Green Curry

One of the many varieties of food I live is Thai food. And Savannah happens to be home of the best Thai restaurants I have had the pleasure of eating at. Chiriyas is pretty amazing, I can't get enough of their green curry. Their pineapple curry is also a favorite. My entire family loves to eat there, kids too. we get them two plates of special noodles and everyone is happy. 

So now that we have the love covered, I can't get in there as often as I want to eat green curry and I like to try and make stuff at home myself. It's like a personal challenge if I go somewhere and like the food enough to want to eat it again. That means I need to figure out how to make it myself too.

So that brings us to this recipe. I am not going to claim it's quite as good, but it's pretty close.

Green Curry

3 - 4 large chicken breast, cut into cubes or strips

2 Tbsp. Oil

2 c. chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

2 Tbsp green curry paste

1 c. julienne carrots

1 sliced bell pepper

2 c. pea pods or broccoli

Saute the chicken in oil over high heat to sear the meat but not cook all the way through. Add the broth, coconut milk, green curry paste, carrots, bell pepper, and pea pods. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Optional - sliced jalapeno, stir in about half way through cooking the veggies

When the chicken and veggies are cooked, stir in  

1 bunch basil, chiffonade*

(before it's sliced it would say it could be stuffed into 1/4 cup measuring cup)

1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped*

1 - 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with water

4 green onions, sliced

1 Tbsp lime juice

Simmer, stirring until slightly thickened. Serve over rice or quinoa

* I usually like to use fresh herbs in a dish like this but I got these in the freezer section of Wal-mart to try. I had some fresh cilantro so I only used the basil this time. It was ok, better than dried but still not as good a fresh. But worth keeping around for a few dishes. 

 

Corn and Orzo salad

8 oz. orzo (or 2 c. cooked quinoa)

2 large onions, chopped

2 lb frozen corn kernels 

1/2 stick butter

1 Tbsp. Turbinado sugar (or white sugar)

Salt to taste

4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cubed

4 chipotles in adobo, chopped

4.5 oz real bacon, bacon bits

Fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Cook the bacon bits in a large non-stick skillet until they are crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the pan you cooked the bacon in, without cleaning it out, melt the butter and add the onions. Saute over medium heat until he onions are translucent. Add the corn, sugar, and salt and continue to cook on medium until the corn is thawed. Turn the heat to medium high and cook only stirring every few minutes or when the corn and onions on the bottom of the pan start to brown. Cook until the corn and onions are caramelized

Meanwhile cook the orzo in salted water until al dent. Drain and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.

Toss together the caramelized corn, cooked orzo, and cream cheese. Stir to combine. Add the bacon bits and the chipotle. Top with the fresh parsley for color if using and serve.

Skillet Quinoa Hoppin Johns

1 lb  kielbasa, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

3 c. chicken broth

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 c. uncooked quinoa

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. oregano

Saute the onion and kielbasa together until the onion is almost tender. 

Add the bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on medium until the quinoa is cooked and the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. 

Chimichurri Quinoa Bowl

 

1 large bunch cilantro, leaves picked from the stems

1 sprig fresh oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c. olive oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

4 cloves garlic

2 shallots

1/4 c. pickled jalapeno slices

black pepper

6 oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped

 2 chicken breasts

3 c. cooked quinoa, hot

Pre-heat the oven to 400. 

Combine 2 Tbsp. olive oil, vinegar, salt, garlic cloves, shallots, jalapeno slices, and black pepper in a blender. Pulse until mostly smooth and vegetables are chopped. Add the cilantro and oregano and blend until well chopped but not smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.

Trim the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Top each of the four chicken pieces with and eighth of the cilantro mix. Bake at 400 until the chicken is cook through and bits of the cilantro start to brown.

Remove from oven and slice.

Meanwhile, add remaining olive oil to the remaining chimichurri sauce. Add the sauce to a large frying pan along with the spinach. Cook the spinach over medium heat until dark brown, stirring constantly. 

Layer in bowls 3/4 c. cooked quinoa, a quarter of the spinach, and 1 piece of chicken.

Enjoy!

Tandoori Chicken

This is great served with riata, a yogurt cucumber sauce similar to tzatziki sauce, and actually what I use.  This is fun to serve as an appetizer, after the chicken is cooked, just cut it into thin 1 inch squares and top with a dollop of sauce, stick a toothpick in the middle and serve on a tray.

4 large chicken breasts

Lemon Juice, About 2 Tablespoons

1 c. plain yogurt (all I had around was sour cream so I used that)

Red food Dye (optional)

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground ginger (fresh would be better, I didn't have any)

2 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. paprika (make sure it's a nice vibrant red color)

1 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Pinch Cayenne (I like about 1/4 tsp. to make it spicy)

Pinch Cloves

I removed the fat from the chicken breasts so that only meat was remaining. Then I just the chicken in half lenght-wise and then in half again through the middle.

Rub the chicken with lemon juice. Mix the spices and rub the meat with the mix. Combine the yogurt (or sour cream) with red food dye until it is bright pink. Add to the meat and spices and make sure each piece of chicken is completely coated.

Marinate for 2 - 12 hours.

Turn oven on to broil and move a rack to the highest spot in the oven. Place the chicken on a wire rack or a roasting pan.  Broil from 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

I served mine over a qunioa pilaf but rice or couscous would also be good.

Moroccan Chicken

(My picture didn't capture how orange it turns out)

So I took Johns favorite meal and tweaked it.
The original involves garbanzo beans, lentils, and brown rice.
I tried it this time with chicken and couscous.
This does two things.
Just generally changes things up a bit AND incorporates pasta, so I can send it to Presto Pasta Nights
(This week is Tandy, at Lavender and Lime)

You could also thicken the liquid with cornstarch and serve over couscous, quinoa, or brown rice.

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. vegetable broth

1 c. chicken broth

1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp or 1/2 of 1 cube of chicken bouillon, crushed fine

1/2 tsp. each sweet paprika, turmeric, ground ginger, ground coriander

1/4 tsp. each ground nutmeg, black pepper, granulated garlic

1/8 tsp. cinnamon (scant)

pinch cloves

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

10 oz couscous

Greek Yogurt (optional)

Combine the paprika, turmeric, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, black pepper, granulated garlic, cinnamon and cloves. Trim the fat from the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Sprinkle the chicken lightly with the seasonings and a little salt, leaving about half of the mixed seasonings.

Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the seasoned chicken and cook on both sides until browned. Add the onion, celery, and fresh garlic. Saute until translucent.

Add broths, tomatoes, lemon juice, and seasonings. Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes on low to combine the flavors. Stir in the cilantro and then couscous and stir really quick to make sure the couscous is in the liquid. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

(I love the colors of all the spices together, again though the colors are not as vivid as real life)

And John brought me flowers

Mujadara

Orzo is a rice shaped barley pasta that is perfect in this hearty, tasty, and lightly spiced Middle Eastern dish. It makes a great meal in itself alongside a green vegetable or as a side dish in a Middle Eastern dinner. This dish is lightly seasoned so you really get the right flavor without the spices being so overwhelming you cant taste anything else. As one diner at my table said, "it's not what I was expecting, but its still really good"









While it may look like a long time to be cooking, the onions take almost an hour, its not really active time. Once you add the sugar you leave them to cook, just stirring every 10 minutes or if they start to crackle. It also looks like a LOT of onions, and it is, but they cook down quite a bit.

You can make it with other grains too in place of the orzo, such as barley, quinoa, or brown rice, you just have to adjust the cooking time. In the past when i have used brown rice I just boil the pot of water and then cooked the rice for 20 minutes before adding the lentils to the same pot.

I'm linking up again to Presto Pasta Night being hosted over at Girlichef this week. Check out the round ups, always something (usually most everything) looks delicious





6 - 8 large onions, sliced
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 1/4 c. brown Lentils
1 1/2 c. Orzo

1/4 bundle Fresh Parsley, chopped

Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, and cook over low heat until translucent. Add the sugar and continue to cook over low heat until caramelized, about 45 - 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils in 3 cup water until soft enough to eat, immediately drain. Return to pan and add 4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer until tender. Drain and add seasonings and then toss with onions.

Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top and serve.

Very Tasty Vegetarian Entree

I just made this again tonight for a ward pot-luck tomorrow. I used half quinoa and half brown rice, both of which I cooked in Edward and Sons vegan chicken flavored bouillon. Regular chicken bouillon would be fine, I just was trying to get rid of the other so I didn't have it in my cabinet taking up space.

And a special disclaimer for anyone who might be curious.
No, I am not a vegetarian, I just like beans.

4 Tbsp. butter
2 large onions, cut in half from the root and sliced
large pinch sugar
1 can corn
1 large carrot, grated
1 can black beans
1 can jalapenos
1 bunch green onions, sliced
3 c. cook quinoa
Mortons Nature Seasons o taste

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender. Then add the sugar to the pan and let the onions brown a bit further. Heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are caramelized. Add the corn and let that caramelize a bit too. Then add the carrot, jalapenos, black beans. Heat through. Add the quinoa and sliced green onions and toss to coat. Taste and sprinkle with nature seasons to taste.

It's also great the next day as soup. Just boil some broth, chicken, vegetable or beef all work great for this, and add the quinoa black bean mix. Simmer until hot.

Quinoa

Quinoa is such an awesome little seed that is usually confused with a grain (and it's Kosher). It works sweet or savory and I have my Mom to thank for introducing me to it.

And I have the WHO to thank for giving me this quote

"Quinoa has excellent reserves of protein, and unlike other grains, is not missing the amino acid lysine, so the protein is more complete (a trait it shares with other "non-true" grains such as buckwheat and amaranth)"

(I never ever bother to rinse mine first)

It's works great as a breakfast cereal both in the morning and as a late night snack. Just add a pinch (read large handful) of brown sugar and milk (or heavy cream, whichever you prefer). Even 101cookbooks and Martha Stewart agree with me.


It's also tasty savory. I use it in place of rice for stir fry or in soup, throw some cooked cooled into bread. I also mix it, cooked, into ground hamburger to stretch it further, just mix it into the meat and then cook it like normal until no longer pink. But my very favorite thing to do with it is pilaf

I make this when I have leftover cooked grains on hand. The reason for using the grains cold is then they absorb the broth better thus becoming more tasty. I like to eat it with a salad or green vegetable and fruit on the side for dinner and then the next day rolled in tortillas with chopped tomatoes and maybe a little bit of cheese. This is also really good if you add several handfuls of chopped spinach in right after you saute the vegetables. Garbanzo beans can be used in place of the white beans. Or if you aren't a fan of beans and lentils skip them all together and serve along side grilled chicken

Mixed Grain Pilaf

1/2 medium onion, chopped really fine
1 stalk celery, chopped really fine
1 carrot, grated really fine
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 c. broth, chicken or vegetable
1 tsp. rosemary
1 c. cooked rice, cold
1 c. cooked quinoa, cold
1/2 c. cooked barley, cold
1-2 c. cooked lentils, cold
1/2-1 c. cooked white beans

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and rosemary and saute until onion and celery are tender. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until broth is absorbed and everything is heated through.

My other quinoa recipes can be found on my other blog

These web sites give awesome information on the nutritional value and history of quinoa

http://www.quinoa.net/106.html

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2

http://www.wholehealthmd.com