healthy coconut shrimp

As you know by now, I love shrimp. Coconut shrimp happens to be one of my favorite shrimp recipes of all time, it reminds me of Spring-time in Florida and immediately takes me back when I find some in the Northeast. The only negative in my mind for coconut shrimp in restaurants is the fact that they are fried and can be greasy at times. I was craving coconut shrimp as a snack and stumbled upon this recipe which bakes them, making the coating crispy and tasty. I tweaked the recipe to give it a bit more of a kick, make them healthier, and easier to eat. This is another perfect recipe if you are hosting New Year's Eve!!

Ingredients (for 4 appetizer portions):
24 frozen deveined tail-on shrimp, thawed
1 egg
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup panko
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbs flour
*optional 1/4 tsp zest of a lime or a lemon*
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbs rice vinegar
cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with foil & spray with cooking spray. Thaw shrimp if frozen. 

2. Prepare stations: in a small bowl whisk 1 egg. In a separate bowl combine the coconut flakes, panko, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (and zest if using). On a small plate flatten the flour for dredging.   

 

3. Dredge shrimp one-by-one through flour, shaking off any excess. Dip floured shrimp into egg, again shaking off before pressing into coconut-panko mixture on both sides. Transfer all coconut-ed shrimp to the baking sheet.
 

4. Spray tops of shrimp with cooking spray again to ensure crispiness. Pop in preheated oven for 8 minutes.
 

5. Meanwhile make the dip: combine the apricot preserves with red pepper flakes & rice vinegar. Mix well (if ingredients are not mixing: place all in a small nonstick pot and heat over medium-low heat for up to 10 minutes to thin out and combine). Place in fridge until ready to eat.

6. After 8 minutes, flip each shrimp and place back in oven for an additional 6 minutes. Remove from oven once crisped & browned. Grab by the tail and dip away!
  

 

 

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artichoke-stuffed mushrooms

I've always loved mushrooms.  Mushrooms out of the can were the first things I was able to cook on the stove by myself when I was younger. I would coat them in butter and a handful of salt and eat the whole skillets-worth by myself, not sharing one piece. Let's be honest...I still do this on a monthly-basis, it's one of my guilty food-pleasures. Mushrooms are difficult to ruin, and taste even better when chock-full of goodies! From spinach to crab to crispy breadcrumb mixtures, anything can be mixed into this recipe and snuck right into the little mushrooms before toasting up in the warmed oven. This is a perfect recipe for the upcoming holiday of New Year's Eve! Super impressive, hardly time-intensive, but detail-oriented, this dish is party-ready!

Ingredients (appetizer portions for 2 people, multiply as necessary):
1 package of organic button mushrooms
1 can of artichoke hearts
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tbs butter
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 cup panko

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Strain artichoke hearts and chop.

 

2. Mince 4 cloves of garlic and add to nonstick pan with butter along with artichoke. 
 

3. Add a pinch of both salt & pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until crisped and browned.
 

4. Combine cream cheese with artichoke mixture and stir to thoroughly mix.
 

 

5. Wipe off the mushrooms and scoop out the insides with a spoon. It's normal to ruin a bunch and make them super ugly, once filled no one will notice the difference! Place the mushrooms on a foil-lined baking sheet.
 

6. Spoon artichoke mixture into a small ziploc bag, snip off a small corner and use this as a pastry bag to fill the mushrooms.
 

7. Fill each mushroom with mixture and top with panko and a drizzle of olive oil.
 

 

8. Pop in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden and crisped.
 

9. Serve and impress guests!

This recipe can be easily adapted to any other filling-- use canned crabmeat and some old bay spices, or even just add the mushroom stems back into a butter-garlic mixture along with the cream cheese for simple stuffed mushrooms, or if you're feeling adventurous, whip up some creamy spinach to fill the mushrooms with a tasty green mixture and top with garlicky-toasted breadcrumbs. The possibilities are endless, always delicious, and super impressive for guests!

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