Dinner in a Snap

It's funny where dinner inspiration crops up. On the way home from the mall, Jeff and I were deciding what to make for dinner. Option one was a repeat of Friday night's nibble-fest and option two was a lemon pasta dish with shrimp. We batted around the pros and cons of each, but couldn't reach a decision. Finally, Jeff said, "The shrimp sounds good, but I have a hankering for those mini egg rolls, too. Are they mutually exclusive?" Of course not, but since the egg rolls were the central idea, I changed the pasta dish to rice and made stir fry on the fly.

First, the egg rolls went into the oven and the jasmine rice started on the cook top since both of these take about 15 to 18 minutes. Meanwhile, I peeled the shrimp while a tablespoon of garlic, two finely chopped celery ribs, and for diced shallots cooked in some heated sesame oil and a bag of sugar snap peas defrosted in the microwave. The shrimp went into the pan next, along with a healthy dose of black pepper and a little salt. When the shrimp was about half cooked, the drained sugar snap peas went in as well. Finally, about a quarter cup of Panda Express orange sauce was added to the pan along with the cooked rice. Everything received a final stir and went into bowls just as the egg rolls came out of the oven. (I love it when a plan comes together.)

This dinner took about 20 minutes start to finish, but tasted like a million bucks. The jasmine rice and sugar snap peas definitely gave an otherwise ordinary stir fry some interest. (I love the aroma of jasmine rice as well as the slightly sweet flavor and starch consistency. It is excellent in sushi because it sticks together easily.) Best of all is the fact that there are two helpings left for the lunchbox and plenty of egg rolls still in the freezer.