We had a nice piece of salmon to make for dinner tonight. I was really craving Asian flavors. I had recently seen an episode of Barefoot Contessa, an older one, where she made an Asian-style roasted salmon. Seemed easy enough, so I adapted it to fit the ingredients I had on hand and what I thought my kids would eat.

It turned out great! The fish was so moist and the soy/panko crust made it burst with flavor. My husband couldn't stop saying how much he liked it. My son ate the salmon without the panko topping and my daughter refused to even look at it. I'd say those are pretty good numbers. 

Asian Roasted Salmon

Adapted by Foodism Mom from a Barefoot Contessa recipe

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 1/4 pounds center-cut salmon fillet (1 to 1 1/2 inches thick)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 large scallion/green onion, sliced thin
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 tsp crushed fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Directions

Line an 8 by 12-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. You'll want a piece big enough to wrap around the salmon after it's done roasting. Place the salmon in the pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, oyster sauce, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Pour 1/3 of soy sauce mixture over the salmon fillet. Sprinkle the panko evenly over the fillet.

Pour the rest of the soy sauce mixture evenly over the panko. Be sure to soak the panko completely and if any runs off, spoon back onto the salmon. Set aside for 15 minutes, leaving all the sauce in the pan.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

When the oven reaches the right temperature, roast the salmon for 14 to 18 minutes, or for about 12 minutes per inch at the thickest part of the salmon. Peek in during the last few minutes as the panko topping can burn easily. Remove from the oven, wrap tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Thai one on...

Thai food is something that I have never made at home. I'm slightly intimidated by a lot of the recipes. Mainly because they contain some ingredients that I've never heard of.  When I found this recipe for a simplified pad Thai in The Best 30-Minute Recipe book by Cook's Illustrated Magazine, I had to try it.

I used my awesome new wok. Since it's non-stick, I only used oil in Step 3 and skipped it for Step 4. Instead of an 8 oz package of rice noodles, I used 13.2 oz and upped the fish sauce and brown sugar by a 1/2 tablespoon each.

It was fresh and so delicious. Completely doable at home. I highly recommend this recipe!

Simplified Pad Thai
Serves 4

• 8 ounces thick rice stick noodles (use the fettucini-size thai rice noodles)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 Tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3 Tbs brown sugar
• 4 Tbs vegetable oil, divided
• 3/4 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• salt
• 6 Tbs chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
• 3 cups bean sprouts, well rinsed
• 5 whole scallions, sliced thinly
• 1 medium lime, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Cover noodles with hot tap water (not boiling) in a large bowl and soak until softened, pliable, and limp but not fully tender, about 20 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside.

2. While noodles soak, stir lime juice, water, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and 2 Tablespoons of oil together and set aside. Prep and measure out the rest of the ingredients while noodles are soaking.

3. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Heat 1 more Tablespoon of oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet (or wok) over high heat until just smoking. Add shrimp, spread into single layer, and cook without stirring for 1 minute. Stir shrimp and continue to cook until spotty brown and just pink around the edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer shrimp to its own bowl, cover, and set aside.
4. Add remaining Tablespoon of oil and garlic to skillet and return to medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add eggs and ¼ tsp. salt and cook, stirring vigorously until eggs are scrambled, about 20 seconds.
5. Stir soaked noodles into eggs. Add fish sauce mixture, increase heat to high, and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are evenly coated (about 3 minutes).

Add ¼ cup of peanuts, bean sprouts, all but ¼ cup of scallions and cooked shrimp. Continue to cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are tender, about 2 minutes (if not yet tender, add 2 Tablespoons water to skillet and continue to cook until tender).
6. Transfer noodles to serving platter and sprinkle with remaining scallions and peanuts. Serve, passing lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

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Asian-style Short Ribs With Lacquered Carrots

I was really craving beef yesterday, specifically short ribs. I decided to make some for dinner tonight. The ones I usually make have an Italian vibe to them.  I thought I'd mix it up this time and try something with an Asian spin.

Whenever I make short ribs I do them the night before so that I can skim the solidified fat off easily the next day. I wouldn't recommend making them unless you can do this. There is so much fat in short ribs, that's why they taste so good! But it is extremely important to remove most of it and not serve it to your family.

I made some earlier today and with the help of some ice cubes and the refrigerator, I was able to get the fat to harden and remove it before dinner time. What was left was the most tender meat and succulent sauce. Slightly sweet and tons of flavor. The carrots were the perfect accompaniment. I served it over steamed brown rice.

When you read the recipe it might sound like there is a lot to this dish. The browning of the meat  and cutting of the onions is as hard as it gets. I buy jars of pre-chopped garlic and ginger so there is little to no effort there. Once it's in the oven you will have a couple hours to get stuff down around the house, play with the kids.

Unfortunately I had a computer crash and lost all of my pictures. Hopefully you can just imagine them, maybe even dream about them tonight!

Asian-style Short Ribs With Lacquered Carrots
Braises and Stews: Everyday Slow-Cooked Recipes by Tori Ritchie -Revised by Foodism Mom

• 3 lbs beef short ribs on the bone (about 6), as lean as you can find and trimmed of excess fat
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger (I buy mine jarred)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 cups bagged mini carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse the short ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat the bottom of a 5-7 quart Dutch oven with a thin film of vegetable oil and set pot over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add enough short ribs to cover the bottom in 1 layer. Cook, without stirring, until short ribs lift easily from pot with tongs and are well browned on bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and brown on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and continue with remaining short ribs, adding more oil to pot in between batches as needed.

Meanwhile, stir together the orange juice, soy and brown sugar. Set aside.

When the last batch of short ribs has been removed from pot, drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and add the onion. Cook, stirring and scraping the brown bits off the bottom, until onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir 1 minute more until fragrant. Pour in orange juice mixture, let come to a boil, then put short ribs back in pot 1 at a time, bone side up; don't worry if you have to snuggle them a little bit.

Cover pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until meat peels easily away from bone when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and transfer meat and bones to a plate. (The recipe can be made ahead to this point; let cool to room temperature and place short ribs and sauce in separate containers and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

If serving dish right away, cover meat with foil to keep warm. Tilt pot to one side and spoon off as much fat as possible from sauce. Place pot over high heat and add the carrots and 1 cup of water; bring to a boil. (If made ahead, lift and remove solidified fat from top of sauce. Put sauce in a wide, deep pan, add carrots and water and continue as directed.) Reduce heat slightly and cook, uncovered, at a steady simmer until sauce is reduced by about half and carrots are just tender, 12-15 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Return meat briefly to pan to rewarm, then serve. (If reheating meat from refrigerator, cover pan and heat in sauce for about ten minutes). Spoon the sauce on top of short ribs and carrots.

Serves 4.

Chinese take-in...

To try and cook every single night when you have kids would be insane. Sometimes it's impossible to make a meal from scratch. We try not to eat out too much so keeping a few ready to go meals in the freezer really helps.

The other day, my son and I were at Trader Joe's. They always have someone dishing out samples there. That afternoon it was their version of orange chicken. The kind you would find in a Chinese restaurant. I guess it was pretty good because my boy ate his sample AND mine. So I grabbed a bag out of the frozen foods section to bring home.

Tonight I was short on time so I broke out the bag of orange chicken. My son couldn't have been more excited. You bake it in the oven for 20 minutes and toss in the sauce provided.  Easy. I served it with coconut steamed rice and broccoli. Pretty darn good!

Instead of steamed white rice I made coconut rice. You simply make the rice as you normally do, (I use a rice cooker), add unsweetened coconut milk and enough water to fulfill the remainder of liquid needed to cook that amount of rice. Tonight I used four cups of long-grain white rice and a whole 13.5 oz can of coconut milk. The ratio was perfect.

Tonight's post seems more like a product review. I rarely blog about things I don't cook but Trader Joe's frozen orange chicken is good. Keeping things easy when your life is hectic is really, really good!

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Wok this way...

I had been holding out on buying a wok for the longest time. I just wasn't sure if it was necessary, especially because I barely know how to make Asian food. Okay, I have no clue. Over the past few months, my interest in Asian cuisine has peaked and I even bought a book on wok cooking. 

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Joyce Chen non-stick wok. Non-stick because I do not like to use a lot of oil when I cook. Well it arrived yesterday along with some bamboo utensils that I ordered as well. The wok and utensils were beautiful. I could hardly wait to try them out!

I did not plan on going for it tonight but I had some defrosted shrimp and enough veggies to pull a noodle dish together. The noodles I had picked up at a Thai supermarket a few months ago. I bought them thinking they looked tasty but had no clue what I was going to do with them. They are called Chinese Long Life Noodles. Here is a description I found for them: These thin yellow noodles (about the same size as angel hair pasta) are commonly served throughout Thailand in soups and stir-fry. They absorb flavors well and we notice that kids particularly love them. We love these noodles in Mee Sua Mangsawirat, a wonderful Chinese-Thai vegetarian stir fry.

So this noodle dish I made tonight was totally experimental. It was based on Chinese cooking principles I remember from my mom growing up and from what I picked up through reading the wok cookbook. You know what? It turned out pretty good. I'm not going to open up a restaurant any time soon but not bad for my first foray. The wok on the other hand was stellar. It made all the difference, lots of room to move the ingredients around. I definitely achieved the low-fat element I wanted. It was a lot lighter than Chinese take-out. Best of all, my kids ate it up and my hubby was happy.

Wok-tossed Noodles and Shrimp

• Vegetable oil 
• 1 lb shrimp; peeled and deveined; defrosted if frozen; seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 10 oz of mushrooms, sliced 
• 2 tsp chopped garlic 
• 1/4 cup of LOW SODIUM soy sauce 
• 1/4 cup of rice or white wine 
• 2 tsp sugar 
• 1 1/2 tsp corn starch 
• 1 cup of water 
• 13.2 oz package of long life Chinese noodles (chow mein egg noodles are good too)

Directions

Soak the dry noodles in a large bowl of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes or until softened. 

Drain the water and set aside. 


In a bowl, dissolve the sugar and corn starch in 1 cup of water. Set aside.


Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok over medium-high heat. 

When the oil is glistening, add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes, flipping them over halfway through. Set aside in a bowl.

Add another tablespoon of oil into the wok and the onions, peppers and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Set aside, you can use the same bowl as the shrimp. 

Add another tablespoon of oil into the wok. Add the noodles, wine and water/sugar/cornstarch mixture. Use tongs to pick up and toss the noodles around in the sauce for about 5 minutes. Sauce should thicken up. Add the shrimp and veggies and toss them all together for another minute or two to combine everything and coat in the sauce. 

Serve immediately.


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Vegetarian Spy Rice...

I had accumulated a stockpile of rice from meals I made in the past several days. A large container of white and a medium-sized one of brown. Nowadays, what I do with leftover rice is a no-brainer...I make fried rice for the kids. I've never mixed two types of rice together to make it but I figure it could only be the best of both worlds. Brown rice is healthier but I like the lighter, fluffier texture of white rice for this dish. I asked my little boy, who is an Asian food connoisseur, how I should make his "spy rice" tonight. I was thinking of throwing in some of the left over chicken from last night's dinner. That idea was quickly shot down. He said, "I want no chicken just lots and lots of eggs and broccoli too." I was able to bargain in some carrots for his sister. So that is how it become a vegetarian dish.

One of my older posts "Rice is nice...", explains how to make this fried rice. For a meatless version like I did tonight, just substitute the shrimp with more eggs. My hubby and I added Asian chili sauce to ours for more of a kick.

The proof is in the pudding I guess. My son's exact words after taking a few bites were, "I love it, mmm. I love it so, it's so good." Sometimes kids can make the trivial things you do seem like miracles. They are the actual miracles though aren't they?

Chickened out...

Oh, chicken. There are thousands of ways to cook it but I still struggle not to get bored. I'm always looking for new ways to fix it up. Today I was inspired by The Barefoot Contessa's recipe for Indonesian chicken. There are only four ingredients in the marinade; all of which I had on hand except for fresh ginger. I substituted it with ground ginger and instead of whole chickens, I used boneless and skinless chicken breasts. This would be great with fish as well. There is no oil in the marinade or used in the cooking process, very "spa cuisine". It is very close to teriyaki chicken so it's kid-friendly. Next time when I can plan ahead, I'm going to try The Contessa's recipe. It seems much more decadent! I'll be sure to post how it turns out.

Grilled Asian Chicken

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp ground ginger
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

Rinse the breasts in cold water and dry well with paper towels.

I like to cut two slits into the thicker part of the breast (on the underside, leave the pretty side pretty!) to ensure more even marinating and cooking.

Add the soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger to a bowl or baking dish and whisk to combine.

Place the chicken into the marinade. Marinate for at least 2 hours. Flip them half way through. (I only had two hours to marinate the chicken but I think it would have been better if it was for twice as long.)

Heat and clean the grill. When it is very hot, place the chicken pretty side down and turn down the heat to medium-high. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per side, depending on how large they are. Remove from the grill immediately. Let rest for 5 minutes and cut into the thickest part to test for doneness before serving.

Rice is nice...

It's wonderful when your child becomes old enough to tell you what they want...and are specific! There is so much frustration for both parent and child that comes from not being able to communicate with one another. Now the downside to your child being able to express their desires is that they have many, many, many desires. Especially what they desire not to do; such as eat, sleep, brush their teeth, clean up their toys.

Last night my boy told me that he wanted fried rice for dinner (he calls it spy rice). Well it was more like "I want spy rice with white and brown shrimp, eggs and no beans in it." I figured out that "beans" were peas. Ultimately, I bartered in carrots to take the place of so called beans. Oh, but they had to be soft carrots. Since I already had the salmon going for dinner last night, I did make sure to make a bunch of extra steamed rice so that I could make him the fried rice tonight.

I used the Shrimp Fried Rice recipe from the post:

"Confucius says..."

But this time I used minced white onion (1/4 of a medium onion) instead of green onions and steamed carrot slices instead of peas. I also threw in some steamed broccoli for color and extra nutrients. Shrimp and eggs made the cut.

Like the recipe, I still sauteed the shrimp and set them aside. But next I cooked the onion in the oil for about 3 minutes. While the onion cooked, I microwaved the leftover rice for a couple minutes until it was hot and soft again and added it to the pan with the onion. The rest of the dish was prepared as before. I did, however, use a bunch of soy sauce and just a bit of salt this time.

I realize that this fried rice thing is like pasta. Once you know how to make a good basic version of it, you can then substitute the side ingredients with whatever you like. The options are ENDLESS, people!

*Carrots and broccoli can be quickly steamed in the microwave. Just throw the cut up pieces of both all together in a glass bowl, add a few tablespoons of water and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Cook on high for a couple minutes. If you want them more tender, throw them back for a little longer.

Dropping acid...

Salmon is so good for you. Omega-3 fatty acids up the wazoo. These omega-3's do wonders for your brain, joints, heart and if those weren't enough incentive...they also make your skin less prone to wrinkles!!!

I've found that fish isn't offensive to most children if it's cooked right. My kids will eat it if there isn't a heavy sauce on top, if it isn't overcooked and it absolutely can't be fishy. Oh, and of course if it is deep fried golden in a beer batter. So probably no sardines on the kids menu and make sure that you buy the freshest fish you can find.

Tonight's dinner consisted of grilled Soyaki salmon fillets with steamed white rice and sauteed spinach and mushrooms. Soyaki or teriyaki marinades are great to keep around. Delicious with chicken and fish (and probably with other meats though I haven't tried it yet), a real life saver if you can't think of anything to make. They're usually a hit with kids because of the sweetness and all you have to do is pour it out of the bottle. Sauteed spinach I love and the mushrooms are for my little boy. I once made a side of sauteed mushrooms to go with steak and he pretty much ate the whole bowl on his own. Now I make double the portion. Half for him and the other half for my hubby and I.

Soyaki Grilled Salmon

Good quality boneless/skinless salmon fillets (wild caught is ideal, 1/2 lb of salmon per person)

Trader Joe's Soyaki or Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade (1 cup for 2 fillets)

Vegetable oil (for the grill)

An hour before cooking, wash and dry your salmon fillets. Pour the Soyaki in a shallow dish and place your fillets in it. Flip them over after a half an hour and continue to marinate for another half an hour.  You don't want to over-marinate.

Lightly rub vegetable oil onto a clean grill in the area you will be using. Heat up your grill on high. When it is very hot, place your salmon on pretty side down. Depending on how thick your fillets are, cook for 3-4 minutes for medium rare,  4-5 minutes for medium . Carefully flip and cook for another 3-4 or 4-5 minutes. Remove immediately, overcooked salmon is terrible!

Sauteed Spinach & Mushrooms

9 oz organic spinach leaves, pre-washed/ready to eat bag (so convenient!)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
Salt & pepper

In a large pan, heat up olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Saute the mushrooms for 7 minutes. Do not stir that often, they will brown more easily.

Add the spinach and garlic and saute everything for 3 more minutes. Keep it all moving constantly so that the garlic doesn't burn. Turn off the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Plate or put in a serving bowl.

*We grill year round here in Southern California, . If barbecuing isn't an option, you can also cook the salmon in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the fillets on parchment paper or nonstick foil lined baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

Using your noodle...

Looks like another night of Iron Chef cooking at our house. The secret ingredient...shrimp! I found some broccoli in the fridge and dried organic udon noodles in the cupboard. The udon sealed the deal. It was going to be some sort of Asian noodle dish. I immediately thought of a peanut sauce and knew I had all the ingredients I needed down to the green onions. It's such a yummy dish. Sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy. The peanut noodles are the blank canvas.You can add whatever else you have lying around. Grilled chicken would be great, along with any veggie you enjoy. You could even make it entirely vegetarian. The portions I have listed would make two main courses or four side dishes. Double the recipe if you need more. Enjoy!

 

Asian Peanut Noodles

• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar, packed tight
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp fresh crushed ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Asian chili sauce (optional) 
• 2 stalks of green onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 pound of noodles (udon, soba, spaghetti) 
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• veggies (ex.broccoli, red bell pepper, snap peas, etc.) and cooked meat/seafood (ex. shrimp, chicken, tofu, etc.) of your choice (optional)

Start heating up a large pot of water. Cut up your veggies and cooked meat/seafood (optional) into bite size pieces. Slice your green onions. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the first seven (or eight) ingredients. You want the peanut butter to be completely blended into the rest of the sauce.
When the water starts to boil, add your noodles and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain and let cool for a couple minutes.

Transfer the noodles to a large bowl and add half of the peanut sauce. Use tongs to gently mix in the sauce to evenly coat the noodles. Keep adding sauce gradually until it is at the consistency you desire.

Add the sesame seeds, veggies and meats. Toss gently to combine.

Serve warm or cold.

Let us eat shrimp in a cup...

Whenever I have Chinese food, chicken lettuce cups are usually part of the order.  The cold, crisp iceberg lettuce filled with the sweet and salty filling is such a great pairing.  I've never attempted to make it until tonight. I wanted to use shrimp instead of chicken though. What I came up with was surprisingly tasty and (I hope!?) good enough to share with all of you fine people.  It was a light dinner for two people but you could serve it as an appetizer or part of a meal.  I'm left with just enough room in my belly for some dessert!

Shrimp Lettuce Cups

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb shrimp, deveined with shells and tails removed, cut into bite size pieces
8 oz can of sliced water chestnuts (Asian food section), well drained and chopped
2 tbsp of cilantro, chopped
2 stalks green onion, sliced thin
2 tsp garlic, minced fine
1/4  tsp ginger, crushed or powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sherry or another similar alcohol
1 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tsp of corn starch mixed well into 2 tbsp of water
small head of iceberg lettuce, separated into cup shaped pieces
Hoisin sauce (optional, it doesn't really need it)

This is a very fast process so have everything ready to go before you heat up your pan or wok.  In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, , sherry, ginger, and brown sugar together.  Use a paper towel to dry your shrimp and water chestnuts so that there isn't excess liquid on them.  Heat up your oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Add your shrimp, water chestnuts and garlic and saute for a minute and a half. Then add the soy sauce mixture and stir everything around for another minute scraping up any brown bit on the bottom of the pan. Finally add in the corn starch/water solution and keep stirring it all around. Sauce should be thicker now. Turn off your heat and throw in the green onion and cilantro. Mix it all up gently. Transfer to a serving bowl.  Fill the lettuce cups with some of the shrimp and enjoy!

Confucius says...

"Respect yourself and others will respect you." This definitely applies to motherhood. I had big plans to make a succulent stuffed chicken breast tonight with a yummy salad. Then the Christmas Spirit grabbed a tight hold of me this afternoon and I started merrily wrapping presents and writing cards. Before I knew it, four o'clock had rolled around and it was time to pick the boy up from school. The old me would have made that chicken dinner no matter how much work it was or how frantic it made me. Over the years I've realized, if Mom isn't happy then no one is. One thing I have gotten better at is knowing my limits. In life, things often don't turn out the way you want or expect but you can't beat yourself up over it. If you respect yourself and know your limits, then your family will most likely follow your lead. Dinner doesn't have to be fancy or difficult to be good. I know it all seems a little over-dramatic since I was just talking about chicken and somehow worked it into philosophy. But all the little things add up to a lot of stress if you aren't careful.

One of my son's teachers had mentioned that a boy at school always brought the best lunches. He came with shrimp fried rice one day. What a great idea! Sometimes I really don't think of the obvious. My son would LOVE that in his lunchbox. Tonight I was going to test out my skills on the family. When I returned home from the school, I started the rice and quickly defrosted the shrimp and peas by running cold water on them in a bowl in the sink. I was able to hang with the kids while the rice was steaming. The rest the work took about ten minutes once the rice was cooked. Dinner was done.

Shrimp Fried Rice

2 cups of uncooked white or brown rice
10 shrimp (21-25 per lb. size), each cut into about 4 pieces, season lightly with salt and pepper
1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted and brought to room temp.
2 stalks of green onion, sliced thin
2 large eggs, lightly scrambled with a pinch of salt
Vegetable oil
Butter
Salt and pepper

Steam your rice how you normally would. Make sure it is not mushy. When your rice is done set it aside.
Heat a couple teaspoons of oil in a large non-stick everyday pan. Saute the shrimp for a couple minutes until just done. Set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter into the pan, then all the rice. With a large plastic or wooden spoon move your rice around, mixing it in with oil and butter. Next add your eggs. Quickly breaking them up and folding them into the rice. Do this for about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, peas, shrimp and another tablespoon of butter and keep folding it all together for a minute more. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Or use soy sauce instead of salt.

Stay tuned for the stuffed chicken breasts!