Recently my son-in-law purchased delicious shrimp from Atlantic Offshore Fishery in Point Pleasant, NJ. The shrimp were wild, caught 16/20 count for $13.99/lb.  They were also shelled and deveined, a cook’s dream! Atlantic Offshore posts their retail fish case items every Thursday’s on their Facebook page.
 
My daughter was in the mood for a stir fry. Although I have a tried and true recipe in my files, I wanted to try a new one. I came across one in the New York Times Cooking app from Julia Moskin for Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Ginger. For the recipe you’ll need shrimp, chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, ground white pepper, vegetable oil, minced garlic, minced ginger, snow peas and a scallion. It’s a 30 minute recipe which makes for a great weeknight meal for a busy family. What was interesting about this recipe was the shrimp are brined for five minutes in cold water and a bit of salt. Two interesting comments in the notes said that this helped the fish to have “silky soft texture,” and the other “help retain moisture when cooking.” Whichever one is right, they were delightful. 
My only comment was while it was light and tasty, it seemed to be missing a bit of oomph. My son-in-law agreed that the dish could use a little something more. I would have liked a bit more spiciness in the dish. One person in the comment section said they add Sriracha, another Chinese chili sauce and some suggested reversing the amounts of ginger and garlic. While the Sriracha and Chinese chili sauce sound the best, a pinch of red pepper flakes would also do the trick. I don’t know if I would use some of the ingredients mentioned other than in this specific recipe. The recipe serves 2-4 people using a pound of shrimp. We were 5 people, one being a 2-1/2 year old that loves shrimp, so I doubled the recipe and there was a bit left. I’ll give this recipe a try again adding the red pepper flakes and perhaps adding more ginger and less garlic.
 
Ever since my daughter made Rachel Mansfield’s Healthy Dark Chocolate Granola Clusters, I’ve been craving chocolate granola. Ms. Mansfield’s recipe uses dark chocolate chunks on top of the granola. My daughter used dark chocolate chips instead and I found the chocolate too soft and messy while eating.
 
I did an internet search and found several recipes which sounded promising. I settled on a recipe from the food blog “Pinch of Yum.”  This recipe contains 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and also chocolate chips, which sounded over indulgent. I used Pinch of Yum’s recipe as a starting point. For my version I omitted the chocolate chips and swapped turbinado sugar for coconut sugar. To make the recipe a bit healthier I used Ms. Mansfield’s ingredients of 1/4 cup of flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of chia seeds.
 
The granola bakes in a 250° oven for 50 minutes. I let it cool long enough before grabbing a quick taste. OMG! The granola had a soft chewiness. The combination of ingredients which are cocoa powder, coconut sugar, oats, chopped raw almonds, unsweetened coconut flakes, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla was scrumptious! I’ll have to restrain myself from eating it, its that good! 
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Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Ginger*
Julila Moskin
The New York Times/Cooking
Featured in: The Well Tempered Wok
 
YIELD: 2 to 4 servings
TIME: 30 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS
 
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
⅓ Cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons rice wine or dry sherry
1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
6 ounces snow peas, strings removed, washed and dried
1 scallion, chopped
 
PREPARATION
  1. In a large bowl combine 2 cups cold water and 1 tablespoon salt, stirring until salt is dissolved. Add shrimp, and let stand five minutes. Rinse shrimp under cold running water, and set to dry on paper towels. With more towels, pat shrimp dry.
  2. In a bowl, combine broth, wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and pepper.
  3. Heat a wok over high heat. To test heat flick a few drops of water into wok. When water vaporizes within 2 seconds, wok is hot. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil around sides of wok. Add shrimp, spreading them in a single layer, so they have contact with hot metal. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or just until pink, tossing them with a wok shovel or spatula. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 5 seconds. Add snow peas and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry 1 minute more.
  4. Stir cornstarch mixture, swirl it in around sides of wok, and bring to a boil. Stir-fry just until shrimp are cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 30 seconds more. Stir in scallions, and serve immediately.
*Access to New York Times Cooking App or recipes from the paper are limited to subscribers. I was able to find a link on another site.



Chocolate Granola
Donna Walsifer
 
Adapted from Pinch of Yum Ultimate Chocolate Granola
and
Rachl Mansfield, Healthy Dark Chocolate Granola with Clusters
 
Prep Time: 15 minutes 
Cook Time: 50 minutes
 
 3 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups sliced raw almonds
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2/3 cup melted coconut oil (measured in liquid form)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
Preheat the oven to 250° F. In a large bowl, blend the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla together. Add oats, almonds, coconut, cocoa, salt, and sugar. Using a large rimmed, parchment sheet lined jelly roll pan, spread the granola in an even layer. Pack the granola down flat. Bake for 50 minutes.
 
Cool the granola for 1 hour. Break into pieces. Store the granola in airtight container.