I think I have previously mentioned that I love Cooking Light – the magazine that is! (I like cooking light too, but I don’t always succeed in that arena.) So for a dinner party I hosted recently, I decided to cook Chinese food. OK, American Chinese food. Although I know traditional ingredients like tripe, chicken feet, and bitter melon are available in Seattle’s International District, it’s too far to drive just to obtain a few authentic products. (Oh who am I trying to kid. I wouldn’t cook with tripe, chicken feet, or bitter melon if they were personally delivered to my front door by Ming Tsai himself!)

So what’s left – BBQ Pork, steamed dumplings, fried rice, etc. Basically the usual suspects found in every Chinese restaurant around the world. (Except China, of course.)

So call me plebian if you must, but I do dearly love American Chinese food. Well, maybe I better qualify that statement. I love good Chinese food. Defined by me as containing no MSG and just a modicum of oil, the exclusive use of low sodium tamari or soy sauce, super fresh veggies and meat, and a whole lot of restraint shown when adding salt.

So when I came across this recipe from the August 2007 issue of Cooking Light while setting my menu, I knew from just reading the ingredient list that this dish would be a winner. And it sure enough was! I changed/added a couple of ingredients, but basically it remains yet another example of the wonderful recipes that can be found in Cooking Light. (And no, I am not on the Cooking Light payroll, nor do I receive a free subscription. My words are unsolicited, which by definition make them 100% accurate. Right???) But back to the issue at hand.

As you know, citrus works very well with seafood. And something about the orange zest and juice along with the other ingredients work well to enhance the flavor of the shrimp rather than detract from it. And we’re talking only 2 teaspoons of oil in this recipe. Hurray for that!

So if you too love Chinese food, I suggest you try this delicious shrimp recipe. It is definitely a quick and easy dish to prepare, making it perfect for any night of the week. Served with Chinese Salt and Pepper Beans and steamed brown rice, you have a dinner that will please your entire family. Just remember to start your brown rice first. It will take longer to cook then both of the other recipes.

And if you haven’t learned to love brown rice yet, try using low sodium broth in place of the water when you cook the rice. Also, and I can’t believe I am going to put this in writing after railing above about too much salt, but a tiny pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper will also add to the overall flavor of the brown rice. (Sorry to go all pettifogging on you when it comes to the issue of salt, but rest easy. I’m working on the problem!) Enjoy the shrimp. Thanks again Cooking Light for this delightful recipe.

• 1 lb. peeled and deveined uncooked large shrimp
• 1 T. cornstarch, or more as needed to coat the shrimp
• 1-2 tsp. orange zest
• ½ c. orange juice
• pinch kosher salt (unless using regular soy sauce)
• 2 T. low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 T. honey
• 1 T. rice wine vinegar
• ½ tsp. Sriracha or chili sauce, or more to taste
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 T. minced fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ c. chopped green onions

Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside.

Whisk together the orange zest, juice, salt, tamari, honey, vinegar, and Sriracha. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 20 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp; stir-fry for 3 minutes or until almost done. Add juice mixture and green onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.