Charlie Fell Out of Bed Sesame Ginger Calamari, Shrimp, and Brussels Sprouts

In an effort to gain more freezer room, we decided on squid for dinner.  Honestly, it's wearing on me a little bit - as Matt can attest, I get burnt out on food pretty easily.  He has eaten the same meal at Cracker Barrel for the past 6 months, so he doesn't sympathize with me much.  The brussels sprouts were nearing end of life, so a use had to be initiated before catastrophe struck in the vegetable drawer.  Upon digging through the freezer I found a quarter bag of raw shrimp, so before it became victim to freezer burn, I thought it best to add this to the mix as well.

We seem to be on a ginger/sesame kick, so I figured, why not stick with the tried and true. 

Sesame Ginger Calamari, Shrimp, and Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Squid, thawed and drained well
1/2 lb Raw Shrimp, thawed and drained well (assuming you're using frozen)
20 large Brussels Sprouts, sliced into coins
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Cooking Sherry
1 tbsp Mustard (I used horseradish mustard, because that's what we had)
2 tsp. Splenda, Brown Sugar, or Sugar
1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, chopped, shaved
2-3 drops Sesame Oil
3 tbsp Powdered Ginger
5 Garlic Cloves, minced
3 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Sriracha, optional
1/3 cup Sesame Seeds, toasted

Toast sesame seeds without burning them - always an accomplishment in itself.

Mix soy, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, sesame oil, sherry, mustard, your sweetening agent of choice, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tbsp. ginger powder, and sriracha.

In a hot skillet or wok, add a little bit of oil or chicken broth, add brussels sprouts, sprinkle with 1 tbsp ginger and 1 tbsp garlic powder, along with pepper to your taste. Keep them moving until they aren't completely crunchy - this is the part that you may have to just keep tasting.  Put them in a bowl (they will continue to cook after taking them off the heat, so get them off when they're crunchier than you actually want).  Add oil/chicken broth to pan, add shrimp and squid, sprinkle with 1 tbsp ginger and 1 tbsp garlic powder and pepper as you like.  Cook until squid hardens up and shrimp turns pink.  Add garlic near the end.  Add brussels sprouts back into pan. Add sauce and heat until bubbly.  Top with toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy! 

Note: You could also do this recipe with either beef or chicken or just shrimp or fish nuggets.  The sauce is the good part - what you put it on really doesn't matter!


So Charles apparently fell off his couch and took his covers with him. He's in there somewhere...

Baking is occurring this weekend for Christmas goodies - we'll see what comes of that... as I am no baker.  You have to put your head down and just keep tasting!!