Shannon Miller is a Jacksonville resident and the most decorated American gymnast in history. (Yes, she appeared on the Wheaties box.) She has used the fame she gained through the Olympics to encourage others to make healthy lifestyle choices. In 2007 she launched the Shannon Miller Foundation to Fight Childhood Obesity. Many of her accomplishments and information about the causes she supports can be found at http://www.shannonmiller.com/.
Registration is now under way for the Shannon Miller Kids Marathon, which ends on May 30th. This wonderful event will encourage children to adopt a routine that includes running and will conclude with an exciting celebration at the Jacksonville Landing. Please visit her site for all of the information on the run.
Not only does Shannon encourage kids to run, but she is a runner herself and will be running with Julie Hadden and me as we participate in the Gate River Run on March 15th. So yes, I’ll be running with the Biggest Loser and the Biggest Winner and I’m just hoping that I will finish the race. Technically they are probably both significantly faster than I am, but since I’m quite a bit taller I can almost keep up!
I asked Shannon to share a couple of her favorite recipes when she joined me for this weeks show so she sent the following from her collection. She is not an advocate of “dieting” but strongly encourages us to eat “everything in moderation” and be aware of portion size.
Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/2 pound large shrimp – peeled and deveined
- 1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Place pasta in a colander, and give it a quick rinse with cold water.
Heat remaining olive oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic burn. Add shrimp, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from the skillet, and set aside.
Stir tomatoes, wine, parsley, and basil into the skillet. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, 8 to 12 minutes. Add shrimp, and continue cooking until the shrimp are heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Coffee Cake
Ingredients for cake:
- 2 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar for garnish
- Coffee beans for garnish
Ingredients for swirl:
- 1 TBSP warm water
- 2 TBSP melted butter
- 1 tsp instant coffee crystals
- 3 tsp sugar
Ingredients for crumble:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1/2 TBSP instant coffee crystals
Prepare cake:
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, and continue beating for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of flour mixture and 1 egg. Repeat twice until batter is thoroughly mixed. Add remaining flour, then sour cream and vanilla. Lightly dust greased bunt pan with flour. Pour batter into pan. Smooth with rubber spatula.
For the swirl, combine water, butter, coffee and sugar. Swirl mixture into batter with knife. Be careful not to over-swirl.
For the crumble, mix together brown sugar, butter and coffee. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over top of batter (which will actually become the bottom of the cake). While baking, crumbs will move through batter to bottom of pan. Don’t place crumbs near edges of pan, or they will burn.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes. You may want to check after 35 minutes, as oven temperatures vary slightly. Cake is done when edges have pulled away from sides of pan. Let cool. Remove cake from pan and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Garnish with fresh coffee beans. If cake is still warm, it will release the fragrance of the beans.
