Thai Coconut Shrimp and Lemon Gingerbread Cake

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Thai Coconut Shrimp (page 88 of the cook book)

12 oz unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs water
salt to taste
2 lbs medium shrimp, shelled, washed and pat dried
½ lb button mushrooms, stems removed and halved
2 tbs peanut oil
2 tbs butter
2 tbs garlic, minced
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
½ cup green onions, chopped
2 tbs lime juice

Prepare sauce by combining coconut milk and wine. Chill until ready to use. Heat wok or large skillet over high heat. Add oil and butter. As butter just melts (and before it starts to burn) add garlic. Stir for a moment then add shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink (2-3 minutes). Add mushrooms, basil and green onions, stir for a moment then add milk mixture. Bring to low boil. In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and water and add to skillet to thicken milk. Stir in lime juice. Serve over thin noodles or rice.


Lemon Ginger Bread Cake (page 238 of the cookbook)

2 tbs sugar
2 tbs margarine, softened
2 tsp lemon rind, grated
1 egg white
½ cup nonfat buttermilk
½ cup molasses
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
vegetable cooking spray
2 tsp powdered sugar

Lemon Glaze
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp butter extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and margarine at medium speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add lemon rind and egg white; beat at medium speed until well blended. Combine buttermilk and molasses; set aside. Combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. While cake in cooling, mix together all Glaze ingredients. Mixture will be thin. Take a tooth pick and stick it in and out of the cake. Using a pastry brush, paint glaze over cake. Let glaze harden and re-apply glaze.