A weekend that started great and ended great. Saturday night we made another recipe that will go into our collection of favorites, Coconut Curry Shrimp Cakes with Papaya-Lime Sauce. So good I would order it in a restaurant. Sunday morning we had Buttermilk-Banana Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup in order to use more of the pomegranate juice. They were so good that Keegan had a whole bunch off of my plate even though he had already eaten a waffle and a fruit bar. After breakfast we dropped him off with my parents where he helped pick up sticks in the yard, took a bike ride and had a nap curled up with his Nana.

Jeff and I headed down to Boston to see Erika, Jay and Sammy. They all looked so good and you could tell there was great relief having Sammy in stepdown. I got to hold him for the first time. He slept a lot and ate and made cooing noise and smacked his lips. These are all things that I wouldn't have found that interesting before I had my own child. In fact Jeff and I stared at Sammy for a good ten minutes while he was sleeping before we had to leave. We had a really nice visit. The boys went off to grab lunch while Erika and I hung out and she fed Sammy. It felt so normal to be sitting there talking in that hospital room and planning for when they go home. I subjected her to all of my girl talk while she spoke of the things that all new mothers are obsessed with (baby eating, sleeping, milestones). Talk about role reversal for us. Jeff brought me back lunch and Erika had her hospital tray which actually looked pretty good. We left around 3pm to go home.
After we picked up Keegan we went back to my house and Tom came up to pick up the dogs. Jeff stayed for dinner which was decidely ungourmet, taquitos and wheat pita pizzas. He actually ended up staying over again so that he wouldn't be driving home too late. So instead of another sad Sunday night I got to wake up with him and kiss him goodbye and we headed off to start our work days. I much prefer that option.

Coconut Curry Shrimp Cakes with Papaya-Lime Sauce

Shrimp cakes:
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons light coconut milk
2 teaspoons minced seeded serrano chile
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray

Sauce:
1 cup diced peeled papaya
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar

Remaining ingredients:
4 cups gourmet salad greens
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

To prepare shrimp cakes, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add curry powder; cook 30 seconds or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly. Combine curry powder and next 13 ingredients (curry powder through garlic), stirring well. Cover and chill 1 hour. Divide shrimp mixture into 8 equal portions; shape each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp cakes to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pan from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes.
To prepare sauce, combine papaya and next 3 ingredients (papaya through sugar) in a food processor; process until smooth.
Place 1 cup greens on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 shrimp cakes; spoon about 1/4 cup sauce over each serving, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 256(20% from fat); FAT 5.7g (sat 1.9g,mono 1.1g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 22.9g; CHOLESTEROL 182mg; CALCIUM 101mg; SODIUM 402mg; FIBER 3g; IRON 3.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.5g
Chef Terry Conlan Cooking Light, MAY 2004

Buttermilk-Banana Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup

Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (1-ounce) package uncooked instant farina (such as Cream of Wheat)
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup mashed banana (about 1 large)

Syrup:
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

To prepare pancakes, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 6 ingredients (through farina) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Fold in banana.
Spoon 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto a hot nonstick griddle. Turn when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.
To prepare syrup, combine 1/2 cup juice and syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Combine 2 tablespoons juice and cornstarch in a bowl; add to pan. Cook 1 minute or until thickened; remove from heat. Serve with pancakes.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 pancakes and about 2 tablespoons syrup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 315(11% from fat); FAT 4g (sat 1g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 5.7g; CHOLESTEROL 37mg; CALCIUM 128mg; SODIUM 312mg; FIBER 1.4g; IRON 3.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 66.6g
Sarah Lacamoire
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005