Mussels in Coconut Lime Broth

        What an exciting week it was!  Just two days ago, I was one of the thousands who were glued to their televisions once the white smoke came out of Sistine Chapel.  Excited to witness another piece of history, I patiently waited for the new Pope to come out of the balcony from 2:05 -2:55 pm.  Guess what?  Nobody came out. 

 

         Since I have some chauffer duties to do, I rushed to the car and hurriedly picked up the children from school.  Deep inside, I'm hoping the Pope will not make his grand entrance during my 15 minute absence. When I saw the kids,  I even told them that the first one home will get a treat.  The little trick paid off.  They were in and out of the car in no time. 

 

        As I was closing the front door, I heard the kids screaming.  "Hurry Nanay, the new Pope  came out of the balcony!"  Just my luck!  I was 5 seconds late for the big reveal.  Bummer!!!

 

        Speaking of luck, this weekend is St. Patrick's Day.  Though we don't have any trace of Irish blood in our family (as far as I know),  we also like to celebrate the occasion by having "Green foods" with the traditional Beef, Potatoes and Cabbage. 

 

        One of our family's favorite Green foods is this Mussels in Coconut Lime Broth.  Though the kids are not big mussels eaters, they love soaking their steamed rice with the light, creamy broth.  That leaves me and my husband more mussels to enjoy with wine or beer. Yum!

 

         What I love the most about this simply dish aside from the taste, is its versatility.  Depending on how you serve it, this easy to prepare recipe is perfect for entertaining.  As a cocktail dish, arrange the mussels in a platter and use the broth as a sauce. Just like the one on the photo below.  A few pieces of mussels in a bowl with more broth and a piece of toast, you have a nice soup.  For an elegant looking main dish, serve it with steamed rice and vegetables.  

 

        Am I making you hungry?  Here's the recipe for this 30 minute wonder. 

 

        Time to enjoy Happy Hour!

 

- Roz

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 small onion chopped
2 inch cube fresh ginger sliced into strips
2 cans 14 oz. coconut milk
1 cup water
3 lbs. mussels
2 Tbs. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. chili flakes (you can add more if you like)
1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1. Preheat a big Dutch over or pan. 
2. Sautee garlic, onions and ginger in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes.  Make sure you don't burn it.
3. Add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce and black pepper.  Bring to boil.
4. Once boiling, add the mussels and lower the heat.  Simmer until the shells open.  Do not over cook.
5. Stir in the cilantro, chili flakes and lime juice.  Turn off heat and serve.

 

Sherry Shrimp Stir Fry

        It's the first Friday of Lent and that means it will be time to go meatless.  Growing up in a strict Catholic household, my grandmother never served meat on Fridays.  Yes, she did it the whole year! 

      

       As time passed and now that I cook for my own family, the tradition of not having meat on Fridays has become limited to the Lenten Season.  In fact, pre food allergy diagnosis, it slowly evolved into our family's Pizza night that's loaded with all kinds of meat and the works. Since we have already changed our family's menu for months now and I have been reading countless books on healthy living, allergies and weight loss (shhh.... the later is a secret!), I am thinking of restarting the meatless Friday tradition.  After all, non of the children is allergic to fish, shellfish and veggies.  Sounds good?

 

       Anyway, here's one of my favorite easy to make shrimp dish.  It's so versatile, one can serve it as an appetizer and even as a main dish when paired with rice/noodles and veggies.  Oh, these shrimps are even great with your favorite wine for that Friday night happy hour.      

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 lbs fresh shrimp (easy peel with shells on)

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup sherry wine (vegetable broth if you don't like alcohol)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (you can use more)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

 

1. Bring a big sautee pan or wok to medium heat. 

2. Once hot, add olive oil and shrimps.

3. Season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. 

4. Pour in the wine or broth and let it reduce to half.  Keep mixing the shrimps so that it will cook evenly on all sides.

5. When the shrimps has turned pink evenly, sprinkle with chili flakes and chopped parsley.  Make sure not to overcook or else the shrimps will be tough.

6. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with a wedge of lemon.

 

Enjoy!

 

-Roz