Holy Buckets!

I have to share this recipe from dinner last night. It was so AH-mazing! I was so sad I couldn't stuff thirds down last night... but happy to have had leftovers for lunch today!! If you're not a fan of shrimp, throw in some shredded chicken! Delicious! This, quite possibly, could be my new favorite meal.

The original reciped came from the Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour blog, but I modified it a bit to our tastes. The original recipe is below followed by my minor alterations.

GARLIC SHRIMP WITH COCONUT, TOMATO, & CILANTRO
1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
4 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup cilantro
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 {14 oz.} can diced tomato
1 {14 oz.} can coconut milk
1/2 lime, squeezed
Kosher salt


1. Rinse shrimp.

2. Thinly slice the red peppers and add them to a skillet with oil. Heat on low and saute until soft {or for about 4-5 minutes}. Meanwhile, thinly slice the green onions and add the whites, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the diced tomatoes, coconut milk, and salt {to taste}. Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes to let the flavors blend together and to thicken the sauce.

4. Add the raw shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through and pink.

5. Now squeeze half of a lime into the mixture and stir well. Serve over rice, top with green onions, and ENJOY!!!!!!

So good! I omitted the cilantro, because my family isn't a fan! I also only did 1/4t of red pepper to make sure it wasn't too spicy for the kids. Next time, I will likely do the full 1/2t as the coconut milk and lime really helped tone it down. Our grocery store this week only had green bell peppers, too- I know, who doesn't have red? Weird. So I used a green instead. Next time I may do 2 peppers instead of 1.

I really hope you try this!! Do not be afraid of the coconut milk- it isn't coconutty in taste or texture. It's creamy, thick and smooth and smells like coconut. The whole dish made me want a big, fat margarita. Now I can daydream for the next 4 months of pregnancy eating this dish on the back porch in summer!