Better Than PF Changs

One of the most difficult parts of enjoying really good food is the damage it does to your wallet and/or savings. One of our most difficult bills to control is our food bill. We love to eat. So, when I stumble upon really good recipes that don't have 5 billion ingredients AND use some of the lovely vegetables from our CSA, I try them. This one is a real winner. I found it on this blog, Sidewalk Shoes. I think this blogger and I would be kindred spirits. She teaches middle school, hunts for good recipes, and it appears that she enjoys reading. Check and check. This recipe was fantastic. It's from Rachel Ray and the author made a few changes. I made a few of my own. I put my changes in bold print

Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Serves 4

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks or grated

1/2 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced, a couple of cups these are expensive, so I just

bought a little carton and chopped them up finely (2.50 for a carton)

1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces, then cut sticks lengthwise I had a lot of this stuff so I used two bok choy

Salt and pepper

1 quart chicken broth since I skipped the seafood stock, I used three cups of chicken broth and three table spoons of fish sauce

1 cup seafood stock, available on soup aisle or, 1 cup clam juice I skipped this

1 1/2 pounds medium peeled and deveined shrimp on sale!

1/2 pound vermicelli (thin spaghetti) I used Udon noodles (you can find them in the ethnic food aisle) They are salty and very tender

4 scallions, cut into 3 inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise into thin sticks also in my CSA from last week!

Heat a medium soup pot I used my skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and bok choy, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and seafood stock or clam juice. Put a lid on the pot and bring soup to a boil.Add shrimp and noodles and cook 3 minutes. Add in scallions and cook 2 minutes, then turn off soup and let it sit 2 to 3 minutes more. Adjust salt and serve.