Coconut Shrimp & Baked Broccoli

We left Friday open on our meal plan (as we usually do), in case we felt like going out or to use up leftover ingredients from the week's meals. When we realized we'd have some extra shrimp around, and we'd be watching the Hawai`i episode of 'Bridget's Sexiest Beaches' on our Tivo, we thought a little Polynesian flavor for dinner would be perfect.

The leftover shrimp became our main dish - coconut shrimp - and to go with it, Dan picked a recipe out of Best of the Best from Hawaii for Baked Broccoli.

After shelling the shrimp (these were the size that come 31-40 per pound, and I used just over a pound), I laid the shrimp out on a cookie sheet to let them dry. Then, I dredged them in rice flour (a gift from my coworker, Martha), and gave them some more time to dry. Then, I dredged each shrimp in a beaten egg, pressed it into a mixture of panko bread crumbs and coconut (about a cup or so of each), and again laid them out on the cookie sheet to dry. While I was waiting, I got the deep fryer going, and set it to 350 degrees. When the oil was ready, I fried 1/3 of the shrimp at a time, for about 2 minutes, to a golden brown. As each batch finished, I laid them out on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet - to allow excess oil to drip off.




Baked Broccoli
1-2 lbs broccoli
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 package imitation crab meat
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/2 cup grated monterey jack
1/2 cup mozzarella

Cut broccoli inot bite sized pieces. Parboil slightly in a pot of boiling water, til bright green but still crunchy. Put the broccoli into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, and spread evenly. Top with one can of soup. Add a layer of crab meat, and then another can of soup, and finally top with the mixed cheeses. Bake in a 325 F oven until cheese melts - about 15-20 minutes. Turn the broiler on and allow the cheese to brown a bit on top before serving.