Super Bowl Shrimp Cakes

So who's gearing up to watch the Super Bowl this Sunday? I am admittedly not an American football fan (more into soccer football), so I usually just tell the hubby to call me when on the ads are on. They hype them so much leading up to the big game, that I can't help but watch them. Who remembers the hilarious VW Mr. Jim ad from last year? Loved it! 

My real focus though is making great food to eat during the game. Here's my recipe for Ritzy Shrimp Cakes, using Ritz crackers. These little crackers are pretty addictive (not gonna lie, it's probably the salt!), and they make a great binder in the shrimp cake. I make an easy Creole remoulade sauce that gives them a nice kick.

RITZY SHRIMP CAKES

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/8 cup Creole mustard

2 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, divided use

4 cups water

1 tsp Creole seasoning

3/4 lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails off

1 box Ritz Crackers Garlic Butter

6 oz marinated artichokes, drained and chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 green onion, finely sliced for garnish

1. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, Creole mustard, honey, and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Mix well, cover and place in fridge.

2. In a medium pot, combine water and Creole seasoning. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Put shrimp in pot and let boil for about 1 minute (or until pink). Drain and let cool. Chop.

3. Crush 2 sleeves of the Ritz crackers. In a bowl, combine chopped shrimp, crushed Ritz crackers, artichokes, green bell pepper, 1 tsp lemon juice, eggs, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well. Form into mini cakes, about 1/2 inch thick and 1 1/2 inch wide (size to fit on a Ritz cracker). Makes about 44 cakes.  Place in fridge for 15 minutes to get firm.

4. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Place cakes in pan (in two batches), and cook about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and place on paper towel lined plate.

5. To serve, spread (or use a squeeze bottle) a little of the Creole mustard-mayonnaise sauce on 44 of the remaining Ritz Crackers. Top each with a shrimp cake and garnish serving tray with green onions. Serve.

So Delicious...Coconut Curry Shrimp and Grits!

Godairyfree.org and So Delicious are having a recipe contest! The challenge is to create a dairy-free dish featuring one of So Delicious' Dairy Free products. Since I am a lover of all things coconut, I jumped at the chance to use their coconut milk. My recipe entry is Coconut Curry Shrimp and Grits. I made an easy shrimp curry with flavors of lime, garlic, onion and cilantro. So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Coconut Milk adds creaminess to the curry as well as that delicious coconut flavor. Usually, I make grits with chicken stock, but decided to give it a try with the coconut milk. The result was amazing... a creamy texture with a beautiful white color. It tasted as good as it looked!

COCONUT CURRY SHRIMP AND GRITS


For the curry:
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lime, juiced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp snipped chives
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 cup So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro



For the grits:
2 cups So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Coconut Milk
2 cups water
1 cup old fashioned grits
1/2 tsp sea salt


1. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, lime juice, garlic, chives, salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and place in fridge for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add seasoned shrimp and curry powder. Saute shrimp till pink on both sides, about 6 minutes.  Stir in coconut milk and brown sugar. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.
3. For the grits: In a medium pot, combine coconut milk and water. Bring to a rapid boil over medium heat. Slowly stir in grits and salt. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook until thickened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Spoon curry shrimp over grits and serve immediately. Serves 4.

                                                                   

You've never had shrimp and grits this good!

So excited to update that my recipe won the Main Course category in the contest!