Brazilian-Style Shrimp With Coconut Milk

Here's another of our favorite recipes found online. The note below is from the people who put uploaded the recipe on the site below:

http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/entrees/fish-and-shellfish/brazilian-style-shrimp-coconut-milk.php

This dish is our version of one we recently sampled at the 2009 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was being served at the Rio de Janiero booth and was called Shrimp Stew with Coconut and Lime. A little online research indicates that this is an adaptation of an authentic Brazilian dish called Vatapá. While not quite the authentic version, this turned out to be quite delicious as well as quick and easy and a fairly close replication of the Epcot version.

Brazilian-Style Shrimp With Coconut Milk

Ingredients ~
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 small tomato, peeled, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 or 4 green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
White rice

Preparation ~
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and red bell pepper and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the salt, cayenne and black pepper. Stir in the tomato and cook for an additional minute.

Stir in the coconut milk and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until bubbly and beginning to thicken. Stir in the shrimp and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.

Add the lime juice and green onions and cook for about 1 minute more, until the onions start to soften. Stir in the cilantro. Serve over steamed white rice.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe Notes ~
Feel free to adjust the cayenne pepper to suit your taste for heat. The quantity we call for in the recipe is pretty mellow. All you need to complete a meal is a green salad with a simple vinaigrette.

Chili with Wheat Berries

We were looking for a recipe to use up veggies in the fridge, and this turned out to be a great one! It comes from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/zesty_wheat_berry_black_bean_chili.html.

6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 2 14-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (see Tip)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 2 cups Cooked Wheat Berries, (recipe follows)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, chipotle to taste, broth and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat through, about 5 minutes more. (If using frozen wheat berries, cook until thoroughly heated.) Remove from the heat. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each bowl with avocado and cilantro.

Tips & Notes

• Tip: Canned chipotle peppers (smoked jalapeños) in adobo sauce add heat and a smoky flavor. Look for the small cans with other Mexican foods in large supermarkets. Once opened, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Per serving: 386 calories; 11 g fat (1 g sat, 7 g mono); 61 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 15 g fiber; 703 mg sodium; 311 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (130% daily value), Fiber (72% dv), Folate (48% dv), Iron & Vitamin A (25% dv).

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 very-lean meat, 2 fat

SUPER FAST Sunday Dinner

Well, down in Provo it was fast day today (as I hear it was up north). And we get out of church at 5:00, which makes it tough to know what to do for dinner. Today we had a really fast, really satisfying, fairly healthy dinner tonight that I thought I'd share with you! It comes from

"Cooking Light."

Sausage and Spinach Soup

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 10 ounce sweet turkey Italian sausage (I'm sure any sausage would be delish.)
• Cooking spray (or not)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can organic stewed tomatoes, undrained (such as Muir Glen)
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups baby spinach (We had grown up spinach and it worked out fine :))
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (Hate to say we didn't have fresh herbs with this meal)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Romano cheese (We also skipped out on the cheese and didn't notice a lack, although I'm sure it's great with Romano or Parm)
• I also think you'd be fine to 1/2 the sausage and double the spinach, or play around with those quantities. It's kind of a lot of sausage.

Preparation

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and 2 teaspoons garlic to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water, beans, tomatoes, and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook for 3 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat, and stir in spinach, basil, and oregano. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese.

Two Delicious Vegetarian Recipes

First from big green Gourmet Today cookbook:
Hummus and Vegetable Lavash Wraps

Confession: We used whole wheat tortillas as well as flatbread (which is lavash.)

1 lavash
Hummus
1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/8 in. slices
1 lg. carrot, cut into ribbons with vegetable peeler
1 sm. sweet onion, cut into 1/8 in. thick slices
6 radishes, shredded on lg. wholes of a box grater
1/2 c alfalfa sprouts
1 T sesame seeds, toasted.
Optional (our addition) fresh mint leaves, sliced.

Confession 2: We didn't use the sesame seeds, but I bet they are good.

Spread humus evenly over lavash. Top with remaining ingredients. Roll lavash up tightly, jelly-roll fashion, and trim ends. Cut into 8 slices with a serrated knife. Garnish sandwiches with sprouts and sesame seeds.

Confession 3: We just made individual sandwiches, burrito style.

Next: Enjoyed with Dad and Marty Nygaard this week:

Martine's White Bean and Portobello Salad
Small White Beans
Chopped red bell pepper
Small pitted nicoise olives
Chopped roma tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella balls
Artichoke hearts
Pine nuts
Slices of grilled portobello mushrooms
Mixed greens

We ate it with citrus-mustard vinaigrette, but any number of dressings would be good.

Aunt Nancy is 50 Today!

Nancy’s Jubilee
16 February 2010

Our beautiful sister and Aunt Nancy is 50 years old today! We sisters celebrated with a brisk, bushwhacking, burr-bearing snowshoe trip up Millcreek canyon and finished with lunch and gifts at Granato's in Holladay. The perfect day for the perfect girl (she'll always seem a girl to me!). Here's a little tribute for her:

1. My sister Nancy is good on a pogo stick
2. And a unicycle
3. A bicycle
4. And many other toys and tools that are dangerous.
5. Nancy has beautiful dimples
6. And clear, lovely blue eyes.
7. She is full of wisdom
8. And seeks knowledge.
9. Nancy is faithful at all times and in all places.
10. She is a true peacemaker, and as such,
11. Brings peace wherever she goes.
12. She makes colored rice.
13. Nan is patient, now and forever.
14. She is long-suffering.
15. Nancy cares deeply about her parents and other forebears,
16. Her very special and blessed children,
17. And all Father in Heaven places in her path.
18. She is loyal
19. And obedient
20. And brave
21. And forgiving.
22. She is a master gardener
23. And inspired leader.
24. Strong,
25. Musical,
26. Humble,
27. And generous in praise.
28. Nancy is temple-loving
29. And temple going
30. And Covenant keeping.
31. Herb and
32. Nature-loving, too.
33. Health-minded,
34. Sacrificing,
35. Singing,
36. Multi-lingual
37. Responsive,
38. Open to understanding,
39. Hopeful
40. Positive,
41. Kind,
42. Full of revelation,
43. Adaptable,
44. Focused,
45. Progressive,
46. Visionary,
47. Tender,
48. Willing,
49. Christ-like,
50. Celestial.

Music

I heard this poem on NPR, and the essence of it stuck with me. I finally came across it again; it's by Ann Porter, in her book Living Things.

MUSIC
When I was a child
I once sat sobbing on the floor
Beside my mother's piano
As she played and sang
For there was in her singing
A shy yet solemn glory
My smallness could not hold

And when I was asked
Why I was crying
I had no words for it
I only shook my head
And went on crying

Why is it that music
At its most beautiful
Opens a wound in us
An ache a desolation
Deep as a homesickness
For some far-off
And half-forgotten country

I've never understood
Why this is so

But there's an ancient legend
From the other side of the world
That gives away the secret
Of this mysterious sorrow

For centuries on centuries
We have been wandering
But we were made for Paradise
As deer for the forest

And when music comes to us
With its heavenly beauty
It brings us desolation
For when we hear it
We half remember
That lost native country

We dimly remember the fields
Their fragrant windswept clover
The birdsongs in the orchards
The wild white violets in the moss
By the transparent streams

And shining at the heart of it
Is the longed-for beauty
Of the One who waits for us
Who will always wait for us
In those radiant meadows

Yet also came to live with us
And wanders where we wander.

Our Week in Pictures

We swung.

We drew.

We cooked.

We ate.

We bent.

We stretched.

We created!

We enjoyed!