Recipe Favorites: Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Ginger

(Updated 12-07) When I posted this recipe last December, I jokingly said I should call this dish Menu for Hope Shrimp because when I thawed out the shrimp, I had a much more complicated recipe in mind. I switched to this simple recipe after I'd been working for hours on last year's Menu for Hope! The simple recipe turned out to be a real keeper, amazingly delicious, and it took only about 10 minutes to make! This is a great week-night dinner any time of year, but it seems especially perfect for this busy time of year.

It's also time again for Menu for Hope! I hope you've seen the prizes from the Central U.S. region and the huge list of prizes on Chez Pim. The total is now $47,595 $50,630, and rising, but we still need your help. You have until midnight on Friday, December 21, to visit Firstgiving and bid on the prize you'd most like to have. You'll be helping the UN World Food Program send food to hungry kids in Lesotho, and you might win something cool.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Ginger
(3-4 servings, adapted slightly from AllRecipes.)

1 lb. or more large shrimp
1 cup snow peas, cut on diagonal if large
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 T seasoned rice vinegar
(or use 2 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar and 1/2 tsp. sugar or Splenda)
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (or use arrowroot starch if you have it, I buy it from Penzeys)
pinch white pepper
1-2 T vegetable oil or peanut oil (depends on your pan)
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root (use a microplane grater if you have one)
2 T finely minced garlic
(my garlic was frozen, so I used garlic puree in a jar)
2 whole garlic cloves and 2 slices ginger *for seasoning the oil* (optional, see below)

Peel and devein shrimp. (I buy frozen shrimp from Costco which are de-veined, but when I peel them I cut off the tail end which is often discolored.) Cut tips off snow peas and cut larger ones on the diagonal.

Mix chicken stock, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch or arrowroot starch, and white pepper and wisk together. Have grated ginger root and minced garlic ready before you start to cook.

Heat oil over high heat in wok or large frying pan. (See below for tip about *seasoning the oil* if you're doing that.) Add shrimp and stir fry 1-2 minutes (larger shrimp take longer), until shrimp are barely starting to turn opaque. Add garlic, ginger and snow peas and cook about 1 minute. Add sauce mixture and cook until mixture thickens, not more than 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

*Seasoning the oil* is a simple technique to add flavor to the oil for a stir-fry dish. It involves heating the oil, sauteeing several pieces of fresh garlic and ginger for about a minute, then removing them before you add the first stir-fry ingredient. (Be careful not to burn the garlic when doing this or it will leave a bitter flavor.) I keep my garlic and ginger in the freezer, and simply use frozen pieces, which work just fine.

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South Beach Suggestions:
The recipe had only 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, which makes it pretty South Beach Diet friendly without any changes. However, you could use arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch, which would make it just about the ultimate South Beach Diet recipe. For phase one, I'd use arrowroot starch and probably eat this as a whole meal. For phase 2 or 3, This would taste great with something like Basil and Parmesan Rice with Pine Nuts or Brown Rice with Cashews and Herbs.

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Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Diabetes Friendly Recipes