Sweet & Sour Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bowls

I've been searching the Internet for recipe ideas that would be outside our normal everyday meals. I found a recipe on Kraft.com for Pineapple Shrimp Kabobs. Instead of making this a kabob meal, I made it a "stir fry" of sorts. It turned out to be a quick 30 minute meal with tons of flavor.

I made some changes to the recipe and in the end I was very pleased at how it turned out. My happiest moments came as my kids took their first bites and both surprisingly said "I really like this!" You had to be here while I was preparing the meal. My daughter kept insisting that she hated shrimp and that she wasn't going to eat dinner ...and, of course, she said that I was going to starve her on purpose. She ended up eating more shrimp than anyone else. My son admitted that he thought that he would hate but that he really liked it.

What more could I ask for?  :)

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bowls
adapted from Kraft.com

4 cups of cooked rice of your choice, kept warm
3/4 c. zesty Italian dressing
2 tbsp + 2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 - 4 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 bags large size frozen shrimp, tails removed and thawed
3/4 can of unsweetened pineapple chunks
1/3 c. fresh basil, chopped

Prepare rice and keep it warm until ready to eat.

In a medium-sized frying pan, stir together Italian dressing, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce and pineapple juice. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and starts to thicken just a bit.

Stir in shrimp. Cook for 5- 6 minutes.

Add pineapple and basil. Continue cooking for 2 more minutes.

To Serve:

Scoop rice into individual bowls.

Spoon the pineapple shrimp sauce over the rice.

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Linking to:

Tempt My Tummy

Tuesdays at the Table 

Tasty Tuesdays

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry

I have always been able to get my kids to eat different kinds of vegetables by cooking stir fries. They love trying new flavor combinations, too. I was rummaging around our local thrift store last week but not having any luck finding anything worthwhile. My daughter ran up to me to show me that she had found three Betty Crocker cookbooks... a dessert book, a casserole book and a stir fry book. Not one to turn away many cookbooks, into the cart they went!

Tonight's dinner, Spicy Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry, was from the stir fries cookbook. Betty didn't disappoint me. The dinner was delicious. I did a quick search to see if I could find the recipe on the Better Crocker website. It's there and with only one change with the new version from the older version in the cookbook - the older version called for deboning chicken breasts  and the new version calls for an easier way by using chicken tenderloins. I used boneless chicken breasts. I made a few substitutions to the recipe which I've highlighted in bold.

Spicy Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry
adapted from BettyCrocker.com

I doubled this recipe.

1 package (15 ounces) chicken breast tenders (not breaded) - I used 5 boneless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 pound broccoli - I used 4 small bunches of fresh broccoli florets
3 tablespoons chili or vegetable oil
1 hot fresh green chili, cut into very thin slices - I used red pepper flakes & added them to the adult's plates only
2 tablespoons brown bean sauce - I subbed Hoisin Sauce
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root
3 green onions, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

Mix chicken, cornstarch, salt and white pepper in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Peel outer layer from broccoli. Cut broccoli lengthwise into 1-inch stems; remove flowerets. Cut stems diagonally into 1/4-inch slices. Place broccoli flowerets and stems in boiling water; heat to boiling. Cover and cook 1 minute; drain. Immediately rinse with cold water; drain.

Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add oil; rotate wok to coat side. Add chili, brown bean sauce, garlic, sugar and ginger root; stir-fry 10 seconds. Add chicken; stir-fry about 2 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add broccoli and onions; stir-fry about 1 minute or until broccoli is heated through.

I served the dish with jasmine rice.

**Notes:  While the dish was delicious as is, we tend to like more sauce with our stir fries. I will make the sauce portion of this recipe x4 the next time**

Spicy Orange Beef with Vegetables

For tonight's dinner, I tried a new recipe called Spicy Orange Beef with Vegetables. It was delicious! I found this recipe posted on FamilyCorner.com by member kathymac.


Here is the original recipe:

Spicy Orange Beef with Vegetables

Makes 4 servings.

3/4 pound beef top round, trimmed of all
visible fat, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 pound green beans
, halved crosswise
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 carrot, cut into matchstick-thin strips

(I doubled the recipe. I also subbed mushrooms for the carrots.)

Combine beef, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and orange rind in a medium bowl; toss well to coat and set aside. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, broth, orange juice, soy sauce, sugar and crushed pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat a nonstick wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of the oil, then add the beef. Stir-fry until cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Swirl the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, then add the ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the green beans, bell pepper and carrot. Stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the beef and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Note: when I cooked the beef at the beginning, I left it slightly pink when I removed it from the pan. Since it is sliced so thin, it will finish cooking very quickly when you put it back in the pan at the end for an additional minute.

(The next time I make this, I am going to try it with a little more orange juice instead and less beef broth for more of a "orangey" flavor. I skipped the ginger because I didn't have any but I will definitely add it in the next time, along with a little more red pepper flakes.)

After all of the prep work, it comes together rather quickly and easily. I added spaghetti noodles to the dish instead of serving it over rice. Everyone really enjoyed it. It's a keeper!

I'm submitting this for my BookMarked Recipe of the Week for next week. Check here for more info. on how you can join me!


Check out this week's BookMarked Recipes.

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Tonight's dinner was a delicious dish called Moo Goo Gai Pan. My friend, Amanda, from Amanda's Cookin' made it and posted it on her blog a couple of weeks ago. The pictures on her blog called out to me begging me to try the recipe. I'm so happy that I did because my whole family loved it.


I followed her directions and added several other veggies to the mix. (extra veggies in blue below). I made the sauce x 6 because of the extra veggies. Also, so that we would have enough sauce to go over the rice.


1/2 lb chicken, sliced thin + 1/2 lb

1 cup mushrooms, sliced - I used baby bella

1 cup broccoli florets + 1 C. - I used frozen florets
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 lg. green pepper, thinly sliced
1 med. onion, diced small
1 can of bamboo shoots, drained well

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp rice cooking wine

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

All ingredients listed in green x 6 to make the sauce.

Combine broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice cooking wine, cornstarch and sugar and set aside.

Heat wok on high heat and add a tablespoon of olive or other cooking oil. Stir fry vegetables for a 3-4 minutes, remove vegetables. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok on high heat. Add garlic and stir fry one minute, then add the chicken. Stir fry chicken until no longer pink. Add the broth mixture and let thicken a little, about 2 minutes. Add vegetables and cook for a few minutes, stirring to combine sauce, meat and vegies.

Serve over white rice.

Delicious!


Now for the fun stuff.....

Fortune Cookies!

Do you believe that their messages hold any truth? With all of the hubbub going on at my house lately, I sure do hope that this one comes true!

This was in my fortune cookie....