I have this really cute idea to be totally different for Thanksgiving and – wait for it – NOT make turkey! Build new traditions! Go against the grain! Hurrah!

Instead of pilgrim food, we are going to pick a a region of the world and build our menu around its cuisine.

In typical fashion, we can’t agree on the region or what region actually means. His brilliant idea is food of the “mountain men” – think boar, elk, any large game applies. Ya girl just wants to make a Mexican fiesta.

Asian food is still in the running, hence the stir fry audition. (I know chickpeas aren’t Asian but I roasted them in Sriracha so I think it counts?)

Do help me decide on our inaugural Thanksgiving feast. Do not choose mountain men food.

Time: 40 minutes (prep + cooking)

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

• 1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
• Sriracha, to taste (about 1/4 of a cup used here – we are addicts)
• 1 tbsp. of honey
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil
• S+P, to taste

• 1 lb of shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined
• 1 tbsp. of cornstarch
• 3 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of green onions, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of broccoli florets
• 1 cup of snap peas
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. of rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp. of honey
• P, to taste (lots of S in the soy sauce)

How to:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper
• In a bowl, combine chickpeas + Sriracha + honey + olive oil + S+P
• Lay in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, shaking once in the middle of cook time
• Meanwhile, combine shrimp + cornstarch in a bowl until shrimp is slightly coated
• Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat
• Add shrimp and stir fry for 4-5 minutes
• Remove shrimp from skillet and add 1 tbsp. of olive oil
• Add green onions + garlic and stir fry for 1-2 minutes
• Add onions to shrimp bowl
• Add the last tbsp. of olive oil to the pan and add broccoli + snap peas to pan, stir fry until broccoli are tender
• Add your shrimp + onion mix back to the skillet with roasted chickpeas
• Add soy sauce + rice vinegar + honey + red pepper + a little P and bring to a boil
• Serve piping hot over some brown rice