Thai Green Curry Shrimp

Tonight I wanted to find a recipe that would use some of the ingredients I had on hand - shrimp, and rice noodles. I love Pad Thai, but I make that ALL the time, and wanted to do something different. I have two jars of curry paste (red and green) and thought it would be nice to use up some of that. I looked up recipes for Thai Curry Shrimp, but they all had coconut milk, and I didn't have any on hand. But, I did have sweetened, flaked coconut! So, I decided to take bits and pieces from multiple recipes and put them together to create something out of what I did have. This is what I came up with....

Thai Green Curry Shrimp

ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup Thai green curry paste
1/2 C sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 lb. large shrimp (31 to 40 per lb.), shelled and deveined
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

garnish:

1/8 C toasted coconut
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lime juice

method:
Heat peanut oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions, curry paste, and coconut; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and fish sauce; bring to boil. Add shrimp and cook just until opaque in center, stirring often, about 3 to 5 minutes depending on size of shrimp. Stir in the basil and peas and cook, stirring until peas are heated through.I served this curry on top of Thai rice noodles, and garnished with cilantro and toasted coconut.

Over all...Hm. It was good, but not a fave. No complaints at all, but no raves, either. Mike really liked it - he said it had all his favorite stuff in it. I think I'm just not a huge curry fan. I'm trying though!

Peanut Butter Noodles

Peanut Butter Noodles
(recipe taken from Allrecipes.com)

This is one of our all-time favorites. I think I make it almost once a week. Mike loves it! It's great with shrimp or chicken. I just cook the meat in soy sauce and peanut oil before adding it to the noodles.

"Smooth peanut butter, sweet honey, salty soy sauce, and fiery fresh ginger simmer with chicken broth to make a delectable sauce for boiled udon noodles. Garnish with sliced green onions and more fresh peanuts for a decidedly different dish."

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup chicken broth 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons peanut butter 1 1/2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons hot chile paste (optional) 3 cloves garlic, minced 8 ounces Udon noodles 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender according to package directions. Drain.
2.	Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, chili paste, and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Add noodles, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts.