Asian Kebabs, Toasted Coconut Rice and Mango Cucumber Salad

An amazing family in my ward is getting ready to welcome a new arrival to their clan on Monday, so I was excited to roll up my sleeves and spend a little time in the kitchen making dinner for them! It was a treat for our family too since I tried out a few new dishes which my hubby agreed will now grace our favorites list! The sauce for the kebabs is the kicker here! It is soooo good! I made the kebabs yesterday with pork and today with chicken (they were that good and I made enough sauce to accommodate both meals). Try these kebabs! You will NOT regret it!
Asian Pork Kebabs
Recipe by: Robin Miller

Apricot Mayo
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Apricot Preserves
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Ginger

1. Whisk all of the apricot mayo ingredients together and set aside 1/3 cup of mayo to baste skewers with.

Kebabs
1 1/4 lb Pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch cubes (or chicken)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2 inch pieces
Metal or Wooden Skewers
Salt
Pepper

1. Alternate pork pieces and red pepper pieces on the skewers. Season with salt and pepper and then brush with reserved apricot mayo mixture. Place the skewers on a hot grill pan or in a 350 degree oven. Turn repeatedly cooking for 7-10 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with the reserved apricot mayonnaise mixture.

Toasted Coconut Rice (2 ways)
I am a major fan of basmati and jasmine rice so I made regular (not instant) rice for my coconut rice, but Robin's recipe calls for instant rice . . . so use whatever you have on hand.

Robin's Recipe:
1/4 cup Shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup Instant Rice
1 14 oz can unsweetened light coconut milk

Toast the coconut in a dry medium pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Add the rice and coconut milk. Increase the heat to medium high, bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer fro 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Em's Coconut Rice:
1 1/3 cup Jasmine Rice (Or regular white rice)
1 can Regular coconut Milk (or lite)
1/2 cup Sweetened Coconut
pinch of salt

1. Pour the coconut milk into a measuring pitcher, add enough water to the pitcher to total 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Set aside.
2.Toast the coconut in a medium pan over medium heat until lightly browned, set aside 2 tbsp of the toasted coconut.
3. Add the coconut milk/water mixture, rice and pinch of salt to the toasted coconut in the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low-medium low, simmering mixture for 20-25 minutes, until rice is cooked and tender. Remove from heat, garnish with reserved toasted coconut and enjoy!

(You may need more water depending on what type of coconut milk you use, lite milk is more watery whereas regular may need more water.)

I am obsessed with mango's lately! They are just so good and are great to add to so many things . . . hence they have made another appearance at my table! This salad is very refreshing and is a nice and light addition to any meal! I love it!
Cucumber Mango Salad
Recipe by: Emily

1 Mango, peeled and diced
1 Cucumber, stripe peeled, slice in half length wise and then thinly sliced
1/2 Tbsp Finely sliced red onion
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1-2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Chopped Parsley
1/3 tsp Chives
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, parsley, salt, pepper, and chives. Pour dressing over the diced mango, red onion, and sliced cucumbers, mix well and serve chilled. Enjoy!