Dairy Free Pesto Asparagus & Shrimp

Some days I buy things on a whim and when I saw the fresh basil plants at Rosauer's I just could not resist. Their smell teased me the whole drive home and I realized this is a bouquet I'd be happy to receive any day.

I used to think I hated pesto. Maybe my first sampling was a bad batch but it was way too strong. I gave it another go a few years later and didn't mind it so much but it wasn't until I made my first homemade pesto that I fell in love. I could live off this stuff.

The last time I made pesto it was not dairy free but a small tweak resulted in a delicious dinner last night. The kids had two servings and if I hadn't mixed everything with pasta after I took my serving (I'm avoiding grains right now) I would have had more.

Pesto - Dairy Free

2 C fresh basil leaves

4 garlic cloves

1/2 C Vegan Parmesan Cheese (use real parm if you can)*

1/2 C Olive Oil

1/4 C pine nuts

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy.

*I used the Galaxy Vegan Grated Parmesan Cheese in the purple container. I've only seen it at Rosauer's in our area and it is in the refrigerated section.

Pesto Asparagus & Shrimp

Pesto, see recipe above

1 package GF pasta, I used Tinkyada spirals

1 lb asparagus spears, cut in 2 inch lengths

1 lb raw shrimp

2 T Olive Oil

2 dashes crushed red pepper

Cook the gluten free pasta according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan then add the asparagus and cook until crisp tender. I had thin spears and it took me about 7-10 minutes to get them where I wanted them. Add the shrimp and crushed red pepper and cook until the shrimp is pink.

Drain the pasta once it's fully cooked and add the asparagus and shrimp to the pasta. Toss & coat with pesto and enjoy.

If you want to keep the heat down in the kitchen grill the asparagus and shrimp on the BBQ and skip the pasta. Easy peasey!

Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp

I was on a fried food kick last week and I found myself making coconut shrimp, it was so worth the calories. This was a new recipe for me and I was really happy with it, the only change I would make is using fresh shrimp instead of frozen but when I walked through Costco the line for the fresh fish was too long and my patience was running low.

Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp (adapted from All Recipes)

1 egg
½ C Gluten Free Mama’s Coconut Flour (or use any GF flour you have)
2/3 C GF beer (I used Bard’s)
1 ½ t baking powder
¼ C GFM’s Coconut Flour
2 C flaked coconut (I used Bob’s Red Mill Shredded Coconut & it worked wonderfully)
24 shrimp
Oil for frying

In a bowl combine the egg, ½ C flour, beer, and baking powder. Put ¼ C flour in a large plastic zip bag and put the coconut in its own bowl. Add the shrimp to the plastic bag and shake to fully coat the shrimp with the flour. This was so much easier than dipping each one separately. Shake off any excess flour then dip each shrimp in the beer batter allowing excess batter to drip off. Coat the shrimp in the coconut then place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a skillet to 350F, I just put enough oil in the bottom to cover the pan but not to submerge the shrimp. Fry the shrimp in 2-3 batches. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes then turn and cook another 2-3 minutes or until browned. Place the shrimp on paper towels to drain the excess grease.

Marmalade Dipping Sauce (from All Recipes)

½ C orange marmalade
¼ C Dijon prepared mustard
¼ C honey or agave nectar
¼ t hot sauce

Mix the four ingredients in a small bowl and serve alongside the coconut shrimp.

Hubby and I both liked the shrimp a lot and I used the leftovers chopped up in quesadillas last night. I loved it but it was a bit too coconutty for Hubby. I’m not a huge marmalade fan but the dipping sauce was still good. I think next time I’ll play around with plum instead of marmalade.

If you're wondering what the vegetables are on the plate it's steamed radishes and rutabaga.