that rachael ray doesn't lie... this is really a 30 minute meal

Alright, this is one of my old standbys for when I cannot for the life of me decide what to make and want something easy that still makes me feel accomplished. Which is a tall order.

I also try to forget that this is a Rachael Ray recipe because she annoys the snot out of me. So just forget I said anything about her.

Ok, we are gonna make some Thai curry shrimp over basil lime couscous.

For the shrimp, you need:

- cooking oil
- shrimp (peeled and tails off)
- red curry paste
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ginger root, smashed
- umm, a bunch of shiitake mushrooms, diced
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 1/2 cup of coconut milk

For the couscous:

- 3/4 cup of chicken broth
- 3/4 cup of couscous
- 1 tbsp butter
- zest of one lime
- basil leaves

Now, before we start, I want to stress that a lack of exact measurements is OKKKKKK. I mean, doesn't it make you feel all iron chef to just throw things in a pot willy nilly at your discretion? So in the case of this here recipe, the only measurements that matter are for the couscous, and only because you need the 1:1 ratio for consistency.

Alright, let's get started!

You can be classy and shiz and buy fresh shrimp for this, but since they'll be coated in yummy sauce, it really doesn't matter. May I suggest having a bag of frozen and peeled shrimp on hand, like so?





(don't worry, this recipe gets even more lazy as it goes. It's awesome)

While those babies are defrosting in room temp water, let's get our mise en place going. (GAWD I love saying that)

So yeah, chop up the mushrooms, onions, pepper and garlic. I went with a 4:1 ratio of mushrooms to green onion, because mushrooms cook down a lot:





Oh ps, that roasted red pepper came from a jar. See, told you this is a cheater recipe. Fuck roasting your own peppers. That only leads to the smoke alarm going off.

Next cheat? Ginger paste. Hellll yeah!





I found mine near the herbs at the grocery store. Can also be found in the Asian aisle.

By now, the shrimpies should be defrosted and ready to go. Throw some oil in a nonstick pan over high heat, and sauté for 2 mins, stirring constantly. Add in your green onions, garlic, mushrooms and a few squirts of ginger paste and sauté another 3-4 mins, still stirring.





Add in the coconut milk,





And red peppers and curry paste. I seriously have no clue what the original recipe called for with the curry. I just dolloped it in, like so:





So, errr, like 3 dollops? 2? Whatever

Bring the heat to low and let everything simmer and mix and meld and get delish!

MEANWHILE...

Ok don't freak. The couscous is gonna be going simultaneously. When I see recipes asking me to have 2 or 3 pots going at once, I get super nervous and my palms get sweaty. But couscous is sooo easy.

At some point while the shrimp are defrosting, add the butter, lime zest and chicken broth to a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Dump in couscous. Turn off heat, stir, cover. The end. When you're ready to stir, fluff that stuff and tear up some basil (or chop, if youre more civilized than I) and mix or together. Serve the shrimp and sauce on top of a nice fluffy bed o' couscous. Enjoy.

dinner tonight: coconut shrimp!

I love coconut. Which you should KNOWWWW if you read the granola post. So when I was forced to take a mad dash to Whole Foods because I thought I had sweet potatoes and I didn't and in the process saw gorgeous Gulf shrimp in the seafood case, I thought, A-HA! Coconut shrimp. Win.

This is easy. Like, so easy that I can do it. And I'm a mongoloid in the kitchen sometimes.

Ok, so peel and devein your shrimp. Or if you're like me, make Whole Foods do it. Then whip up 2 egg whites until they peak. Create an assembly line with these items: a plate of cornstarch, the egg whites, a plate of unsweetened coconut flakes, foil or silpat lined pan.

(Side note - I really freaking hate it when recipes that involve breading or coating tell you to use 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and that's it. Why can't we all be honest and tell people to just dump a pile on a plate and replenish from there? I always feel like I failed if I use more than the prescribed 1/2 cup).

Alright back to recipe. Oven - crank it to 400. Your coated shrimp should look like so:





Yummmm raw shrimp!

Bake for 8-10 mins. Flip. Bake another 8-10. Shrimp should be slightly golden after first 8-10 mins.

That's all. This is seriously the best recipe for baked coconut shrimp I've tried. And I've failed at quite a few. Here's my dinner plate:





Ps easy side - slice sweet taters into thin rounds. Bake or pan fry some bacon (400 degrees at 17-20 mins on a wire rack is my fave method). Bake taters at 400 for 10-12 each side. Pull them out, top with cheese, melt cheese. Top with bacon, chopped green onions and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. NOM. DONE.

Oh and another PS - for $0.55, it is so worth it to buy a bunch of green onions every week. They make great toppings for pasta, salad, steak etc etc etc.