Baked Coconut Shrimp

This recipe I made tonight, and I personally thought it was delicious! I couldn't get my two kids to try it, but that might have had something to do with the fact that they saw our neighbor behead the fresh shrimp!? Our awesome neighbor has gone out shrimping several times this season and has been kind enough to share his catch with us! So, Sunday night we tried "shrimp on the barbie"...just skewering up some shrimp, basting with a little butter and adding some seasoning. They were simple and great! Tonight, I thought I'd try something a little more adventurous! The original recipe came from girlwhoateeverything @ tablespoon.com. She served hers with a special jalapeno pineapple sauce. You can find her recipe here. I just microwaved some seedless raspberry jelly and dipped mine in that! I hope you enjoy this one too! *By the way...this photo is mine (I tried to get fancy :)). I am also aware that Chef Ramsey would not approve of the burnt edges...but hey, I'm just a mom who makes mistakes and I'm pretty sure it didn't look that dark in person or at least that is the story I am sticking to! ;)

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked large shrimp peeled and deveined
2 egg whites (whipped to soft peaks)
2 T - 1/4 C cornstarch
2 C sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 C no sugar added raspberry jelly (microwaved and used for dipping) OPTIONAL
1/2 t horseradish (to mix with jelly for some extra spice) OPTIONAL

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper OR heavily coat a pan with non stick spray. In a small bowl beat eggs whites until soft peaks form. Place cornstarch and coconut on two separate plates. Hold shrimp by the tail (or stick 2 or 3 on a skewer, if de-tailed) and dip and coat with cornstarch. Next, dip the shrimp in the egg whites until coated and finally cover with coconut.
Place shrimp on the cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until coconut is golden brown. Make sure to turn them once, halfway through (around 8 minutes into cooking time) to make sure both sides are browned. While shrimp finish cooking, and if you choose to make a dipping sauce...you may scoop out the jelly into a microwave safe dish and heat until melted for 10-30 seconds (depending on the wattage of your microwave). Stir in horseradish if you want to add some spice to your sauce. Finally, serve hot out of the oven with raspberry dipping sauce.
ENJOY!

Clam Spaghetti

My cousin just ate this tonight and Brody had 3 helpings, Regan 2, and Alexander 2. (Those are 3 kids under the age of 8!!!) Easy, cheap, and yummy!  She found it on a website that was like meals under $10?

 

Ingredients:

2 - 3.5 oz pouches of baby clams (we use the cans because can't find the pouches, we likethe clams so we use chopped and whole but you could also used minced)

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs butter

3 or 4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 lb dry spaghetti (we use 1 lb and there is plenty of liquid...it doesn't soak in)

1/2 cup chicken stock

 

Directions:

Follow directions for making your dry pasta.  Once you have placed the pasta in the boiling water begin to melt butter in the olive oil in a skillet on medium.

Add garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

Drain clam juice from clams and add along with chicken stock in with the garlic.  Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes

Add clams to the skillet. Don't cook this for too long.

Drain your spaghetti and add into the sauce. 

Shrimp and Grits

I got this recipe from my friend Linnea. This is NOT a recipe for a night that you don't have a lot of time. It is more for a day that you want to spend cooking. You can prepare some of the recipe the night before to save you on the day you plan to serve this meal. This one will really impress dinner guests. It rivals some of the best southern shrimp and grits that you can find at a restaurant.

Grits:

8 servings - I actually count this as more like 6 servings if I'm making them for dinner

Ingredients:
*1 cup of rinsed stone-ground grits (to rinse grits - pour your measured grits into a bowl, fill with lots of water and stir it up, skim off or pour off the dirty stuff that floats to the top when all the good stuff sinks)
* 1 c water
*7 cups of whole milk and half and half (I use about 2 cups half and half, 5 cups of whole milk, but you could do whatever you want)
*half a stick of butter
*a lot of garlic pepper (more than a tablespoon- but you'll have to do it to your own taste)
* salt to taste (takes a lot more than you want to add)

Directions:
cook on medium low, covered, stirring every 4 minutes until it starts boiling, then turn to low, keep stirring every 4 minutes, keep covered between stirrings unless you feel like it needs to thicken up quickly. Generally I cook these for about 2 hours. Be careful, you can easily end up with a pot that needs to soak for a whole week if you don't stir often!

Shrimp and sauce:

serves about 6. can be stretched to serve more with more shrimp.

Ingredients:

fresh peeled and deveined shrimp - about 3 pounds
one pack bacon
one pack of kielbasa
one large white or sweet onion
one pack of sliced mushrooms
one red bell pepper
one bunch of green onions
garlic
5 lemons
fresh basil (a few leaves)
one bunch of fresh parsley
parmesan cheese to garnish
Tony Chachere's seasoning


Directions:

I'm going to estimate, because I don't REALLY use a recipe when I do this. There is a TON of chopping to do the night before if you want it to be really much easier the day of, but either way, it's going to take the full two hours that the grits cook. Peel and de-vein shrimp before you start.

In your biggest skillet or frying pan, cook one package (prob one pound or less) of bacon. As it gets really crispy, remove it from the pan and cool on paper towels. Leave half or so of the grease in the pan. Add one chopped sweet or white onion and about five or six cloves of diced garlic while on medium to low heat. stir a few minutes. add one chopped red pepper. stir for a couple of minutes. Add one package of sliced mushrooms (these can be omitted if you don't like mushrooms, but I think they add a lot) stir and let cook for a while, allow the grease to soak into the mushrooms a little and when they start to get softer, add one sliced polish kielbasa (or more if you really like a lot of sausage in your shrimp and grits) and then the crumbled bacon. add the juice of one full lemon, really squeeze it out. after this cooks for a few minutes, add about one small bunch of green onions, chopped. add the juice from another lemon. After this concoction simmers, covered, for about 15 minutes (all the while, stirring every few minutes), add about four or five large leaves of fresh basil, cut into pieces. When you are getting to the point where you are ALMOST ready to eat, add the shrimp (probably 3 pounds is good ? You will have to decide based on how many people and how big the shrimp are. I like people to have several shrumps on their plate with the sausage and grits and sauce. yummy! Then I pretty much cover it on and off, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked. Maybe ten minutes, depending on a lot of things. You will probably want to add the juice from about two more lemons while the shrimp are cooking. Generously sprinkle with cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's) which gives a good kick - unless your audience is spice-shy. Be careful with the Tony's if they don't like a little kick. Add salt and pepper to taste, but I usually don't feel I need to add any. Last thing: throw a couple of handfuls of chopped fresh parsley into the skillet and stir it in.

On each plate: Grits, some shrimps and sauce, another little handful of chopped parsley, and garnish each plate with some fresh shredded parm cheese. Yum yum!

Light Tuna (or Chicken) Pasta Salad

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, but dramatically changed the ingredients to make it nearly fat free and higher in protein. My husband said it was surprisingly good. He was a little worried as he saw me making it, but told me that he'd be happy if I made it again!

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package barilla plus rotini 3/4 cup fat-free sour cream 2 T light mayonaisse 1/2 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix 2 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked (you may sub canned chicken if you wish)

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional) 1 large apple - peeled, cored and chopped 1 cup matchstick carrots 1/3 cup raisins

Directions:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and cool.
2.	In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, sour cream, mayo, ranch dressing mix, tuna (or chicken), cheddar cheese (optional), apple, carrot, and raisins. Chill 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Angel Hair with Tuna and Chickpeas

I found this recipe on Delish.com and made a few adjustments. It was surprisingly delicious and you couldn't even taste the tuna (just in case you don't like tuna). In fact, I think next time I'll add 2 cans of tuna to up the protein content. My husband actually said he could eat it all the time! That was huge, because he has always said the idea of tuna noodle casserole grossed him out. This is totally different from that old recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoon(s) EVOO
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• Grated zest from 1 orange
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 15oz canned petite diced tomatoes
• 1or2 can(s) tuna packed in oil, drained
  
• 1 2/3 cup(s) canned drained chickpeas (one 15-ounce can), rinsed (also known as Garbanzo beans)
  
• 3/4 pound barilla plus angel hair
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• reserved pasta water (optional)
  

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Directions:

1. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fennel seeds, the orange zest and the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the tuna and the chickpeas, cover, and remove the pan from the heat.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the angel hair until just done, about 6 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, and the parsley. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water. (I didn't add any water)
   
3. Toss cooked noodles with sauce and serve immediately.

*image from delish.com

Shrimp Scampi with Artichokes and Basil

My friend Elizabeth just shared this recipe with me. She was even able to cut the amount of butter in half (only 4 T) and it was still delicious! The recipe originally comes from Paula Deen and I can't wait to try it!!! Two of my favorite ingredients are artichokes and basil, so I'm sure I'll love this one!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
Pepper
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Juice of 1 lemon
Cooked pasta, rice or crusty bread, for serving

Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine, salt, red pepper flakes and pepper to taste, and bring to a simmer. let the liquid reduce by half, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the shrimp and artichokes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are just pink, 2 to 4 minutes. stir in the basil and lemon juice. sprinkle with salt to taste, and serve over pasta or rice, or with crusty bread

Tuna Salad...HOT!

Are you ready for something super easy and probably super weird sounding???
Well, my hubby came up with this one, I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised!!

Ingredients:
1 can drained, albacore tuna (packed in water)
1-2 T Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wing sauce
2-3 T chopped red onion

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Eat out of the bowl or on toasted whole wheat bread with lettuce or a side of celery.

Crab Salad

My friend Jennifer wanted to make a crab salad a few weeks an couldn't find a recipe anywhere... so she started with a package of crab meat and just started throwing stuff in until it tasted good!! Thank you for submitting it for the contest! Yet another great entry...wish I could have given you all prizes!

Ingredients:
1 16 oz package imitation crab meat
1 cup mayo
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons horseradish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2/3 cup of finely chopped onion
2 cup of celery
1/3 cup of sweet pickle relish
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of hot sauce

Directions:
Chop packaged crab meat into bite size pieces. Finely chop the onion and celery. Mix all ingredients and chill for 2 hours before serving. Serve with crackers or small pieces of toasted bread!! Top with sharp cheddar cheese for added taste!! Enjoy!

Chef Jon Bonnell's Lump Crab Cakes

Here is a recipe from the Super Suppers Cookbook by Judie Byrd. My friend Adina has made this recipe several times and they love it. She usually makes it to freeze and eat later. I tasted them once and they were delicious!

Ingredients:
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped green onion (green parts only)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T bottled hot sauce (optional)
1 t Creole seasoning (or to taste)
2 pounds fresh lump crabmeat
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 recipe Green Onion and Lime Aioli (this is Adina's favorite part)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine eggs, green onion, bell pepper, mayo, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce (if desired) and Creole seasoning. Add crabmeat; mix well. Shape crab mixture into 12 patties. Press bread crumbs into both sides of each crab cake (pack them tight so they don't fall apart)

2. Preheat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook crab cakes in hot oil and butter until golden brown, turning once. Serve with Green Onion and Lime Ailoi. (recipe in seperate post)

FREEZE AHEAD: Prepare through Step 1. Place in a freezer container, seperated by wax paper and freeze up to 1 month. Defrost completely in refrigerator. Coninue according to Step 2.

Super Easy “Paella”

**after suggestion of another viewer, I now make this with 14 oz of Butterball Turkey Kielbasa! The ENTIRE family devours this!!! Also, I use Zatarain's brand rice and add the tomatoes while the rice is cooking. I use no salt added tomatoes and no salt added french style green beans all chopped up so the kids can't pick them out!

Recipe by Jennifer
(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 box of “Spanish Style” rice ( I use Near East brand at Whole Foods)
• 2 chicken breasts or 1 lb of seafood (sometimes I use shrimp, scallops, and mussels)
• olive oil
• 3 15oz cans of beans...drain and slightly rinse navy and kidney beans (I use kidney beans, chopped green beans (french style), and navy beans)
• 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes


Directions:
1. Cook rice in a pot according to the package.
2. Meanwhile, sauté chicken or seafood in olive oil in a cast iron skillet.
3. When rice and chicken are done, transfer rice to skillet with chicken.
4. Add tomatoes and beans and pat down.
5. Allow to simmer over medium heat for a few minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.