_______New Recipe #3: Sweet and Sour Shrimp

This recipe comes from a Better Homes and Gardens book called Fresh and Simple: 20-Minute Super Suppers.    It caught my eye because it was dubbed "four ingredients make a meal."  When it comes to cooking, right now quick and easy is what I'm all about.  Remember, I'm looking for simple dinner recipes that I can make for my family on a regular-basis (and which must contain at least one vegetable).

12 oz fresh or frozen peeled and deveined shrimp
1/3 cup bottled stir-fry sauce
1/4 cup pineapple-orange juice
3 cups assorted fresh stir-fry vegetables

We chose red bell pepper, fresh broccoli, and orange

Thaw shrimp, if frozen.  Rinse shrimp; pat dry.  For sauce, combine the stir-fry sauce and pineapple-orange juice; set aside.  Spray an unheated nonstick wok or large skillet with nonstick spray coating.  (Add oil if necessary, during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat.

Stir-fry vegetables in hot wok for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Remove from wok.  Add shrimp; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.  Push shrimp to side of wok.

Add sauce to wok.  Return vegetables.  Stir vegetables and shrimp into sauce.  Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through.

My Review
This dish lived up to our expectations.  It was super simple and a fast meal.  But here's my confession: we had guests for dinner last night and served the grown ups the yummy shrimp meal while the kids ate leftover pizza. So, I have no scores on this one for my kids.  I can guess though.  I'm pretty sure this would be a major food battle.  But it's one battle I think is worth fighting because this was a good-tasting, healthy meal for our family (119 cal. per serving, according to the recipe, although I think each of the four of us grownups actually ate 2 servings).  I think what I'll do for the kids is give them the veggies and shrimp cooked before we add the sauce.  They can have the sauce on the side for dipping until they get used to it.  What we would do differently next time: trade the orange (which didn't hold form) for pineapple (fresh or canned) and try another green veggie instead of broccoli.  The broccoli did fine but we need to branch out to something new, right?  We're sort of in a broccoli rut!  Also, Adel would like to try adding some spice, perhaps in the form of red pepper flakes or chile powder and maybe trying to thicken the sauce a bit (which I'm sure would add some more calories, but we can play around with it).

Our Scores
Megan: 9/10 - yum!
Adel: 8/10 - score would go up with the addition of some spice