Coconut Shrimp Curry

I have a thing for anything coconut and curry and this recipe satisfies both of those favorites. My kids and husband adored this dinner and they all asked for seconds. If you don't like shrimp, chicken would be delicious in this dish. It seemed like a lot of spice to me as I was making it, but believe me, it's perfect! Serves 6. 

Recipe very slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (reduced salt). 

For the shrimp marinade:
     1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
     1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
     1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
     2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
     1-2 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
For the sauce:
     1 tablespoon canola oil
     1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
     1 teaspoon ground pepper
     1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, from about a 1-inch peeled piece of ginger
     1 teaspoon kosher salt
     2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
     2 teaspoons ground coriander
     1/2 teaspoon turmeric
     1 teaspoon curry powder
     1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
     1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk, light or regular
     1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Hot cooked rice for serving, if desired

For the simple shrimp marinade, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice in a resealable large bag or in a bowl. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until rippling and hot. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the pepper, ginger, salt, garlic, coriander, turmeric and curry powder. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is very fragrant and the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the undrained tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, for about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut milk, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the shrimp and any accumulated juices from the marinade. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled, lightly pink and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve over hot, cooked rice, if desired.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

My family loves banana bread, so when I found this recipe for yummy banana bread, with a twist, I was really happy. This recipe comes from Cooking Light and the only change I made is suggesting some substitutions for the rum. I hope you'll love this banana bread with a hint of lime & coconut as much as we do!

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 Tablespoons dark rum (or substitute rum extract or milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum (or rum extract or milk), and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. 

Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Check at about 35 to 40 minutes and cover with a tin foil tent to prevent over-browning, if necessary. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. 

Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.1 loaf makes 16 slices.

Nutritional Info: Each slice provides: 193 calories, 4.6 grams fat, 2.9 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrate, 1.1 grams fiber, 35 mg. cholesterol and 179 mg. sodium.

Coconut Milk Mac & Cheese

Well, I've been MIA for a while because we just moved in June and I'm still unpacking and getting organized. Combine that with the fact that it's summer and I haven't always been as excited to cook as I usually am and suddenly, it's been months since I've posted a new recipe.

My family has even been complaining about my lack of enthusiasm in the kitchen and it's going to change. I'm ready to cook, bake and I'll be ready to feed homemade cookies to any neighborhood kids that walk through my door!

My kids haven't stopped talking about this "amazing mac & cheese" that they had at their new friends' home last week. I called Jen up today to ask for the recipe and was surprised at the secret ingredient... Coconut milk! It's a unique and easy recipe that we all loved and I hope you will too! Recipe from Jen Carroll...

1 (16 oz.) box of uncooked pasta (elbow macaroni or shells)
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 tsp. paprika
Half of a 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk (I used lite)
2 cups shredded cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Boil pasta according to package instructions and drain. Return pasta to pot. Add chicken bouillon and paprika and mix well. Add shredded cheese and stir until cheese melts. Pour coconut milk over the pasta and stir until incorporated. Add more coconut milk if needed to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 5-6. 

*** Since you'll have leftover coconut milk, may I suggest you use it to make Tropical Breakfast. It's SO good!

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

 This rich, spice cake reminds me of my Mom and my Nana. The frosting is reminiscent of German chocolate cake, but atop a moist oatmeal cake, it's comfort food, for sure!

OATMEAL CAKE

1 cup quick oats

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour oats into a small bowl and cover with boiling water; set aside. Mix butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add beaten eggs to oats and mix into butter mixture. Mix dry ingredients and add. Mix well. Pour into greased 9 x 13" cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick stuck in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in the pan. Frost with Coconut Pecan frosting. Serves 12.

COCONUT PECAN FROSTING

6 Tbs. butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 /4 cup evaporated milk

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecans, chopped

Beat together all ingredients, except pecans in a small bowl. Stir in pecans. Frost cake while still slightly warm. Move oven rack to the top or near the top and set oven broiler to low. Broil in oven until coconut is slightly toasted, watching carefully so it does not burn. Cake can be served warm or cooled.  

(Above): This is the frosted cake before it is toasted under the broiler.

Coconut Chicken Fingers

We tried this new recipe recently and really enjoyed it. The recipe is adapted from Budget Bytes, which is is great website, by the way! I'm always up for feeding my family affordably, and it's even better when it's delicious! I served these with Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, but next time, I think I'll use a sweet & sour sauce that's not so spicy for my kids. I also baked mine in the oven, rather than frying in oil because I found that the coconut coating was just falling off in the pan.  Bonus: It saves on calories and fat and it's much easier!

Total Recipe cost: $6.91
Servings Per Recipe: 6 (4 strips each)
Cost per serving: $1.15
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 15 min. Total: 30 min.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 large eggs

1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sweet chili sauce (or sweet & sour sauce)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or tin foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) and set aside. 
2. Cut off any extra fat from the chicken breasts. Cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short.
3. Prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. In the first bowl, combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.
4. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.
5. After breading the strips, place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce (or sweet & sour sauce) to dip in.

Coconut syrup

**Recipe from my dear friend Jules, whose hand is scooping up this yumminess in photo above!


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 cup sugar (I usually put in 3/4 c. to make me feel better)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coconut extract

Place first three ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will fizz, so give it a few minutes to settle down--the foam eventually settles. Store in the fridge--I usually heat it up a little in the microwave before using. YUM!

Coconut Mahi Mahi

All you landlubbers... We're havin' fish tonight! Recipe adapted from Fish Ex...

Hot cooked Orzo pasta or rice

4 Mahi Mahi fillets

1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk (reserve 2 Tbs. for rice or pasta)

1 small onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbs. butter, melted

1 Tbs. flour

1 tomato, diced

salt, to taste

black or cayenne pepper, to taste

1/3 cup flaked coconut

1. Cook Orzo pasta or rice according to package directions. Reserve 2 Tbs. coconut milk to stir into the rice or pasta and stir in after it is cooked and drained.
2. Meanwhile, add remaining coconut milk to a deep sauté pan. Add onions and bell pepper and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Add mahi mahi fillets and poach fish until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side. Fish should be firm and should flake easily with a fork. Remove fish and place on a serving dish.
3. Keep the coconut milk simmering over medium heat. Mix melted butter with flour and add to the coconut milk, stirring immediately with a whisk to prevent lumps.
4. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and flaked coconut and top with the fish fillets. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve fish fillets over hot pasta or rice and spoon coconut sauce over the top. Serves 4.

April Fool's "Hamburger Cookies"

 Happy April Fool's Day! Practically every days feels like April Fool's at my home because my husband is such a joker. Let's just say that I've had cold water poured on me while I was showering several times! After school today the kids and I made these cute "Hamburger Cookies" that are actually sweet treats. You may not really fool anyone, but we think they are cute and funny and they taste good! Recipe from allrecipes.com.

24 vanilla wafer cookies

12 small peppermint patties

4-6 drops green food coloring

12 medium green gumdrops, sliced* 

2 Tbs. sesame seeds

4 small rolls of apricot fruit roll-ups -OR- 12 red Dots candies (optional)**

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1. Place the coconut and food coloring in a small bowl with a lid (I used plastic wrap over a small bowl). Shake until all the coconut is covered. Set aside.
2. Place 12 vanilla wafers flat side up on a plate. Unwrap 12 peppermint patties and place them on top of the wafers.
3. Unwrap the fruit roll-ups (optional) and cut into squares. Place on top of all of the patties to look like cheese. Place the sliced gumdrops, sticky side up, on top of that (or spread a little frosting). Add the coconut.
4. Place the other half of the wafers on top of the coconut. With a small pastry or paint brush, paint a VERY small amount of water on the tops of the cookies. Finally, shake or sprinkle a small amount of sesame seeds over the wafers.

NOTE: *I omitted the green gumdrops and used vanilla frosting instead (3 Tbs. softened butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, a little vanilla and milk) to help the coconut stick.

**I also added a small dot of frosting on the bottom of the peppermint patty to help it stick together. Instead of the fruit roll-up, I used red Dots candy to make tomatoes. I cut each Dot into 3 slices with a serrated knife and placed 3 "tomatoes" on each.

Coconut-Lime Shrimp Stir Fry

"You put the lime in the coconut and drink them both up..."

I couldn't stop singing that song when I was making this yummy dinner tonight! I have been craving Bajio's Pineapple Shrimp Salad lately, but alas... There are no Bajio restaurants in Colorado. This is only the second time I've cooked shrimp, but my family all liked it, so stay tuned for more shrimp recipes! This is a quick and easy meal that takes less than 15 minutes to make. Recipe & picture by me...

     Hot cooked orzo pasta or rice

     1 red pepper, diced

     1 medium zucchini, diced

     1 Tbs. ginger root, peeled and finely diced

     1 Tbs. garlic, finely diced

     1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced

     1 pound shrimp, cooked and deveined, tails removed*

     1/2 cup coconut milk

     2 tsp. cornstarch

     Salt & pepper, to taste

     Juice of 1 lime

     Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Boil water and cook orzo or rice while you are making the stir fry.

Dice all vegetables and have them ready to add to the wok. Heat 1 Tbs. of oil in a wok or deep sauté pan. When the pan is very hot, add diced pepper, zucchini, ginger and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add mushrooms and shrimp and cook another 3 minutes. Mix the cornstarch into the coconut milk until smooth and pour over stir fry. Stir and cook until the coconut milk thickens slightly. Squeeze lime juice over the top and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro and serve over hot orzo or rice.  Serves 4-5.

*I used a bag of frozen cocktail shrimp.

Tropical Breakfast

I LOVE this breakfast! My husband and I ate it several times this week. It's warm, creamy and delicious. It can be made with either oats or brown rice. Recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook.

          1 (8 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, with juice

          1 cup water

          1 cup old-fashioned oats*

          1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, well-shaken* (I use lite coconut milk)

          2 Tbs. brown sugar

          1/4 tsp. salt

Optional toppings:

          banana slices

          shredded coconut

          toasted sliced almonds

Drain juice from pineapple into a saucepan. Set pineapple aside. Add water, oats, coconut milk, brown sugar and salt and stir well. Bring to a boil, then decrease heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick. Stir in pineapple and dish into 2 or 3 bowls. Top with bananas, coconut and/or almonds and drizzle with a little coconut milk, if desired.

*Brown rice variation:  Substitute 1 cup instant brown rice for oats. Add drained pineapple juice, water and rice to a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Simmer, uncovered, until water is absorbed, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in 1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer and continue to cook, uncovered, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Stir in pineapple. Dish into bowls and add toppings, if desired. (Rice will continue to absorb the liquid, so serve immediately for optimal creaminess).