Shrimply Delicious: a Guide to Coconut-Curry Bowls

Well, I'll spare you the 'it's been a while', because it has been quite a ride to get to this point. A new home, a new car (irrelevant, but she's a beauty!), a new single mother status, and a new job. And I don't care how simplistic and cheesy it may sound to state 'all I can say is it gets better' because, well, it truly does.

Handling life changes and the stress that comes with these (no matter how positive the changes may be) can be challenging for many. Some people need to hit the gym more often or possess multiple stress balls, and I for myself have always found a true escape in cooking. No matter how difficult your day may have been, there is such a relief and satisfaction in knowing that if you follow simple steps (or simply follow your heart and throw pinches of spices and sea salt around), your meal will make sense. Your entire day won't, but your meal will - and sometimes, it's honestly all you can wish for. I consider myself an incredibly positive person, so I won't pretend that I felt down every single day through this process. I always find things, people and places to be grateful for. But the idea of cooking for loved ones, the excitement that I get creating new recipes? Very hard to beat (OK, anything Ella does or says). And you know what's amazing about doing something you love? When you find a job that reflects that very passion.

This past April, I started working for an amazing company, truLOCAL, which supports local farmers by creating subscription boxes across the country to send higher quality meats straight to Canadians and Americans' doors (I don't care how salesy that sounded, there aren't too many natural ways to describe a business model). If you follow me on Instagram, you most likely saw me tagging them in my cooking story posts multiple times weekly. But if you do not (fair, I post a lot), here is a recipe that I shot and prepared for the company's website, that I am now transferring to my blog. Although I work on the marketing team and manage sales campaigns, I have always very eagerly volunteered to add recipes to the website, which I was given liberty and trust to do (a massive blessing!). This is one of the many photoshoots I enjoyed rocking in my livingroom (because best lighting) on my lunch breaks.

Warning: explosion of flavours ahead.

You will need,

Frozen shrimps (1 bag)

Rice (1 1/2 cup)

Shallots, thinly sliced (2)

Coconut milk (1 can)

Cumin powder (1 tbsp to start)

Curry powder (3 tbsp to start)

Yellow onion, chopped (1)

Butter (2 tbsp)

Olive oil (4 tbsp)

Sea salt

Black pepper

Toppings: scallions, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice

A few simple steps,

1. In a skillet over medium-heat, heat oil and add onion. Toss for 5-7 minutes until tender, while adding salt and pepper for taste.

2. Push the onions to one side of the skillet to melt butter. Add the shrimps, turning them once or twice and then mixed with the rest of the ingredients until cooked.

3. Add curry and cumin powder and stir for 30 seconds. Make sure to coat all ingredients.

4. Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer while stirring. Cook for approximately 5 minutes (if you want the flavours to really blend and come to life, lower the heat and let simmer for a few extra minutes)*.

*Again, typical recipes will instruct you to add the shrimps once the coconut milk is cooked, however I kept it a one-pot affair and the result was great!

5. Serve over rice, sprinkle with garnish you have on hand, chili flakes if desired, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice!