Coconut shrimp always reminds me of Outback Steakhouse.

And bloomin’ onion appetizers.

And steaks that are super fatty that come with those weird wooden handle steak knives that are–for some reason–rounded? Can you tell I grew up in the 90s…and deep in the suburbs?! That stuff was awesome.

This recipe comes from two of my favorite food and real life friends, Jenny Park and Teri Lyn Fisher who both just launched (as in today!! hello!! visit!!) their new blog called, Spoon Fork Bacon.

Teri takes the pretty pictures and Jenny makes and food styles all the recipes. They’re both super talented and make everything pretty and delicious. So when I saw this coconut shrimp recipe on their blog (I got a sneak peak a few weeks ago!), I knew I needed to make it…stat.

Since I hate dealing with frying/hot oil, I decided to bake them…that just makes life easier, doesn’t it?

Get your assembly line situation in tact.

There will be a flour/cayenne/garlic powder plate. A beaten egg bowl. And lastly, the almond meal (which I left out because I’m bad at writing grocery lists), shredded coconut and panko bread crumbs.

When that’s all good to go…

Get yo shrimp!! Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and do a toss around action.

Next up…drop one of those dudes in the flour. He looks so lonely and swallowed by the flour, doesn’t he?! It’s sad…

Wait, no it’s not. I’m just being dramatic because I’ve too many glasses of wine.

I digress…

After it’s coated in the flour, move it to the egg…

Then to the coconut mixture. After it’s all coated, transfer it to a baking sheet. Line ‘em up!

They look so uniform and military-like, don’t they?!

Stick that baking sheet in a pre-heated oven and bake them for about 15-20 minutes.

While they’re doing their job, mix up that chili sauce, honey drizzle situation. It’s glorious. I don’t have a picture because I might’ve poured honey all over my kitchen floor. BUT it doesn’t matter ’cause it’s mad easy. Just chili sauce into some honey.

And when they come out of the oven…you’re gonna eat them. All. By yourself. And not share.

#becausewhynot?

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Honey Drizzle

Coconut Shrimp Recipe tweaked from Spoon Fork Bacon

Sauce recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon

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Coconut Shrimp:
12 tiger shrimp, cleaned and peeled with tails intact
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Spicy Honey Drizzle:
2/3 cup honey
2 Tablespoons fresh chili sauce (such as Sambal)
sea salt to taste

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spray with PAM (or grease with a little vegetable oil using a paper towel).
2. In a small bowl, season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
3. In a shallow dish combine flour, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. In another shallow dish, gently toss together the coconut, almond meal and breadcrumbs.
4. Dredge shrimp in the flour mixture and shake off any excess flour.
5. Then dip each shrimp into the beaten eggs, followed by the coconut mixture.
6. Shake off any excess coconut transfer your prepared baking sheet and transfer to pre-heated oven.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. If you want them to be more golden brown, transfer to top rack and broil for 2 minutes. (Keep an eye on it!)
10. For the honey drizzle: Place all ingredients into a small ramekin and mix.
11. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with warm shrimp.

Hi Shrimp & Grits, you look kinda cute today–with your gigantic shrimp, runny egg, creamy, goat-cheesy grits…ugh. You’re so cute I kinda wanna punch you.

I’d never had Shrimp & Grits with an egg involved until a few nights ago. Good heavens. Just when you thought the dish couldn’t get more awesome, a restaurant (in NY) throws a runny fried egg in the mix and turns my world upside down.

I wanna say it was the most memorable thing about my trip to NY. There was also the amazing view from The Boom Boom Room at the top of the Standard Hotel; the incredible arepas from Caracas (had one for lunch and then one for dinner); the PB&J and pickle tea sandwiches from Fatty Crab; and the salted caramel cupcake from Butter Lane. P.S. There’s a chance I might’ve gained a pound or two. Whatevs.

But for reals, the best thing from NY was seeing some of my best friends from college–some of whom I hadn’t seen in years. They looked a little older, sounded more mature, but after five minutes we were back to how we used to be.  Don’t you love it when that happens?

The first thing I did when I got to parent’s home in Fort Lauderdale, was make this dish. And watch lots of TV. There’s something about being home that makes it okay to be super lazy, right?

Let’s talk about this recipe! It’s pretty basic. Not to much too talk about, I guess.

Bye!

Juuuust kidding.

I halved this recipe since it was just for me and my momma. The original recipe is for four, so below it’s for four. Just so ya know!

There’s grits, which I spiked with some goat cheese to give it a little tang and creaminess.

Some bacon. And shrimp, of course.

And a fried egg.

It’s kind of a breeze; and honestly, it’d be delicious for breakfast or for dinner or for lunch…or for all three in the same day. It’s a free country!

Shrimp & Grits

Recipe slightly adapted from Bobby Flay

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4 cups water

Salt and pepper

1 cup stone-ground grits

3 tablespoons butter

3 oz. of goat cheese

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

6 slices bacon, chopped

4 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (I skipped this because I forgot to buy it at the store.)

1 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 large clove garlic, minced (I skipped this too.)

1 egg

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. In a separate pan, fry up egg over easy.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and top with fried egg. Serve immediately.

New Years is approaching at lightening speed and for everyone that means coming up with a new lame New Years resolution, which will inevitably be broken or given up on by the third week in January.  So in lieu of attempting to not be a total failure at the beginning of a new year, I’ve decided to set a resolution that I know I can’t screw up.  Ready for it?  My New Years resolution for 2010: Drink more water. That’s it. Drink more water.  It’ll leave me with clearer skin, no more headaches due to dehydration, more energy, and a healthier body overall.  Not too shabby right? I feel like I can take this on. I’ve even gone so far as to buy a cute polka dot canteen that I plan on toting around with me everywhere I go.

Most people make resolutions that have to do with eating healthier.  So if you’ve decided–despite my warning against them–to set some crazy goal of losing weight, then this recipe is for you.  I first made it a few days after Thanksgiving when the sound of mashed potatoes for the third day in a row just didn’t sound very appealing.  It’s comforting on a cold day, healthy and light, full of flavor and it won’t ruin any new set goals of slimming down.  Also, feel free to swamp out the shrimp for another type of protein like tofu, tempeh (like the original recipe) or chicken.

So…what’s your New Years Resolution?

Shrimp Curry

Recipe adapted from Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks

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Serves 4 – 6

1 1/2 pounds of small waxy potatoes no bigger than a small lime, halved
2 teaspoons of salt (I used sea salt)
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds (I didn’t have them so I swapped this out for cumin powder)
1 teaspoon of curry powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder (I ended up adding more like 3/4 teaspoon but I like it spicy)
1 cup of canned diced tomatoes
3/4 cup of water
splash of cream or creme fraiche (if you want to keep it super healthy, then just eliminate)
8 ounces of shrimp, peeled and deveined
a small handful of cilantro, chopped

Bring a few inches of water to boil in a large pot. Place the potatoes in a steamer, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook until tender throughout – about 20 – 30 minutes, depending on how large your potato pieces are.  Note: if you don’t have a steamer, then just throw them in a pot of boiling water.  They should be done in 20 minutes.

In the meantime, in a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil, add the onion and cook over LOW heat until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, wait about thirty seconds, then stir in the tomatoes, water, and the other teaspoon of salt. Remove from heat, stir in the cream and blend with a hand blender  or transfer to a blender (be careful to add and blend a few ladles at a time! or leave it unpureed if you like!). Note: you might need to transfer it to a bowl to puree, then return it to the skillet.

Dry your shrimp completely dry with a paper towel. In a skillet, over medium,  pour a few tablespoons olive oil and wait until it gets hot, then add the shrimp and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Cook for approx 1 1/2 on each side. Once done, transfer shrimp to the pot of curry and bring barely to a simmer.  Add the potatoes when they are finished steaming. Transfer to a large family-style bowl, and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Everyone has a word that grosses them out, and most of the time that word doesn’t necessarily insinuate anything gross.  For instance, a friend of mine is repulsed by the word “moist”, which is weird because moist, to most, is a good thing.  I mean, give me a moist piece of chocolate cake any day.  But I get it–we as humans are weird like that. Wanna know my word?  Scampi.  I know, I know–it doesn’t make any sense. There’s no logic to it.  I mean, what do I have against “scampi”?  Honestly, I can’t really tell you except that the word is unappealing to me.  I can’t tell you the last time I had Shrimp Scampi and it’s all because its name–it is so not fair.  Poor Mr. Shrimp Scampi. So when I was thumbing through the pages of this month’s issue of Food & Wine, it definitely wasn’t the name of this dish that drew me in, instead it was its butter sauce speckled with parsley and red pepper flakes and tons of garlic.  Oh, and the awesome promise of its accompaniment being a crisp, cold glass of chardonnay.

So after a night of bingeing at Animal, which is now officially my most favorite restaurant in LA, I was in the mood for something light, refreshing, but still wholesome. What should I cook? Ahhhha!  That shrimp…dish. After I decided that I wouldn’t call it by its name, I started on the dish.  This definitely isn’t something that makes you feel very “chef-like”.  It’s way simple; something literally anyone could do.  I got some shrimp, made the butter with a few ingredients, put it all in a dish and stuck it in the oven for 10 minutes.  And when it was done, I plopped it in a bowl and served it with a fresh piece of french bread.  It’s humility, meets simplicity and it equals pure endearment.  And the best part:  I had leftover butter and leftover shrimp so the next night I did the same exact thing and 15 minutes later I had dinner.  This is a perfect example of how you should never judge a book by it’s cover/name.

Shrimp Scampi

Recipe from Food & Wine October 2009

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2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
3 large cloves, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (I like stuff spicy!)
3 lbs. of large shrimp–shelled and deveined, tails left on
1 tablespoon of chopped basil leaves
Crusty bread for serving

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a medium bowl, mix the butter with the garlic, 2 teaspoons of the parsley, the lemon zest, lemon juice and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

In a large gratin dish, arrange the shrimp, tails up, in a circular pattern. Dot the shrimp with the flavored butter and roast for about 10 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and the butter is bubbling. Sprinkle the shrimp with the remaining 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and the basil leaves. Serve hot with bread.

When I was kid, the only thing my mom trusted me with in the kitchen was the salad.  So every night, right before dinner was to be served, I was asked to come in the kitchen and make this bland, boring salad.  I’d reluctantly tear up the lettuce, cut a tomato and cucumber and it’d be done—it was the easiest chore I had to do, but that memory has resulted in me being a non-salad eater. People love salads—me? Not so much. When I go to a restaurant, the salad section is usually not even an option for me, unless it’s a caprese salad, which isn’t really even a salad, it’s more like a cold appetizer. So I’m scarred for life—no salads for me…until…my trip to Raleigh, NC last month where I tried this incredible salad at Firebirds.

It’s not a super-duper gourmet spot that you’d see in Bon Appetit—just a little restaurant nestled in the suburbs and this place served up one of the best salads of my life.  To me this salad worked so well because it treated the lettuce like a second-class citizen.  Lettuce was used just as a delivery service for the other cool stuff in the salad, like the strawberries, feta cheese and sweet and spicy pecans. The texture was crunchy from the pecans, soft from the cheese and smokey and crunchy from the grilled shrimp.  The experience didn’t totally transform me into a full on salad eater—just a Grilled Shrimp and Strawberry salad eater.

Grilled Shrimp & Strawberry Salad

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Inspired by Grilled Shrimp & Strawberry Salad at Firebirds

Serves 2

2 1/2 cups of lettuce (romaine and spring mix)
1 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries
1/2 cup of candied or spicy pecans, chopped
1 lb. of shrimp (10-15 count), peeled and deveined with tail on
3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Simple Balsamic Dressing

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
3/4 olive oil

You’ll need a few skewers.  To avoid them catching on fire when they’re over the grill, soak them in a bit of water for a few minutes.  Thread the shrimp onto the skewer, putting 3-4 shrimp per skewer. Place over grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side.

As they’re on the grill, throw the lettuce, strawberries, feta and pecans all together.

Beat the vinegar with salt and pepper until it dissolves.  Then beat in the olive oil by droplets, whisking constantly.  This should create a bit of emulsification, thickening the dressing.

Toss the salad with the dressing, ensuring that it’s all worked in.  Take the shrimp off their skewers and place along side the salad.  Voila!