Curry Heals the Soul

Recently I found a recipe that involved sweet potatoes in a curry. I love sweet potatoes. The recipe was a turn off at first because it was quite time consuming and tedious. I decided to throw it aside and do it my way!

Basic ingredients you will need:
2 tsp curry
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper and ground red pepper
ginger
dried crushed bay leaf OR fresh if you have it
canned tomatoes, pound or so of fresh chicken breast, onion, garlic chicken broth, 2 small/medium sweet potatoes, frozen peas and a can of chickpeas

In a small bowl mix all of the above spices, including a healthy dash of salt and pepper and a light dash of ground red pepper. Also finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and add to the bowl, and if you have fresh ginger chop a bit of that as well - maybe a teaspoon or a little better - or use about a 1/2 tsp of ground ginger.

Cut the chicken breast into small chunks and place into your favorite soup pot that has heated up with some olive oil in the bottom. Start to brown the chicken. Chop half of a large onion vertically, so it is in long strips, and add to the chicken. Once the onion starts to become tender stir in the bowl of spices. Add in about 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 small can of diced tomatoes (with juice), the 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed, and also the chickpeas (drained). Let it all simmer for a good hour - with the pot either uncovered or only slightly covered. This will help the liquid reduce some and become thicker. Stir occasionally and enjoy the lovely aromas. Just before serving add appx 1 cup of frozen peas and heat them through. If you used a fresh bay leaf - discard - and serve over your favorite rice. I favor jasmine.

Yum!

Drunken Noodles!

I had never eaten Thai food until probably about two years ago. I was driving around with my accomplice and he suggested it. I said, "I don't know about no Thai food, just Ty food, like chicken nuggets!" Needless to say it was an addictive good time. Now my "Ty food" collection has grown to include meats cooked with spicy peanut sauce. He loves it. Might have to test out these noodles on him next!

Besides playing with some peanut sauce now and then I never attempted to actually cook Thai food. It seemed like it would be complicated. Boy was I wrong!

I found a relatively easy looking recipe for Drunken Noodles yesterday, and altered it to make it make sense to me. Delish!

Cook 6-8 oz flat rice noodles according to package directions. It should involve some form of soaking. I couldn't find the wide noodles, and used the skinny kind. The box told me to boil some water - add the noodles - shut the heat off and let them soak for 3 minutes - rinse - set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 4 T. soy sauce, 2T. oyster sauce, and 2 tsp. brown sugar. Set aside for later.

Heat 1 T. canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. This is the part you could add your favorite meat or some tofu and cook, then set aside until the end. I made mine just with veggies and had some chicken with peanut sauce on the side.

Add 4-5 minced garlic cloves and saute for about 15 seconds. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (take it easy - you can always add more!), 1 small head of broccoli chopped into small florets, 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, and a handful of pea pods. (This is the part where you make it yours with favorite veggies. Carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers, etc. - whatever is tasty!) Stir fry the veggies about a minute.

Next you add in that sauce from above, the noodles, a couple good handfuls of bean sprouts, a very good handful of Thai Basil coarsely chopped, and reserved meat or tofu from above if you choose to have it, and stir fry all together for another 1-2 minutes, until veggies are tender crisp.

Thai Basil was new to me, and I was certain I was not going to be able to find it. Low and behold it was there. It is definitely different from traditional basil, although the recipe said you could use traditional basil if you couldn't find the Thai. I'm not convinced of this, but I know where I can find Thai Basil now!

Ragu Begone!

There is something genuinely satisfying about chopping up a bunch of vegetables. It's kind of like chopping up a whole chicken successfully, yet different.

Some time last year I stopped buying spaghetti sauce. Some time Saturday night, between bar stops, my best batch of sauce yet was created. There is still a notch out of my left index finger to prove it.

Super Chunky Pasta Sauce

Heat a splash of olive oil in a deep skillet. Add 5-6 large cloves of garlic as finely chopped as you can manage (without adding fingers to the skillet), 1/2 onion chopped, 1/2 green pepper chopped, 1/2 red pepper chopped, a handful of fresh mushrooms thick sliced (baby bellas!), 1/4 cup fresh oregano finely chopped, 1/4 cup fresh parsely finely chopped and 1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped. If you don't have the fresh versions of the herbs use a few good teaspoons of dried. Salt and pepper it all to taste.

Once you've got your saute on and everything smells great and is tender, dump in a couple of cans (15 oz size) of fire-roasted chopped tomatoes (don't drain) and a small can of tomato paste (the teeny tiny can). You "could" run the tomatoes through a food processor to smooth them out if you wanted, but seriously...why? Let it all simmer together on low heat while you get the rest of the meal together!

Great on gnocchi, ravioli, any pasta, and for my gluten-free friends - just add to some nicely cooked chicken! Actually if I was eating it straight with chicken maybe a splash or two of red pepper flakes would be nice to wake it up a bit?

One Fish. Two Fish. Pink Fish. Bacon Fish.

I've been trying to make fish a larger part of my diet. I don't like most creatures from the water, but I am learning more about fish and have now branched out from canned tuna to whole salmon fillets. It is a big deal!

Recently I could not resist a massive salmon fillet from Westborn Market in Berkley, MI. I can't usually resist their chicken Italian sausages either, but did this time somehow. Perhaps because I had a 3 pound salmon fillet in my cart.

The preparation is extremely simple. I cut the fillet into 3 manageable pieces because I was going to grill it. Rub both sides with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and fresh black pepper. In a small bowl, coarsley cut up fresh dill - LOTS of fresh dill, and slice some lemons - probably about 2 lemons.

Place the fillet skin side up for a few minutes to get a little color on it - then flip so the skin is down. The skin will grill up really crispy for those that eat it. I don't, but it did look tasty! After the flip, top with lots of dill and lay down some lemon slices. The fish won't take long to cook - depending on the heat of your grill maybe about 10 minutes. Run a spatula under the fish occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking, but you shouldn't have any trouble! Serve with extra lemon wedges. Super fresh and tasty fish!

Next up - bacon fish! This is as simple as the first. I'm not a big fan of bacon, but this was tasty. Season your favorite fillets of fish - small-ish sized - with salt and pepper. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on them. Add some red pepper flakes and cumin for some kick if you like! Wrap the fillets with one or two pieces of bacon and place in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until done. Enjoy!

My apologies for the lack of photographic evidence of food goodness, however, sometimes its just too damn good to take the time to grab the camera.

Mini Pizzas, Margaritas, and Mud Pie Cake

A recent Friday night we had a "party". Mini me picks out a menu and we go for it. This menu was mini pizzas and mud pie cake. I added the margarita part, because...well...it was Friday night.

Mini pizzas are nothing more than the crust recipe a few entries back. We divided the dough into 6 pizzas, did our best to shape them into circles, added tomato sauce, herbs, and our favorite toppings. They're nice because everybody can make their own just how they want it!

Mud Pie Cake was a first for us, but we loved it for so many reasons. It is difficult sometimes to bake for just a few people, and this cake was just the right size. It also uses ingredients you are certain to have on hand. The final result is so light and wonderful you will find yourself wanting to eat the entire cake!

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar ,1 T unsweetened cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and a dash of salt. Add in 1/4 cup milk (fat free is okay!), 1 T. canola oil, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. (I would have also liked to add some pecans at this point, but this was Ty's cake!)

At this point you are thinking to yourself that you screwed up the recipe because there is not very much batter. It's cool. You're doing fine! Spread this batter as best you can in a greased 9" pie plate.

In a small bowl mix 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, and 2/3 cup boiling water. This is the mud part. It looks like dirty water! Slowly pour this over the batter.

You're still certain you've screwed something up, or this can't possibly work. Trust me, I felt the same way! Just put it in the oven, set your timer for 20 minutes, and walk away. It will be perfect! Eat it while it is still warm - best with berries and ice cream.

Once you cut into it all that liquid you had poured on top of the batter has baked into the middle and thickened up into "mud". It's quite fantastic!

Now for the margaritas. If your margaritas involve a bucket of slush from the grocery store, you're doing it ALL wrong. They are so easy to make and so very good.

The key here is 1/2 cup. 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup lime juice (Rose's), 1/2 cup triple sec, 1/2 cup Jose, and 1/4 cup sugar diluted in 1/4 cup water (which should make 1/2 cup sugar water). Add ice to fill the blender and voila!

Grown Up Pizza

Finally a pizza crust recipe I love, that turns out every single time...

Ingredients
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/4 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour, oil, and salt to yeast mixture; stir until blended. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide dough in half. Flatten onto pan (I love using stonewear, and you can roll it right on the stone) Top and bake at 450 until its done (probably about 15 minutes)

*Substituting white whole wheat flour cup for cup works good and adds an extra nutritional kick to the dough without the kiddos even realizing it!

Below, one of my proudest moments. The pizza in the front used a basil pesto for the sauce, then was topped with artichokes, kalmatta olives, thinly sliced tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. The crust was rolled super thin and baked until it was very crispy, and quite possibly was one of the best things I've ever made! Other pizza shown is red pepper and fresh mushrooms, also very tasty.

K.I.S.S. Chicken

Keep it Simple Stupid!

I've developed an obsession with stuffing chicken breasts lately. I never did it before because it always seemed so complicated, but its actually not!

My latest Cooking Light had a recipe using a garlic and herb spreadable cheese by the name Boursin. I actually found Boursin at Kroger, and a small container was $7.99! I took the kind next to it (totally forgetting the name right now) which still cost at least $5 and it may have been more. I wasn't sure what this spread would be like, so I didn't go with my instinct to substitute a cream cheese spread, but will next time. I actually think a flavored cream cheese spread will add more to the dish. At any rate, it was good!

Toast 1/4 cup slivered almonds in a skillet until they start to brown. Cool slightly and chop coarsely. Mix 1/3 cup of the garlic and herb cheese spread, all but a spoonful of the almonds, and a handful of fresh parsely chopped up finely. Stuff into 4 chicken breasts which you have slit open. Heat butter (I used canola oil) in a large non-stick skillet and cook about 6 minutes on each side until nicely browned and cooked through. Let chicken rest for a few minutes and garnish with the reserved spoonful of almonds and some more parsely.

Next time, in addition to using a cream cheese spead, I would like to use a different herb. Maybe chives or rosemary.

Pork: The Other White Meat

Finally back to cooking! Friday night involved me caving in on a Subway promise that's been lingering for about two weeks. Last night was grocery shopping, and the subsequent frozen pizza when you get home. But the weekend involved this:



Paprika Pork

Saute 3 cups of chopped bell peppers of various colors in a pan coated with cooking spray for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Coat pan again with cooking spray and add in approximately 1 pound of pork loin chopped in 1 inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brown pork on all sides - about 4 minutes. Stir in 4 teaspoons of paprika and cook 1 minute longer. Add 1 1/2 cups of a red wine pasta sauce, 1 cup of water, and the peppersinto the pan. Bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over egg noodles.

Very tasty and just a little spicey with the paprika. Very easy as well. I think frozen bell peppers pre-chopped would work just as well too and save some time (and possibly money), and chicken would also be good in this dish.

Thanks to http://www.cookinglight.com/ for the recipe idea.