I’ve been working hard to build a stash of extra breastmilk in our freezer for Nolan. I don’t produce much more than he eats on a daily basis (especially not this past week, while he was having an extreme growth spurt and eating nearly double his usual amount), but since April I have been able to freeze at least one bag of milk most days. It’s an accomplishment I am extremely proud of, but it is also quickly starting to overwhelm our little refrigerator freezer. Every time I open the freezer door, there is a landslide of frozen meat and veggies.

Until I can talk Jeremy into getting us a little chest freezer, my goal is to use up—or chuck, since while stashing bags of milk at the back of the shelves, I excavated a few unidentifiable freezer-burned items that have been there time out of mind—the food I’ve got in my freezer. (Probably just to replace it with more, what can I say? I particularly find the resealable bags of frozen veggies handy: broccoli, green beans, peas, corn, spinach and peppers.)

I started out with this Cuban-inspired dish, which uses frozen shrimp and peppers. I like to keep frozen shrimp on hand because they thaw quickly for last-minute dinners, and you avoid all that tedious deveining. I actually had this meal in mind some time ago, but didn’t think I had any coconut milk… turns out it was just buried in the back of the pantry. Because the shrimp only requires a small amount of milk, I used the rest in a really easy recipe for coconut rice I’ve made before, and it complimented the spicy shrimp and peppers nicely.

Enchilado de Camerones

1 T olive oil
1 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped red bell pepper (I used a frozen blend of peppers)
1/2 C chopped green bell pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 C light coconut milk
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add bell peppers, crushed red pepper, salt, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Stir in shrimp, and cook 4 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp mixture from heat, and stir in coconut milk. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired. Serve with coconut rice.

Source: Cooking Light

Coconut Rice

2 C uncooked basmati rice
1 1/2 C light coconut milk
1 1/2 C water
1/4 tsp salt
1 C chopped green onions (optional)

Rinse rice with cold water; drain. Combine rice, coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; stir once. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes; stir in onions.

Source: Cooking Light