Healthy Bang Bang Shrimp with Red Cabbage Asian Slaw

I don’t know how I ever lived without a food processor.  I used it for three components of last night’s dinner!  Shredding cabbage, mixing the dressing for my slaw and blending the sauce for the Bang Bang shrimp.  If you don’t have one, I highly suggest you invest in one.  They don’t have to be crazy expensive, and it makes chopping, dicing, pureeing and blending a breeze.

Enough of my sales pitch, and on to last night’s dinner!

This is a healthy take on Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer, which I’ve never had… So I can’t really compare the two, but I will tell you that this was mighty delicious and I didn’t feel guilty eating it at all.  It’s packed full of protein from the tofu-based sauce and shrimp, and full of healthy vegetables in the cabbage slaw.  There is a little bit of oil in the dressing, but overall I’d say this is a fairly healthy dish.

I missed the note about how much sauce this recipe produces.  And while the sauce was great with the shrimp, I don’t know too much else what I would have used it for, so in my adapted recipe below I’ve adjusted the quantities so it just makes half of the sauce (which is still more than you’ll need, trust me.)

You can control how much heat you want by adjusting the quantity of sriracha in your sauce.  Ours packed a nice punch and the cool cabbage slaw complemented the shrimp perfectly.

What you’ll need: cabbage, carrot, cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds, agave nectar, rice wine vinegar, white vinegar, grapeseed oil, toasted sesame oil, ground cumin, lime juice, shrimp, cornstarch, coconut oil, tofu, sweet red chili sauce, sriracha and lemon juice.

First, prepare the slaw.  Halve the red cabbage and save half for a later use.  I shredded my cabbage in my food processor, but if you’re using your knife, make sure you remove the white stalk by cutting a “V” into the cabbage.  Then thinly slice and place and place in a large bowl.  Thinly slice the cabbage and place in a large bowl.

Add to the cabbage mixture and toss until evenly coated.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside while you prepare the shrimp.

Now onto the shrimp.  First, remove the shell, legs and tail from the shrimp and pat dry.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and two teaspoons of cornstarch and toss until evenly coated.

While the shrimp sits, in a food processor (or blender) combine the tofu (drained), 1/6 cup sweet red chili sauce, 3 or more Tablespoons of sriracha sauce and 1.5 Tablespoons of lemon juice.  Blend until smooth and creamy.

In a large skillet heat the 2 Tablespoons of coconut (or vegetable) oil over high heat.  

Add the shrimp and stir every minute or so until the shrimp is cooked through for about 4-5 minutes.  Turn the heat down to low.

With the heat at a lower temperature, add about 1/2 cup of the creamy spicy sauce and toss until the shrimp is evenly coated.  

Serve on a bed of Red Cabbage Asian Slaw and garnish with the chopped green onions.

Healthy Bang Bang Shrimp with Red Cabbage Asian Slaw

Adapted slightly from Reckless Abandon

For the Slaw

For the Shrimp

• 3/4-1 lb. raw shrimp (about 31-40 count per pound or larger)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 7 ounces tofu (1/2 a package), drained
• 1/6 cup sweet red chili sauce (1/6 cup = 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons)
• 3 Tablespoons sriracha sauce (or more depending on your heat preference)
• 1.5 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 green onions, sliced for garnish
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Steps

1. First, remove the shell, legs and tail from the shrimp and pat dry.
2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and two teaspoons of cornstarch and toss until evenly coated.
3. While the shrimp sits, in a food processor (or blender) combine the tofu (drained), 1/6 cup sweet red chili sauce, 3 or more Tablespoons of sriracha sauce and 1.5 Tablespoons of lemon juice.  Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. In a large skillet heat the 2 Tablespoons of coconut (or vegetable) oil over high heat.  
5. Add the shrimp and stir every minute or so until the shrimp is cooked through for about 4-5 minutes.  Turn the heat down to low.
6. With the heat at a lower temperature, add about 1/2 cup of the creamy spicy sauce and toss until the shrimp is evenly coated.  
7. Serve on a bed of Red Cabbage Asian Slaw and garnish with the chopped green onions. 

Hugs, kisses & yummy dishes… xoxo

Lauren