A Quick Stir Fry

Stir fry is a quick easy meal to prepare.  After a long day or at the spur of the moment, this really is dinner in less than 30 minutes! Use whichever veggies you happen to have and either meat or chicken if you like (or even both).  If you used already cooked ingredients, just heat them until they are hot.  Remember that the firmer veggies such as broccoli, green beans and cauliflower, should be blanched first.

Be sure to have all ingredients ready before you start to cook:  chop all veggies, assemble bowl of ice water, get your oil out, spices, herbs, soy sauce - all should be ready to go because once started, the stir fry goes lickedy split.

If you double a recipe you can use the left over shrimp (must be used the next day) to make shrimp tacos.  Just fill your heated tortillas with shrimp and taco goodies and you can even include salad or coleslaw if you have any kicking around.  You can use my recipe for Mango Salsa and don't forget corn chips!  Delish!

GARLIC SHRIMP STIR FRIED WITH BROCCOLI AND SPINACH

Broccoli, one head, cut into bite sized pieces

One 10oz. package of pre-washed, fresh spinach

2 dozen medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

soy sauce

olive oil

salt

lemon pepper

granulated garlic

6 cloves of garlic, chopped medium

bowl of ice water (have this ready!) 

1. Start your rice.

2. Bring medium pot of water to boil, drop in broccoli and let sit for 3-4 minutes.  Drain and immediately plunge into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain and set aside.

3. Peel and de-vein the shrimp, dry on a paper towel and sprinkle with a dry marinade of the salt, lemon pepper, and granulated garlic.  Set aside.

4. Chop garlic, set aside.

5. Open spinach package, line up your other ingredients:  soy sauce & oil, and get them ready by your pan or wok along with the veggies and garlic.

6. Heat pan on high, add oil then broccoli and garlic, and stir fry for just a few minutes making sure that the garlic does not burn.  Put on the lid, let steam for one minute, then put in a splash of soy sauce, stir, put lid back on and steam for another minute.

7. Turn up flame, add shrimp and stir until pink and plump, about 2 minutes.  Do not overcook!  When all is tender, put into empty blanching pot and set aside.

8. With flame up, add a bit more oil if needed, stir fry the spinach until it cooks down.  Take the broccoli shrimp mixture and add it to the spinach in the pan and toss until well mixed.

9. Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

MANGO SALSA

1 can mango, 14 oz.

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/4 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1/2 - 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

4 Tb fresh cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice or to taste

1 1/2 tsp orange juice or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

optional: 1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix all prepared ingredients together and chill. Served with fish, chicken or pork. Great in homemade tacos.

Dessert Delicious - Quick and Easy!

I hope everyone is enjoying the first days of spring weather. A great time for hiking and picnics along with some holidays: Easter, Passover, Earth Day and, oh, don't forget ... Taxes! Bringing goodies to share with family and friends is so appreciated all year round and really, Spring is the kick-off season for many of these food occasions.

A holiday dinner can be casual or fancy depending upon your schedule and your taste buds. But because we are busy people with busy lives I thought that a quick dessert that can literally be thrown together, would be fun.

This recipe is so flexible that you do not even need the measured amounts listed. The real name for this cake is a “dump” cake because you can just dump into a bowl all the items you want to include without measuring at all. Then just mix, bake, serve, and enjoy!

QUICK AND EASY CHERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 package chocolate cake mix

1/12oz can evaporated milk

1/210z can cherry pie filling

1/.2 chopped pecans or walnuts

Heat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Pour dry cake mix into a bowl, add milk and stir. Then add cherries, stir again, add nuts and stir just until folded in.

Spread into pan and bake 45 - 50 minutes in your 350 oven.

Cool before frosting.

Note: you can fold in other yummies along with your cherry pie filling: sour cream, canned pineapple chunks, fruit cocktail (drained), chocolate or any chips, or peanut brittle chunks.

FROSTING

1 Cup sugar

6 Tb. butter

1/3 cup milk

6-8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Combine sugar, butter and milk in small saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly and cook one minute. Remove from heat.

Pour in the chocolate chips and stir until creamy and melted. Spread over cooled cake.

ENJOY!