Spicy Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry

With asparagus now in season, this is an excellent recipe to try! It comes from the fabulous book, "Eat This, Not That." It's super healthy and full of taste too.  Hope you enjoy it!

1/2 C instant brown rice (measured dry)


1 tsp canola or other cooking oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 C mixed chopped peppers

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 C chopped raw asparagus

8 oz shrimp
1 tbsp soy sauce

hot sauce to taste (like sriracha)

Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

Prepare the brown rice according to the package directions. Add the oil to a large saute pan or wok and place over high heat. When the oil is smoking, add the onions, peppers, garlic, and asparagus, then stir fry for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have browned slightly. Stir in the shrimp, soy sauce, and hot sauce and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
 
Enjoy!

Shrimp Fajitas with Homemade Guacamole

For the Fajitas:

Ingredients

tortilla shells
1 lb shrimp, peeled, rinsed
1 large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese
sour cream

Preparation

1. Saute peppers and onions until tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Once peppers and onions are tender, add shrimp and saute until opaque.  This takes just a couple minutes.  Do not overcook the shrimp!  They take maybe 2-3 minutes to be completely cooked!

2. Pile chosen ingredients onto a tortilla shell, including cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.





For the Guacamole:

Ingredients

3 ripe (but not mushy) avocados
1 small (or 1/4 of the inevitably giant) red onion, minced
1 small tomato, diced
1 lime
salt
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. While the onions and peppers are cooking, this would be a good time to make the guacamole.  Before cutting open the avocados, you should diced all other needed ingredients and have them ready, because avocados turn brown quickly once they hit the air.

2. Mash up avocados and mix in all other ingredients, adding salt to taste and squeezing lime to taste.  The lime also serves the purpose of extending the life of the avocado, so don't be stingy!


They were quite delicious!  The guacamole is also good with chips as an appetizer.

**Fresh guacamole is really only fresh for one day, so be generous when you eat it.  It's possible to make it last another day, but the best way I've found is to line a very air-tight container with Saran wrap, put the guac inside, wrap the saran wrap over it, seal the container with the lid, and then put it in the fridge.  The guac should be good enough to eat the next day, you'll just have to scrape off the top layer of brownness.  But you should really eat all the guac that second day.  That is absolutely the only downside to fresh guacamole, and it's still totally worth it cause it's so delicious!**

- Sarah

Spicy Shrimp and Sausage Boil

If you've ever had a real low-country boil, this is the "I live in an apartment" version. Pretty tasty.

Ingredients

1 serrano or jalapeno chile, halved lengthwise
2 celery stalks, halved
1 medium onion, quartered through stem end
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 T seafood seasoning, plus more for serving
1 pound red new potatoes
2 ears corn, husks and silks removed, quartered
1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound large shell-on shrimp
2 T melted butter
1 t. hot sauce

Preparation

1. In a large pot, combine chile, celery, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning, and 10 cups water; bring to a boil. Add potatoes and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Add corn and sausage to pot. Cook until potatoes and corn are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Stir in shrimp and let stand until shrimp are opaque throughout, about 1.5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid; drain shrimp mixture and return to pot.

3. Add butter, 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning, hot sauce, and reserved cooking liquid and toss to combine. Serve with more seafood seasoning.

Serves 4.


*Recipe from Everyday Food Issue 64

- Sarah