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Road To New Year Paved With Good Intentions

Photo by JADEN HAIR

With just a little effort, you can have restaurant-quality coconut shrimp for a fraction of the price.

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JADEN HAIR

Published: December 22, 2008

Happy end of the year, my friends!

What would my last column for 2008 be without a list of my New Year's resolutions?

I know you're totally groaning, because most people ditch their NYR's sometime after the second week of January. Guilty.

Instead, I'm proposing that we call these "Good Intentions for 2009" to avoid any chance of disappointment or feelings of failure.

Good Intention No. 1: A Greener Kitchen

No, I'm not painting my kitchen walls lime green, but I am making changes to be a more responsible human being and get more smiley faces from Mother Nature.

With two kids in the house, spills and slops happen every 10 minutes, and it's easy to go through a roll of paper towels in a week. I started using Skoy reusable cloths to wipe and wash. They are like the ShamWow cloths that you see on TV, except without the really annoying, fast-talking sales dude with the faux hawk. Skoy Cloths are spongy, washable and biodegradable. Plus, you can stick them in the microwave to nuke out any bacteria. I love that each cloth has lasted three months, and the owners are two stay-at-home moms! (www.skoycloth.com; $5.99 for a four-pack)

I've been doing my best to remember to bring in my reusable grocery bags every time I visit the grocery store, but because of the way the bags are shaped, they stay in my trunk and I often forget them. Plus, they're kinda ugly. So, I got a three-pack of RuMe Resuable Bags in hip colors and patterns. The bags are polyester, like the thin, slick material of laundry bags. Each holds 50 pounds of stuff, and the best part is that the bag rolls up into a compact ball you can throw in your glove compartment. Love the price — and you'll be a fashionista in the market. (www.rumebags.com; $29.85 for set of three, get 10 percent off orders of $25 or more with promo code "Steamy Kitchen")

Good Intention No. 2: Eat Better, Earlier

This one might be hard, because: 1, I'm not hungry in the morning; and 2, I don't like breakfast foods. But the consequence of having an empty stomach all morning is that by the time 11 a.m. tick-tocks around, I'm as hungry as a 2-ton ox. And then, of course, I stuff myself silly! My Good Intention is to make breakfast fun, even if I have to resort to making breakfast chocolaty. (Ovaltine or Cocoa Puffs anyone?)

Confession: I am not off to a good start. Last weekend, I tried poaching my eggs in the microwave and they exploded. Then I used Poachpods, funky looking silicone pods that hold one egg each. Success! Boil a couple of inches of water in a pot, and the pods keep the eggs in shape while the boiling water gently poaches. (www.fusionbrands.com; $10 for a set of two)

Good Intention No. 3: Eat In More

Oh, I know the restaurant industry is suffering, but eating out makes such a big dent in my pocketbook! My kids' 529 college savings plan dwindled to a mere 39 percent of its value, so either Andrew isn't going to college or we gotta stop spending $50 a pop eating out at chain restaurants just because I'm too lazy to cook that night. So, to start, here's a recipe for Coconut Shrimp with a Sweet Chili Mayo that I love to order when I go out to eat. The sauce reminds me of the Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish. You can find super-flaky Japanese panko bread crumbs at most supermarkets — either in the Asian foods aisle or in the same aisle you would find breadcrumbs.

Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Mayo

For the Sweet Chili Mayo

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 teaspoon chili-garlic hot sauce (optional)

For the Coconut Shrimp

1 pound tail-on shrimp, shelled (but leave tail on)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 egg

2 tablespoons coconut milk (or regular milk)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup Japanese panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

oil, for frying

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and the chili-garlic hot sauce (optional). Set aside.

With a paring knife, slice down the middle of the back of the shrimp, but do not cut all the way through. Discard the black vein/tract.

Set three shallow bowls side by side. Place flour in the first bowl; whisk the egg and coconut milk in the second; and combine the panko and coconut flakes in the third."

Heat 2 inches of oil in a sauté pan over moderate heat until thermometer registers 350 degrees.

As the oil is heating, bread the shrimp by dipping the shrimp on both sides in the flour and shaking excess off. Next, dip in the coconut milk and then in the panko/coconut flakes, patting well to ensure the coating sticks well.

Fry the shrimp in small batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Serve with Sweet Chili Mayo for dipping.

Yields 4 to 6 servings as appetizers

Check out jaden's blog at www.steamykitchen.com.

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