Shrimp or Chicken Lollipops on Summer Rice & Mango Salad

Sweet, savory, bold, beautiful....and delicious! I created these shrimp "lollipops" this afternoon, but you can use chicken tenders, too. How about doubling the sauce recipe and making both shrimp and chicken? The rice & mango salad is perfect with either the chicken or shrimp.

I hope you will try this quick and easy yet elegant recipe that will make three appetizer portions or 2 main dish servings. Invite your friends and share this budget-friendly dish at your own table!

Shrimp or Chicken Lollipops

For the marinade & glaze:

1 (12-oz.) can mango nectar (find on Latin food aisle)
1/4 c. dark rum
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 small dried cayenne pepper pod, broken in half
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/8 tsp. dried ground allspice
1/8 tsp. dried ground corriander
Ice & cold water

• Combine mango nectar, dark rum, garlic and cayenne pepper pod in small saucepan. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer for 5 minutes. Strain to remove garlic and pepper and return nectar to pan. Add lime juice and spices and bring to a boil. Lower heat to maintain a rapid simmer and reduce liquid to 1/2 c. (Pour into glass measuring cup to check.) Remove from heat.
• Combine ice and water in a bowl and submerge bottom of saucepan in icewater. Stir glaze frequently until cool.

For Shrimp or Chicken:

6 tiger or other extra-jumbo shrimp, or six chicken tenders
6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 15 minutes
Cooled mango glaze

• Peel and devein shrimp but leave tail intact; remove tendon from chicken tender.
• Place in zippy bag with marinade; squeeze out air and marinate in bag in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Heat gas or charcoal grill to high, or heat broiler to high heat.
• Drain marinade, place it back in small pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
• Drain skewers and spray sharp ends with vegetable oil spray.
• Run skewer from head end straight through till point is in tail; run skewer lenthwise through chicken tenders.
• Reduce heat on gas grill to medium high on one side and turn off burner on other side. Arrange shrimp on grill with the shrimp over the direct flame and the skewers over the burner that is not on. If using charcoal, wrap the skewers with foil. If broiling, arrange so the skewer ends stick out the opening of the door and are not under direct heat or flame. You don't want to use metal skewers; who ever heard of a metal popsicle stick?
• Grill or broil shrimp or chicken, basting frequently with glaze, until firm, opaque, and cooked through. Time will vary depending on size of shrimp/chicken and your grill temperature.
• Serve on bed of Summer Rice & Mango Salad.

Summer Rice & Mango Salad

1 c. dry converted rice (I use Uncle Ben's), cooked according to package directions with 1 tsp. coarse salt*
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1 T. finely minced seeded jalapeno pepper
1 T. olive oil
1 c. frozen English peas, thawed
1 mango, peeled, seeded, and diced into pieces the same size as the peas
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, loosely chopped
3 scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced

• In large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno pepper and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add English peas and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add all of the rice and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Salad should not be hot.
• Stir remaining ingredients into rice.
• Serve at room temperature

*Time saving hint: Cook rice when you have time, put in zippy bag and refrigerate or freeze to make your meal preparation a cinch!

Culinary Inspiration

Are you always thinking of food? Ways to make something new and easy, fast and different, ways to save money by eating at home and not eating at restaurants?

Today I was busy applying window film (not my "other" job, but one of those DIY projects) and, of course, had the FoodTV on as background "music." I heard "shrimp lollipops" and for the last 4 hours I've been thinking of that and all the possibilities. I KNOW you understand!

Tomorrow's post will be about shrimp lollipops....The Hungry Fox style. Mmmmmmmm....I can hardly wait!

Bon Appétit!
Chef Debbie

Chinese Spaghetti & Meatballs

I'm at my daughter's house today and she requested Chinese Spaghetti & Meatballs for supper. This is based on one of Rachel Ray's recipes from her show "30 Minute Meals." If you think you don't like whole wheat pasta, try this because it will make you a fan! This is a colorful, flavorful, and healthy dinner and it freezes beautifully, too.

Chinese Spaghetti & Meatballs

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken or pork, or a combination of the two
2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
2 cups Rice Krispies, ground into crumbs
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste) *See note below
1/4 tsp. pepper (or to taste)
Cooking oil spray

• Combine all the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl. Form into 1 1/2-inch balls.
• Spray rimmed sheet pan with cooking oil spray. Arrange meatballs on pan and spray each with cooking oil spray.
• Roast at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from pan, wrap in foil and keep warm.

*Note: To taste for seasoning, take a tsp. of the raw meat mixture, make it into a little patty and fry it in a small frying pan until cooked through before tasting. Never taste raw poultry or pork.

For the spaghetti:

1 lb. whole wheat pasta, cooked until al dente according to directions on box, drain (reserve 1 c. cooking liquid)
6 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 c. snow peas, thinly sliced on an angle
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 inches ginger root, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 lb. washed spinach (from a bag is fine), coarsely chopped
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 T. toasted sesame oil
3 T. toasted sesame seeds
Vegetable oil

Heat a large skillet (this will fill up a 12-inch skillet) over medium-high heat until very hot. Add enough cooking oil to coat the bottom. When shimmering, add the vegetables, ginger and garlic. Stir fry 2 minutes, add spinach and toss with tongs until it wilts slightly. Add soy sauce and sesame oil. Add reserved pasta cooking water and toss to coat. Serve topped with meat balls.

Bon Appétit!
Chef Debbie

Foodsaver Frenzy

I called one of my foodie friends this afternoon on my way home from Wal-Mart, where I'd just purchased a new Foodsaver appliance and I didn't realize how excited I was until I stopped to take a breath and she said, "Geeee....It sure is easy to make us happy!" It sure is...give me a kitchen gadget or appliance or a new pan or cookbook and it's like a shot of adrenaline!

Back in the late 70s I bought a Daisy Seal-a-Meal to use to freeze leftovers and fruits and veggies and I've been hooked every since. I wore that one out and then they were out of favor and you couldn't find bags anywhere. Then came the Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer....I guess in the mid 90s and, once again, my pulse was rat-a-tatting as I drove home from Wal-Mart with it.

Problems arose, though, because it was impossible to control the vacuum, so that limited its use to dry non-smushable foods. Then there came a model with manual controls, but it was big and cumbersome, and I waited for something smaller that I can carry with me on cookdays.

Finally, I have just what I was looking for, with features like moisture sensor, an anti-"smush" setting, and it is compact and less than $100!

I'd write more, but I'm going to go play with my new gadget. Have a great weekend!

Bon Appetit!
Chef Debbie

Food Safety & Salmonella

Jalapenos? Tomatoes? Cilantro? The panic is on!

Nobody really knows what is spreading the salmonella infection, but these three are the most likely suspects today according to the FDA. What's a person to do?

Well, you can always avoid these foods, but my take on this action is that it's not necessary as the number of people infected really is very low considering the level of consumption, and a healthy person infected with salmonella may get very sick, but it is usually not a life-threatening experience. (Although you might be ready to ask someone to put you out of your misery as quickly as they can figure out a legal way to do that.)

If you choose not to panic and delete these delectable foods from your diet, here are some other things you can do to reduce your risk of eating those bad little "bugs."

1. Purchase your produce from your local farmer's market. Fewer people have handled it and it hasn't been washed in a huge vat with 600 lbs. of other produce, everything jumping in the tub together and sharing possible contaminants.
2. Use a vegetable cleaning spray on all vegetables and fruits. Even watermelon and cantaloupe. When you run your knife through the skin, your knife will pull any contaminants present on the skin through the flesh, so scrub first.
3. For leafy greens and herbs, hold them under a fine spray of water to rinse off all surfaces. The method used to be to throw them all in a big tub of water and swish. See #1.
4. Tomatoes+ jalapenos+ cilantro=SALSA! Buy a good quality jarred salsa such as Herdez (my favorite!). Jarred salsa has been heat-processed to kill anything bad that might be present.

And finally:

5. Don't sweat it because next month it will be something ELSE!

Bon Appetit!

Grandma and Cherry Pudding

I've been thinking about Grandma a lot lately. Well, I think of her all the time, but even more now that the canning & jelly-making season is here. I can see her so clearly in her steamy kitchen, stirring a bubbling pot of fruit for jam, a wayward curl escaping her bobbie pin to dangle down the middle of her forehead.

Grandma had sour cherry trees in her yard and she used them for preserves and pies, froze them for winter use and also made something that she called cherry pudding. At least that was the title of the recipe that she jotted down for me to put in my cookbook more than 30 years ago.

I don't know why this was called a "pudding" and she didn't either, because it is more like a tender-crumbed sweet bread, but not too sweet. The best way to eat it is straight from the oven in a bowl with a bit of cold milk poured over, but it is equally good by itself, with ice cream or vanilla yogurt, cold, hot, room temperature, with a fork, spoon, fingers...get the picture? You can use other berries, too, like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or a combination. If they are fresh, just rinse them lightly. If they're frozen, don't thaw them first, and if they are canned just drain them really well.

Here's Grandma's recipe as she gave it to me with my clarifications in parenthesis.

Cherry Pudding

1 egg
1 c. sugar (white granulated)
3/4 c. sweet milk (regular as opposed to sour or buttermilk)
2 tsps. baking powder
2 c. flour
1 T. butter (melted)
1 c. seeded sour cherries (or berry of your choice)

Bake in slow oven 1 hour. (Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan or an 8-inch square baking pan. Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Beat egg lightly and add with butter to milk. Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture until blended (don't overbeat) and stir in berries. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, checking after 50 minutes, until golden and tests done with a wooden skewer or toothpick. This freezes well.)

Bon Appétit!

The strange things we eat!

If you had told me two years ago that I would be eating corn smut, I would have told you you were crazy, but that's just what I did when I made these Cuitlacoche & Sweet Corn Quesadillas for lunch yesterday.

As far as we know, the Aztecs were the first brave souls to tast this strange-looking fungus and to this day it is a popular delicacy in Mexico, with millions of pounds harvested each year. You can find it canned and frozen, but there is nothing like fresh "cuitlacoche" or "huitlacoche." It's a fungus that grows inside each corn kernel, making it expand to huge proportions and turn gray, then black. Finally it bursts, spreading its spores to other ears and to the ground, where it rests to re-infect sweet corn fields the following year. Because of its amino acid profile, it is a complete protein and therefore a good meat substitute and actually more nutritious than plain sweet corn.

The last time we were in Mexico, my friend Manuela bought some cuitlacoche at the market and, with some trepidation, I tasted the soft tacos filled with "Mexican Truffles" and loved them. So, when my friend Pam emailed me the other day about finding "corn from outer space" in the corn patch, I knew just what she was talking about and she took me to the patch. Of course, she thought that I was from "outer space" to even consider eating the smut and I know she will never taste it. More for me!