The other day there was a seafood sale at the grocery store, buy one large bag of shrimp or tilapia and get another large bag for free! Needless to say, my freezer looks like a sad scene from The Little Mermaid. Last night I really really didn’t want to go to the grocery store. It was raining and I was tired, but I had almost nothing in my fridge. Literally – chocolate for breakfast and cheese and crackers for lunch. *blush*

Then I decided to stop whining, man-up and figure out something great using only what I had. (Hey – I meant I’d man up to cook, not brave the storm to go shopping!)

• 20 large deveined, deshelled shrimp
• Handful of crushed walnuts
• 1 tablespoon basil flakes or fresh basil
• 8 large dried Turkish Apricots
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (not coconut water!!)
• 1/2 clove of minced garlic
• Splash of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Shrimp & Coconut Balsamic Sauce:

1. If your shrimp aren’t already deshelled – get rid of the shells and rinse with cold water.
2. Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside in a bowl.
3. Add two tablespoons of cornstarch and coat shrimp thoroughly.
4. In a saucepan set to low, empty out your can of coconut milk.
5. Sprinkle basil flakes into milk and stir.
6. With a sharp knife, carefully dice apricots into around 8 pieces each.
7. Toss dried apricot bits into the milk. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and generous tablespoon of sugar and stir.
8. Leave pot on low to low-medium, stirring occasionally.
9. Heat some EVOO in a pan, and add your 1/2 clove of garlic. Toss in shrimp and cook (turning over once) until pink and curled. With the cornstarch coating they should brown a bit too.
10. Right before you take them off of the heat, splash balsamic vinegar on all of the shrimp to infuse flavor and add a tangy kick.
11. Let vinegar cook off and take off of burner, leaving shrimp in pan.
12. By this time, your coconut milk should have reduced by half and thickened. If not – no worries – just give it a bit more time and keep stirring until it has the consistency of a creamy dressing.
13. Pour coconut sauce over shrimp in pan and set to low heat.

Toasted Walnuts:

1. In a small dry pan, add a handful of crushed walnuts.
2. Add a drop or two of EVOO, 1/4 of a clove of minced garlic (not a lot at all), and a sprinkle of basil leaves. Mix with a soft spatula to make sure that garlic and oil are evenly distributed.
3. Set heat to low and keep a very close eyes on the walnuts, stirring frequently to ensure that they don’t burn, and that they’re getting toasted on all sides.
4. Once you can smell the garlic and the walnuts are warm to the touch, taste test one. It should be warm throughout and taste creamy.
5. Take them off of the heat and set aside.

To serve, spoon some shrimp onto plate and drizzle extra sauce on top, making sure to catch a few apricot bits for a sweet extra flavor in each bite. Top with some of the garlic toasted walnuts and enjoy! Reminder: Everything tastes better with chopsticks. .