Shrimp Fried Rice with Asparagus

     Not a totally traditional shrimp fried rice...more of a shrimp fried rice stir fry born from a new goal of mine. I'm trying to use ingredients that I already have in my freezer in an attempt to get a little more control over my grocery spending. Freezer ingredients? 1 pound of raw easy peel shrimp and 1 quart size bag of frozen asparagus pieces. Everything else was in my cupboard or freezer, so I'm happy to say I didn't have to buy anything extra! 

     I usually put frozen peas in my stir fried rice, but with asparagus beginning to come in and several bags of asparagus I froze last season still in my freezer, I thought it would be a delicious (if not traditional) alternative. Use whatever vegetables you have handy. It's a good way to use up the bits and pieces of things you have in your vegetable bin.

Shrimp Fried Rice with Asparagus

Ingredients:

2-3 cups cooked brown rice 

1 Tblsp. peanut or olive oil

dash of sesame oil (optional)

1 lb. raw shrimp (I used frozen "easy peel.")

1 red pepper, diced

5- green onions, sliced (use part of the green along with the white part)

2 carrots, chopped (or a handful of shredded carrots)

1/2 lb. asparagus cut into pieces, (fresh or frozen)

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 Tablespoons Soy sauce

2 Tablespoons Oyster sauce (optional)

2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

• If your shrimp is frozen, thaw under cold running water. Peel.
• Heat the oils in a large nonstick skillet or wok. Stir fry shrimp until cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
• Add carrots, garlic, red pepper and onions to the pan and stir fry until crisp-tender. (4-5 minutes) If you are using fresh asparagus, add it with the rest of the vegetables to stir fry.
• Remove vegetables (or push them aside) and add the eggs to the center of the skillet. Cook eggs until set. Break into small pieces.
• To the eggs add the rice, the vegetables (if you removed them), the soy sauce and the oyster sauce, and mix until the rice is hot.
• Add the reserved shrimp (and semi-thawed asparagus pieces if you're using frozen)
• Stir for a minute or so until everything is heated through.
• Depending on your taste, you may want to add more soy sauce before serving.