Pinterest Challenge: Week Three*

Welcome to the Pinterest Challenge: Week Three! If you are new to this challenge [as I'm sure most people are!] then feel free to go here to check out the rules & all pertinent information. 

I am always looking for meals for dinner time that are quick and easy. I love to cook, but I also work full time, so after being at the office all day the last thing I want to do when I come home is spend an hour or more in the kitchen. If I can cook a meal in 30 minutes or less, then I am totally happy!

I found this one earlier in the week and since I had all the ingredients at home already, it was the perfect match for dinner last night. It was REALLY good, and incredibly easy. I will say that I must have gotten the hottest jalapeno at the grocery store, because holy crap ... the one pepper, despite seeds and veins, made this dish incredibly spicy. Even for M. But it was still good, and I will just use half (or a much smaller) pepper next time.

Noodle over Stir-Fried Shrimp & Cilantro
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
6 oz. 1/4-inch-wide dried rice noodles (pad thai)
2 medium limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
1-1/2 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
3/4 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp (31 to 40 per lb.)
3 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 large shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the noodles, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to cool slightly. Drain well.

2. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce; set aside. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 1 Tbs. of the oil, the coriander, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt.

3. Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the red pepper, jalapeño, and shallot, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until it turns pink and is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the lime juice mixture and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.

5. Add the noodles and half of the cilantro; toss until the noodles heat through and pick up the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Serve sprinkled with the remaining cilantro, with the lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

Serves 3-4.

What did you create this week?