Yellow Pineapple Curry

Tags

chicken, curry, food, foodie, pineapple, recipe, Thai

In November, my book club met at a local Thai restaurant. It was the first time I had dined at that particular Thai restaurant. I loved their pineapple yellow curry and was surprised that they used red curry paste instead of yellow curry paste. I craved more pineapple yellow curry, but I was out of red curry paste (it’s not something that my small town grocery store or Amish shops carry). When visiting my parents over Christmas break, I went to the local Asian market and picked up red curry paste. Yay!

Pineapple Yellow Curry

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, 3-5 Tbsp. red curry paste (to taste), 1 Tbsp. yellow curry powder, 1 can coconut milk, 1 c. water, 1 chicken breast (sliced into small pieces), 1 tsp. fish sauce (optional), 1 c. fresh pineapple (cut into small slices),  1/2 c. bamboo shoots, 1 c. broccoli florets, 1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced, 1/2 red bell pepper sliced, 1 carrot (slice or chopped)

Directions:
In a wok, sauté coconut oil, curry paste, and curry powder. Slowly add coconut milk, water, and fish sauce and bring to a slow boil. Add chicken pieces. A few minutes before chicken is down, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer until done.

Serve: with steamed jasmine rice & hot ginger tea
Garnish: lemongrass or Thai basil
Vegetarian/Vegan: Omit fish sauce and substitute tofu in place of the chicken.

Now that I have red curry paste in my pantry again, I can’t wait to make this dish again!

What missing ingredient is holding you back from making a special dish?

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Curried Carrot Ginger Soup

Tags

carrot, curry, food, foodie, garbanzo, Garbanzo beans, ginger, meal, onion, recipe, soup, vegetarian, yogurt sauce

I’ve stated many times before that Hubster is not a soup fan. I however cannot get enough of it, especially during the snow squalls and is bitter cold. The restaurant where I worked during grad school served a ginger carrot soup that was sweetened with brown sugar. However, I believe that carrots are sweet enough as if and need a lil’ added kick.

Curried Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter, 1 small onion diced, 5 large carrots (peeled and chopped), 2 Tbsp. grated ginger, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, 1 c. cooked garbanzo beans, 1 c. vegetable stock, 1 c. coconut milk, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. curry, fresh ground sea salt,  fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
At the bottom of a pot, sauté onions in butter. Add garlic, ginger, curry, salt, pepper and warm. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Blend soup in high power blender. Garnish you chopped cilantro, yogurt sauce, curried pecans, and/or red pepper flakes.

Notes:
I look forward to trying yellow carrots in this recipe, one I grow my own.
For Hubster, I added chunks of chicken and many curried pecans to curb his meat cravings.
For a vegan version just swap in olive oil for the butter.

What soup has warmed you up recently?

Curried Pecans

Tags

brown sugar, curry, ginger, nuts, pecans, postaday2011, salad, side dishes, vegetarian

Our wireless continues to give us trouble… so hopefully I’ll get this post up while I have a connection.  I love the smell of candied pecans and they certainly are delicious around the holidays… In the summer, I opt for a different twist: Curried Pecans. On Sunday I whipped up a batch. These curried pecans are the perfect addition to liven up you summer salads, or are a tasty snack to munch on their own.

Curried Pecans

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, 1/2 c. light brown sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder, 1 1/2 Tbsp. ground ginger

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in curry and ginger. Toss pecans into sauce and mix until well coasted. Spread pecans evenly on a baking tray and bake 15 minutes. Cool pecans and serve. Store in an airtight container.

Mmm…

Do you have any unusual pecan recipes?

Ginger Chicken with Curried Barley and Pineapple & Mango Salsa

Tags

barley, chicken, cilantro, curry, dinner, entree, food, foodie, fruit salsa, ginger, lime, mango, pineapple, postaday2011, recipe, salsa, side dishes

I love to freeze fresh fruit chunks when I have extra during the summer. Feeling the need for Spring to get here fast, I checked my freezer for my supply. Unfortunately I was out. Fortunately the supermarket carried frozen mango chunks and pineapple chunks and it had me thinking…

I love the sweet and tangy combo of fruit salsa.  Tomato black bean salsa on top my tacos. Spicy peach salsa with blue tortilla chips. Mango black bean salsa on porkloin (for Hubster). Pineapple mango salsa on chicken… mmm… I love it all.

Ginger Chicken with Curried Barley & Pineapple Mango Salsa

 

The picture isn’t the best, but I really enjoyed this.

Pineapple Mango Salsa Ingredients:
2 c. cubed mango, 2 c. chopped pineapple, 1 c. chopped green chilies, 1 lime, 1 Tbsp. minced onions, 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Pineapple Mango Salsa:
Juice and zest ingredients. Toss ingredients all together and keep chilled.

Curried Barley Ingredients:
3 c. water, 1 c. pearl barley, 1 Tbsp. minced onions, 1 tsp. curry powder

Curried Barley Directions:
Add onions to water and bring to boil. Add barley, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Ginger Chicken Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/2 fresh grated ginger, 2 Tbsp. grated carrot, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 2 Tbsp. tomato paste, 1 tsp. celery seed, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Ginger Chicken Directions:
Place chicken in zipper top bag or bowl and set aside. In a food processor blend all remaining ingredient. Pour over chicken and keep chilled. Pour chicken and marinade on baking tray. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until done.

To Serve:
Plate curried barley and arrange chicken breast in center. Top with pineapple mango salsa and serve hot.

What is your favorite pineapple recipe?

 

Coconut Curry Shrimp

Tags

appetizers, basmati rice, coconut, coconut curry, curry, dinner, food, foodie, lunch, main course, main dish, postaday2011, recipe, shrimp, side dishes, supper

I love coconut and I love shrimp… Hubster doesn’t like either. After a long weekend, I decided to indulge  in two of my favorite ingredients (and cooked him something different tonight).

Coconut Curry Shrimp

 

Coconut Curry Shrimp Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp, 1 minced shallot, 2 c. coconut milk, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1/2 c. tomato sauce, 1/2 c. dry white wine, 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro, 1 Tbsp. curry powder, 1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Coconut Curry Shrimp Directions:
Peel & devein shrimp and set aside. Add olive oil and shallot to pan and sauté until soft. Add garlic, ginger and curry and warm. Add tomato sauce, coconut milk, salt and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until they turn pink. Stir in cilantro. Serve over basmati rice.

*Serve in small ramekins or dishes as an appetizer.

One of my favorite things about shrimp is that is how quickly it cooks.

What was for dinner tonight?

Sweet Potato, Potato & Spinach Curry

Tags

curry, food, foodie, gluten-free, Indian cooking, Indian cuisine, Indian food, postaday2011, potato, recipe, side dishes, spinach, sweet potato, vegan, vegetarian

I’ve been doing really well with the 2011 Post A Day Challenge. However, this was Hubster and my first weekend home this year and we finally had a chance to spend sometime together (okay, so we were running errands and going to doctor’s appointments, but at least we had some quality time together). We had been craving Indian food all weekend and I promised Hubster tonight’s dinner would be a delicious Indian meal! I know it’s a little late to post, but I didn’t want to miss a third day in a row…

Sweet Potato, Potato & Spinach Curry

Ingredients:
1 sweet potatoes, 1 potato (two if smaller than sweet potato), 1 pkg. baby spinach, 2 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder, 1 tsp. coriander powder, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp of olive oil

Directions:
Cube potatoes and set aside. Wash baby spinach and remove stems. Over medium heat warm olive oil, garlic, cumin, cayenne, turmeric and coriander. Add sweet potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add potatoes and cover. Cook potatoes until softened. Add spinach and salt. Allow spinach to wilt. Serve hot.

Hubster really enjoyed this. It combined two types on potatoes and incorporated a vegetable he doesn’t like (spinach) into a flavorful dish!

How was your weekend?

Coconut Crusted Chicken

Tags

appetizer, chicken, chicken breasts, chicken fingers, chicken tenderloins, coconut, coconut chicken, coconut curry, curry, food, recipe, snack

Sometimes I just need to indulge myself and use ingredients that I enjoy. Coconut is one of those ingredients that I love, but do not use often enough. Some countries even refer to the coconut tree as the “Tree of Life”, so I guess I’m not the only one who’s nutty over the coconut.

Coconut Crusted Curry Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken tenderloins, 2 c. shredded coconut, 1/2 c. flour, 2 Tbs. curry  powder, 2 eggs, fresh ground sea salt, fresh crackled black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven 375ºF. Mix together flour and curry and set aside. Beat eggs in shallow dish and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat chicken tenderloins with flour, shake off excess. Dip chicken into egg and then lightly press the coconut on chicken. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes until coconut is golden and chicken is done. Turn once, halfway during cooking.

The hint of curry, complemented the coconut perfectly, yum!  I’m still working on my dipping sauce, I haven’t yet perfected that one…

*Coconut flakes would work just as well as shredded coconut, I just used what I had on hand.

*For longer lasting fresh coconut, keep extra coconut in the freezer.

Now it’s your turn, tell me:
What is an ingredient you wish you’d use more often in your cooking & baking?