keep chopped Cajun vegetables, roux and a homemade Cajun spice mix on hand.  So, I tried to adapt the recipe for those of us that don't cook Cajun food frequently enough to keep such things readily available.  Also, this recipe calls for file powder.  If you do not live close to Louisiana, this may be a difficult spice to find.  I found it at a specialty grocery store.  This ingredient can be omitted, if necessary.

If you like this recipe, you may also like Jambalaya (EF, DF, GF).

Shrimp Gumbo
Adapted from Cajun Cooking by Confident Cooking

¼ c butter

1 c onion, chopped

1 c bell pepper, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped (1T Celery flakes)*

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 10 oz package frozen cut okra

1 14½ oz can diced tomatoes

3 T vegetable oil

3 T flour

2 t tomato paste

2 t red chili powder

½  t garlic powder

½ t onion powder

½ t dried thyme

¼ t white pepper

¼ t black pepper

¼ t ground allspice

1/8 t cayenne pepper

Pinch of dried oregano

2 bay leaves

1 T Worcestershire sauce

2 c seafood or chicken stock

1 ¼ pounds medium shrimp

1 t file powder, optional
Long-grain white rice

Sauté the onion, bell pepper and celery in butter for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables start to get tender.  Add garlic, okra and crushed tomatoes in a pan.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, start the rice, according to directions on the package.  Then prepare the roux.  Heat a heavy pan (don’t use nonstick) and add the oil.  When the oil is very hot, remove from heat and sprinkle on the flour.  Wisk briskly using a long-handled whisk.  The mixture should be on a slow boil with tiny bubbles constantly breaking on the surface.  Cook for about 2-5 minutes, returning to heat periodically to keep at the desired temperature.  Whisking must be constant and fast to avoid scorching.  If roux does burn, it will be bitter and unusable.  You can let roux cool slightly until ready to use.

Stir in tomato paste, red chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, allspice, cayenne pepper, oregano, bay leaves, and Worcestershire.  Stir for 2 minutes.  Add stock and roux and cook 15 minutes more.  Add shrimp and simmer gently until just cooked.  Season to taste and stir in the file powder, if using.  Top with a scoop of white rice.

Serves 6

*I really do not care for celery so I use 1 T of celery flakes added at the same time as the other dry spices.

Chili & Pepper Grilled Shrimp

About four months ago, I posted this recipe for Spicy Grilled Shrimp.  We wanted to make this recipe again but we did not have all of the ingredients we needed.  Rather than run to the store, we adapted the recipe for what we had and for what we thought went well together.  The result was delicious!  I am not sure which variation I like the most!!

Chili & Pepper Grilled Shrimp  

Adapted from Spicy GrilledShrimp by AZRP February 2008

2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 T garlic powder

2 t salt

2 t chili powder

2 t black pepper

1 t cayenne pepper

3 t lime juice

4 T olive oil

Rinse and drain shrimp set aside.  Mix all remaining ingredients.  Add shrimp to the marinade, stirring to coat shrimp evenly.  Put shrimp on skewers.  Grill over direct heat for about 2 minutes on the first side.  When they start to curl up, flip them and watch until they curl fairly tight and remove immediately.  Some of the shrimp won't curl tight but you can pretty much tell when they are done.  Don't overcook!  Let them rest for a few minutes before serving.