Shrimp with Mango salsa OMG this is FABULOUS!! John even liked it and said I could fix it anytime :) I got the recipie from CrossfitanaerobicInc (kids-I can't figure out how to put the link on here so I don't have to type this all out. lessons please)
Here it is typed out:

2 lemons
2 limes1 bunch cilantro
2 ripe mangos
1 red onion
1 jalapeno
1 small red bell pepper
2.5 lbs shrimp shelled and deveined (I'm lazy too, Les, and used the pre-cooked ready to go)
black pepper
cayenne pepper
Extra Virgin olive oil
Garlic
Nutmeg
dried oregano
paprika
sea salt

Preheat oven to 400
Zest the lemons and squeeze lemon juice through fingers into bowl.
Zest the limes and ditto
Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic
Rinse cilantro and pat dry. Pluck 3/4 cup leaves
Peel and dice mangos and put in bowl.
Remove seeds/pith from red pepper and dace. Add to mango.
Peel and mince the red onion-add to mango bowl.
Rinse and trim jalepeno(remove seeds for no spicy--leave them in for spicy)Mince and add to mango bowl

Start cooking:
Whick together lemon juice, 2 1/2 Tbs olive oil, lemon zest, gar;lic, 2 Tbls oregano, 2 Tbs paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp black pepper and season with salt to taste. Add shrimp and mix WELL.

Line sheet pan with parchment and lay shrimp on it in a single layer. Put shrimp in oven and bake till shrimp are pink and curled 5-8 minutes

While shrimp are baking, mince 3/4 cup cilantro leaves

MAKE SALSA--Add 2/3 cup minced cilantro and lime zest to mango(and red onion, red bell pepper and jalapeno) and mix. Drizzle lime juice all over and toss toss toss. Transfer salsa to a serving bowl.

When shrimp are done, transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

Piña colada shrimp stir-fry

Last night could have been easier. Really, it could have! But dinner could not have been much easier than it was. Even after I made it WAY more complicated that it started out. I WAS going to make Garlic Chili Shrimp-where you basically sauté the garlic, toss in the shrimp, then season with a little salt, cayenne pepper, and lime. Then I thought I'd toss in a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies (the asparagus stir-fry that Wal-Mart carries is delicious), some frozen red bell pepper strips, a can of pineapple, and some coconut milk. And this is what I came up with. I served it with brown rice that I had leftover from the night before.

~1 pound shrimp (I used the precooked kind because I'm lazy and I'm terrified of undercooking seafood)
1 bag (maybe a pound?) frozen stir-fry veggies, thawed (Or not, if you're in a hurry...)
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 20 oz (I think) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 13.6 oz can coconut milk
minced garlic, cayenne pepper (crushed or powder, whichever you prefer), salt, olive oil

Put a little olive oil in pan and sauté garlic lightly, for about a minute. Add veggies, pineapple, and shrimp, mixing everything together to keep the garlic from burning. When everything has heated through, about 5 minutes, drain excess liquid. Add coconut milk and heat through again. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.

I'm guessing this would be really good with some lime, but (hold on to your chairs--this will be a shock) we were out. Ricky put a little soy sauce in his and said that was pretty good, too. He also said it would be excellent without the shrimp, in case I ever wanted to make it that way. I'll try to remember to get a picture tonight when I eat the leftovers. Anyway, I wanted to post this because mom is always talking about how good the coconut shrimp at that Chinese place is and how she can never find a good coconut shrimp recipe. I'm sure it's not exactly the same, but maybe it will help satisfy the craving.

Ice cream!!!

So, by request, I will share my ice cream recipe. Honestly it's kind of cheating because I just reworked the recipe that came in the instruction book for my ice cream maker, but it's still delicious. And it's SOOOOOOOO much cheaper than buying the specialty dairy free ice cream at the store. Well, unless you make some ungodly amount of it like I did when I first got the machine. It's a bad idea to mix a pregnant lady, an ice cream machine (a new one, at that!), and a challenge. I'm just sayin'. I'll just put the basic vanilla recipe here, but you can add pretty much anything you like to it. My favorite so far is chocolate covered cherry ice cream. Ricky's is Oreo. Nadia's is, well, whatever you put in her bowl is gone before you get the other bowls served, so I'm not sure she has one. Anyhow, the recipe:

1 cup soy or almond milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine "milk", salt, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. (I usually just put it in a leak-proof tupperware container and shake it--because Nadia can help more that way--and I put it in the fridge for a while and repeat until the sugar dissolves.) Stir in coconut milk and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Follow instructions for your ice cream maker. Add candy, fruit, or other add-ins when ice cream has thickened--about 5 minutes until the end of the cycle.

Ok, so that's the short reworked version of what my instruction book for my Cuisinart says. I do the shaking method, then add the coconut milk and vanilla, shake more, then refrigerate. You CAN put it in the machine right away, but I have not had good luck with that. It seems to always turn out too soft. So, the chilling is an important step.

Also, a can of coconut milk (13.5 oz) is roughly only 1 and 2/3 cups, so I just top it off with the almond or soy milk that I was using instead of opening another can. You CAN use rice milk, but I have found the consistency is much lighter with it, although I don't know if that will vary by machine ( I think I used the first machine I bought with it, not this one). Both the soy and almond milks give a really good ice-creamy texture. Ricky loves it and has recently been requesting an ice cream. This is the guy who wouldn't touch most of the commercial soy ice creams I tried with a 30-foot pole.

Excellent things to add are: Oreos, fresh or thawed cut strawberries, Reese's cups, 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies--or more if you like, chopped cherries with chocolate chips, or whatever else you can chop into small pieces and put in ice cream. Just make sure you chop things small enough that they won't get stuck too much on the paddle of the machine.

Well, I guess now I'm making ice cream tonight. I'll try to get pictures on here, but I can't seem to get them to load right now.