SHRIMP AND PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

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Making a quality meal for your family doesn’t always have to be a challenge.  I cook for my family almost daily but I almost always cook meals that take less than an hour.  While I do love to spend time in the kitchen, sometimes I am just simply too busy to do so.  Having a catalog of quick, go to meals and a pantry with certain staples is key.  One of my favorite meals to make is fried rice; I mean who doesn’t love fried rice?  I was inspired by the Chinese New Year to create a dish with Asian flavors that’s quick, simple and perfect for busy families.  This meal had to be quick so I grabbed a few ingredients that I picked up at Walmart; Minute® Whole Grain Brown Rice, Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Dole Pineapple Chunks in 100% pineapple juice.  I decided to make a shrimp and pineapple fried rice.  I’ve been cooking a lot of brown rice lately and was surprised to see that Minute® Rice had a whole grain brown rice variety which has the rich nutty flavor of brown rice but cooks up in just 10 minutes.  It has the same nutritional value as the regular brown rice but cooks quickly because it is parboiled.  I first cooked the rice and then I spread it out in a 13×9 pan so it can cool a bit.  I was surprised at how quick this rice cooked up and it was very fluffy which I loved!  While the rice cooled I prepared all my ingredients because it is best to have all the components ready before cooking when making fried rice.  Make sure to cut all of the vegetables and have all the ingredients ready to go.  I diced the Dole Pineapple Chunks into smaller pieces because I wanted tiny bites to be a bit of a surprise.  I almost always have a can of Dole Pineapple Chunks in my pantry because they are not only great in desserts like pine tarts but also in savory dishes; it is also naturally fat free and low sodium.  I then seasoned the shrimp using Kikkoman Soy Sauce which is a must for fried rice but it also adds great flavor to a variety of other dishes.  I wanted to make sure that not only rice had flavor but also the shrimp.   With all the prep work included, this meal took less than 30 minutes from beginning to end and my family loved it.  I love meals like this that are quick, easy and big on flavor.  Click here for more meals inspiration with great Asian flavors.

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Shrimp and Pineapple Fried Rice

Mix 12 oz shrimp with:

 1 tsp crushed garlic

½ tsp crushed ginger

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp soy sauce

 5 cups cooked Minute Brown Rice (cold)

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup Dole pineapple chunks, drained and cut into quarters

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp crushed ginger

¾ tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp salt

3 scallion, finely chopped

3 tsp canola oil

Mix shrimp with garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and 1 tbsp soy sauce

In a large pot or wok over high heat, add 1 tsp oil and scramble eggs.   Remove from pot and set aside.  Add another teaspoon of oil to the pot then add seasoned shrimp and stir fry for 3 minutes.  Remove from the pot and place in a bowl.

Next add remaining oil; when oil is hot add onion, garlic and ginger and stir fry for 1 minute.  Add frozen peas, carrots and pineapple and stir fry for an additional minute.  Add rice, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and mix well.  Stir fry for 2 minutes, then add shrimp, cooked egg, scallion and salt and cook for an additional minute.  Remove from heat and serve warm.