Coconut Curry Chicken

 

In today’s economy, I have learned to do two things. First of all, I never waste any food if I can help it. Second, I only order in once a month, so if I get a hankering for some sort of ethnic cuisine, and I’ve already ordered in for that month, I have to make it myself. 

 

This recipe solved both of those problems. I decided to clean out my fridge, and in the doing, found some cilantro in the back of the vegetable crisper that needed using TODAY. Second, I really wanted to order in Indian food, but having already ordered in earlier this month from the local diner, I instead decided to try this recipe that I had downloaded to my Copy Me That app some time ago. It’s from the Damn Delicious website where I have never gone wrong with any of her recipes, and this one is no different. I started my rice first thing, and then kept feeding my pan ingredients as they were called for, and dinner was on the table, and a hearty one at that, in around 30 minutes. Next time I’m going to throw in a minced hot pepper because I could’ve used a bit of heat here, but you do you.

Coconut Curry Chicken

As seen on Damn Delicious

 1 c. basmati rice

1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” chunks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1½ T. olive oil

1 medium Melissa’s shallot, diced

3 T. tomato paste

3 T. red curry paste

3 cloves Melissa’s garlic, minced

1 T. freshly grated Melissa’s ginger

1 12-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

½ c. chicken stock

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 T. chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 T. chopped fresh Thai basil leaves

1 T. freshly squeezed lime juice

 Prepare rice according to package instructions; set aside.

Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken and shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is evenly browned, about 6-8 minutes.

 Stir in tomato paste, red curry paste, garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

 Stir in coconut milk and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 7-10 minutes.

 Stir in bell peppers until softened, about 5-8 minutes.

Stir in cilantro, basil and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve warm over rice.

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Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce

I have been over the moon using the grill my dad gave me when I moved into this house. I didn’t get much use out of it for the first nine years, but I am making up for that now. It took me a bit of time to get confident enough to stray from pork steaks, hamburgers, and the occasional zucchini, but stray I did in making these grilled chicken satays with peanut sauce, a super easy, super delicious recipe from the Damn Delicious site. The skewers make these easy to maneuver and the kids will find them lots of fun.  If you are a fan of chicken with peanut sauce, these are a must make.

Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce
From damndelucious.net

Marinade:
¼ c. coconut milk
2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
2½ t. yellow curry powder
1½ t. turmeric
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. freshly grated ginger
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. fish sauce
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 T. canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the peanut sauce:
3 T. creamy peanut butter
1 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 t. brown sugar
2 t. chili garlic sauce, or more, to taste
1 t. freshly grated ginger

To make peanut sauce, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, and ginger in a small bowl. Whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons water until desired consistency is reached; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine coconut milk, soy sauce, curry powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and fish sauce.

 In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and marinade; marinate for at least two hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.

Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.

Bring grill to medium high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers*. Brush with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

And skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165° F, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with peanut sauce.

*Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes to an hour prior to using to prevent them from catching on fire.

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Black Pepper Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

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For the most part, we all tend to like the foods with which we became familiar in our youth. Generally, if our parents didn’t like certain foods, they never became a part of our culinary experience. I was thinking about this the other day, puzzled by the fact that my grandmother made chicken and dumplings, and yet my mother didn’t like them. Ergo, I had never eaten chicken and dumplings in my life. The more I thought about this, the more I knew I had to have them. I mean, what’s not to like about a creamy chicken soup full of fluffy biscuits?

I started doing some research into a variety of ways to fix chicken and dumplings, and found a recipe that looked appealing. Dumplings, I learned, are essentially biscuits. So why, I asked myself, not look for an incredibly delicious biscuit recipe to use for dumplings. How could I go wrong?

I know that this is a long introduction for this biscuit recipe. The reason I wanted to tell you all this is that not only did I make these biscuits as is, but I also made dumplings out of the remaining part of the biscuit dough for a big pot of magnificent chicken and dumplings, the recipe of which I will share on Monday.

Now, I’m not going to lie, these biscuits are work. The worst part, in my opinion, is grating frozen butter on a box grater. I did not enjoy that at all. Plus, there is the dicing of the bacon (I froze my bacon first to make it easier), and then the hand mixing. On the plus side, I thought they rolled out like a dream. I do have a marble rolling pin that made this easy; if you don’t, you need one. It makes a world of difference any time you need to roll out a biscuit, cookie, piecrust, or any type of pastry.

As soon as I made these biscuits, I drove half of them, hot from the oven, to number one son’s house for his family to try. They were happy to be guinea pigs, and thoroughly enjoyed these biscuits. You will too. It’s not my recipe; it comes from the Damn Delicious blog. So good!

 Black Pepper Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

From Damn Delicious

 6 slices bacon, diced

4 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

¼ c. chopped fresh parsley leaves

4 t. baking powder

2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1½ t. kosher salt

1 t. baking soda

1 t. garlic powder

¾ c. unsalted butter, frozen

1¾ c. buttermilk

 Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

In a large bowl, combine bacon, flour, cheese, parsley, baking powder, pepper, salt, baking soda and garlic powder.

 Grate butter using the large holes of a box grater. Stir into the flour mixture.

 Add buttermilk and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.

 Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1¼" thick rectangle. Cut out 14-16 rounds using a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet; place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove biscuits from freezer. Place into oven and bake for 14-17 minutes, or until golden brown.

 Serve warm.

Butter Cauliflower Bowls

As you know, if you read this post with my review of one of the newest books on cooking with cauliflower, I have lately been embracing cauliflower.

I am also a follower of the Damn Delicious blog because her recipes never fail me. Recently I found one for a cauliflower version of Indian Butter Chicken, one of my favorite dishes. I make mine in the slow cooker because it is so easy, and I shared that recipe with you here.

Because it is so cold and windy today I told myself I was going to stay in and experiment in the kitchen. So today I tried this recipe. Wow! It is not just good, it is super good! In fact, I could not believe how good it was. I mean, how many times do you find yourself making yummy sounds while eating a vegetable? When I ate this, I did. It got to be embarrassing.

What a wonderful vegetarian meal. I didn’t miss the chicken at all. If you do, substitute chicken for the cauliflower, or use both. I made a couple of changes in that I used chipotle chili powder to kick up the heat, and served mine with cilantro lime rice, because it adds additional flavor. If you’re interested in that, my recipe is below, if not, just use plain. 

Butter Cauliflower Bowls

from Damn Delicious

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 T. freshly grated ginger

2 t. garam masala

1 t. chili powder

1 t. ground cumin

¼ cup tomato paste

1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce

2 cups vegetable stock

Pinch Kosher salt, to taste

1 head Melissa’s Organic Cauliflower, cut into florets

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Stir in ginger, garam masala, chili powder, cumin and tomato paste until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in tomato sauce and vegetable stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in cauliflower until tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with rice.

Cilantro Rice

1/2 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained

1 cup chicken stock

1 T. butter

Pinch of salt

1½ teaspoons fresh lime juice

¼ -1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place rice, stock, butter, and salt into small saucepan. (I spray mine with Pam to prevent sticking.) Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 17 minutes. Stir the lime juice and cilantro into the cooked rice just before serving. If you love cilantro like I do, feel free to add even more!

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If you like cauliflower like I do, then you will enjoy this spectacularly easy and delicious Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Parsley Dressing. Even the kids will love it!

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