Healthy Paleo Coconut Shrimp

Yes, it is true.  No, I didn't trick you.  It is possible to make healthy food taste like junk food.  I have no idea why I never thought of this before now.  The idea came to me while I was brainstorming ways to add more coconut to my diet (for all the numerous health benefits of course).  I have plenty of coconut oil in the cupboard and I also have a bag of unsweetened organic coconut flakes... pair them with a pound of jumbo wild caught shrimp from Trader  Joe's and, Viola!, you have yourself a gourmet meal in less than 15 minutes.  It really doesn't get better than this.  In fact, I pretty  much want to eat this meal every single day.  That is how delicious it is.  You could pair this with your favorite dipping sauce, but I just ate them hot and straight off the plate.  I couldn't resist.  Enjoy!!

My new favorite dish!

Ingredients:
1lb jumbo wild caught shrimp, thawed under cold running water or in the fridge
1/3c unsweetened coconut flakes (NOT flour!):  I used Let's Do...Organic
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
1/4tsp garlic powder
1 large egg, preferably omega-3 enriched, beaten
2-4tbs unrefined coconut oil

Directions:
1. If your cococnut flakes are course, then pulse them in a food processor to get them pretty fine.  Mine were already finely ground so I just measured them out of the bag.  Mix in your salt, cayenne, and garlic powder.  Place in a large flat bowl or pie tin (something you can easily dip the shrimp in).
2. Place your beaten egg in another shallow bowl or pie tin.  Add a pinch of salt here too.
3. Rinse and dry your shrimp so the egg sticks.  Heat a couple of tbs of coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  It's ready when you drop a piece of coconut in the skillet and it sizzles.
4. One by one, take your shrimp, dip each side in the beaten egg, then roll evenly in the coconut mixture.  Place them in the pan in a single layer.  After a couple of minutes, or when they turn golden brown, carefully flip them to the other side.  You may have to do these in a couple of batches depending how large your skillet is.  If the pan looks dry, add more oil!  As each one is golden and the shrimp is cooked through, place them on a plate.  Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce or eat them plain!  Enjoy!

Fire Shrimp & Slaw

Oh how I love the jumbo wild caught shrimp from Trader Joes.  I still think it's the best shrimp I have ever had.  This is a quick and easy recipe for some spicy shrimp over a pile of creamy Celery Seed Coleslaw.  Inspired by the rich flavors of Mexico, I whipped up this dish for lunch using some garlic, shallots, fire roasted diced tomatoes, chipotle and cilantro.  The whole thing only took me about 15 minutes start to finish which makes this recipe great for weekdays and weekends alike.  The cool creamy slaw helps to tone down the rich spicy shrimp to make the whole thing perfectly balanced.  There's only one word to describe it:  unbelievable.

A rich spicy jumbo shrimp paired with a creamy crunchy sweet slaw:  perfection!

Ingredients:
1lb jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined, tail on
1tbs butter
4 shallots, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced (remove seeds first if you don't like a lot of spice)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2c fresh cilantro, chopped
1tsp chile powder
1/2tsp cumin
salt to taste
3c Celery Seed Coleslaw for serving

Directions:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 1tbs butter until melted.  Add garlic and shallots and cook until soft.  Add your shrimp and sprinkle with chili powder, cumin and salt.  Cook on one side about 3 minutes or until white and curled.  Flip shrimp.
2. Add tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and chipotle chile.  Stir well and cook until the sauce has reduced a bit and the shrimp is done, about 3 minutes more.
3. Serve shrimp over a pile of slaw.  Enjoy!

Cajun Shrimp with Creole Cocktail Sauce

Spicy rich sauteed cajun shrimp is paired with a ginger cinnamon cocktail sauce in this simple dish.  I got the idea to make cocktail sauce from scratch after reading a book called Pure Ketchup: A history of America's National Condiment.  Many of their traditional recipes call for fresh tomatoes and no added sugar or preservatives.  Making your own condiments takes a little more effort but it is worth it knowing you are eating something fresh, whole, and unprocessed.  The whole thing takes less than 30 minutes to make and would also make a great appetizer.  For an exceptional meal, try Trader Joe's Wild Blue Colossal Shrimp.  They are to die for!

Spicy shrimp dipped in a fresh tomato reduction sauce with ginger and spices

Cajun Shrimp Ingredients:
1lb wild caught shrimp, raw, deveined, tail on, and dethawed
2-3tsp cajun seasoning (I used Weber N'Orleans Cajun Seasoning)
1tbs butter, preferably organic

Creole Cocktail Sauce Ingredients:
5-6 large roma tomatoes, diced
1tbs minced fresh ginger
pinch cloves
1/4tsp allspice
1/8tsp cinnamon
1/8tsp cayenne
2tbs white balsamic vinegar
1tbs tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large sauce pan, boil cocktail sauce ingredients until the tomatoes are broken down and thick.  Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender), puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings as needed.
2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1tbs butter over medium high heat.  When the butter is sizzling, add your shrimp in a single layer.  Sprinkle generously with cajun seasoning.  Cook a few minutes on one side (they should begin to curl and be done on that side), then flip and cook a few minutes on the other side.  When the shrimp are no longer translucent and are curled, they are done.  Do not overcook!  Remove from heat and eat warm dipped in your fresh creole cocktail sauce.  Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Shrimp Bisque

Traditionally, a bisque is made with a broth from the shells of crustaceans along with seasonings and cream.  This dish is not quite a bisque since I didn't take time to boil the shrimp shells and I certainly didn't add cream.  I was planning on adding some coconut milk at the end to make the whole dish creamy, but when I went to taste it, the soup was so fantastically seasoned that I didn't want to mess with it.  I must warn you:  this dish takes a while to make (upwards of 2 hours) but I promise you it is worth every minute.  There is nothing better than homemade roasted tomato soup.  Adding shrimp just put this dish over the edge.  It's literally my new favorite soup.  Enjoy!

Roasting your own tomatoes makes this dish taste fresher than any restaurant soup

Ingredients:
3lb tomatoes (I used about 8 large tomatoes), washed and cut in half
2tbs extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressed is best)
sea salt
2tbs butter, preferably organic or grass fed
2tbs minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1tsp red pepper flakes
2 yellow onions, diced
28oz can whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are best)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 quart chicken stock
1c fresh basil, sliced thin
1tsp dried thyme
2lb large wild caught shrimp (I found mine at Trader Joe's), dethawed
5 celery stalks, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. In a large baking sheet lined with nonstick foil, place your tomatoes in a single layer.  Toss them with the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Roast your tomatoes for about 45 minutes (they should look very soft and starting to brown or blacken).
3. Meanwhile, start your soup.  In a large stockpot heat 2tbs butter over medium high heat.  Add your garlic, carrots and onions.  Saute, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and translucent.
4. Add red pepper flakes and give it a good stir.  Add your can of tomatoes, chicken stock, basil and thyme.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  When the roasted tomatoes are done, add them to the soup pot with the rest.  Simmer the whole thing for 40 minutes. 
5. While your soup is simmering, prep your shrimp.  You will want to remove the shrimp from their shells (if they have any) and devein them carefully with a knife (aka get rid of the black stuff).  Then slice them in half lengthwise (so it looks like 2 thin shrimp) and make sure they are completely deveined on both sides once again.  Cutting them in half makes them curl perfectly when boiled in the soup.  Place them in a bowl.
6. After 40 minutes all the veggies should be soft and the flavors will have reduced a bit and blended perfectly.  Using an immersion blender, blend your soup until it is completely smooth.  No immersion blender?  Take your soup in batches and puree it in a regular blender on low (be careful because the steam will try to pop the lid).
7. Once your soup is pureed, add your shrimp and celery.  Boil for about 4 minutes, or until the shrimp turns white and curls.  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  Serve hot.  Enjoy!

Spicy Bok Choy & Shrimp Stir-Fry

I bought some wild caught Argentinian shrimp at Trader Joes, and decided to use them in a simple stir fry for lunch.  To be perfectly honest, I had never tried bok choy before this dish and I can tell you that I have been missing out.  The health benefits of this little Chinese cabbage are endless: it aids in digestion, is full of antioxidants, vitamin A, C, beta-carotine, calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid and fiber.  It tastes like a mixture between cabbage and celery to me with a subtle sweetness.  When it cooks it lets out a lot of water which is why I had to cook the veggies and shrimp separately and then add them all together at the end.  With less than 30  minutes to prepare, you can enjoy this spicy dish any day of the week!

Spicy shrimp and vegetable stir-fry:  one of my favorite meals to make!

Ingredients:
2lb large shrimp, raw, thawed, and preferably wild caught if you can find it
1 large head bok choy, trimmed and cut into 1" strips
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2tbs virgin & organic coconut oil
4 green onions, sliced, green parts reserved
3tbs fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
8oz mushrooms, sliced
2tbs toasted sesame oil
3tbs tamari gluten free soy sauce
1tbs white wine vinegar
1/2tsp cayenne pepper (or more)

Directions:
1. In a large saute pan or stock pot, heat 1tbs oil over medium high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook until almost done.  Then add bok choy and give it a good stir.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook until tender stirring occasionally (about 8 minutes).  Pour out any water in the pan.
2. Meanwhile, while the bok choy is cooking, heat your last tbs of oil in another large saute pan.  Add your garlic, the white parts of the green onions, ginger, and jalapeno.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  Add your raw shrimp and sprinkle them with a generous amount of cayenne pepper (skip if you don't like yours spicy).  Add sesame oil, tamari, and vinegar and continue to cook until shrimp curl up and are just done (overcooking them makes them chewy).  Then add your bok choy and mushrooms to the shrimp mixture and give it a good stir.  Taste and add more seasonings if needed.  Serve warm with sliced green onions on top.  Enjoy!

Nutritional Information:
1/4 of the meal = 1 serving
Calories: 252
Carbs: 5g
Fat: 12g
Protein: 46g
-

Paprika Shrimp with Walnuts

This dish may seem strange - shrimp and turnips? - but I promise you it is delicious.  The simple flavors of ginger and paprika highlight the subtle flavors of the turnips and shrimp.  It's quick and tasty which is why I make it quite often and thought I would share it with you.

Fresh & Simple Lunch

 Ingredients:
1/2lb frozen deveined shrimp without the tail, thawed under cold running water
2-3 turnips, coarsely diced
1tbs ginger, minced
1tbs paprika
1/4c seasoned rice vinegar
1/3c walnuts, chopped
Cilantro or parsley, for garnish (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Most of the vinegar is absorbed and this dish is about done

1. Heat about 1tbs of olive oil in a skillet until hot over medium high.  Add the ginger and paprika until fragrant.  Add walnuts and stir until browned.
2. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque throughout.
3. Remove shrimp from pan and add a little more oil to the pan if needed as well as the turnips.  Stir fry until beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the shrimp back to the pan and stir in rice vinegar and salt/pepper to taste.  Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Top with garnish if desired and serve.

Shrimp Pad Thai

This dish is loaded with veggies and flavor.  I sprinkled some cocktail peanuts at the end for some crunch.  In total, this dish took about 20 minutes to make: not bad for a busy weekday!

20 minute pad thai

Ingredients:
1lb frozen deveined tail off shrimp, dethawed
1tbs minced garlic
2tbs minced ginger
2c cooked rice noodles, tofu noodles or miracle noodles cooked according to package directions
1c shredded carrots
1c snow peas
4 green onions, white and green parts, sliced
1/4c soy sauce (Make sure you use gluten free!)
1/4c rice vinegar
2tbs sugar, honey, or other sweetener of your choice
1/4tsp red pepper flakes
1/4c cocktail peanuts

Directions:
1. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Set aside.  Mix together soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes and set aside.
2. Cook garlic and ginger with about 1tbs of oil over medium heat until fragrant.  Add veggies (saving some green onion tops for garnish).  Cook until crisp-tender.
3. Cook shrimp with some extra garlic, ginger and oil in a separate pan over medium high heat.  Shrimp are done when opaque throughout.
4. Toss vegetables with shrimp and noodles in a large pan.  Add sauce and cook until most of the sauce is absorbed.  Serve topped with green onions and peanuts.