Shrimp & Pineapple Stir Fry

I have several tools in my weeknight dinner arsenal and a great stir fry or quick saute is one of those tools.


This method of cooking allows me to have a great meal on the table in under 30 minutes, which is definitely a weeknight goal.  I think many would agree with me that Monday through Friday family dinners shouldn't take too long to prepare.  We're typically far to busy to spend an hour on a Monday night meal preparation.

Succulent bites of pink shrimp combined with the crunch of carrot and pop of edamame, enhanced with sweet niblets of pineapple make this a fabulous forkful...or chopstick full.  The sauce is simply coconut aminos, which is very reminiscent of tamari or soy sauce. You can also use either of those sauces in this dish. 

Serve this over your rice or grain of choice.  Even those microwave packs of rice are great, but I'm particularly fond of my easy Cilantro Lime Rice.

YOU CAN FIND COCONUT AMINOS IS MOST STORES NOW OR PURCHASE VIA THE LINK BELOW

Coconut aminos are a tasty gluten free option to soy sauce, but a little sweeter than soy so I like to think of it as more of a tamari type liquid.  Coconut aminos are actually made from the sap of the coconut plant that is aged and fermented and doesn't taste like coconut.


Adding the coconut aminos at the end of the cooking process brings this all together and lends that slightly salty umami flavor.

This stir fry is so pretty.  Anytime I use lots of colorful veg, I know the dish tastes great visually before I actually put it in my mouth,  Give this one a try and see if you don't agree with me.

Shrimp & Pineapple Stir Fry


12-16 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks (either fresh or drained well from a can
1 red bell pepper, core and seeds removed and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup matchstick cut carrots (I use baby carrots and cur them in half lengthwise, then into smaller slivers
1/2 cup edamame (from frozen, and allowed to thaw a bit)
1 large shallot or 1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup coconut aminos* or low sodium tamari or soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 teaspoon chili flake (I like Aleppo chili flake or you can leave out entirely)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon oil for for sautéing such as grapeseed oil, coconut oil or a non-extra virgin olive oil
Course sea salt 


Toppings (optional but really great with
Chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon White and.or black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped salted nuts.  (I used macadamia nuts but chopped salted peanuts or cashews work great)
2 tablespoons shredded coconut flakes

Rice to serve this with (or other grain of your choice)
I really love to use my cilantro lime rice, that cooks up in under 10 minutes but even the microwave bags of precooked rice are great.


Make sure you have all the veggies, shrimp and garlic chopped and ready to go as this dish goes pretty quickly once you get started.


Add the oil to a large skillet and heat to medium high heat.  Add the bell pepper and carrot along with a pinch of salt and cook about 3 minutes.
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Add the onion or shallot, edamame, garlic, chili flake and sesame oil along with another pinch of salt.  Cook another 3 or so minutes.  You want the veggies to retain a bit of their crispness so it's important not to overcook them.


Add in the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute until they begin to turn pink.  Add the pineapple and coconut aminos or tamari.  Cook until the shrimp is just cooked through then sprinkle on the cilantro and give a final stir.


Serve over rice and be generous with the toppings.  My Cilantro Lime Rice is great for this, but any rice or grain will do.  The crunch of the nuts and sesame seeds is fabulous and some additional cilantro just gives more vibrancy.  A bit of shredded coconut really compliments the pineapple in this dish.



*Coconut aminos are a tasty gluten free option to soy sauce, but a little sweeter than soy so I like to think of it as more of a tamari type liquid.  Coconut aminos are actually made from the sap of the coconut plant that is aged and fermented and doesn't taste like coconut.

Needed:

Wooden spatulas or spoon

Medium Skillet

Cutting Board

Knives