fast and fresh

spicy. mango. shrimp.

when i saw these 3 words together in sunset magazine, my eyes widened and i smiled....mmmmmmmm. excited to try the new recipe, i talked about it with a friend. for some reason, she didn't understand the combination and her face kinda scrunched up into a perplexed expression. i don't understand the confusion. i love spicy and sweet flavors together so i put this meal together the very next day.

i'm happy to report that the recipe was both fast and fresh. i think i actually finished in less than 30 minutes. since i was in the mood for some veggies, i decided to add a handful of spinach to the shrimp. also, i didn't have any basil and coconut isn't really my thing, so i just left those ingredients out. this dish was very easy to make and tasted even better the next day, when i took it to work for lunch. looks pretty good, right???

garlicky shrimp + tart-sweet mango + fresh spinach = a very happy christina :o)

heather ripley, from menlo park sent this recipe to the magazine and ended up winning the contest. go heather! thanks for sharing with everyone. here is the recipe the way it was printed in the march 09 issue of sunset magazine:

heat 3 tbsp. vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. saute 1 cup chopped onion until golden brown. add 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp. red chile flakes, 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice, and about 12 oz. peeled and devained medium shrimp; cook stirring often until shrimp turn pink. add 2 cups cubed fresh (preferably unripe) or frozen mango and cook until warm. sprinkle with 1/4 cup toasted shredded unsweetened coconut and serve with steamed jasmine rice. serves 4.