thai coconut mussels

Let’s hear it for Chef Michelle!

I just love Thai food and was excited to try out this new recipe from The Skinny-Taste Cookbook by Gina Homolka. This was easy to make, healthy, and everyone went back for seconds so this is another KEEPER! For those of you looking for a new cookbook that features, as Gina puts it, “Light on calories, big on flavor,” recipes, I highly recommend this one. It has quickly turned into one of my favorite, go-to cookbooks.

Hands-on Time: 30 min.
Total Time: Under 1 hour.
Serves 5 (easily)

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon coconut oil
½ finely chopped red bell pepper
3 medium scallions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger*
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk (I went with Gina’s recommendation of using Thai Kitchen brand)
1 to 2 fresh red chiles, finely chopped or ½ to ¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes)**
½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp. kosher salt
3 pound mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded (about 60 medium)***
½ lime
Loaf of crusty bread for soaking up the yummy sauce

michelle’s musings
*Since I didn’t have fresh ginger on hand I used 1 packet of sushi ginger. I usually keep a few packets from sushi takeout in my refrigerator just in case.

** I used ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

***I used 1 bag of Wegman’s Organic Mussels and we had plenty for 6 servings.

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-low heat. Add the bell pepper and scallions and cook, stirring, until soft, 1—2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, chilies or red pepper flakes, ¼ cup of the cilantro and salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

2. Add the mussels, cover, and cook until the mussels open, 5—7 minutes. Squeeze the lime over the mussels and top with the remaining ¼ cup cilantro. Divide the mussels and broth equally among bowls and serve with crusty bread.

ENJOY!

Nutrition Information (courtesy of the Skinny-Taste Cookbook):
1 Serving (12 mussels): 302 calories; 12.5 fat (5.5g saturated); 33g protein; 21g carbohydrates; 1.5g fiber; 54mg cholesterol; 5g sugars; 918mg sodium