Chicken Curry and Rice

Yesterday my husband decided to cook again, and who am I to complain?  He even cleaned up afterwards too! I was a lucky girl last night.  He made chicken curry, which is a common well loved thing around here.  We love all kinds of curry around here--Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Thai....its all tasty.  This recipe is easy because the curry spices are already done for us--we use a pre-made curry paste called Golden Curry.  Usually it's the mild heat level because I freely admit I am a wuss when it comes to really spicy stuff.  I love the flavor of spices used in curry, I just can't take the heat.  So here we go--simple recipe, delicious results.

Chicken Curry and Rice

2 whole chicken breasts, preferably boneless skinless, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, sliced thin
3-4 carrots, sliced into coins about 1/4 inch thick
1 pkg Golden Curry paste/block, in the heat level you desire
1/2 pt heavy cream, optional
cooked white rice, for about 4 people.

In a wok or large skillet, cook chicken pieces til cooked through.  Add carrots and onions and cook til onions are tender. Stir constantly in this process--again, this is to keep things from burning because you will be using high heat for this part of the process.  Add your curry paste and the water the pkg calls for, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let all ingredients simmer until the sauce is thickened and the carrots are tender.  If you choose to add the cream, add that at the very end right before serving and just cook until its well combined and warmed.

Serve over rice.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Okay, I have a newfound love.  My name is Carmel, and I love hummus.  I'm addicted, I am telling you.  At least it's a healthy habit, right?  Lots of protein and fiber, and its a low-glycemic food so it doesn't make my blood sugar spike fast.  And oh so delicious.  There are so many ways you can make it with so many different flavor profiles. And it's completely vegetarian, gluten free, and soy free....so it's friendly for most eaters out there, low risk of allergy troubles.  Try this recipe out, I like it, and so did my friends at church.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1-16 oz can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
2 red bell peppers
1 jalapeño, seeds removed and sliced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on your desired heat level
3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste--you can usually find it near the peanut butter in your grocery store)
1/2 c olive oil

Turn your oven on to the broiler.  Cut the tops off the peppers, and then pull out the seeds in the center, and cut them in half.  Place them skin side up on a baking sheet, and broil for 10 to 15 minutes, til the skins are charred on the outside.  Once done roasting them, place them in a bowl with plastic wrap tightly stretched on top.  Let them sit in the bowl and steam for about 15 minutes, this will let them cool, and make the skins come off easily.  Remove the skins, and set the peppers aside til needed. (if you have a gas stove, you can also roast them by just doing this on your range instead of in the broiler.  Just leave them whole, place them over the heat and turn them as each side chars on the outside.  When they are blackened on the outside, steam them just the same as I mentioned before.)

In a food processor, blend garbanzo beans til smooth.  I usually pulse them until they are chopped and then blend them the rest of the way.  Add your bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, onion, cilantro, and spices.  Blend til well combined, and then add your olive oil and tahini, and blend til smooth.

Chill in refrigerator til ready to serve.  Serve with pita chips, veggies, or spread inside a falafel or any other sandwich of your choosing.  Delicious!!

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs have to be my main reason for going to Ikea.  Sometimes I go to look at dining tables and couches, but I generally always make my way to the restaurant on the second floor for a plate of those delicious meatballs and potatoes with extra lingonberry preserves.  I mean really, what could be better?  Maybe some of that yummy three layer chocolate mousse cake, or apple tart.  Yep, heaven.  So I found out this recipe online that's pretty close to what you can get at Ikea.  Not quite as heavenly, but still delicious.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.   I made a 2 and a half sized batch and froze a couple sheet pans of them for later.  :-)

P.S. You can go to Ikea and get a big bag of their frozen meatballs and a jar of lingonberry jam so you can enjoy them at home.  I just grabbed a jar of the lingonberry jam so I could make my own meatballs.  Remember to boil some red potatoes to go along with.

Swedish Meatballs

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 c milk
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
1-10 oz can of beef broth or stock
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 c heavy cream

Saute onion in first tbsp of oil til translucent.  Set aside and let cool.  Combine milk and bread crumbs and let soak for 10 minutes.  Combine both meats, breadcrumb mixture, salt, pepper, allspice, and onions in a large bowl.   Use a tablespoon or one of those spring loaded scoops about the size of a tablespoon to measure into meatballs and fry in second tbsp of oil in a skillet on the stove, turning on to every side of the meatball so they are cooked on all sides and through the center.  While you are frying all of them, you might want to keep the cooked ones warm in the oven.  Make the gravy by creating a roux with the butter and flour (melt the butter in the bottom of a saucepan, then whisk in the flour) and then pour the beef stock into the roux and whisk to combine.  Right before serving, whisk in the heavy cream and heat through.

Serve with Lingonberry Jam, and boiled red potatoes with the gravy on the meatballs and potatoes.  Enjoy!!

Crostini...what's that?

So Hubby and I decided it was time to use up the goat cheese we had leftover from when I made the tomato goat cheese tart awhile back.  It had been in the fridge and I had been trying to figure out what to make with it for awhile and tonight I just decided to go out on a limb and try something new.  I came up with this recipe on my own, and it turned out delicious, so I hope you like it as much as I do.

By the way, crostini is basically just Italian for toast.  But when you get it at restaurants or see it in cookbooks, it generally is toasted bread with some sort of topping or spread on it.  Tonight I made different types of toppings for some tasty crostini.  :)  There are 3 things we had with it, though I only made 2 of them (the other was some spinach artichoke dip we got at Sam's Club that needed to be used up).

Crostini

2 long thin baguettes of crusty French or Italian bread
1 large whole clove garlic
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Slice the bread at an angle into 1/4 inch slices, and then place on baking sheet.  Brush with oil, and bake for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  When done baking, let cool slightly and then rub each slice with the garlic clove.  Set aside.  (You'll want to do this close to serving time so it's still warm when you serve)

Goat Cheese Topping

8 oz goat cheese
2 tbsp basil Pesto, homemade, or store bought
1/2 c pine nuts

In a mixing bowl, combine goat cheese and pesto, and beat with hand mixer on low til combined, then whip til smooth and fluffy.  Toast pine nuts over medium heat, watching carefully and tossing occasionally so they don't burn.  Let pine nuts cool, and then stir into goat cheese mixture.  Refrigerate til ready to serve.

Veggie Bruscetta

1 tbsp butter
1 medium zucchini, diced fine
1/2 onion, diced fine
1 eggplant, diced fine
4 oz white mushrooms, chopped fine
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 beefsteak tomato, or 4 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 c water

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add onion and sauté til almost caramelized over medium heat(takes about 10 minutes, once they are cooked through, if you continue to cook and stir consistently, they will turn a light yellow color and begin to caramelize).  Add zucchini and a pinch of salt and continue to cook.  Add garlic, and stir well to combine, and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add half the water, and cover for 5 minutes to let zucchini steam and become tender.  Add eggplant and another pinch of salt, sauté into the mixture, and then add the rest of the water to steam the eggplant.  When all water is evaporated again, add mushrooms, and then finally tomatoes.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes, letting extra liquid evaporate and the flavors to blend together.

To serve:  I spread some of the goat cheese on half of the bread slices, and then left the other slices free to be topped with other things, but we found when we ate it, we liked the goat cheese spread on the toast, and then to spoon on the veggies on top.  Of course, the artichoke dip was good too.  :)

Tabbouleh....

Yeah, I hear you saying it already...what's tabbouleh?  It doesn't sound like something to eat for dinner...but it is!  It's a recipe I got from my grandma (a self taught gourmet cook) and it's very tasty.  It uses wheat bulgar, which is like cracked wheat.  Try it, you'll like it!

Tabbouleh

2 c wheat bulgar
2 c cold water
1 c chopped parsley (I actually used spinach, didn't have any parsley)
1 c finely chopped bell pepper, any color
1 c finely sliced scallions
1/2 c chopped mint leaves
1/2 c feta cheese crumbles (or the block stuff cut into small pieces), optional
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine bulgar and water, and let stand for 1 hour.  Add vegetables and cheese and stir to combine. Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil and salt.  Pour over salad and stir well to combine.   Let stand in refrigerator overnight.  Stir well again before serving.

What's a Falafel?!

Well....I am here to tell you what it is and how wonderful it really is.  We had it for dinner last night, and it was divine!  Okay, okay, I will tell you what it is.... it's a pan fried patty made from chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans) and vegetables and other yummy stuff.  You put it in a pita pocket with hummus and all kinds of fresh veggies and tahini sauce.....oh, heavenly!  I am also including a recipe I have for Spinach Hummus.  So branch out of your meat and potatoes box and try something different!  I am sure you will enjoy it!!

** I borrowed this falafel recipe from my friends Damaris and Steve, and the hummus recipe was given to me by my friend Julia.  Both are delicious**

Falafel

¾ c sliced green onions

½ c sliced celery (forgot to get this, turned out alright anyway...but probably would be better with the celery)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained  (I used all garbanzos, but I can see why the recipe uses pinto now that I have made them.  Both ways turned out great!)

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1 egg

2 T flour

2 t lemon juice

½ t salt

½ t ground cumin

¼ t pepper

Heat small skillet; spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Cook and stir onions, celery and garlic until tender;  remove from heat.  Process beans in food processor until smooth.  Combine bean mixture, egg, flour, juice, salt, cumin and pepper in a large bowl; stir in cooked vegetables.  Form mixture into about 24 patties.  Heat large skillet and pour in a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Cook patties over medium-low heat until lightly browned, about 5 min per side.

Serve in Pitas or flat bread w/ cucumber, tomato, thin sliced onion, sliced red pepper, and/or anything else that sounds good.

Spinach Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 10-oz box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/4 c tahini

2 tbsp garlic (about 6 cloves.....haha I really like garlic, so I go crazy)

3 tbsp lemon juice (about equal to one lemon worth)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

pepper, to taste (I used a dash)

Process in your food processor, starting with beans and garlic and spinach.  Add tahini and oil and lemon juice, then salt and pepper.  Continue to process til smooth and creamy.  Can be made up to 2 days ahead, kept in a tightly covered container in refrigerator. 

**Assembling your falafel:  Cut a pita bread in half, and separate to make pocket.  Spread hummus inside, then add tahini, veggies, and then a falafel patty.  My in-laws enjoyed adding some of the leftover tzatziki sauce I made for the gyros, but thats not really traditional.  I had sliced a red pepper, some tomato, cucumber and some thin sliced red onion.  You can use whatever floats your boat.  Once stuffed to capacity, stuff your face with it!   Haha.  It's tasty, you'll love it!!

Greek Night!!

So I have been wanting to do gyros for awhile, and for some reason, lately I have just wanted stuff from different countries.  So I planned an exotic menu for the week and we shopped for all of the ingredients.  Tonight was Greek Night...we had gyros, greek salad and we're about to have baklava for dessert as soon as it's cool.  I think it was a success, but it was not my husband's favorite.  Though I do think my in-laws enjoyed it.

Traditionally, gyros are made with lamb and beef together,  roasted on a spit and then shaved very thinly.  Lamb is kind of pricey in Utah, so we went with just the flank steak.  It turned out well, even though not quite as authentic.  I include the recipe for the toppings, as well as the greek salad dressing, and the baklava.

Gyros

1 flank steak
steak marinade (I didnt use my recipe this time, I used a bottle of Lawry's steak and chops marinade.  Use whatever you have)
Tzatziki sauce (recipe follows)
tomato and red onion salsa (recipe follows)
lettuce
4 pitas

Directions for gyro below sauce recipes.  (sorry, just works better that way)

Tzatziki sauce

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced very finely
1 c plain greek yogurt (the thicker stuff)
1 tsp dry dill weed
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic (I used a press)
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper

Mix together, refrigerate til needed for gyros.  Can be made ahead.

Tomato and Onion Salsa
1 small tomato (I used a roma, but whatever you have), diced very small
1/4 small red onion, diced finely
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 c balsamic vinegar

Stir together ingredients, place in fridge til needed.


Marinate flank steak overnight in a ziplock bag.  when ready to serve, grill steak, 5 minutes per side over medium high heat.   Let it rest for a few minutes, then slice it thinly.  Warm pitas in microwave or on very low temp in oven.  Assemble gyros by starting with tzatziki sauce in the bottom of center of pita (fold it like a taco, not like a pocket bread), then the meat, then the tomato onion salsa, and then finally the lettuce.  Enjoy!

Greek Salad

1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 small can sliced olives, or 1/2 regular can of sliced olives (usually this is kalamata olives, but the family likes black olives better.  Use what you like.)
1/2 small block feta cheese, cut into thin strips, or crumbled
1/4 small red onion, diced finely
Dressing, recipe follows.

Greek Salad Dressing

1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/8 c white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 small clove garlic, pasted or pressed
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 c canola oil

Mix together either in a salad dressing mixer or in a bowl with a whisk.  Shake or whisk til well blended.  Pour over salad and toss.

Toss all ingredients together.  Pour over dressing, toss.  Enjoy.


Baklava

40 sheets of phyllo dough (1 full pkg) thawed.
3 sticks butter, melted
5 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
honey syrup, recipe follows

Honey Syrup

2 c sugar
2 c water
1 c honey
zest of 1 lemon

Mix together in small saucepan, bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Should be warm when putting on top of baklava.

Directions for baklava assembly

Mix the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Layer 12 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing with butter between each sheet.  Keep the sheets moist by covering with a damp paper towel.  After layering the dough with the butter for 12 sheets, top with 1/3 the walnut mixture, and spread evenly.  Layer again on top another 12 sheets of dough, again, brushing each sheet with butter before adding another sheet.  Then add another layer of walnuts.   Top with 8 more layers of the dough sheets, again buttering each time you lay a sheet down.  Top with last bit of walnut mixture, and then cover with the remaining 8 sheets of dough.  Cover the top layer of dough sheet with the rest of the butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Top with warm syrup, then cool completely, and serve.

Thai Chicken Curry Soup with Coconut Milk

Tonight as I was trying to find ideas for dinner, I was thinking of ways to use leftovers and also appease my husband's request for something spicy because he has a cold.   We had some leftover shredded chicken from something a week ago, and I wanted to do something different with it.   So I thought maybe I would get some coconut milk and make a curried chicken soup with some veggies.  Here is how it went, and it turned out really really good!  You have to be kind of adventurous with this one, but I promise it is worth it for sure!

Thai Curried Chicken Soup

2 c shredded chicken, or some cooked chicken cut into small pieces
6 c chicken broth or stock
2-13 oz cans coconut milk
3 carrots, chopped into medium pieces
2 anaheim peppers, sliced into thin strips, about 1 inch long
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp curry powder
2-3 pinches cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/4 c fish sauce (optional)
lime wedges, avocado slices, sliced scallions, and chili sauce for topping

In a wok or deep skillet, over high heat, cook carrot, onion, pepper and garlic in some olive oil, until onions and peppers are tender.  Set aside.  In a medium stock pot, place chicken, stock, and coconut milk, stir to combine over medium high heat.  When chicken begins to simmer, add veggies into pot, and stir.  Add fish sauce, and then your curry powder and cayenne (add a little cayenne, then taste, and add more if needed, it's pretty potent stuff).  Stir again, and simmer for about half an hour.

Serve with lime juice, avocado, and scallions, and hot sauce if you like.  Jeff used the Sriracha stuff, it's a Thai kind of sauce, and he said it was good, but pretty spicy.  Might want to taste it first to see if you like it.

**Note**  I don't particularly like things super spicy, so I didn't use Thai chili peppers. I thought this way I can add the cayenne slowly and get it to the right heat level without burning my taste buds too badly.  The anaheims are very mild and give the soup a nice flavor and color.  Feel free to use the Thai chilies if you like, and if your family is okay with some serious heat.   Fish sauce is optional, it's just something I see in a lot of Thai recipes and I wanted to try it out.  You can get it in the Asian foods section of your grocery store, near the soy sauce and chili sauce I mentioned.  You can hardly taste it, it just kind of adds a salty flavor rather than a fish flavor.  I recommend trying it, but if you don't want to, don't worry about it.

Chilean Empanadas

Okay, so if you have seen my status recently on Facebook, you know that I have been raving about a place called "Yah Poh!" in our little Logan town.  It's this awesome Chilean restaurant we tried out about a week ago, and we have been there twice (almost 3 times actually) since we tried it.  Jeff and I wanted to try making their fabulous empanadas because they were so dang tasty!  Seeing as how we won't be living in this little town for much longer (thanks to graduation, finally!), we needed to learn how to make it ourselves.  I include a recipe that comes from 3 different ones I found online that seemed to work right.  Check out the notes section at the end though, we have some things we will try differently next time.

Chilean Beef Empanadas

Dough:

4 c flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
3/4 c shortening or lard (12 tbsp)
3/4 c water
2 egg yolks

Combine dry ingredients lightly with fork.  Add shortening and butter, and cut in with pastry blender.  Add egg yolks to water and beat lightly.   Pour egg/water mixture over the dry ingredients.   Knead well til it forms a soft dough.  Roll out dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness.  Use a bowl (I used a cereal bowl) to cut out round pieces of dough, and fill with filling (recipe below).

Filling

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sea salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 c beef stock
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c sliced olives

In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the olive oil.  Add onion and saute with beef.  Once completely cooked, add the spices and the stock.  Simmer til all of the broth/stock is absorbed and evaporated.  Add raisins and olives and stir.  Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stuff rounds of dough with filling, and then pinch together the edges with your fingers, and place on a baking sheet.  Bake stuffed empanadas for 30 minutes, or until golden.  Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, salsa, or whatever you like.

**Note**  This recipe for the dough is made for baking them.  We wanted to fry them like they do at Yah Poh, so we did, but the dough didnt quite work for that.  Next time we will try using a lighter dough, probably a yeast dough.   The filling is really good though and we recommend it for sure.

Fajitas

So my Mom gave me a 5 lb. roast last month because she found a 10 lb. one at the store for really cheap and had the butcher cut it in half.  I had mentioned Jeff loved roast beef, so she just said I could take the other half of what she made for dinner that night.   I took it home and stuck it in the freezer and then made it last week and invited some friends for dinner.  Well, even with 4 mouths eating it, we still had lots of leftovers.  So Jeff and I tried a couple of different ways to "re-use the leftovers."  One was grilled roast beef and cheese sandwiches, and the other was last night, fajitas.  They turned out pretty tasty!

Fajitas

2 lbs boneless beef roast, or steak, cut into thin strips (ours was already cooked, so this is an estimate)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 an onion, sliced into strips
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp taco seasoning
salt, pepper to taste
sour cream
cheddar or jack cheese
tortillas

In a large skillet or wok, toss meat and taco seasoning together til heated through.  Add veggies and continue to toss together til they are heated and still have crunch to them.   If desired, add salt and pepper.   Serve in warmed tortillas with sour cream and cheese, along with your other favorite toppings.  Serves 4 to 6.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

This one comes from my mother in law, and I have to admit, I have not tried them yet.  When I do, I will let you all know how they turned out.  Jeff has decided he likes to cook his own tortillas, rather than get the already finished ones at the store.  So I started getting the uncooked flour tortillas from our local friendly Sam's Club store, and he is hooked.  Maybe we could try this and see about not buying tortillas at all in the future!  Hmm, I wonder if I could make them whole wheat?

Flour Tortillas

4 C Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 ½ tsp Salt

1 C Shortening

1-2 C Hot Water (Start out with 1 C the add small amounts if needed).

Mix it all together kneading it by hand.   Start with 1 c of water, and if not enough, add more til all is combined.  Let sit 15 minutes before rolling it out, then heat over medium heat in skillet.  You don't need oil, but you can use oil if you want them crispy for tacos.  For burritos or wraps, just heat over medium high heat in a skillet until browned and appears like a tortilla--about 1 minute per side.

Cathy's Carne Asada

This comes from my mother in law, and the whole family loves it.  I must admit, my new addiction when we go out for Mexican food is to get the Carne Asada, with rice, black beans and lots of guacamole.  Though I have not made this one myself yet, I look forward to it whenever Cathy makes it for the family, and eventually I will be able to afford flank steak and make it myself!  Thanks for sharing, Cathy!

Carne Asada

1- 1 1/2 lb flank steak
1/2 c cooking oil
1/3 c soy sauce
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice (really good with lime)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients in gallon size Ziplock bag.  Add steak and marinate over night, or at least 2 hours.  Grill on BBQ 5 minutes per side, slice thin.  Serve with your favorite Mexican foods: rice, beans, tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Shredded Beef Tacos

This one is from my husband's side of the family. My family did the cheap way and used hamburger meat for tacos, but occasionally his mom makes these. They're really good, and dont take much effort either. Another Crock Pot favorite--tasty, and easy!

Shredded Beef Tacos

1 beef roast, preferably boneless
1 c salsa (any kind you like)
3 tbsp taco seasoning
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c water

Set Crock Pot to Low setting. Place roast in bottom of Crock Pot, cover with salsa and water, and taco seasoning. Cook in Crock Pot for 8 to 12 hrs (I usually start it overnight the night before and let it stew all night and for the better part of the morning--makes it tender and also helps it absorb all of that good flavor). Remove from Crock Pot and shred beef with two forks. Replace in crock pot, add beans and corn, and heat through.   I also recommend you cut the roast in half or in quarters before cooking, for 2 reasons: 1 because it makes  it easier to shred later, and 2 because when you do shred it, its not in long spaghetti like pieces.

Serve with taco toppings such as cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, rice, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, etc.   Also makes a great addition to taco salad.