General Tso’s Shrimp Bowls

Do you ever have those days that start out fine, then quickly snowball into an avalanche of bad? That was me today.

First, I’ve got a bone to pick with Tuesdays. Tuesdays are easily the worst days of the week. I feel bad for Mondays, really. They get all the flack for being the beginning of the week, and the end of your fun two days off. No. Tuesdays are way worse in my opinion.

You at least get yourself ready for Mondays. You dread it, sure, but you know it’s coming and you mentally prepare yourself for the end. But Tuesdays are just there, mocking you for hating on older brother. Tuesdays are way too far away from the weekend, and a constant reminder that you still have a ton of work left to do. Tuesdays are horrific.

So, starting off a Tuesday on an okay foot and then snowballing from there can really grind on you mentally. You’ve just got to shake it off, get done with work, relax, and wait for Hump Day to get here. Ugh. It can’t come soon enough!

My lunches at work this week have consisted of a new bowl I’ve thrown together. I can honestly say this is my first time having General Tso’s anything. It’s a typical American-Chinese dish, but I’ve never been drawn to it! General Tso was actually a Qing dynasty military leader, but there’s no recorded connection between him and this dish. I’m about 95% sure this dish was born in America, just like chop suey & egg rolls.

A quick search of General Tso’s and you see it is typically made with chicken, soy sauce, sugar, and chiles. I don’t usually have bird chiles on hand, so I had to adapt a bit. The main point of the dish is that it is slightly sweet, like orange chicken, but not that extent. I found this recipe with ketchup and soy sauce and went to work.

Shrimp has been so cheap lately, so a quick sub out with the chicken and a delicious meal was born. Quinoa and some broccolini round it off. Bowls are so en vogue right now and I can see why. They taste great and give you everything you need: protein, veggies, and grains. Load my bowl up, baby!

General Tso's Shrimp Bowls

• Servings: 4
• Time: 25 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Sweet and tangy shrimp in General Tso's sauce on top of quinoa and broccolini.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch broccolini, chopped
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 2 tsp. Zaatar seasoning
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 TBS. soy sauce
• 2 TBS. white vinegar
• 2 TBS. sugar
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3 TBS. olive oil
• Sesame seeds, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss broccolini with olive oil and Zaatar seasoning and lay out on a baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until slightly charred and tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, stir together garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Heat over low until warm and well combined.
3. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with cornstarch until well coated. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet until hot and add coated shrimp, a few at a time. Cook until browned and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Add cooked shrimp to saucepan with sauce and toss to coat.
4. Build the bowl: add quinoa to a bowl and top with saucey shrimp and broccolini. Add sesame seeds.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss broccolini with olive oil and Zaatar seasoning and lay out on a baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, stir together garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup and mustard.

Heat over low until warm and well combined.

In a large bowl, toss shrimp with cornstarch until well coated.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet until hot and add coated shrimp, a few at a time. Cook until browned and crispy, about 2 minutes per side.

Add cooked shrimp to saucepan with sauce and toss to coat. Build the bowl: add quinoa to a bowl and top with saucey shrimp and broccolini. Add sesame seeds.