Oct 21, 2014

Baked Curry Chicken


Ingredients
  • 2 boneless chicken breast, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 chopped green onion, green part only

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Line the bottom of a roasting pan or cookie sheet with foil. Place a roasting or cooling rack on top.

In a large bowl, toss together the wings and oil. Place cubed chicken onto rack in the pan and bake 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, curry powder, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and sugar.

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour mixture and stir to form a roux (similar to a paste). Whisk in the chicken broth and milk, trying to smooth the sauce as much as possible. Bring to a boil, whisking often until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.

Once the chicken is cooked, toss with the curry sauce. If the sauce cooled down and thickened too much, reheat until hot again, adding a little more chicken broth to thin it out if necessary. Top with green onion. Serve immediately.

I served it over Basmati rice and garlic Naan

Oct 16, 2014

Curried Chickpea Salad



Ingredients
  • 1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 green pepper, chopped (or 1 stalk celery)
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons yogurt (or mayo)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. In a medium size mixing bowl combine chickpeas, garlic, curry powder, green pepper, onion, yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

Sep 28, 2014

Apple Butter

Cook Time: 10-12 hours 
Yield 8-10 cups

Ingredients

5-6 lbs of apples, enough to fill your slow cooker.
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Zest and juice from one small orange


Directions
1) in small bowl combine sugar and spices.
2) Core and chop the apples. Do not peel them. The pectin in the skin help thicken the Apple Butter.
3) Lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.
4) Alternate layers of apples and sugar mixture in the slow cooker. Pour the orange juice and zest on top.
5) Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours.
6) Afterwards, puree the apple butter in a food processor or blender in small batches and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months or in the freezer for up to 3 months.



Sep 22, 2014

Homemade Apple Sauce


Makes about 4 cups of apple sauce
Ingredients:
6 medium sized apples
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Peel and dice your apples. In a large pot, bring the apples and water to a boil, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Using a potato masher, mash the apples to break them up. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and boil until the sugar dissolves (about a minute or two). Puree for a smooth consistency. 



Sep 18, 2014

Black Bean Sesame Noodles with Edamame & Chicken


Ingredients:
  • 3-4 ounces Organic Black Bean Spaghetti Noodles from Explore Asian
  • ¼ cup all natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
  • 1 clove crushed garlic
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp. honey
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced thinly
  • 1 cup cooked, organic edamame
  • 1-2 scallions, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro

Optional: sesame seeds + red hot chili flakes

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to instructions.

In a large bowl combine peanut butter, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and honey. Toss warm noodles into the sauce and top with the peppers, edamame, chopped up scallions, and cilantro. Gently toss everything together until well combined and all the noodles are lightly coated in the sauce.

Top with sesame seeds and red hot chili flakes.

Makes 3 servings

Sep 6, 2014

Lemongrass Chicken Coconut Curry



Ingredients
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped (seeded if you want less heat)
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 stalks of lemon grass, cut into large chunks and bruised
  • 3 tsp Thai red curry paste
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and either sliced thin or grated
  • 1 Tb sugar
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
  • 2 stalks green onion, sliced
  • 1 can light coconut milk
  • 2-3 cups of water or stock
  • 1 cup sugar snap peas or broccoli
  • 1 cup carrots
  • 1 Tb sriracha
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 Tb coconut oil
  • Lime wedges, for garnish
  • 1 green onion, sliced for garnish
Directions
  1. Saute onion, jalapeno in coconut oil until onion begins to soften. Then add garlic and lemongrass. Toss around in the oil for another minute or so until garlic begins to caramelize.
  2. Then add spices (curry powder, garam masala and turmeric), fresh ginger and sugar. Toss to coat.
  3. Add cubed chicken and season with salt and pepper. Toss chicken in the other flavors and allow to lightly brown on the outside.
  4. Add your veggies. Mushrooms, peppers, peas and green onion. (Note* I added my broccoli until the very end to avoid over cooking). Toss to coat with everything.
  5. Add your liquid, coconut milk and 2 cups of stock or water. There should be enough liquid to lightly cover everything, so you may need to adjust accordingly. Also add a few dashes of sriracha.
  6. Cover and cook on medium-low until chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes. When done, add lime juice. 
  7. Garnish with green onion and lime wedges.

Aug 29, 2014

Salted Chocolate Espresso Brookies (Brownie Cookies)

Where do I start? These are by far, my very favorite cookie recipe. They contain chocolate, coffee and are salty and sweet. Who doesn't like all of those ingredients!? I have to plan ahead when I make these because they sit for one hour prior to baking, but can still be completed in an afternoon for dessert. 

Ingredients
  • 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
  1. Melt 8 ounces of chocolate, the butter, and espresso powder in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water, stirring until smooth and melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl to combine.
  3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl to combine. Add the melted chocolate mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. Fold in the flour mixture and remaining 2 ounces of chocolate and mix until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the dough onto the baking sheets, spacing the cookies 1-inch apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the tops are dry and cracked. Remove from the oven and top with a pinch of sea salt. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.