Steamed Shrimp & Vegetable Dumplings

Merry (belated) Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous holiday break even if it was just a day or two. My sister-in-law, Kathy, was my secret santa this year & part of my present that she got me was a bamboo steamer! Like the food nerd that I am I couldn’t wait to try it & I did. I love it. I don’t know why I never felt the need to get one before but now I’m so glad I have one - Thanks Kathy! It makes me feel healthier just thinking about it (- hello 2015 resolutions)!

I usually buy the veggie gyoza at Trader Joe’s & sometimes the shrimp ones. I love them & probably will continue to buy them & stash them in my freezer but I wanted to try my hand at making my own. After perusing the inter webs for a dumpling recipe I collected my findings & an inventory of what I had on hand to come up with this light but tasty recipe. 

Do you have a bamboo steamer? If so, what do you make in yours?

Apple Parmesan Basil Bites

I love salty & sweet snacks. Sometimes I just can't choose between the two so to have the best of both worlds in one bite is ideal for my tastebuds. These apple parmesan basil bites are the perfect solution, not to mention super easy to make & they look pretty chic too.  I think they'd be great for a cheese plat at wine club too. You can make them with just three simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• Paremesan cheese block
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil

Make it:

1. Wash & thinly slice an apple.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to shave a block of Parmesan cheese. Make equal amounts of shavings per apple slices.
3. Tightly roll about 3 fresh basil leaves & slice thinly.
4. Arrange all components delicately on a plate, alternating apple, cheese, basil.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

 

Chris & I are big fans of coconut shrimp.  When I came across Bobby Deen's  more figure-friendly version of our normally fried guilty pleasure I had to try it.  This recipe for baked coconut shrimp uses egg whites & an oven for baking which means you don't have to clean up messy oil splatters & you can eat more - guilt-free! Oh & the dipping sauce is addictively delicious.

Click through for more photos & the full recipe.

Steamed Artichokes

Artichokes were always a treat for us growing up. We probably only ate them a couple times a year.  To me they're so tasty & fun to eat I wish I ate them more.  My favorite fresh produce market, Sosbey's, in Hoboken had some on sale so I seized the moment and bought three!

I didn't remember exactly how my mom used to make them so I hit the interwebs & found a quick recipe for steamed whole artichokes by Tyler Florence.

Click through for Tyler's complete recipe & my photos.

PS: Happy Birthday to my favorite father-in-law, John!

An Eat Me Center Piece

Every week we stock up on a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies.  Most of the time they rot simply because they've been buried under something in the fridge.  I love this jar for it's cute little chalkboard label that you can write something cheeky with each change of season or your mood.  I chose "eat me" - I thought it was a good and direct reminder to do just that.  This jar doubles as a center piece to keep your kitchen bright with the natural orange color of (well) the oranges - the color of the year.

How do you store your fresh fruit?

Mangoes-Well-With-Everything Salsa

mouse over to see what's inside :)

One of the first things I found out about Chris was that he loves mangos!  I too love mangos so it was obvious we needed to get married.

Mangos never last long at our house. I like making them with savory things for dinner. This is a quick easy recipe for making mango salsa that you can serve up on tacos or add some leafy greens and call it a salad! Hope you have fun making this and even more fun eating it!