Spiced Honey Shrimp with Sweet Potato Cauliflower Mash

You realize that I’m ALL IN for quick and easy meals. This is the best under 30 minute meal I have made in a LONG, LONG, LONG time. Now, I was going to call this a VEGAN dish because I planned on making this with tofu. So I thought. But guess what? No tofu arrived in my grocery order this week so it was on to PLAN B. Here’s what happens when you have extra shrimp in the freezer and it’s staring at you in the face. Well, you thaw it out, pan fry it with a bunch of amazing ingredients and then the dish can’t be considered anywhere close to vegan anymore. So be it. Don’t judge a wannabe vegan.

Here’s what you can do if you have other proteins on hand. Skip the shrimp  SUB IN whatever else is considered a vegan ingredient. This sauce is a perfect match to just about anything. Sound good? Thought so.

What was as weird as I am is the fact that the sweet potato cauliflower mash inspired me to make the main recipe you see here. I wanted to have something to dip into the creamy vegetable mixture and these shrimps FIT THE BILL. Here’s another weird thing that you may not know about me. I love cutting a piece of shrimp then scooping up the mashies onto it like a little coat. The two textures just seem to be a match made in heaven. A little crunch from the shrimp melded with the creamy mashies. YUM.

There is always a thought process involved around a flavourful dish like this one. I wanted to kick up the sauce by adding spice to the honey. I mean, HOT + HONEY sounded pretty awesome to me. And this dish just happens to be gluten-free and fairly healthy. WIN, WIN!

I grew up eating lots of Asian food – but not exactly the “GOOD FOR YOU” version. This mandarin inspired meal is a perfect recipe for any night of the week. You can kick up the heat with adding additional spice to the sauce too. I did a mixture of a few ingredients to make sure it’s HAWTER than HAWT.

Oh wait. This is also a good thing. You only need one pan to make this meal. That is my absolute favourite thing in the world because it means that there is less to clean up afterwards. Wait, no. I lied. I forgot that I made the mashed veggies too. That was a separate pot. Oh whatever. I’m going to give you both recipes and you decide if you want to make a one pot meal or a two pot meal. Either way you are going to be happy.

Spiced Honey Shrimp

 

Save Print

Author: simply beautiful eating

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw, peeled and deveined shrimp (tail on or off)
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or jarred minced ginger
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, grated
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
• ¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon chili oil
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Rinse 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp and pat dry with paper towel. The drier the better so don't be shy on the paper towel. Place the shrimp into a bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together; ginger, garlic, honey, tamari, pepper flakes, chili oil and pepper, then pour ⅓ the mixture over the shrimp and toss to coat.
3. Heat a large cast iron or non- stick skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the coconut oil, sesame oil and spread the shrimp in an even layer. Don't overcrowd the pan. You want the shrimp to sear and not steam so space them apart.
4. Cook the shrimp 2 to 3 minutes before turning and pouring in half of the remaining honey glaze. Continue to toss the shrimp, they should be getting nice and carmelized and the glaze should be sticking to the shrimp. Continue cooking the shrimp until opaque and fully cooked. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. I served mine with sweet potato and cauliflower mash. Recipe below.

3.5.3251

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Mash

 

Save Print

Author: simply beautiful eating

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 head medium cauliflower
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 1 tsp sea salt, black pepper (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp butter (vegan butter optional)

Instructions

1. Wash the cauliflower, trim the core and chop into small florets. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop into cubes.
2. In large sauce pot, combine sweet potatoes, cauliflower and enough cold water to cover by 1 inch, and one tablespoon kosher salt. Partially cover and heat to simmering on high. Simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are very tender but not falling apart, stirring occasionally.
3. Drain vegetables well; return to empty pot. Purée vegetable, milk and broth with an electric mixer or in a food processor until smooth. To puréed vegetables add ¼ teaspoons salt, stirring to combine

3.5.3251

Follow