Red Peanut Curry

Who doesn't just love pinterest?

You can find all kinds of pins that you love, either because they are great ideas or because they are so bad you get a great laugh out of them.

Well I tried this Chicken Curry from Better Homes and Gardens, with my changes of course. 

I also want to add that I think a tablespoon or two of fish sauce would probably be great in the sauce but I haven't tried it so if it's gross don't blame me. I also just the chicken into small strips so that they would cook faster. This means that the carrots and the bell peppers didn't cook as much. This means the bell peppers didn't turn to mush and the carrots were still crisp tender, which is how we like them.

This would also be really good with beef, just make sure it is thinly sliced so that is cooks in 2 hours.

 

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

3 large carrots, sliced

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. water

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled

4 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp red curry paste

1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded for less heat, not for more (optional)

1 can coconut milk ( I used the entire can, not just 1/2 c)

2 c. green vegetables 

(frozen green beans, peas, sliced zucchini, or all the above)

3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Place all the sauce ingredients (water to jalapeno) in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Cut the chicken in half lenght-wise and cut into 1 inch strips. Place the onion carrot and pepper in the bottom of the crock pot. Put the chicken and flour in a large resealable bag and toss to coat. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables and pour the blended sauce on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. You can cook on low for longer but the carrots will be a lot more tender. After 2 hours add the coconut milk and green vegetables and cook an additional 30 minutes. If you cooked it on low turn the pot to high for the last 30 minutes.

Remove the pot from the base and stir in the fresh herbs. Serve over rice.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

 This was taken from Baby Center. Next time I think I am going to broil the chicken right after I add the sauce for a minute to get the sauce really sticky. All the ingredients in this freeze, just throw everything in a bag with the raw chicken and freeze. I haven't done it though so I have no idea on cooking time if you don't thaw it first.

2 lb. chicken breasts

Salt & Pepper

1 c. honey

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Hot cooked brown or white rice

Combine the honey, soy cause, onion, ketchup, both oils, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour a little into the bottom of your crock pot. 

Trim the chicken of anything you don't want to eat later. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in the crock pot and top with remaining honey sauce. Stir once to coat the chicken in the sauce. 

Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours until the chicken is cooked. Combine cornstarch and enough water to make a thin paste. Remove the chicken from the crock pot leaving the crock pot on. Immediately stir the cornstarch into the crock pot and return the lid. Cook on high for an additional 10 minutes. While the sauce it thickening chop the chicken into bit sized pieces. Make sure the sauce is thoroughly thickened before combining or it will taste chalky.

Toss the chicken with the thickened sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded Or Leftover

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 c. bean sprouts

1 carrot, sliced with peeler so they're really thin

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Crispy chow mein noodles 

Kraft Light Asian Sesame Dressin or your favorite Asian salad dressing

I put the chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning,
let them cook for a couple of hours and put them in the fridge until dinner time. 

Toss together the romaine and bean sprouts. Top with the carrots.

Layer the cucumbers and mandarin oranges in a ring on the top. 

Shred the chicken and place in the middle, pour the noodles in a ring around the chicken.

Serve with the salad dressing.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

So I made this in two parts. First on the stove and then in the crock pot because I didn't have time to let the rice cook in the crock pot. I couldn't leave it simmering on the stove while I was at church either but I wanted it done when it was time to eat. Feel free to add as much shredded turkey as you wish, or leave it out in favor of cooked lentils or white beans.

If you threw the veggies in the pot to cook with the wild rice you wouldn't have to saute them later, I just didn't think of it until after the rice was already in the crock pot.

1 1/4 c. wild rice

6 c. chicken broth

oil

1 onion

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 large carrot, diced small

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 - 3/4 c. milk, half-an-half, or cream or any combination of them

2+ c. cooked shredded turkey (or chicken, lentils, or white beans)

Simmer the wild rice and the chicken broth until the rice is just cooked enough to eat. 

Add to the crock pot and stir in the mushroom soup, dairy, and cooked turkey. In the pot you cooked the rice in heat the oil. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots until cooked, but not tender. Add to the crock pot. Cook on high for 1 - 2 hours. Taste and adjust salt or pepper (I used Mortons nature seasons)

Crock Pot Pepper Steak

 I like this recipe a lot for the simple fact that like any good crock pot recipe, you  toss it all in the pot and leave it till it's done. And when it is done, you have a tasty home cooked dinner. 

(This is where the picture would go if I had one, sorry)

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1 Beef Roast, any cut, 3 - 4 lb.

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 beef bouillon cube, crushed

1 c. rice

Combine all the ingredients, except rice, in a crock pot. Cook on high until beef is done, 

usually between 4 1/2 - 6 hours. 

The bottom of the crock pot should have about an inch of liquid in it, if not, add water. 

Add the rice and re-cover crock pot.  Cook an additional 30 minutes. 

Stir to combine the veggies and rice and serve with the beef. 

I usually shred the beef before I add the rice.

HH6 And Taco Soup

So this soup isn't really my recipe at all. I mean I make it all the time, but I didn't come up with it.

But when I got this months HH6 Cooking Club challenge and was thinking about it, this came to mind. The challenge itself I wasn't worried about sticking too, I usually keep a large pantry pretty well stocked, along with a large deep freeze full of meat and other frozen stuff, and a 2 year supply of all the basics, wheat, rice, sugar and such, plus Husband Man had just gotten back from Sams club. I was set. 

But then the next night I found myself needing to make something for dinner. And while I had all the essential, I didn't really feel like making a huge dinner. So I grabbed several things from the pantry and dinner was ready in a flash, using mostly pantry staples.Which really embodies the idea of the challenge. Which is

We all need to be prepared in the event of a disaster.  You have stuff in your pantry and fridge/freezer.  If a disaster should strike today and you have no access to going to a grocery store but your stove/grill is still working, what would you make with what you have on hand?

 

1 lb. ground turkey or hamburger
1 packet taco seasoning (About 2 Tbsp)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney or black beans
1 can chicken broth
1 c. Ketchup

Brown meat.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer one hour or longer. Can be dumped in a crock pot for the afternoon.

This can also be made without the meat all together, just skip it and add an extra can of beans.

The next day I drained the soup and cooked rice in the liquid. Then I added it back to the mix, added some cheese, and used it as a filling for enchiladas. Just fill tortillas with the mix, roll and place in a casserole dish, top with enchilada sauce and bake until heated through. 

Juicy Herb Pot Roast

1 beef roast

oil

1 tsp. Granulated Garlic

1 onion, chopped (dehydrated work great)

1 Tbsp oregano

2 tsp. paprika

2 beef bouillon cubes, crushed

1 cup water

Heat oil in a large skillet. Sear the beef on both sides and place in a crock-pot. Sprinkle all the seasonings on top and drizzle slowly with the water. Don't pour it or it will wash the seasonings off the meat. 

Cook on low for 6 hours, until cooked, but not falling apart. Shred with a fork, this should be a little hard to do, don't wait until the meat is falling apart on its own.

Cook, shredded, for 2 hours on low until the meat is very tender and the liquid is coating the mat enough to make it sorta saucy.

Kielbasa & Chicken

As a member of HH6 Cooking Club, our challenge this month was to cook an original crock pot recipe, using 5 ingredients or less.

Surprisingly enough, these few ingredients made plenty to feed our family of 5. 

I cut the pieces up pretty small so they would cook fast, about 1/2 inch each, since I didn't get them in the crock-pot until a few hours before dinner time. The kielbasa lends great flavor to and is primarily what seasons this dish, but it does so without overpowering the other ingredients and being the only thing that you taste. The ingredients are similar to another recipe I posted a while ago, the way it is cooked and the few small changes make it so that they taste quite different.

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 of a kielbasa

3 - 4 c. potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Cut the chicken into small pieces and drop in the crock pot. 

Cut the kielbasa in quarters lengthwise and then at 1/2 inch intervals and drop in the crock pot. 

Chop the potatoes the same size as the chicken and drop in the crock pot. 

Pour in the mushroom soup and stir all together to combine and coat everything. 

Cover and cook on for high 3 hours. 

I served with steamed Brussels sprouts, but anything green goes great. So would fried cabbage.

Southern Brunswick Stew

The first time I ever had Brunswick stew was when I lived in Virginia. The scouts there used to sell it. Once we moved from there I pretty much forgot about it. Until I moved to Georgia, about an hour from Brunswick, and despite Virginia making the same claim, they maintain that they are where the stew originated.

It's also a great way to use up the extra squirrel and possum you might have laying around your fridge.

Again, sorry about the cell phone pictures not being all that inviting, it really has a nice reddish orange color and tastes great

3 c. chicken broth
3 c. beef broth
1 c. frozen lima beans
1 c. catchup
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 c. frozen corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke dash tabasco
2 Tbsp dehydrated onions
1 carrot, diced
2 tsp brown sugar
1 potato, diced small
1 bottle beef OR 2 - 3 c. cooked shredded beef
1 c. cooked shredded chicken

Bring the chicken and beef broths to a boil.

Add the lima beans and boil for 10 minutes.

Add the corn, catchup, mustard, vinegar, garlic, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, tabasco, onions, carrot, brown sugar, potato, beef and chicken . Simmer together until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Watch carefully and make sure it doesn't boil dry, if it starts to add more broth.

OR dump everything in a crock-pot and cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 3

German Lentil Soup

I know this looks like a long list of ingredients but you probably already have most of them in your pantry and you just throw the lentils, broth, and seasonings in the pot. While that is cooking I chop the remaining vegetables and throw them in when the lentils are tender. It's that simple, but the results are a very hearty, very thick, very flavorful soup that makes great "pockets" the next day. I'll explain that last part in a minute.

I like to eat with a dollop of sour cream



2 c. dried brown lentils
7 c. vegetable stock
(you can use chicken too, I prefer vegetable though, it doesn't interfere with the flavors of the spices as much. If you use bouillon skip the salt, you wont need it)
1 bay leaf 1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 drops hot pepper sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp. caraway seed (I like lots)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped celery
3 c. potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 can ham, crumbled, or 1 c. leftover ham or chicken chopped fine (optional)

Combine the lentils, chicken stock and the next 11 ingredients. Simmer 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Do not let the soup boil dry, if it starts to add more liquid, either water or more stock. If you just simmer the pot you should be just fine. The only time it went dry on me was when it was at a full boil. When the lentils are soft enough to eat add the carrots, celery, and potatoes and continue to cook until tender. When the vegetables are done stir in crumbled ham. This goes great served with a dark crusty bread.

Or you can throw all the ingredients at once in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 - 6 hours

And now for the pocket part. The next day I like to strain the liquid and use as a filling in stuffed bread. I throw a batch of dough in the bread maker and when its done pull off 2 inch balls of dough. I roll them flat and top with a heaping tablespoon of the lentil mixture. Then wet the sides on half of the dough and pull the other side over the top to create a half circle. Press the sides with a fork to seal and place on a lightly floured bake sheet. I bake them at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the are golden brown and it looks like the bread is done.

Crock-Pot Curry

There are so many ways you can change this recipe. Add other vegetables, squash is pretty good here.

You can also leave out the chicken, just add the flour mix to the potatoes and cook the same. Then when you add the coconut milk the last 30 minutes of cooking add two or three cans of drained beans. I like garbanzo and kidney beans in there.
You can also leave the potatoes out or use less and serve it over rice instead of as a stew

If you want more heat in it use more or hotter peppers, I usually end up using 2 or 3 Serrano in place of the jalapenos

I should also mention that I had some company that is allergic to gluten, so I substituted an equal amount of cornstarch and it worked just fine

6 peeled and chopped potatoes
4 peeled and chopped carrots
1 small granny smith apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders
3 Tbsp. Flour
4 Tbsp. Curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 can coconut milk

Place first sever ingredients in crock-pot in the order written. Combine flour, curry, cumin, and salt. Add the chicken and shake to coat. Place the chicken and flour in crock pot and add 1 c. water. Cook on high 3 - 4 hours or low 6 - 8 hours The last 30 minutes of cooking add coconut milk, if using low switch to high for last 30 minutes.