Curry in a Hurry

The recipe I have for you today was disliked by 2/3 of my family.  So why am I sharing it?  Because that 2/3 have no appreciation for fine Indian food!  My husband doesn't like curry anything, so I didn't have the highest hope of him enjoying this, but since the recipe didn't actually call for any curry powder, I thought I'd give it a try, because I love curry dishes!  Plus, it incorporated a spice called garam masala, which I bought some time ago and have been itching to use.  When the dish turned out tasting exactly like other curry dishes I've had before, I did a little research and was embarrassed to realize that curry is not a particular spice derived from one plant, but a common mixture of spices including tumeric, coriander, cumin, and red pepper.  In India, where it is most commonly used, it is typically called......you guessed it - garam masala!  So I felt like a big idiot for not knowing these things, but I was pleasantly surprised by this curry even if the rest of my family was not.  If you like curry, you will definitely enjoy this recipe.  If not, you can feel free to skip it, but I think you're missing out if you don't give it a try!  Bonus!- this dish is meatless and uses beans for the protein, so it's budget and vegetarian friendly.

Bean Curry
link to original recipe
Total time: 20 min.
Serves 5

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala 
3/4 cup half and half  
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, lightly drained
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped 
1 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbs cold water, if desired
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups cooked rice  

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned.

Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds.

Add half and half, stock or broth, black-eyed peas and cauliflower.  Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, till cauliflower is tender. Add dissolved cornstarch to thicken, if desired.  Stir in cilantro. Serve immediately with rice.

 365 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Cilantro Es Muy Yummo

Back when I was in school, I took Spanish from 7th - 10th grade, but about the only things I remember how to say are, "Me gusta comer" and "Donde esta el bano" which mean "I love to eat" and "Where is the bathroom?" respectively.  Well, and "Yo quiero Taco Bell," but I didn't learn that one in Spanish class!  I did eat an awful lot of Taco Bell when I was a teenager, and somewhere along the line I developed a love of real Mexican food, especially cilantro, my very favorite fresh herb.  I buy a bunch of cilantro almost every time I go to the store, so one time I decided to buy the whole plant instead and grow my own.  Unfortunately, the poor little thing was dead before I even got it out of the car (can anyone say black thumb?!) but I recently bought another one and so far, it is still alive!  I'll let you know how that turns out in a few weeks.  Surprisingly, some people possess a gene that causes them to think cilantro tastes soapy, but to most it's just refreshingly tangy with a hint of citrus. I think it's superb in soups, salads, salsa, sandwiches, and lots of other foods that don't start with "s."  Like corn!  Tonight was actually the first time I've ever put cilantro in my corn, but the whole fam agreed it was delish.  Plus it was quick and easy, which we all can appreciate! 

Parmesan Cilantro Corn
link to original recipe
Total time: 10 min
Serves 6

3 Tbs butter
4 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. 

When butter is foamy add the garlic and corn, stirring to coat with the butter. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. 

Add lime juice, cumin, and cayenne pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. 

Stir in cheese and then add heavy cream. Continue to stir so corn won't stick to pan. Add salt and pepper. Cook corn until most of the cream has absorbed, about 5 minutes more. 

Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and serve hot.

115 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Cha-Chang!

Apparently, there is this hugely popular Asian chain restaurant out there called P.F. Chang's that everybody seems to love.  Believe it or not, foodie that I am, I have never been there.  I've just never lived that close to one!  That being said, I have absolutely no authority to discuss their food, but since their reputation precedes them, when I saw a copy cat Chang's recipe, I thought I ought to at least give it a try.  I'm really glad I did because these chicken wraps are perfection - salty with a touch of sweet, soft and chewy with a bit of crunch, simple with a hint of exotic.  With ground chicken instead of beef and lettuce leaves instead of tortillas, it's a little healthier than a taco, but just as much fun to eat.  Even my kiddo liked them (especially since I "forgot" to mention the onions when I blamed the crunch on the water chestnuts!)  These do require a few nontraditional ingredients like chili sauce and sesame oil, but these are great in any Asian recipe, so it won't take long to use them up afterwards.  You can usually buy them in the international foods section of the grocery store.  The original recipe says this only serves 2, but we got four good servings out of it and my hubby can eat!  I served it with a side of teriyaki noodles and vegetables and it was a great success.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
link to original recipe 
Total time: 20 min.
Serves 4

1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 onion, minced
salt & pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1″ knob ginger, peeled & minced
2-1/2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs + 1 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs peanut butter
1/2 Tbs water
1/2 Tbs honey
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
Dash of pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
Large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, then cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add garlic and ginger then continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey, chili garlic sauce and dash of pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine.

Add green onions and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves for wrapping.

357 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Taterrific Trio

The Woodruff thermostat feud has been going on the entire 10 years my husband and I have been married.  I like the house comfortable, Allen likes to avoid using the HVAC at all costs.  He is also obsessed with saving energy and frequently changes out my light bulbs for those horrendous swirly luminaries that put out less light than a candle, but that's a story for another day.  His idea of air-conditioning is an ice pack on the neck.  In the summertime, this means using the oven is practically unbearable.  When I do need to use it to make part of the meal, I wait till Allen is otherwise occupied, crank up the AC, and try to take full advantage of the opportunity.  Fortunately, our huge yard takes at least 2 hours to mow, so summer Saturdays are perfect for making some of my favorite oven-baked meals while Allen is otherwise engaged.

Tonight I wanted to make ribs for dinner, which I think are best slow-baked for hours in the oven, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to try out new potato and asparagus recipes.  The potatoes are the only dish I used a "real" recipe for, so that's what you'll see below, but I thought I'd tell you about the rest of the meal because it all went together so nicely and was such an efficient use of the oven that even Allen was impressed!

About 2 hours before I wanted to eat, I set the oven for 350, rubbed a rack of spareribs with Texas Roadhouse Sirloin Seasoning, wrapped them loosely in foil and put them in to bake.  This gave me plenty of time to prep the potatoes.  After the ribs had baked for 1 1/2 hours, I turned up the temperature to 400 and popped in the potatoes.  After 20 minutes, when it was time to turn over the taters, I took out the ribs, slathered them with BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's), and put them back in, bottoms ups and uncovered, on the top rack to caramelize.  10 minutes later, when it was time to put the cheese on the taters, I coated some asparagus with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt, pepper and grated parmesan and put it in as well.  At this point I flipped the ribs to finish up the other side.  This meal takes a few hours from start to finish, but it requires very little effort other than watching the clock and I thought it was even better than the fancy birthday dinner I bought for Allen at Outback last week.

Cheesy Taco Taters
link to orignial recipe 
Prep time: 10 min  Cook time: 40 min
Serves 8

5-6  medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/3 cup oil (olive or vegetable)

1 (1 oz) envelope taco mix
Sprinkle of seasoned salt

Sprinkle of black pepper

2 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded

 

Place potatoes in a gallon size Ziploc bag with oil and taco mix.  Seal and shake until they are all well coated. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread the potatoes out in it.  Sprinkle with a little seasoned salt and black pepper.  Place in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.  At 20 minutes stir them around to turn and get all sides browned.  Sprinkle with the cheese about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

303 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Mac n' Cheese Pleaser

Don't you just love one pot dishes?  A few years ago, I convinced my husband that, since I cook dinner every night, he should do the dishes.  (Call me if you want some tips on making that miracle happen!) But when I was in charge of doing the dishes, I would do everything I could to dirty as few dishes as possible. This made for some pretty creative skillet meals.  When I was a kid, the ultimate one pot dinner was Kraft Mac n' Cheese, of course, and I'm not embarrassed to admit I still find that stuff delectable, but when I want something with a little less yellow dye #5, homemade mac n' cheese tops my list of yummy sides.  Have you ever tried to make homemade mac n' cheese, though?  That is some seriously time-consuming comfort food!  Boil the noodles, make the sauce, bake it for an hour...yeah, not gonna happen.  This recipe, however, is quick, simple, and comes together in just one pot.  I didn't even use a bunch of measuring cups, I just eyeballed it and it turned out fine. My husband brought home a zucchini the size of a baseball bat the other day, so I grated up about a cupful of that and tossed it in for some added fiber and vitamins, but you can easily leave that out or even substitute some broccoli if your children don't cringe at the sight of visible vegetables.  One tip though: don't forget to rinse out the pot right away, because this sauce turns to cement when left on the bottom of the pan!

Skillet Mac n' Cheese
link to original recipe
total time: 20 min.
8 servings 

3 1/2 cups water

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
12 oz elbow macaroni 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 cup grated zucchini, if desired 
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp hot sauce 
6 oz Monterey Jack, shredded 
6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
2 Tbs butter, diced 

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the macaroni, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9 to 12 minutes.  Add zucchini.

 
Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce together, then stir into the skillet. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat, stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack, one handful at a time. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

441 calories per serving.  Click here for nutritional info and shopping list!