Blog Post #8 (of 30)

A Recipe

Shrimp with Mango & Basil (AKA - Yum!)

This was an easy post for me, hence the speed with which it has been posted! :) Let me start with a little story before I move into the recipe...

Jimmy and I have recently made some pretty big changes in our lives. With cuts to my hours/salary at work and Jimmy owning his own business, rather than getting a big salary from a firm, we've experienced a decrease in our income. I know most everyone is in the same boat with the state of our economy today. Luckily, Jimmy and I have been blessed with the ability to short sell our house and get out from under a financial burden that we could no longer carry. In doing so, we made the decision to move in with Jimmy's parents. They have a garage that's been converted into it's own little space, which is where we currently reside. It's been great to get away from some of the financial stresses, and focus on our debt repayment plan to get on top of things.

So, why the story? Well, since we've moved in I haven't really been cooking much. And I love to cook. I realized a week or so ago that cooking is something that makes me happy. I love to start with a variety of ingredients and turn them into something delicious that my friends and family can enjoy. I love the nurturing aspect of the cooking and social aspect of coming together for a meal. So, when I realized I'd been neglecting this thing that I love, I had a talk with my friend Tiffany (she's my go-to girlfriend). We made plans to get together this past Friday and make a meal (preceded of course by ice cream and shoe shopping).

After deciding to make a meal, I decided I wanted to try something new. I sent a couple of recipes to Tiffany for input and we decided on this yummy Shrimp with Mango and Basil. We decided to serve it over jasmine rice and accompany it with a yummy summer mango spritzer (mango sorbet with Asti Spumante). It was a delicious summertime meal that I am adding to my repertoire. I hope you'll add it to yours as well!

Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Shrimp with Mango & Basil

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large ripe, firm mango peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see tip)

1 bunch scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced

1/4 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Directions

1. Toss the shrimp with salt, cayenne (to taste), and turmeric in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes

2. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the shrimp in a single layer and cook until the underside turns salmon pink, about one minute. Flip them over and cook for one minute more.

3. Add mango, scallion greens and basil. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp is just cooked and starts to barely curl, 1 - 2 minutes.

Tip - How to Cut a Mango:

1. Slice the top and bottom off the mango revealing the long slender seed inside.

2. Set the fruit upright on work surface and peel with a sharp knife.

3. With the seed perpendicular to you, slice the fruit from both sides of the fruit, yielding two large pieces.

4. Turn the seed parallel to you and slice the two smaller pieces from each side.

5. Cut the fruit into the desired size/shape.

Recipe taken from fitnessmagazine.com. (Recipe and nutrition information can be found at: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/recipecomdetail.jsp?recipeId=25108685)

The directions above yield four servings. I doubled the recipe when I made it - three of us ate Friday night (Tiffany, Jimmy and I), with plenty of leftovers. We also eyeballed most ingredients as I couldn't find any measuring spoons! It turned out wonderfully though!

Enjoy!