Shrimp Soup with Coconut Milk, Fresh Corn, and Cilantro

Peeling shrimp and chopping veggies aside, this is very quick to make.  If I was making this only for myself, I would have added some minced jalapenos or some red hot pepper flakes, but the kids wouldn't have wanted it that hot.  So I added sriracha hot chili sauce (rooster sauce) at the table, and it was great.  However, the soup was flavorful and delicious even without the spicy kick.   I created this recipe to satisfy my dairy craving... I wanted something chowder-like, but without the milk or cream.

2 pounds smallish raw peeled shrimp

1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil
1 red onion, minced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
kernels cut from 6 ears of corn
1 box chicken broth (I like Progresso 100% natural gluten-free)
1 can coconut milk (not light)
freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

optional:  minced fresh jalapeno pepper or red hot pepper flakes

Saute onion and red bell pepper in the coconut oil.  Add minced jalapeno or red hot pepper flakes, if using.  When onion and pepper is soft but not browned, pour in the chicken broth.  Add the corn kernels.  Bring to a gentle simmer for five minutes.  Add the can of coconut milk.  Bring to very gentle simmer.  Add shrimp and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.  Cook at a very gentle simmer until shrimp turn pink and are just cooked through.  Ladle into bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Broiled Fish with Harissa Butter

This is super-quick, thanks to one of my all-time favorite speedy-gourmet ingredients - harissa.  Harissa is a chunky Moroccan red hot sauce.  It's not just hot though, it's very flavorful.  My favorite brand, Alili, contains hot peppers, sweet peppers, and carrots, and is actually made in Morocco.  For you Athens people, this is available at a specialty grocery store on Baxter Street called The Healthy Gourmet.  It is also available at alilimorocco.com.  I have made this with both wild salmon and mahi-mahi, and it was great on both kinds of fish.  This may not sound like kid food, but this is my kids' favorite way I make fish.

Wild salmon or mahi-mahi fillets

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon harissa

Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper

Rinse fish, pat dry with paper towels, and put on a foil-lined baking sheet.  In a microwaveable cup or bowl, melt butter.  Mix harissa into melted butter.  Spread mixture evenly over fish with a spoon, working quickly (if the butter solidifies it makes it harder to spread).  Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.  Broil until fish is cooked all the way through.  Do not overcook.

I like this served with roasted asparagus and sliced tomatoes.

Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Onions in Sweet Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

This is a cool and refreshing side dish perfect for a barbeque, alongside homemade macaroni and cheese, or served with a Southern-style vegetable dinner - you know, the kind you have when your garden (or farmer's market basket) is overflowing.

2 tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1 sweet onion - Vidalia or red

1 1/2 cups cold water
Apple cider vinegar - I like Bragg's
Agave nectar or sugar
Salt
Freshly-ground black pepper

Optional:  2 or 3 crushed cloves of garlic added to the dressing

Optional garnish:  fresh parsley or thyme sprigs, dried or fresh whole hot peppers

Slice tomatoes into wedges.  Peel and slice onion into thin wedges.  Wash cucumber and slice.

Note on peeling vs. not peeling cucumbers:  If it's a nice homegrown or farmer's market cucumber, or an unwaxed English cucumber, you can wash it thoroughly and leave the skin on if you wish.  If it's a regular waxed supermarket cucumber, you probably will want to peel it with a vegetable peeler.  If I have a cucumber with decent skin, I usually peel strips off, leaving some of the green as a compromise, since my husband likes the skin and I do not.

Put 1 1/2 cups cold water into a measuring cup.  Add apple cider vinegar, agave nectar or sugar, and salt to taste.  You want it to taste lightly tart, and slightly sweet.  If you use the sugar, you'll have to stir it for a couple of minutes for it to fully dissolve.  Add the crushed garlic cloves if you are using them.  Pour this mixture over the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions in a bowl.   It's best to let this sit for an hour or so, tossing occasionally.  When you are ready to eat, find and remove the optional garlic cloves, and put the optional garnishes on top of the mixture.

Beautiful Tomato Salad

The key to this salad is to use as many different types of tomatoes as you can find.  Large heirlooms, yellow pear-shaped cherry tomatoes, purple, green, or streaked tomatoes.... whatever you can get.  In the salad pictured, I also used two different kinds of basil - green basil and purple basil.  The purple basil can be very intense in flavor, so you may want to use that primarily as a garnish.  Obviously, I didn't invent tomato-basil salad, but this is how I like to make it.

Tomatoes - large ones cut into thin wedges,
  large cherry tomatoes cut in half,
  small cherry tomatoes left whole
Basil - several large sprigs - wash, strip off leaves,
  stack and roll up, and cut crosswise into thin strips
Extra-virgin olive oil - a generous drizzle
Balsamic vinegar - a light drizzle
Kosher salt - a sprinkling

For the garnish:  green and/or purple basil sprigs

Place ingredients in a bowl, toss gently, and garnish with the basil sprigs.