Crazy fast curried carrot soup

This dish happened because I had some squash that needed used up, and was in the mood for a thick winter vegetable stew. But I didn't want just acorn squash soup, so I added bunches of carrots for color and lots of spices for flavor.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1/2 cup milk

1 bag frozen carrots (or 1 bunch fresh)

Squirt of sriracha

2 tbsp garam masala

1 cup chicken broth

 

Step 1: Cut the squash in half and pull out seeds with a spoon. Put some water in the middle and microwave on high for five minutes. Flip upside-down and microwave another 5 minutes.

Step 2: The squash should be soft, remove the skin and smash in a bowl. It looks a bit like applesauce at this point.

Step 3: Put the squash in a blender with the milk, stock, spices, and carrots. If using fresh carrots, boil them or microwave for 10 minutes first so they are softened. Blend it all together.

There you have it, a simple thick stew with TONS of vitamins, fiber, and beta-carotene. Enjoy with a winter greens salad or some fresh bread.

Curry curious

Ever since I did my master's degree with a Taiwanese adviser, I have been what I call 'curry curious'. She would occasionally bring homemade Thai food for the lab, and it was always divine. I love ethnic food because they use so many spices which are usually not found in the typical American palate. But contrary to popular belief, being spice-ed doesn't have to mean spice-y (as in too spicy to eat, mouth on fire, tears running down your face). Wikipedia actually has quite an extensive list of curries from various cultures, the cooking methods, ingredients, and spice mixtures if you're interested. I think the most interesting tidbit is that the "curry powder" spice mixture, popular in the West, dates to the 18th century and is thought to have been prepared by Indian spice merchants to sell to the members of the British government and soldiers.

I have attempted Green Curry Chicken, and it turned out amazing. I began experimenting with different cuisines and techniques, like the Crock Pot Indian Chicken Curry and then more Thai with pineapple Peanut Chicken Curry. Clearly I need to try something other than chicken in my curries... anyhow. All have been unique and delicious. I love the punch of spices, and the ease of a crock pot lends itself to long, slow cooking these curries taste best with.  I definitely will keep curries as part of my regular meals. Especially because they are so easily customizable. Whatever meat is around, literally any vegetable, and some standard sauces (yogurt, coconut milk, stock, and/or tomato base) plus the combination of spices and I have a thick, complex stew to serve over rice or noodles. Also, thought it seems like quite an investment, the spices are worth it. You don't need to use much, so they will last a long time. Without further ado, enjoy my latest curry creation.

Ingredients:
~6 pounds chicken (I used 2 thigh, 2 breast, and 2 drumsticks)
1 can coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 yellow squash, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup peas and carrots
2 tbsp garam masala (Indian spice mixture)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric

Step 1: Spray a crock pot. Add the coconut milk and diced tomatoes. Then add the chicken and all your diced vegetables.

Step 2: Douse it all in the spices you're using. Give it a stir.

Step 3: Cook on low 4-6 hours, mixing a few times if possible.

Serve over rice, noodles, or bread. Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite ethnic recipe?

Thai chicken peanut curry

I had been dying to try out my new Thai cookbook since moving to Colorado, and had a craving for it all week. I looked through it yesterday, and found a recipe for Peanut Chicken Curry for which I had all the ingredients but a few. So I went to the store on the way home from class to pick up those things and whipped up a surprisingly easy and oh-so-tasty dinner!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp diced garlic

2 tbsp curry paste

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

1/2 small cucumber, peeled and seeded

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

RICE

2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup green onion

1 cup rice

1 cup chicken stock

Cilantro, if you can find it. King Soopers didn't have any. :(

 

Step 1: Dice the onion small, cook in a frying pan with 1 tbsp oil for 1-2 minutes. Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Simmer 2 minutes.

 Step 2: Dice up the chicken.

 Add diced chicken, garlic and curry paste. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes.

 Step 3: Cut up pineapple, cucumber and crush peanuts. Meanwhile, boil or microwave the cup of rice in chicken stock.

 Step 4: Once chicken is cooked through, add pineapple, cucumber, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar and peanuts. Simmer 1-2 minutes and serve immediately.

 Step 5: To cooked rice, add lime juice and onions (or cilantro) and fluff.

Cilantro would definitely kick the rice up a notch, but no complaints here! Sure cucumber, chicken and pineapple seems like a weird combo, but it really is delicious! Sweet but complex, the flavor is fantastic! The original recipe calls for fish sauce, lemongrass and lime leaves too, but I don't think the taste suffers at all by omitting them. Prep took about 15 minutes, cooking took less than 30. Totally worth it!

Crock Pot Indian Yellow Chicken Curry

Over the weekend we went to an Indian restaurant downtown and the food was absolutely excellent! This inspired me to try my hand at Indian cooking, because it is generally healthy and uses spices which are great for you. The spices were by far the biggest investment, but I can use them many many times, so the cost per use is not too bad. As long as you're willing to invest in good spices and cook Indian food several times, it is worth it! The original recipe I found here, and there are tons of great Crock Pot recipes if you're pressed for time during the day and looking for ideas. I of course altered it to fit what I had, and the results were pretty darn good. This makes about 5 servings of curry, and 2 of rice. But I would recommend making fresh rice when you eat the leftover curry anyways.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced

SAUCE

2 tbsp cream of coconut (I was supposed to use 1 can of coconut milk. Couldn't find it at King Sooper, so I figured cream of coconut would be the same. False, it is thick like syrup and WAY sweet! So I omitted the sugar from the original recipe, and added a lot less of this, hoping the coconut flavor would still be there.)

1 cup skim milk  (Since I didn't have enough liquid from the lack of coconut milk.)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 small can tomato sauce

SPICES

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp cumin (mine was not ground)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red Thai spice (for a bit of a kick. Can use Tabasco or omit for no 'bite')

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

VEGGIES

1/2 can garbanzo beans

1/2 vidalia onion, diced small

3 cloves garlic, diced small

1/4 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 cup rice (basmati or jasmine is best)

1 1/2 cup water to boil rice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

 Step 1: Whisk the tomato sauce, milk, sour cream, and coconut. Add all your spices and set Crock Pot to heat up.

 Step 2: Dice up all your veggies, chicken, garlic, etc.

 Step 3: Add the chicken and mix to coat with sauce. Add the veggies on top. You could choose not to mix them in, they will steam as the Crock Pot cooks.

 Step 4: Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low 7-8. Mix once or twice. It smells divine after an hour or 2!

 Step 5: Cook rice according to directions. Add in chopped cilantro when finished, fluff with a fork.

Step 6: Serve curry over rice, and enjoy! The chicken is so tender and flavorful, the potatoes and chickpeas add a nutty, soft texture, and the green beans are cooked perfectly. You could certainly omit the chicken and maybe add extra veggies like eggplant or mushrooms to make this a hearty vegetarian dish. I will definitely make this again, especially since I have all the spices now. I will remember to get coconut milk next time though!

Thai green curry chicken

This was my first experiment with Thai cooking. My master's advisor is from Thailand and she brings us Thai food occasionally and it is always delicious. So I decided I wanted to give it a whirl. So I found some recipes online, and of course did it my own way anyways. 

You will need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 can coconut milk

1/2 cup oregano

1 hot pepper (I used serrano)

Lemongrass

Gingerroot

Garlic

Limes/lime juice

Vegetables of choice

 I had garlic already, and all the other ingredients added up to less than $20. (The bouillon and lettuce don't count). It also makes a LOT of food, so that's a total steal versus going to an ethnic restaurant.

Step 1: get all the sauce ingredients ready. 2 tbsp diced garlic, 1 diced pepper, 1/4 can coconut milk, 2 inches sliced ginger, 1/4 cup diced lemongrass, 1/2 an onion, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp lime juice, salt & pepper. 

 Put all the curry ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

 Step 2: Put 2 tbsp oil in a large pan, and add the curry. Apparently this releases the oils and flavors (?) Add the rest of the can of coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.

 Step 3: Dice the chicken while the curry simmers.

Step 4: Add the chicken chunks to the curry.

 Step 5: Cut the vegetables you want to use into bite sized pieces. I decided to use green beans and orange bell peppers. Add those to the pan and simmer 5-10 minutes.

 Step 6: Boil the noodles or rice you want to serve with the chicken. I had some oriental rice noodles I purchased earlier.

Step 7: Put rice or noodles in a bowl and add chicken curry. Enjoy!

Obviously, you can make many variations. Add whatever vegetables you like, more or less of certain spices, more peppers if you want it spicy.