Yummy Recipe of The Week: Healthy Kung Pao Shrimp.

About a year ago I woke up one morning with a serious craving for some Chinese food. I'm pretty sure this would have been around the time that I was convinced each month that I was "with child, so you know I was not about to deny my body what it so obviously needed wanted. The only problem is that when I want something like this for dinner, I usually have to factor in my health conscious husband which means either I eat alone or I find some kind of happy medium (I know, how boring, right?) My favorite American Chinese dish is hands down Kung Pao Shrimp. Seriously, if I was left to my own devices I would probably eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (which is probably why I married the healthiest man alive, if only to keep me in check.) I found a ton of recipes for this on the Internet, but this one stood out for a few very important reasons 1) the whole dish only contains 2 1/2 tablespoons of oil for 4 people, 2) it looked delicious, 3) the whole thing takes under a half hour to prepare (hell, you can't even call in an order that fast around here,) and 4) most of the ingredients are things that you probably already have in your pantry. Cheaper, easier and healthier... that is 100% craving approved. I have to warn you that this can be a little spicy. Okay, it's a LOT spicy, but you can easily control the heat with the amount chilies that you put in.  享受*


INGREDIENTS
For 4

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 small dried red chiles, 4 halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
1 cup roasted cashews
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 broccoli crown
3 carrots chopped



PREPARATION


In a bowl, mix the orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. 2. In a wok, heat the oil over high heat until smoking. Add the chiles and salt; stir-fry until browned, 45 seconds. Add the onion, ginger and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant, 15 seconds. Steam the carrots and broccoli on the side until tender crisp. Add the peppers and cook until crisp-tender, 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir the sauce, add to the wok and cook until thickened slightly, 30 seconds. Add in the broccoli and carrots until coated. Stir in the cashews and sesame oil; serve.

I paired the dish with brown jasmine rice. 

The recipe is by Food and Wine and can be found here. 

*according to Google Translate that's enjoy in Chinese.