Coconut, Cilantro and Shrimp Cakes

I love coconut.

I believe my first taste of a fresh coconut was in the Philippines.   We lived on the Navy base.  We  had a young woman who helped my Mom each day with jobs around the house.  We would leave the base to visit her family.  They lived in a small village with coconut and mango trees in their back yards.

She would bring us coconuts all the time.   To this day I think of her.  I don't remember her name because I was only 5 at the time and that was a very long time ago.

I recently bought a fresh coconut for my family to try.  Isabella enjoyed watching me try to open the coconut.  I should have done it outside because my floor soon became wet with the milk from inside.  I was able to salvage a cup of coconut milk.

I tried to get my kids to "try it".

UM-- NO!

They looked at me like I was handing them a cup of poison.  So naturally I took the first sip to prove to them that it was safe to try.  I still had no takers.  I enjoyed the drink and ate the fresh pulp.  It brought back so many memories of playing in the warm rain, visiting my friends puppies and learning to ride my first bike.

I buy organic, unsweetened coconut pieces from Whole Foods to use in my granola, cookies and for these shrimp cakes.  I never buy sweetened coconut.  There really isn't a reason why I don't, other than, it seems too sweet for me.

These shrimp cakes are filled with fresh ingredients, they are simple to make and look pretty on a plate.
Yep--I like pretty food and this is one of them.

ENJOY!

Coconut & Shrimp Cakes

Makes 6-8 cakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Cakes:

3 cups of precooked shrimp, diced 

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

Zest and juice from 1/2 a lemon

Zest and juice from 1/2 an orange

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

Coconut oil for frying

Wicked Awesome Sauce:

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1.  Combine all of the cake ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

2.  Use a large skillet, heat set to medium, melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.  Use more oil as needed.

3.  Form cakes/patties, with hands, into tight flattened disk. Fry on both sides until golden brown.  I recommend making your cakes no larger than 2inches wide.  They may fall apart if you try to make them too big.

4.  Serve immediately with sauce.  To swirl the sauce, I placed the sauce in a small sandwich baggie and cut a tiny corner off.  Gently squeeze and swirl.

Written by Sherron Watson

Roasted Cauliflower with Mizithra Cheese

The first time I had Mizithra cheese was at a restaurant in Oregon (eons ago).  I believe I was in high school and they served it over broccoli with brown butter and this cheese.

I fell in love immediately with it.

Since this first experience, I have traveled and moved often. We don't always find this cheese with every move-- but-- I did last week while my sister was in town.

Whole Foods has this small basket of remnant cheese ends for a great price.  I like trying out new cheeses and this is a great way to experiment with new flavors without spending a small fortune.  They will run between $2 and $4 dollars.

I believe we both reached for the cheese when we saw the beginning few letters on the packaging.  We both knew immediately what it was.   Our faces broke out in grins a mile wide.

Happy bellies were on our horizon.

The problem was that we already had so much food in the fridge that we never got around to making it while she was here.

Darn it!

The purple cauliflower would not last long so I roasted it the next day, used the left over browned butter from our raviolis and blanketed a thick layer of grated Mizithra cheese over the top.

My mouth and belly did a happy dance.

This recipe is so simple but the flavors are amazing and so I wanted to share it.  Purple cauliflower is not necessary but it does make for a beautiful dish.

My sister will have to do with a few pictures or venture out on her own and make it for her family.  I hope she does the later because it is well worth the culinary experience.

ENJOY!


Roasted Cauliflower with Mizithra Cheese

1 head of Cauliflower, any color
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 stick of salted butter, softened
small chunk of Mizithra cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Prepare cauliflower by washing and cutting the crown into pieces.  In a bowl, toss the salt, pepper and olive oil to coat the cut pieces.

3.  Spread on a cookie sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes.  I cooked mine longer because I like the little browned edges of the cauliflower.  It adds texture to every bite.  Every oven is different so start checking for color and doneness at 30 minutes.

4.  While the cauliflower is roasting,  I will make the browned butter.  I do this by placing the softened stick into a small saute pan and turning the heat to medium high.  The butter will melt and start to foam. Then you will see it turn from a golden color to a light brown color.  It will also have a nutty aroma to it.   You must watch this the whole time because it happens quickly and you don't want it to burn. When I start to see the browned specks in the bottom of the pan I give it a stir or two and turn the heat off.  It will continue to cook a bit in the warm pan.  I will transfer it to a cool bowl if I don't use it right away. The browned butter stores nicely in the refrigerator.  When I need a spoonful I just break off a chunk and melt it in the microwave.

5.  When the cauliflower is to your liking, remove from oven and pour browned butter over the top.

6.  Add the Mizithra Cheese.

7.  Toss together and eat.  You can see that I didn't wait to put it in a bowl.  I ate it straight off of the cookie sheet.  You may want to serve it differently.  LOL

Written by Sherron Watson

Gluten Free Chocolate Sheet Cake

Today is my birthday.  I can't believe I am sitting here as a 46 year old woman.

I remember thinking as a teenager that 46 was old, and yet here I am.  I don't think of myself as old or ancient (my teenagers like that word).  Although I also never saw myself at this age having a baby--LOL  Maybe that is the secret to staying young--more kids.

46 years has taught me a few things.  They are:

1.  Don't give up.


2.  Love.

3.  Smile.

4.  Be yourself.

5.  Value others.

6.  Apologize often.

7.  Time does heal most things.

8.   Accept others for who they are.

9.   Do what you love for work.

10.  Laugh often.

This list is not complete by any means but I would say these ten items are what I focus on the most.  It has been a great ride and I look forward to the next 46 years.

But this post is about the cake that I made for my husbands 47th birthday last year.  He loves a good chocolate sheet cake and so I have ventured out and made a gluten free version similar to The Pioneer Woman's sheet cake.   I am pretty sure it is the same chocolate sheet cake that every grandma and great grandma has handwritten in some shoe box stored in the pantry.

It is by far our favorite cake that I make.

A good birthday is not complete until we have attacked his office with a ton of streamers, balloons and confetti.  Oh, the fun this brings the kids.

Oh, who am I kidding--I do it for me.  I love a good party filled with messy rooms.

 Don't believe me?  Ask my kids.

They are still finding confetti from every holiday we have had for the past three years.

Gluten Free Chocolate Sheet Cake

Cake:

1 cup fine white rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour (tapioca starch is the same thing)
1/3 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 cups of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter
4 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

*To make the cake with regular flour, omit the first 4 ingredients and substitute with 2 cups of all purpose flour.

Icing:

1 3/4 sticks of butter
6 tablespoons milk
4 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb bag or box of powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Spray pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine in a mixing bowl the three flours, xanthan gum, sugar and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium size saucepan, over medium high heat, melt butter and cocoa. Stir together. Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds. Turn off heat. 

4. In a medium bowl, add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk together. 5. Add dry ingredients (step 2) to warm cocoa mixture (step 3). Blend well. Add buttermilk mixture (step 4). Stir to combine ingredients.

6. Pour into 9X13 sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. While cake is baking, make the icing:

1. Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine. Turn off heat.

2. Add milk and vanilla. Stir well.  

3. Add powdered sugar. Stir together. 

4. Pour over warm cake and smooth out.

Serve warm. Cover leftover cake with plastic wrap.

Written by Sherron Watson

Boneless Leg of Lamb

Lamb or ham?  That is the question at our house for Easter dinner.

I grew up eating lamb and ham for our Easter dinners until I was a teenager. The grown-ups always wanted the lamb but after a while my grandmother stopped making it because most of it would go to waste.  I kind of missed it because I really enjoyed the flavor of lamb.

I have been in a similar pattern with my own family.  They ask for it and then they don't eat it.  I would make both and watch as the lamb would go untouched but for a few slices on my plate.  When asked the family always says lamb and ham.

I think they said that because it rhymed and it has been our traditional dinner for years.

This year we are more than likely going to stick with just ham--again. 

BUT--I love lamb and decided that I would make something for our dinner this past month that I liked and enjoyed.  I bought a small boneless leg of lamb and watched as every slice disappeared from the table.  Not on one occasion but two.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? That was strange.  The kids loved it.  That was the first time.

The second time was last week while my sister was visiting. 

I was greeted with, "oh, I don't like lamb" right before dinner was to go into the oven.

I proceeded to make the sauce to coat the lamb with and explained that I doubt she had ever tasted lamb like this.   She was willing to give it another try and she was pleasantly surprised that the flavor of the lamb was mild and the coating of herbs and sauce tasted delicious.

I served it with mint jelly and we had two slices left.  

I can't prove this but I have a feeling that the "leg" or the bone was throwing my family off.  I wonder if having the bone in the lamb made the flavor profile too strong for their young palettes?  I believe by removing the bone it helped with the look and possibly the flavor too.   Let me know if you have any experience with this thought.

I am pleasantly surprised that I have been able to add a new meat to our menu.  I get kind of tired of beef and chicken to be honest.

ENJOY!

Boneless Leg of Lamb

5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, juice only
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon salt, add more to taste
fresh ground pepper
3-4 pound boneless leg of lamb, rolled and tied
Mint jelly--optional

**extra oven twine to retie lamb if you wish to unroll meat and add sauce to the inside and reroll.

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Prepare sauce by combining the first 7 ingredients in a bowl.

3.  I chose to cut and untie my roast.  I smeared the sauce all of the inside of the lamb and re-rolled the roast with new oven twine.  Place the roast in a baking dish and add the remaining sauce to the outside. See picture above.

4.  Roast in oven for 60-70 minutes.  Use a meat thermometer.  This will help you to get the exact doneness of your lamb.  We like ours to be pink on the inside, 135 degrees is preferred for us.

5.  Let roast rest for 15 minutes then slice the roast to 1/4 inch thickness and return to roasting pan.  All of the juices and marinade will cook together. The two together make a wonderful sauce that the slices will be coated in when you return the slices to the roasting dish.

6.  Serve with mint jelly.

Written by Sherron Watson

Homemade Hummus

Hummus is something we always have in our refrigerator. My teenagers love it.

I have played around with a variety of flavor profiles but they always come back to the plain version. I think they enjoy the simple flavors of this tasty dip.

Carrots seem to be the dipping stick of choice in our home but certainly try your favorite veggie or cracker too.

Enjoy!

Homemade Hummus

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

1 15.5 oz can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup tahini paste

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 lemon, juice only

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup beef broth

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

1.  Using a high powered blender or food processor add beans, tahini paste, garlic, broth, lemon juice and all of the spices.

2.  Pulse or blend until thick and creamy.

3.  Slowly add olive oil until the desired consistency is achieved.

4.  Season according to your flavor profile: more salt, more tahini, etc...

5.  Serve with pita chips or prepared vegetables.

As an added topping you can sprinkle toasted pine nuts, drizzle the top with olive oil, sprinkle with your favorite herb, etc... or just eat it plain with your favorite cracker or veggie.

Written by Sherron Watson

Enchilada Dip

My kids ask for enchiladas about once a week.  They love the combination of corn tortillas and cheese layered with lots of red sauce.

I have seen versions of this dip around and decided that it may be a bit easier than making a couple of trays of enchiladas--especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  On those two days I am usually running kids from 4:30 until 8:00.  I try to make meals in the morning so that those that are home can reheat and eat at their convenience.  I miss eating together but busy families do what we have to do to get everyone fed and out the door.

I was correct.  It was much faster to whip this up.  I served the dip with corn tortilla chips.

I found that I could portion up the leftovers in small containers. This made for a great snack after school.

Beef Enchilada Dip with Green Chilies and Black Beans

1 pound of ground beef
1/2 medium onion, diced small
2 gloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of enchilada sauce (I make my own sauce--follow link)
2 cups of cheese, grated  (I used jack and mozzarella--but you can use any cheese you love)
1 small can (4.5 oz) diced green chilies
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 bag of tortilla chips

toppings:

diced tomatoes (optional)
avocado chunks (optional)
green onion (optional)
black olives (optional)
sour cream (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large frying pan, cook meat and onions together until the meat is no longer pink.  Add garlic, cook another 3-5 minutes and remove from heat.  Drain any fat from the meat.

3.  Add black beans, chilies and 1 cup of cheese to meat mixture.  Combine well.  Transfer mixture to a baking dish.  I am using a round stone dish that makes the dip about 1 inch thick.

4.  Pour the enchilada sauce over the meat/cheese mixture.  The recipe says 2 cups but you can always use less if you prefer your dip not so runny.

5.  Top with remaining one cup of cheese  (add more if you want more)  I like lots of cheese so we usually add a bit more.  I also use what I have in the fridge.  This is a great way to use up small pieces of cheese.

6.  Heat in oven until cheese is melted.  In my oven this takes about 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

7.  While the cheese is melting, prepare your toppings.

Written by Sherron Watson

Filet Mignon

  
Cooking together in the kitchen has always been a favorite past time for Cory and I. We have 26 years of marriage under our belts and have spent many hours fine tuning our skills with a knife, opening bottles of wine and reading recipes; all the while, laughing and sharing stories about our work week, kids and upcoming adventures.

Early in our dating and courting days (which were few-2 months to be exact), we decided that weekly date nights needed to be a priority in our relationship. We wanted a way to keep the love alive. Often our dates involved going out to eat, seeing a good movie, visiting the bookstore or enjoying coffee at our favorite local Café. As the years went by, and kids came along, it became a bit more challenging to have our weekly date nights but we managed. We hired baby sitters and swapped childcare with friends in a similar boat. It worked for us. The time that we have spent together each week has made a huge impact on our relationship.

This year we have set some new goals and one of them is that we want to eat more home-cooked meals. We don’t want to eat out as often as we have in the past for a variety of reasons. One reason being, with my food allergies, it has just become easier to dine in. We will still do our weekly date night but the dinner part will be enjoyed at home, feasting and cooking together.

Hands down our favorite meal is what I am sharing with you today. Steak and sautéed mushrooms have always been an easy dinner that the two of us can work on together in the kitchen.

A romantic dinner can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose to make it. I think that there are times when a quiet romantic dinner is just as sweet as a more executed venture with more bells and whistles. I know, from personal experience, that my time with my sweetie is always appreciated, and vice versa, no matter what effort is put forth on either of our parts.

A dinner for two doesn’t just have to happen at home in the kitchen with a pretty table. Other ideas and suggestions would be a picnic, a BBQ at the beach, a wine tasting tour, going on a hike or spending time on the water. The list is endless of places that the two of you can spend time together eating, drinking and connecting through adventure and food.

Food in all of its many presentations, settings and preparations has always held a special place in my family.
  

         

I like my steak on the rare side--so that is what you see here.

Filet Mignon

2 Filet Mignon Steaks, 1 1/2 inches thick

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Parsley Flakes (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a hot cast iron pan, heat oil on medium high heat.

3.  Brush olive oil on each side of steak and season with spices and parsley flakes.  Seasonings are not        measured so you can season to your liking.

4.  Sear each side of steak for 3 minutes.

5.  Turn oven off and put cast iron pan into the oven for 15-20 minutes.

6.  Steaks will be medium rare to medium depending on thickness.  To get exact temperature that is            desired, use a meat thermometer.

7.  Remove from oven and cover with a piece of foil and let rest for 8-10 minutes.

8.  Serve with sautéed mushrooms (recipe here).