.spicy mango shrimp.

Happy April Fools!  I thought about pulling a joke on you all, but voted against it.  Instead, I decided to post another recipe. :)

I have to tell you about my oldest daughter, Paige.  She LOVES shrimp.  She could eat it every day for the rest of her life.  Okay, maybe not.  She'd probably want to throw crab in there too.  She's only 7 and loves crab, shrimp, lobster.... that's my girl!  Such a refined palate.   This was her choice of dinner the other night.  She was a little concerned about the spice, but I only put a little red chili  pepper in and it was good.  Both she and Perry snarfed their meal!!  I was impressed.

This dish is SO easy and fast.  You can have it made and on the table in 30 minutes flat.  Really!  Let me show you.


You're going to need the following:

2 Tbsp honey, 1/4 cup olive oil, half of one mango (save the other half for grilling), 2 tsp grated gingerroot, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 tsp red thai curry paste (not pictured), and some red chili flakes.  

You can adjust how hot you want this.  If you don't want any heat, leave the flakes out entirely.  Put a few in.  Don't be scared.  It won't be hot, but it will give the sauce a little kick that gives the shrimp a real "wow" factor.  If you want them really hot, dump more pepper flakes in.

Put those ingredients in a blender and puree till smooth.  Transfer to a bowl.

Because of Paige's great love for shrimp, I keep a humongous bag in my freezer.  These thaw so easily and quick by running them under the faucet.  Don't use hot water, but around room temp.   

I buy the peeled and deveined shrimp.. however the last time I was at the store, the only ones I could find still had the shell so if yours have shells.. peel them off.  

Skewer those babies up and get them ready for cooking.

Once they're on skewers, brush both sides liberally with the mango sauce.

Put them on a hot grill, or grill pan and let them sear on each side.  You want some nice grill markings on these but don't let them cook too long or else they'll become rubbery and hard.  

What I did was grill for about a minute on one side, flip.  While it was cooking the other side, I basted with more sauce, flipped and basted the other side, then flipped one last time (so they cooked 2x on each side)

As you can see, I also grilled slices of the mango.  When you grill fruit, it changes the flavor a little because the heat draws out some of the sugars, and the heat caramelizes it a little.  So delicious.

When your shrimp have cooked, pull from the grill and serve!  I made some couscous to go on the side and was a perfect compliment to the shrimp.

So next time you're in a hurry for dinner, think about this dish for your family.  It's sure to be a winner!

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_153fvw9csgw

.grilled shrimp and mango salad.

A couple years ago I was in Chicago for a scrapbooking event. It's a big thing for the craft and hobby industry and I was along for the ride with a company I was designing for at the time. I shared a hotel room with three other ladies and one night while out to dinner, my friend Bek ordered this grilled shrimp and mango salad. It looked FABULOUS! Since I'm all about salads, I thought I would try remaking it here at my house.



It's quick and easy and so deliciously refreshing. A light cilantro lime vinaigrette tops this off. The dressing can be made ahead of time and held in the fridge for future use.





Begin by taking however many shrimp you want and rinsing them well. Pull of the tails if they still have them on.





Season with seasoned salt.





Skewer up the shrimp and turn on the bbq.





Grill each side. When they're pink, they're done cooking. Don't let these overcook because the shrimp will be tough.

Peel and grate a couple carrots.

Seed and dice a tomato (or two).

Peel and slice a mango. If you're making this for a crowd, then dice the mango so it stretches further.

Slice some red onion.

Thinly slice some cucumber.

And finally, grate some cheddar cheese.

You can mix all these things together in a bowl with some lettuce (I used iceberg and romaine), or you can plate it like I did in the photo at the top. Drizzle lightly with cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

CILANTRO LIME VINAIGRETTE:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (key limes are good)
1 small jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped (leave in some seeds if heat is desired)
1 small clove garlic, halved
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon honey
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch ground cumin
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

.pineapple-mango upside-down cake.

I was watching Easy Entertaining on the Food Network the other day and the host was making this. I love pineapple upside down cake AND I love mango. I knew this was something I would have to make really soon. SO I decided to make this dessert for Jim's birthday the other night. I feel like I stepped back into the 70's with this one! The vinegar used in this recipe gives the cake and fruit a wonderful flavor. A hint of bitterness to balance all the sweetness from the fruit and syrup. If you're feeling extra indulgent, serve with a little whipped cream on top!


Dice half of one mango. I went ahead and diced the whole thing because I'm using the other half for the jerk chicken salad I'm making tonight for dinner.


Peel, slice, and core a fresh pineapple. You really only need about 4-6 rings. I diced the rest of the pineapple up for the salad I'm making tonight too. Man I can't wait! Anyway... you can used canned if you really don't want to use fresh. Fresh is *way* better though!


Chop up macadamia nuts. I went a little "nuts" and did the whole bottle. You only need 1/3 cup. I bagged the rest to use in cookies at a later time. :)


Butter a 9" round pan. Coat with sugar. This will keep the cake from sticking.


Now to make the sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan.


When it's all melted and starts to turn a little brown, remove from the heat and add 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar. It will bubble and bubble when you add this.


Then add 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.


Whisk until the brown sugar has dissolved entirely. If you need to return it to the heat to make sure it's all melted, go ahead.


Pour half of the syrup into the cake pan. Tilt it to spread it around as best as possible.


Lay down your pineapple rings.


Sprinkle the diced mango on top.


Pour on the rest of the syrup and then sprinkle the macadamia nuts all over the top. Now to make the batter.


In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt.


Using your mixer, cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter until there are no lumps.


Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat on high until it's nice and fluffy. Scrapping sides as necessary.

Separate two eggs.


Put the yolks in while the mixer is on high, one at a time. Beat well between each addition. The batter should continue getting airier.


Add a little of the flour mixture to the bowl.


Then add some of the milk (you're going to need 1 cup milk).

Alternate adding the dry and wet until it's all incorporated. Don't overbeat this mixture.


This is how nice and light the batter will be. Very reminiscent of a sponge cake. Very airy!


Whisk the two egg whites until soft peaks form.


Fold into the cake batter only until incorporated. Remember.. don't overmix!


Pour the batter on top of the fruit in the pan and put into a preheated 350* oven. Bake for 50 minutes.


The cake is ready when the top is beautifully golden and slightly cracking.

Let sit for 10 minutes.


Run a knife along the edge then put a deep dish plate or platter on top.


Flip it over to release the cake from the pan.

.fruit salsa w/ cinnamon tortilla chips.

I went to a party once when I lived in Virginia where this dish was served. My friend, Jenna, said she got it out of the Better Homes and Garden cookbook. Well, I looked in mine and it's not in there.... but she's a lot younger than I am so she probably had a newer addition. I loved it. Not only was it a really light, fresh appetizer, it was really pretty and tasty! Good food is usually very visually pretty. ;)



This is also a very low-fat/low-cal recipe so you can't go wrong with this dish! Here's how we make it.



Take 10 fajita sized tortillas. Cut in half, then in half again. Then in half again. We're quartering them to make our baked cinnamon tortilla chips.

Arrange the tortilla wedges on a baking sheet. You'll need to use about 3 sheets, or just keep cranking them out using one. You don't want them to overlap or else they won't get crispy in the oven.

Melt 1/4 c. butter in the microwave.

Brush the wedges lightly with some of the melted butter.

Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Put in a 350* oven for 10 minutes. After those 10 minutes are up, turn the oven to 400* and bake another minute. This will crisp up those chips!








Pull chips from the oven and let cool. These can be made the night before and put in a ziploc to keep fresh.


[TIP: Instead of throwing out your spice jars, clean one up and put some sugar and cinnamon in it. Shake well. Mark the lid with a STAR for easy finding. You'll always have cinnamon/sugar ready for toast or other things like this!]



While the tortilla wedges are in the oven we're going to make the salsa.

Peel and finely dice one mango.

Peel, slice, then finely dice 2 kiwi.



Make sure when you buy the kiwi that they aren't too squishy. They need to be firmer or else they will be nothing but mush when you go to dice.

Dice about 2 cups strawberries.



Put all the fruit in a bowl and mix together.

Using the small grate on your cheese grater, zest one lemon. Only grate once or twice in the same spot. You don't want any of the pith (the white stuff under the pretty yellow skin). Add to the bowl.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze into the bowl. Take any seeds out that might have fallen from the lemon into the bowl.

Sprinkle in about 1 Tbsp shredded coconut. Stir everything together.



This salsa is adaptable for anyone's taste. Pineapple would be a wonderful compliment to this, but my husband doesn't care for pineapple. I added a little diced banana to my bowl. If you use banana, make sure you add it at the very last minute because they brown quickly.



You can also add plum, peaches, and some chopped mint!





[TIP: When you only need half of a lemon, use the other half to bleach and sanitize your cutting boards. Sprinkle some salt on the flat side of the lemon and then rub in a circular motion. Let sit for 1/2 hour before washing.]