Shrimp Fried Rice

Sometimes I crave fried rice but knowing how much it costs at restaurants I’m never really willing to pay as much as they want. While watching a Japanese cooking show one time a chef said that the trick to flaky fried rice was to soak day old rice in scrambled egg. That’s what I did here as well as giving it a Korean twist.

Ingredients:

• ¾ Cup day old jasmine rice
• 2~3 stalks (?) baby bok choy, chopped
• A handful of snow peas, cut in half
• ½ medium onion, sliced
• 8 small/medium sized shrimp
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• Soy Sauce
• Korean Pepper Paste (Gochujang; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gochujang)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1) Peel and devein shrimp.

2) Into scrambled egg add a couple tablespoons of soy sauce and gochujang.

3) Add day old rice to the egg mixture.

4) Into a large skillet (wok if you have one) heat oil (vegetable or peanut) and cook shrimp. As the shrimp is turning pink add vegetables.

5) Once shrimp and vegetables have cooked through add rice.

Serve.

(If very sensitive to gluten, use Tamari instead of Soy Sauce.)

Shrimp and Cheesy Grits!!

Seriously. This is just gonna turn into a Southern Style cookblog. I swear I must've been Southern in a past life.
Anywho... Onto the classic Southern dish.
Shrimp and Grits!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb shrimp (around 6~10 shrimp depending on how big your shrimp are), peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup polenta
• ½ bell pepper
• ¼ Onion
• 1/3 cob corn
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1: Cut corn off the cob. Chop bell pepper and onion.

2: In a skillet heat a small amount of oil, add corn, bell pepper, and onion. Salt and pepper.

3: Boil milk in a pot, add polenta.

4: Add corn, bell pepper, and onion to polenta.

5: Coat shrimp with salt and pepper, cook shrimp.

6: To polenta add shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7: Plate and enjoy!

Cost breakdown:

• Shrimp: $5.49/4= $1.37
• Polenta: $1.69/8= $0.21
• Bell pepper: $0.30/2= $0.15
• Onion: $0.20/4= $0.05
• Corn: $0.39/3= $0.13
• Milk: $0.30/cup x ½ cup= $0.15
• Cheddar Cheese: $3.02/3= $1.00

Total: $1.37+$0.21+$0.15+$0.05+$0.13+$0.15+$1.00=b
Side note I: I did have some left over polenta though…

Shrimp and Potatoes Au Gratin (Scalloped Potatoes)

Usually I make my au gratin with macaroni but since I didn't have any I figured I'd use potatoes, since I did have those.

• 1/3 lb Shrimp
• 3~4 Russet potatoes depending on size
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons Bisquick mix
• ½ onion (not pictured)
• 2~3 cups milk
• Salt and Pepper
• ¼ ~ 1/3 block of mozzarella (not pictured)
• Green onions for garnish

1) Peel potatoes and slice with ¼ inch width

2) Boil potatoes for about 10~15 minutes or until soft with a fork.

3) If shrimp is not, peel and de-vein.

4)In a skillet melt butter.

5) Chop onion and add to butter. Cook until onions start sweating.

6) Add Bisquick mix. Keep stirring until flour toasts to a nutty brown color.

7) Add shrimp, cook until shrimp gets a pretty pink color.

8) Add about a cup of milk, allow mixture to thicken.

9) Add more milk. Keep adding milk until combination gets a cream like consistency. Add salt and pepper.

10) In a baking pan layer potatoes and roux as if you are making lasagna.

11) On the final layer top with mozzarella and green onions.

12) Bake in an oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Cost breakdown:

• Shrimp: 0.33 lbs at $5.49/lb= $1.81
• Potatoes: 3 x $0.06/each= $0.18
• Butter: $0.72/8= $0.09/tablespoon 
• $0.09 x2= $0.18
• Bisquick: [2/(16/3)] x $0.15= $0.04 
• 1/3 of a cup is 5 1/3 tablespoons, or 16/3 tablespoons
• Onion: $0.20 x ½= $0.10
• Milk: $0.30 x 2.5= $0.75
• Mozzarella: $2.89/4= 0.72

Total: $1.81+ $0.18+ $0.18+ $0.04+ $0.10+ $0.75+ $0.72= $3.78

Total per serving: $3.78/4= $0.95