Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Last spring one of my friends was preparing for a surgery and was on a very restrictive diet. To liven things up, I offered to make supper with lots of fresh ingredients from the farm. It was a really fun challenge to prepare a 5-course meal that was under 1000 calories.

This is the first course in the Asian-themed, low-calorie, five-course meal: shrimp lettuce wraps as an appetizer.

ingredients

• 2 Tbsp lime juice

• 1 to 2 Tbsp gochujang (which is a Korean hot pepper paste), or your favorite hot sauce

• 1 Tbsp oil (try sesame if you have it)

• 2 tsp honey

• 1 green garlic, grated (or 1 clove garlic)

• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 head romaine lettuce (or other head lettuce), leaves separated

• 1 cucumber, cut in small cubes

• several radishes, sliced (or substitute salad turnips)

• several leaves fresh mint (or basil, or cilantro), cut in small ribbons

directions

Combine lime juice, gochujang, oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and shrimp in a bowl, stir, and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange shrimp on a sheet pan and roast until just opaque throughout, about 10-15 minutes.

Allow shrimp to cool slightly, then lay out lettuce leaves and fill with shrimp, cucumbers, radishes, and mint.

Pumpkin Coconut Curry

This recipe is a huge hit every time I make it. I dare you to not have seconds.

It’s a delicious, warming dish for winter, and allows you to use local storage ingredients, like onions, pumpkins/squash, and garlic, plus honey, cilantro, and even a tomato and jalapeno if you froze those when they were in season.

Ingredients:
2 pie pumpkins or 1 large butternut squash, cut into equal size cubes
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
½-1 hot red chili pepper, sliced
¼ tsp hot chili powder
1½ tsp garam masala
1½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp honey
a handful of cilantro, stems chopped + leaves for serving
1 can regular coconut milk
½ can chopped tomatoes (or 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped)
1 tsp salt
lime wedges, to serve
handful of cashews (to serve)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop the pumpkin or squash into 1” cubes. Drizzle with oil, and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the oil on medium heat in a large pot. Once hot, add mustard seeds and stir until they start popping like popcorn. Add chopped onion and stir until it begins to soften.

Add garlic, ginger, hot pepper, and chopped cilantro stems. Cook 2 minutes while stirring to keep it from sticking.

Add all spices and salt. Reduce heat to low and stir for 1 more minute.

Add chopped tomato and 1/4 cup water. Cook 2 minutes until tomatoes soften.

Add coconut milk and pumpkin/squash cubes. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to simmer until pumpkin/squash is fully tender.

Taste and add more salt if desired, plus honey.

Serve topped with cilantro leaves and chopped cashews, plus lime wedges to squeeze. Serve with rice or naan.

Katie’s notes:

To add more protein to the recipe, add some cooked chicken or tofu when you add the pumpkin/squash.

If you don’t like spicy food (like me!), omit the pepper and chili powder.

Recipe adapted from Lazy Cat Kitchen

Tacos de Lengua

This one is for the adventurous folks out there. “Lengua” means “tongue” in Spanish, and this is a traditional recipe for beef tongue tacos.

Tongue, especially when slow cooked, is extremely tender and delicious. If you buy a whole or half beef locally, ask to have the tongue (and liver and heart!) when it’s processed. You can also find tongue at some local lockers. I got mine from Dageforde Farms (they come to the Beatrice Farmers Market!)

If you grew up eating tongue and hating it, give it one more try with this recipe…you’ll probably change your mind! The secret is using only the tender inner part of the tongue, and cutting it into small cubes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 beef tongue

• 1 onion, chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, mashed

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 T. pepper

• 1 T. salt

• 1 large sprig fresh thyme

• broth to cover (or water with beef bouillon)

Topping options:

• Diced white onion

• Chopped green onions

• Chopped cilantro

• Green tomatillo salsa (or red tomato salsa)

• Cheese

• Thinly sliced radishes

• Lime juice

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in crock pot with enough broth or water to cover them, and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove tongue to cool, peel/cut off outer layer, and cut off any rough spots. Slice into small cubes, and sauté in frying pan until browned. Add meat to corn tortillas and top with diced onion, cilantro, green salsa, and thinly sliced radishes.