Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Mango Basil Salsa

This post is brought to us by my friend Ginny Miller (who you may remember me mentioning in our chocolate zucchini bread post). Mother of two seriously cool little boys, her family lives most of the time in Northern California but is soon to make a summer move to North Dakota. Wait. What? California to the Dakotas? Maybe a little strange for the rest of us, but not if you're a beekeeper. And that, my friends, is exactly what Ginny's husband is.

Beekeeping gets me excited on a number of levels: 1) We wouldn't have much food without bees. Save the bees! I ♥ bees! I plant flowers and herbs and vegetables that will attract bees so they can happily pollinate the neighborhood. 2) What would the world be like without honey? I shudder to think of it. It makes me want to go buy barrels of honey to store in my closet...Dutch Gold honey because that's where the Miller family honey goes. 3) Being a beekeeper means you get to be around bees all the time...which means you get to be outside a lot. And you're kind of saving the planet, too. So the fact that Ginny and her husband made the decision to bring on the bees makes them that much cooler.

But I digress. Aside from being a beekeeping family, Ginny is a great cook and lover of good food. When we were lucky enough to live near each other, our conversations inevitably turned to food and travel. Eating while traveling. Eating food that makes you feel like you're traveling. Traveling for the food. All good options, if you ask me. So please welcome Ginny and enjoy what promises to be a superb combination of flavors.  I can't wait to try it.

Mango Lime Fool

A "fool" is a fruity dessert usually made with cream and/or yogurt and some type of pureed fruit. Why it's called a fool is beyond me, but it's the perfect fast and refreshing dessert for summer.

Thai Mango Sticky Rice

If you've never had Thai Mango Sticky rice, you haven't lived. I think it just might be my current favorite dessert (maybe tied with something lemon). I love the sweetness, offset by the mango, the creaminess, thanks to the coconut milk, and the fact that it's rice because that makes it healthy, right? Right? Plus, it's so easy- the worst part is peeling the mango, but that can be easily avoided by serving strawberries or kiwi instead. And while I can't vouch for the authenticity of this "ethnic" recipe, I can promise that it will taste good when you eat it.


Thai Mango Sticky Rice
Recipe by Kelly
Picture by Caroline

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup sugar

13.5 oz can of regular coconut milk (or sweetened for a sweeter version)

1 1/2 cups sticky rice*

2 mangoes, peeled and sliced

1. Cook rice according to directions on the package.
   
2. In a small saucepan, heat the salt, sugar and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
   
3. Combine rice and coconut milk mixture in a bowl. Let rice stand, covered, 20-30 minutes, or until milk is absorbed.
4. Serve with sliced mango on the side.
   

*If you can't find sticky rice, look for "glutinous" rice like sushi rice. Jasmine rice will also work, but it may take more time to absorb the coconut milk.