I've got a lovely bunch of coconut milk...

What a great way to have a chowder like soup - which I am surrounded by up here - without putting back artery clogging, heart stopping cream! Coconut Shrimp and Corn Chowder from Real Simple! Coconut milk is dairy-free, lactose too! I found this recipe in my Real Simple mag a few years ago and after a lot of cataloging I have re-found all of the recipes I collected since 2004...you betcha, sheet protectors, large white three-ring binders, label maker, talk about a lovely saturday afternoon. Judge all you want but I can bet you'd rather come to my house for dinner than head to your neighborhood fat-food-chain. My husband has even noticed that dinner has taken a turn for the better since I started working and since I've been forced to get creative with my diet. So far, everyone's happy! 


This recipe involves little effort (aside from peeling, deveining and defrosting the shrimp) but slightly more pocket change. Coconut milk isn't cheap and neither is the shrimp - but keep an eye on your weekly store flyers and buy shrimp when it goes on sale. Also, there is nothing wrong with frozen shrimp but the best way to go there is raw, shell on. The recipe calls for yukon gold potatoes and I recommend sticking with that specific potato - they are more mild and don't compete with the stronger flavors. A good side dish with this meal is cornbread. We like Jiffy the best and you can substitute water for the milk and a tablespoon of vegetable oil - this makes up for the fat content lost when you ditch milk. *Also, a little secret of mine is to add 1 tbsp. of sugar per box of cornbread, it helps add a little more flavor and make the bread less mealy. It's a great accent to the slightly sweet coconut milk.*


I made this dish for my sister since she has been battling an infant with a sensitive tummy. Soon she'll be set free from her dairy-free sentence but she loved it none the less! You really feel like you're eating something you're not supposed to - and for once it's not  a dairy-free recipe overrun with tomato. Give it a try before it gets too warm outside to warrant soup and sandwich night! 


Of course, we all know that cream tastes better, but if you like thai food this is pretty close to that - without the spice. Let's face it...


But this is life on earth, you just can't have everything.