Recipe: Honey Walnut Shrimp

This is a rich dish that is most often served at Chinese restaurants as part of a banquet. The sauce ingredients of mayonnaise and condensed milk would suggest that it is originally from Hong Kong (which was under British rule). Crispy candied walnuts paired with lightly battered shrimp in a sweet creamy sauce is quite decadent so I only make this when shrimp is on sale. Luckily frozen shrimp is on sale at one of my local supermarkets for the Holy Week ($3.99/ lb for 26-30 count). Making this dish at home is quite easy and cheaper than ordering it out.

Ingredients

For the candied walnuts:

• 1 cup walnut halves
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar

For the shrimp:

• 1 egg white
• 1 pound shrimp (shelled and de-veined) if using frozen, thaw.
  
• 1 cup cornstarch
• oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the walnuts for 3 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain.
2. Bring the 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar to the boil and then add the blanched walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes then drain. Allow the walnuts to cool and dry on a cookie sheet.
   
3. Beat the egg white in a medium bowl and toss with the shrimp. Set aside to marinate as you make the sauce.
4. Mix all the sauce ingredients together well in a large bowl and set aside.
5. In a large saucepan, heat 2 cups of oil.
6. Fry the candied walnuts for about 5 minutes or until brown and shiny. Be careful not to burn them. Remove and place back on the cookie sheet to drain and cool.
7. Toss the marinated shrimp with the cornstarch in a large bowl until well coated.
8. Fry the shrimp in small batches until cooked and golden.
9. Remove and drain on paper towels.
10. Toss the fried shrimp and candied walnuts together with the sauce and serve immediately.
    

Recipe: Banana Nut Bread

Bought a bunch of bananas and they ripened too fast? Don't throw them out! A banana that is turning black is actually very ripe and perfect for making banana bread.
Banana bread became a standard of American cooking books in the 1930s and gained popularity in the 1950s.

This recipe is adapted from one by Milliken & Feniger.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Recipe: Cranberry Walnut Granola

I still have Ocean Spray dried cranberries and walnuts from a previous trip to Costco. A large 10 pound box of oats was on sale last month and I had also bought a bottle of honey from Costco all using their coupons. After getting a bit tired of eating oatmeal everyday, I decided to attempt making my own granola for use in yogurt parfaits after seeing how expensive they are in the local delis.

You can use any type of raw oats but "Instant" just means that the oats were pressed thinner during processing to cook faster. I like "Old Fashioned" style which is thicker and give more crunchy texture to the finished product.

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 cups uncooked oats
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey (*check out my tip below)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats and walnuts.
3. In a small bowl, combine oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well!
4. Pour over the oats & nuts. Mix until oats are totally covered in the honey mixture.
5. Spread mixture evenly on a aluminum foil lined jelly roll pan or on rimmed baking sheet.
6. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes so that granola bakes evenly. Watch to prevent burning!
7. Cool granola completely.
8. Stir in dried cranberries and store in an airtight container.

Since there are no preservatives, the granola can store tightly covered up to 1 week.

Makes about 12 half cups servings.

*TIP I measured the oil first with a tablespoon so that when I measured the honey, it wouldn't stick to the spoon. 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup liquid