Erin's Easy Eats

Coconut Macadamia Shrimp with Warm Salsa

May 22nd, 2008 by Erin

I love coconut shrimp.  I have tried for years to recreate the recipes that you get from the freezer or from a restaurant, and am always left wanting.  But no longer.  This all sounds quite melodramatic, but you really must realize that I have made so many bad coconut shrimp recipes that finding a good one was like having a party in the kitchen.  We have also proclaimed this recipe “Hell’s Kitchen worthy” if we used bigger shrimp, left the tails on, and did some pretty presentation where they stood up and said hello in a little puddle of salsa.  I really do love that show.

Warm Tropical Salsa

• 3/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 TBSP fresh lime juice
• 1 TBSP orange juice
• 1 1/2 tsp horseradish (trust me here, I thought it’d be gross, too)
• 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 cup diced fresh mango
• 1/4 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
• Small bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Stir together first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan; cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Lower heat and stir in mango, pineapple and cilantro. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Coconut Macadamia Shrimp

• 1 pound unpeeled, uncooked fresh large shrimp
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts (I did mine in my mini-food processor)
• 1 cup shredded coconut (I also ran this through the food processor just briefly, still shreddy though, and not emulsified)
• 1/2 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
• Vegetable oil

Peel shrimp, leaving tails on; devein, if desired. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium-size shallow bowl. Whisk egg in another bowl. Stir together coconut, macadamia nuts, and breadcrumbs in a third medium-size shallow bowl.

Dredge shrimp in flour mixture; dip in egg. Dredge in coconut mixture, being sure to press coconut mixture onto shrimp. Place shrimp on a large baking sheet. Pour oil to a depth of an inch and a half or so in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, fry shrimp, 5 to 6 at a time, 1 to 2 minutes or until golden. Take care not to overload the skillet or it will bring the temp of the oil down. Drain shrimp briefly on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

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Mac ‘n Cheese with Spicy Things

May 19th, 2008 by Erin

The bulk of this recipe was stolen from my favorite foodblog, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I will admit to making very few changes, but I wanted to share this with you because it is not at all like mac ‘n cheese, but more like… well, everything I ate in Scotland, meaning it has corn in it. And as you all should know by now, corn makes things better.

Coming down the pipe in the next week or so: another coconut shrimp recipe (I can never find one I really like,) ice cream cake (a really lazy version that you can only make if you have connections, people, connections are important) and perhaps, just maybe, some secret things. That I can’t talk about here. Even though I don’t think Rick reads this. Shhh…

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into medium sized, cookable pieces (I’ll explain in a minute)
• Chipolte chili powder (optional, I imagine, but I used it)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (are you noticing a pattern?)
• 1 1/2 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 c. cream (I used light cream)
• 1 4oz. can chopped green chilies (there’s chopped again!)
• 1 c. corn (frozen and thawed, if you like, or from a can, if you’re feeling the laze)
• 4 cups cooked curly pasta (somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a pound)

Set your water to boil for your pasta - the rest of this will be done faster than you think. Boil as soon as the water is ready, and cook it until just al dente, because it’s gonna hang out with some cream and some sauce and get soft but you don’t want it to get squishy.

I cook my chicken in large chunks rather than to chop it all up at first because I find the texture to be better. By this, I mean cutting a breast into thirds, seasoning it, cooking it, and then slicing it after it has a chance to rest. By all means, do it the other way, cutting into bite sized pieces and then cooking, if you like.

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of chipolte powder. Cook about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Set aside and let rest.

Over medium heat, add jalepeno, garlic, red pepper, and onion with a little olive oil, and sautee until just soft. Add corn and diced chilies. Let it hang out while you cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Throw the chicken in there. Add the pasta, cream, and cheese. Stir until it is all melty. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Tandoori Chicken and Phyllo Samosas

May 11th, 2008 by Erin

Both of these recipes came from this month’s Cooking Light. They are both absolutely wonderful. They are by no means “quick and easy” (the samosas took about 45 minutes, plus baking time, and the chicken takes about 15 minutes of prep followed by a day of marinating…) but the result is well worth it. Although I used bone-in thighs this time, I’ll probably use skinless, boneless thighs next time to get more marinade on the meat. This is served with a mint raita, which accompanies both parts of the meal well with a cool creaminess. I sent the husband outside to grill the chicken while I assembled and baked the samosas. I had never worked with phyllo dough before, and after a slight rough start (sorry, top three sheets) I found great success.

Tandoori Chicken (this is the full recipe, I halved with great success for four bone-in thighs)

• 2 tsp oil
• 4 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 ground coriander
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground red pepper (I used about half that)
• 2 c. chopped onion (no need to get it too fine)
• 1/2 c. chopped ginger (a lot, trust me)
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 16 boneless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)

Heat oil in small nonstick skillet. Add paprika, cumin, coriander, garam masala, tumeric, and red pepper. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Place onion, ginger, jalepeno and garlic in food processor, blend until smooth. Add spices, yogurt, lemon juice, and about a teaspoon of salt. process until smooth. Transfer mixture to large ziplock bag, add chicken, squish around to coat. Marinate overnight, turning occasionally. Grill 7 minutes on each side until done (again, ours took longer ’cause of the bone-in business.)

Samosas

• 2 1/2 c. peeled, chopped baking potato
• 1 c. peeled chopped carrot
• 2 c. chopped onion
• 2 1/2 Tbs peeled, chopped ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 c. frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 16 sheets phyllo dough

Cook potato and carrot in boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes, drain. Heat large skillet over medium heat, add about 1 Tbs oil. Add onion to pan, cook until just softened. Add ginger, garlic, red peper, cook 2 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. Add potato mixture, peas, cilantro and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Process half of mixture in food processor until coarsely chopped - it should retain it’s texture. Repeat with remaining half.

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two cookie sheets with cooking spray (or non-stick foil or your trusty Sil-pat.) Place a sheet of phyllo dough on large chopping board. Fold in half lengthwise. Spoon about three tablespoons into top right corner. Fold end over end like a paper football. Instead of tucking the end under, spray lightly with cooking spray, press end to “body” of samosa, and place seam side down on cookie sheet. Repeat 16 times. (You’ll be talented by the end!) Place both cookie sheets in, and cook 13 minutes, rotate the sheets, bake another 12.

Mint Raita

• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. chopped mint
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients, stir around. Lick the bowl when you’re done with dinner.

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Rice Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

I made this as an accompaniment to the tofu and red peppers.  Correct me if I’m mistaken (and I know the peanut butter could potentially be an issue) but I believe this is my first vegan meal.  Vegan!  This sauce is really simple, and adds a good flavor.  I added some more after I took this photo because I found the noodles were sticking together too much.

Super zoom on broccoli!!!

For sauce:

• 1/3 c. lime juice
• 1 1/2 Tbs grated ginger (hello microplane, my love)
• 3 Tbs water
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 3 Tbs peanut butter (being the PB fiend that I am, I may have added more… shhh)
• 1 1/2 Tbs honey
• 2 tsp chili paste (wowza! this stuff is awesome!)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  I cooked a pound of rice vermicelli, added some steamed veggies, and sauteed it all together in the sauce for about 2 minutes.  Lovely!  (The whole recipe of sauce is enough for 1 lb. of noodles.)

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No Knead Pizza

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

I’m jumping on the No Knead Dough bandwagon.  I have been in search of an easy, good, pizza crust.  I like chewy pizza, no thin crust here.  I like those pizza bones to be worth my while.  Things in my bread machine weren’t cutting it (unintentional pun, but I’m leaving it) so I went with this instead.  Could not be easier!

• 3 cups flour (I used bread flour)
• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• (I added this for pizza dough, but you can easily leave it out) 1/2 Tbs Italian seasoning

Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.  Add water and stir well (get those arm muscles working!)  Dough will be shaggy and sticky.  Cover, and allow to sit for 12-20 hours.  (HOURS.  Really.)  For pizza, I then divided it in half, rolled each into a circle (using lots of extra flour because like I said, it’s super sticky) and then cover it again and let it rise for two hours.  We topped this one with tomatoes, sausage, and peppers, and baked it for 14 minutes at 425.  (I used the pizza stone this time, but won’t next time because it makes things too crispy for me.)

If you want the original recipe, albeit reprinted, visit the lovely Kiija’s food blog here.

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Shrimp Tacos with Two Kinds of Sauce

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

As planned, we whipped up some shrimp tacos and made the mayo salsa from the chicken biscuit “sandwich” from the other day. I also made up some pico de gallo, because it was requested.  They turned out very well, and other than the ton of chopping, cooked up quite quickly, too.

Shrimp:

Peel and devein about a pound of shrimp.  I sprinkled some taco seasoning mix on mine, and just sauteed them until they were just finished - I used large shrimp, so I didn’t overcook them for once.

To refresh your memory, the mayo salsa:

Salsa Mayo

• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (2 plum or 1 large regular tomato)
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I was done with chopping at this point, ugh)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• 3 shakes Tabasco (see mom and dad, I eat it now!)

Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pico de Gallo - Essentially everything in the salsa mayo but without the mayo

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 jalepenos, deveined and seeded to your liking (the more seeds/veins you leave, the spicier it will be)
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 c. chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbs lime juice (maybe a little more)
• salt and pepper to taste

Stir it all together.

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Turkey Cutlets and Sauteed Mushrooms

May 7th, 2008 by Erin

This is a staple from my mom’s kitchen. I’m not really sure where she got the recipe originally, but it has stood the test of time. I add a little cheese (not originally in the recipe, as far as I can remember) and pretend like I’m making beautiful food from Take Home Chef, which I watched for about 2 hours today. Sigh.

Ingredients:

• 4 turkey cutlets (about 1 lb, total)
• 2 Tbs grainy Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c. white wine
• 1 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced thinly (I really should stop buying the presliced mushrooms, which are sliced, apparently, with a saw held by giants. They are way too thick)

Mix breadcrumbs and cheese together. (I do this in a bag and pretend it’s Shake ‘n Bake.) Pat turkey cutlets dry. Spread each all over with 1/2 Tbs mustard apiece. Coat with breadcrumb mixture. Cook on a preheated nonstick skillet with a little olive oil over medium high heat, turning until nicely browned and cooked through. Add wine to pan, allow to cook off nearly completely, turning cutlets once to get both sides in wine. Remove cutlets from pan. Add a little bit more olive oil (or butter, if you’re me) and add mushrooms. Do not add salt until the very end, I promise. The mushrooms will brown and release their own juices. Then add the salt and pepper to taste.

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Chicken with Lotsa Stuff

May 1st, 2008 by Erin

This has a really fancy title. “Chicken Cutlets on Buttermilk-Cheddar Chorizo Biscuits with Tomato-Olive Salsa Mayo.” Whew. I believe they were supposed to be sandwhiches, but um, I did mine “open face” or lazy, and I could eat it with a fork, which is also lazy. I hate olives, so I left them out. You will never see olives on this blog. If you love olives, I am just saving them so there are more for you.

Really, the standout of this meal, which was new to us this week, was the salsa mayo. We were immediately trying to think of other things it could go with. Watch next week when we have the same salsa mayo with grilled shrimp tacos and Mexican rice.

Biscuits:

• 8 oz. buttermilk biscuit mix (I didn’t have this, so I made mine from scratch. Jiffy or Bisquick would work just as well and be a lot easier.)
• 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 lb. Spanish chorizo (which is already fully cooked) finely chopped

Place mix in a bowl, stir in cheddar and chopped chorizo. Add water or milk according to package directions. Form into 1″ thick square. Cut into 4 squares. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes (mine actually took almost 20. I blame this on the “from scratch” business.)

Salsa Mayo

• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (2 plum or 1 large regular tomato)
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I was done with chopping at this point, ugh)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• 3 shakes Tabasco (see mom and dad, I eat it now!)
• If you like olives, add 10 chopped green olives and let me know how it is

Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beg my mother to tell you the Tabasco story in the comments.

Chicken

• 4 thin chicken cutlets (I halved breasts the thin way)
• 1/2 Tbs. ground coriander
• 1/2 Tbs. lime juice
• Salt and pepper

Season chicken with all that stuff. Cook on each side 3-4 minutes, until cooked through. (I imagine it would be equally wonderful on the grill.)

I just piled everything on top of everything else, but if you want a sandwich, split the biscuits, place chicken, then mayo, then some leafy lettuce, and then the biscuit top on top. Top on top. Hop on pop. Oof.

Posted in Uncategorized, chicken, dinner, recipes, sausage || 2 Comments