Shrimp, Vegetable, and Bacon Stir Fry over Rice Pilaf

Another pretty simple stir-fry over rice...with the addition of my favorite condiment: bacon.  Choose your veggies, saute them in olive oil, add your seasonings, serve over rice. 

Always cook your veggies in the order of what will take the longest to soften to what will take the quickest amount of time.  I always start with the garlic and onion.  Then I'll add the zucchini and asparagus.  Once they're to a good level of doneness I'll add the raw shrimp which I chopped, and when it's almost cooked entirely I'll add the corn and spinach since they don't really need to cook, just be warm. 

For seasonings I added a little cumin, coriander, and salt and pepper.  I could've gone for a wet marinade, but I wanted to keep it simple and let the flavors of the ingredients provide the flavor.  And then, since I can't resist, I threw in some chopped cooked bacon at the end for what I like to consider a nice fusion flair. 

Teriyaki Shrimp Fried Rice

What do I do when I have leftover rice? Stir-fry!  It's a very simple and quick dinner.  Take the meat and veggies you have, choose your sauce/spices, heat it all together, and you're done.

I started with a little garlic and chopped red onion in some butter.  Then I added the asparagus.  After about 5 minutes I added corn and spinach and the raw shrimp.  After everything was sauteed to my liking, I pushed the veggies/shrimp to the side of the pan and added the already cooked rice to the skillet.  I let it cook a little in the butter and then added teriyaki sauce.  After another minute or two I mixed everything together and cooked over medium-high heat to give the rice a nice little crunch.

Finally, I pushed the rice/veggies/shrimp to the edges of the skillet and in the middle I cracked an egg.  I scrambled it by itself and when it was fully cooked I mixed it all together.  I added a little more teriyaki sauce to my liking, and in about 10 minutes I had a fully seasoned, fresh cooked stir fry dinner.

Pasta Primavera

As a child, nothing on the pasta menu sounded more gross than a bland pasta surrounded by veggies.  Hence, I don't think I've ever knowingly ordered pasta primavera.  But I guess when you're an adult you realize vegetables don't have to taste bad, so I decided to combine a smorgasbord of fresh ingredients to make a delightful pasta that the child version of me wouldn't hate either.

Ingredients: Garlic, Onion, Zucchini, Asparagus, Mushrooms, Corn, Spinach, Shrimp
Sauce: White Wine, Broth, Goat Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, 1tsp Flour

So i basically chopped all my veggies.  In a little bit of olive oil I sauteed the garlic and onion.  After 3-5 minutes I added the asparagus, zucchini, and mushrooms.  Once thoroughly cooked I moved the veggies to the side and added a little flour to create a roux.  I then added the white wine (I probably used about 1/2 cup).  To cut the strong flavor of a wine sauce I added some chicken broth to also reduce/thicken.

At this point I added the raw shrimp, corn, and spinach to cook through.  I added goat cheese to the sauce last, then threw on the cooked rigatoni.  I mixed everything well, poured in a bowl, garnished with parmesan and felt like a good kid for eating my veggies.  Since we know I love cream sauces, using cheese and wine/broth as a base rather than cream itself gave me the same thickening effect, but with a little less guilt.  Highly recommended.

Reduction Sauces - Steak and Potatoes

I purchased two filet mignons so I had two nights of steak and potato dinners.  The first I served with asparagus, the second with zucchini.  And for the sauce, two reduction sauces with garlic and mushrooms and then a garnish of french fried onions. 

The first reduction sauce was a port reduction.  I used a tawny port and added about a cup to a skillet of sauteed garlic and mushrooms and cooked until it was reduced.  The second reduction sauce was balsamic and I did the same thing.  

The asparagus I cooked in a skillet with a little water, salt, and pepper.  The zucchini I seasoned and cooked with a little olive oil.  For the filets, I heated a skillet over medium-high heat, salted/peppered the meat, and seared the steak for about 2 minutes on each side. 

Dish up the potatoes, green veggies, steak, pour the reduction sauce over the potatoes/meat, and garnish with the onions.  Steakhouse dinner at home and you didn't even need a grill. 

Bibimbap, a Variation

I was inspired by Bibimbap the other night, but lacking the traditional ingredients, so I made this, my variation on the Korean dish.  I didn't have any beef, so I opted for chicken, and used the veggies I had in my fridge.

Ingredients: Rice, Chicken, Asparagus, Mushrooms, 1 Leek, Garlic
Sauce: Soy sauce, sesame oil, chili powder, salt/pepper

Chop your veggies and chicken and place the chicken in soy sauce and garlic to marinate for anywhere from thirty minutes to a few hours.  Add chili oil/any other relevant spices or sauces you may have. 

Prepare the rice.  I used white jasmine rice.  While the rice is cooking, heat some sesame oil in a skillet and add your veggies. 

Once they are well sauteed, add the chicken and it's sauce to the skillet.  Cook through and add more soy sauce/seasonings as you see fit.  When everything is cooked completely, put some rice in a bowl, add the chicken/veggies on top.  Finally crack an egg in the skillet you cooked the veggies in to fry it to your desired doneness.  Put the egg on top of the rice/veggie mixture.  To eat, mix everything together in classic bibimbap fashion or eat in portions, whatever you'd prefer.