30-minute dinner for two: shrimp and vegetable stir-fry

THK asked me for this recipe. therefore i am sharing it with all of you. and, although it is basic, it's also amazingly fast, flexible, and healthy. it's also delicious--it's what a crave when i am sick of eating crap and want somehting good for me and also yummy. i have been known to make this while sick as a dog and half-delirious just so i can have all the fresh vegetables in something hot with a lot of flavor. but i digress...

INGREDIENTS

• a few tablespoons olive oil
• soy sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic^*
• ~1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger^*
• ~3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (i buy them already cleaned)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 small red pepper
• 2 handfuls of mushrooms, mixed (this has shitake and white button)
• ~1/3 cup cashews
• 1 broccoli crown
• a handful of snowpeas

DIRECTIONS

cut everything into bite-sized pieces. put oil^*, soy sauce, garlic (minced or through a press), and ginger to a large pan or wok. heat until oil is very hot. add shrimp and sauté just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. remove from pan and reserve. add a little more soy sauce, the cashews, and all the vegetable except the broccoli and snow peas. sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions start to become a little translucent and the mushrooms bein to release liquid. add the broccoli and snow peas and saute for about 3 minutes more. add the shrimp back to the pan and stir until heated through. serve immediately either plain or with rice. add soy sauce, asian hot pepper sauces (like sambal oelek--mmmm), and chili oil at will. i like this with steamed brown or jasmine rice. oh--one note--to give jasmine rice a little kick, add some chopped scallions and shredded carrot. YUM!

note that, although i am specifying certain vegetables and shrimp for this stir-fry, you can use just about anything in it: chicken, steak, french beans, squash, zuchini, bean sprouts (add near the end), asparagus, almonds, walnuts, chili oil, etc. don't be afraid to be creative and experiment!

* i totally cheat on this--i periodically go to the asian market and buy ginger and garlic oil. then when i am in a hurry, i use the oils in place of fresh garlic and ginger. it's almost as good, and so fast! :)