Carrot Slaw

This recipe is a great way to add to the plate. Not to mention it's an unusual use of carrots. It's not often you see a raw carrot side dish.

Carrot Slaw
Adapted from Seasoned in the South by Bill Smith

If you aren't a big fan of garlic, I suggest starting off with one clove of garlic. Since this dish is raw you get the full flavor of the garlic.

2 cloves garlic
1 lb of carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cumin, to taste
Salt and pepper

Add the garlic and carrots to the bowl of a food processor. Zest the lemon and add the zest to the carrot/garlic mixture. Remove the rind from the lemon and any seeds; add the pulp to the food processor. Pulse the food processor until the carrots are medium to finely chopped (it's a matter of personal preference). Slowly add the olive oil. Remove the top of the food processor and add the cumin. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Cilantro Pesto

The taste of cilantro pesto reminds me of summer. I wanted to bring a bit of summer to our gray winter, so I whipped this up for dinner.

Cilantro Pesto
Adapted from A Mighty Appetite with Kim O'Donnel

We love to have this with steak. It would also be great way of adding extra fat to drier meats, like chicken. It's great mixed in rice and sauteed potatoes too.

You can use a food processor or blender for this recipe. Depending on the quality of your blender, it may be coarser (versus using a food processor or high-end blender).

1/4 cup almonds
1-2 cloves garlic, to taste (we love garlic so we use 2)
1 bunch of cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3-4 tablespoons olive oil, depending on the consistency you like
lemon juice, to taste (I usually use a 1/4 to 1/2 a lemon)
salt and pepper

In a food processor or blender add the nuts and pulse until finely chopped. Add the garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add the cilantro and continue to pulse. While pulsing, drizzle in the olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients, and pulse once more.

This can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator - stir before using. We have also been successful in freezing it and then thawing before use, however we have only tried freezing it for a short duration (< 1 week).  It is so good that it never lasts more than a week in our house.

Recipe: Shrimp Scampi

While we were visiting my family over the weekend we stopped at the dock to see if there was any fresh shrimp. We were in luck - we picked up seven pounds of white and brown shrimp. My husband, who is just starting to eat seafood, had never had shrimp before so I made him my favorite shrimp dish - shrimp scampi. Who can resist shrimp coated in butter and coconut oil?

Shrimp Scampi

1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and cleaned

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoons coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped (feel free to add more if you love garlic)

1/4 lemon

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Parsley (I used dried)

Salt and pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the butter has stopped foaming, add the shrimp. Spread around the pan so that there is a single layer of shrimp. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Flip the shrimp over and cook for another 2 minutes. The shrimp are finished cooking when they turn completely pink. Squeeze lemon over shrimp, being careful not to let any seeds fall in. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and enjoy!