Mango Mango Chili Shrimp Salads and an Homage to Destiny's Child

So if you've seen our Facebook posts about this Mango Mango stuff and have wondered what on earth is all the fuss about, let me illuminate you.  Mango Mango is this great product made by 3 women in the Virginia Beach area.  We at Nalls Produce carried it for over a year now and it sold fairly decently and then...Shark Tank. Unbeknownst to us, these ladies appeared on a episode of Shark Tank about a month ago, and ever since we cannot keep the mangoliciousness on our shelves.  No joke, we've had people buy 10 jars and we know one woman who keeps a jar at home, a jar a work, and one spare in case of emergencies.  There's even a gentleman out there that has asked for Mango Mango for Christmas.  We love the product, but the gals at Mango Mango say there are over 100 ways to use it, so I felt it was time to explore the full range of fun instead of just slathering it on a carb.  And the grape tomatoes and leaf lettuce in this week's Crop Share had visions of shrimp salads or wraps dancing in my head.  Fans of Destiny's Child (I should just say humans, because really, who doesn't love them and long for a full reunion tour.  That Superbowl half time show was not enough and the lights in the stadium protested as such!) should check out the Mango Mango website because it's sly reference after sly reference to the song "Bootylicious".  So, it begs the question...are you ready for this jelly? Because this Mango Mango Chili Shrimp may be too mangolicious for ya babe!  Buckle your seat belt, it's time for take off!

Mango Mango Chili Shrimp Salads

Ingredients:
1 head Romaine or Red Leaf Lettuce
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 Tbsp Mango Mango Preserves (in store now!)
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 inch knob ginger, diced
1/8 tsp coarse ground salt
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp sriracha (more if desired for extra heat, and if it's my plate, oh I do desire)
1.5 lbs cooked shrimp, tails removed
2 Tbsp corn starch
Coconut or olive oil

Chop off ends of lettuce (don't discard, see how we reuse it!) and rinse leaves thoroughly, setting aside to dry.  Rinse and slice tomatoes and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together Mango Mango preserves, garlic, ginger, salt, paprika and sriracha, set aside.  Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel and toss in 2 heaping Tbsp corn starch (corn starch is my miracle batter for frying sans gluten, dairy or egg, it coats things just enough to give the skin a crispy finish).  Heat about 1/4" of oil in a pan over high heat.  Once your oil is hot enough drop in coated shrimp to begin lightly frying.  You'll likely have to do these in batches to prevent over crowding if you don't have a huge skillet.  Once shrimp have curled and the outsides have crisped, remove from pan and rest on a paper towel lined plate.  Repeat until all shrimp are fried.  Drain off excess grease from the pan and wipe down with a paper towel.  Reduce the heat to medium high, and toss shrimp back into the pan and pour your mango chili sauce over top.  Cook until the sauce is thick and some of it begins to crisp up, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve a scoop of shrimp on a bed of lettuce with some sliced grape tomatoes and finish with an extra drizzle of sriracha if you need a final kick.  I ate mine as lettuce wraps and the Mister ate his as a shrimp salad with a bit of jasmine rice on the side.


And because now I just can't resist...

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Salmon with Grapefruit-Dill Yogurt Sauce via Tash's Noshes

A couple of our Crop Share members have started their own food blogs (and then there's some out there who really should -- I'm looking at you Bethany Duffy, Louise Burnett and Kat Cole), including the newly married, Natasha Gannon!  In the Spring, Tash and I had dueling low-cal, spring onion cream sauces for salmon, and here was her healthy take with some grapefruit thrown in for a pop of citrus.  Since it's not Spring, there are no spring onions, but you could easily substitute leeks, chives, green onions or even shallots.  So for anyone who doesn't care for grapefruit as it is, this is a great way to use it up and sneak it into a meal.  Clink the link below to view the recipe at Tash's Noshes and poke around her site for other great, healthy ideas.  Now that she's out of the wedding planning mire, we can expect to see more deliciousness coming out of her kitchen!

Salmon with Grapefruit-Dill Yogurt Sauce via Tash's Noshes

Oh Honey, Let's Be Rad...ish!

If you haven't figured this out yet, I'm incapable of talking about radishes without making a pun.  It will keep happening, so just smile and nod.

Anywho, last evening I finally got around to using up my radishes from two weeks ago (thank you cooler season produce for lasting so much longer and suiting my procrastination tendencies), and was able to finally make this Radish Dip that Crop Share member Missie Welch had shared with us.  She was oh so right with how delicious it is.  We baked up some Beet Chips to go with it, but this would make a fantastic veggie dip.  So for holiday parties, if you're tasked with bringing the veggie tray, whip up a quick batch of this dip and tell the french onion dip to take the night off and keep off your hips!  It has an almost hummus like consistency so it's a great, healthy alternative for a chip dip, too.

We used the juice of 1 lemon and a full 8 oz of cream cheese (we use Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese to keep it dairy, free but you can use any reduced fat variety to keep the calories down).  Plus at one point I went to add a dash of pepper and opened the pour and not the sprinkle side, so I spent a good 5 minutes scooping what was about 1/4 cup of ground black pepper out of my blender.  *sigh*

Radish Dip via Missie Welch

Acorn & Butternut Squash Soup by Crop Share Member Brandi Collins

Several weeks ago, Crop Share member Brandi Collins posted on our Facebook page about this Acorn & Butternut Squash soup she had made.  I knew right away, we had to have that recipe and I had to share it with you all.  So here it is, from Brandi's kitchen to yours, a Fall squashtacular soup that is just what the Daylight Savings Time sleepies need.  Plus, if you've been perplexed by the Buttercup squash from this past week, you can easily substitute that in for either the acorn or butternut in this recipe, and use up some of your Amish candy onions in place of a regular sweet onion!

Acorn & Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded 1 acorn squash, halved and seeded 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 chopped sweet onion 1 quart chicken broth 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper Salt to taste fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Scoop the pulp from the skins. Discard skins.
2.	Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion and garlic until tender.
3.	In a blender or food processor, blend the squash pulp, onion, broth, cream cheese, pepper, and salt until smooth. This may be done in several batches.  This may also be done in the pan with an immersion blender.
4.	Transfer the soup to a pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish with parsley, and serve warm.