Fresh Tropical Fruit Salsa

Fresh, bright and tangy!  This tropical salsa with papaya, pineapple and mango is great with tortilla chips or spooned over barbecue chicken or grilled fish.

Ingredients:

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced

½ cup finely diced red onion

1 ½ cups chopped fresh pineapple

The flesh of one small papaya, chopped

The flesh of one mango, diced

1 teaspoon sugar

A pinch of salt

Juice of one small lime

½ teaspoon crushed Szechuan pepper (optional)

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

Directions: Mix all ingredients together and stir. Let marinate for at least 2 hours for all the juices to develop and the flavors to marry.

Coconut Rice

  

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

2 cups Jasmine rice, rinsed well

1 cup coconut cream (not cream of coconut)

2 cups water

Pinch of granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

Toasted coconut chips (optional)

Directions:

Place the rinsed rice, coconut cream, water, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

Lower heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for 40-45 minutes.

Place in a serving bowl and top with coconut chips, if desired. 

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp Pineapple Kebabs

Here’s a great way to get that grill going! I love the contrast between the sweetness of the pineapple and shrimp and the heat from the chili sauce.

Ingredients (serves 7- 8):

For the kebabs:

16 wooden skewers, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large bunch green onions, roots just trimmed and cut into 3 inch pieces from the root end

1 pound fresh pineapple, cut into 1-2 inch chunks (you can cheat and buy these, you know)

For the glaze:

½ cup pineapple juice

1 (10.1 ounce) bottle of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, about 1 1/3 cups (Trader Joe’s®) brand is great)

1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce

Directions:

Preheat your grill (or grill pan) to medium heat.

Make the glaze by combining the pineapple juice, sweet chili sauce and hoisin in a saucepan and bringing it up to a boil. Turn off the heat, stir and leave it sit until you are ready to glaze the skewers.

Thread the shrimp, bell peppers, green onions and pineapple onto 2 skewers held closely together (to make 7-8 total kebabs) to keep them steady. I aim for three large shrimp per skewer.

Place the kebabs on the grill and cook for 5 minutes, turning several times, until the veggies, pineapple and shrimp are almost cooked. Baste with the glaze and continue cooking for 5-8 more minutes, basting some more glaze on one more time.

Serve on a platter with Coconut Rice.

Old School Butterscotch Corn Flake Cookies

Just a comforting, old time cookie. Creamy, crispy, sweet and salty—this cookie has it all!

Ingredients (makes about 36 cookies):

1 (11 ounce) package butterscotch chips

½ cup creamy peanut butter

5 cups regular corn flakes

1 cup dry roasted peanuts

Directions: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Meanwhile, dump the corn flakes and peanuts into a large mixing bowl.

When the butterscotch chips and peanut butter have melted, pour them over the corn flakes mixture and stir until the corn flakes are well coated.

Place the cookie mixture by Tablespoons onto the parchment paper lined baking sheets and let sit for 1 hour or until hardened.