Coconut Chicken Curry with Lemon-ginger Tea-infused Rice

Several things about this meal. First, there are a lot of veggies in it, making it a quick, one pot meal.  Well, two pots if you include the rice pot. Second, Claire was skeptical about the curry, having had some recent experiences with tumeric overload.  She admitted to being won over by the coconut milk, and the fresh coriander. Third.  I don't know what made me decide to add a tea bag to the rice as it was cooking, but o.m.g.  What a wonderful, subtle flavor. I'm definitely doing it again.

Coconut Curry Chicken
Feel free to substitute whatever vegetables you have in your drawer. This would be excellent with broccoli, red peppers, and eggplant. I finely crushed my coriander and cumin seeds in my mortar and pestle- you could also use a spice grinder if you have one. The fresh grind makes a huge difference.

Adapted from "Chicken in Spice-Laden Coconut Sauce,"
from The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook.

1 T vegetable or canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, minced
1 T coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp tumeric
3-4 dried red peppers, or red pepper flakes to taste
salt to taste
2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 can tomatoes (or 1 large fresh tomato, cut into chunks)
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 14-oz can light coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 chopped scallions (always include the green part!)

Heat oil in a large pan and cook onions until soft.  Add garlic and ginger, and stir.  Add crushed coriander and cumin seeds, then salt and tumeric and stir. Add chicken pieces and stir until they are coated with the onion-spice mixture. Add the carrots and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and zucchini.  Let simmer for another 5 minutes, then add coconut milk. Add water if necessary, and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender. Stir in fresh cilantro and scallions before serving with Tea-infused Rice, below.

Tea-infused Rice
I had wanted to make jasmine rice, but had run out, which made me start contemplating jasmine tea infusion, but I was a little worried that it might be too floral. Turns out I was out of jasmine tea anyway, but had some lemon-ginger tea. Hmm.  Throw in half a handful of chopped scallions and cilantro, and we're off to the culinary races... Keep in mind that I did this, as always, in my rice cooker, so you may want to adjust the water to your method of cooking and taste.

2 cups of uncooked rice
3 cups of water
1 lemon-ginger tea bag
2 T chopped scallions
2 T chopped cilantro (optional)

Put water and rice together in a small saucepan with a lid.  Hang the teabag over the side of the pan so that it is submerged in the water. Be careful if you have a gas stove so that the tag doesn't burn. Bring the water to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, then leave it covered for about 5 more minutes.  Remove the teabag.  Fluff the rice so that the tea-stained grains of rice are mixed in well. Fold in the scallions and cilantro.

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Miso-glazed Tilapia with Ginger-Scallion Noodles

I get tilapia at Costco in bulk, because my kids eat fish so quickly that often the adults only end up getting a tiny piece.  The noodles are a perfect accompaniment. This meal is deceptively fast to make.  We looked at the clock and realized we only had about 40 minutes, which was plenty of time.  Granted there were two of us, but we also had a bunch of kids running around asking for more grapes and milk, etc.  Plenty of time to plate and enjoy!

Miso-glazed Tilapia
If you've ever gotten a container of miso, or fermented soybean paste, you might find that you use a few tablespoons and then it sits in your fridge for a long time.  Although it has a pretty long shelf life, in the fridge, eventually I get sick of seeing it in there.  I use it sometimes as a flavoring for stir-fried noodles- but you have to be careful, because it can be salty.  The original recipe has the fish cooking in the oven, but it's so much faster just to pan-fry it.  Heavily adapted from Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave.

3-4 tilapia filets
1/2 c white miso paste
2 T honey
2 T water (maybe more if your miso is really old)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 T rice wine

Mix the miso, honey, water, sesame oil, and rice wine together with a fork. Coat the tilapia filets, and pan-fry in 1-2 T cooking oil for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are done.  You can let this marinade overnight if you wish.

Ginger-Scallion Noodles
I easily tire of pasta with red sauce.  This is actually a faster go-to, since the Chinese noodles cook a lot faster.  Get everything chopped and ready while the water is boiling, and toss together at the end.  You can substitute all kinds of leftover veggies, like carrots sliced thinly on the diagonal.  Fancy.

1 T ginger root, peeled and minced
1 package of Chinese noodles, cooked (may susbstitute spaghetti, just please don't tell me)
3-4 scallions, chopped (yes, green part too!)
2 c spinach, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
2 T water
1/4 c chopped cilantro

In a large saute pan, heat 1-2 T cooking oil and add ginger root. Add noodles, and stir to coat.  Add sesame oil, soy sauce, water if needed.  Follow this with the spinach and scallions, and cilantro last. Take off heat once the spinach is wilted, about 2-3 minutes at most.

Garnish
I had half a green pepper, so I stir-fried it with 1/4 onion, a tsp rice wine, and a pinch of minced ginger that I stole from my noodle prep. This is the garnish you see in the picture- entirely optional.

No one likes noodles and "Nemo" here...

More Nemo please!
(Yes, they call their fish Nemo.  The fish that they eat.
Anyone else find that a little disturbing?)

Pasta Rosa

This is a dish that both children and adults will love. It is hearty and creamy and yummy, and the prosciutto complements the dish perfectly.  This has been a family favorite in Claire's house for many years.  Serve with a big salad and a side of stir-fried broccoli.

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 cans tomato sauce, 15 oz each
1 tsp chicken soup base or 1 boullion cube
2 T dried basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 chicken breasts, sliced
4-8 mushrooms, finely diced
1 carrot, microplaned (leave out if you don't have a microplane)
10 oz. cooking cream cheese
1/2 c half and half
1 x 16 oz. box cavatappi pasta (large and twisty)
handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
8-12 small broccoli florets, chopped
prosciutto, diced (the more the better!)

Saute garlic in olive oil in a large stockpot, 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn.  Add tomatoes, chicken soup base, basil, oregano, and pepper flakes.  Bring to a simmer and add finely diced chicken. Add mushrooms and carrots and simmer for 15 minutes.  Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, turn off the heat and add cooking cream cheese, half and half, and fresh basil.

In the meantime, boil water for pasta and cook pasta according to instructions.  When there are about 3 minutes left, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water. Cook until pasta is al dente, and strain.  Toast or broil prosciutto in a single layer on a cookie sheet until crispy. In a large mixing bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce.  Once mixed well, pour into a serving dish and sprinkle prosciutto and parmesan cheese over the top.

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Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

I'm bringing this back up to the top, with a few changes (nothing major).  It was one of our soups from my original post, when there were about 12 recipes per post. We made it again for lunch after both having had some extremely stressful days and nights at work. It hit the spot in a nourishing, comforting, and palate-entertaining way. If you're feeling sick, consider this instead of the usual homemade chicken soup.  So easy to make, and it makes the kitchen wonderfully fragrant.  My husband declared it restaurant quality. 

This is adapted from Arthur Schwartz' Soup Suppers.   

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
1 can straw mushrooms (or one cup fresh mushrooms cut into chunks)
1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced thinly
2 stalks lemongrass, cut on the diagonal into 2 inch pieces
1/2 inch piece of ginger root, sliced
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2-3 squirts of Sriracha (rooster) sauce or red pepper flakes to taste
3 T Thai fish sauce
3 T lime juice
1 14 oz. can light unsweetened coconut milk
2 green onions, chopped
4-5 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Put about 2 1/2 quarts of water in a soup pan.  (This is an estimate.) Add the chicken, lemongrass, ginger root, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and mushrooms. Let it simmer until the chicken is tender. Add the sweet red peppers and basil leaves. Stir in the coconut milk, and let it simmer about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. Stir in the green onions and cilantro just before serving.

  

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Tuna Scallion Cakes

This recipe is super quick but slightly fancy at the same time- think of them as poor man's crab cakes.  My son loves them, and took some to school for a snack. They would be great warm, on top of a salad with a little extra dressing over the top, or on half of an English muffin with a sliced of melted havarti cheese as a snack. Or, just plain! They take less than 10 minutes to prep, and just a few minutes to cook, and they go down even faster than that.

Tuna Scallion Cakes

2 cans tuna, drained
1/4 onion, chopped
1T flour
2 eggs
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/2 c chopped spinach
1 scallion, chopped (use the whole thing)
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and form into small 2-3 inch diameter patties.  Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a frying pan and brown on both sides.

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Cranberry Pecan Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Scallions

This recipe makes a huge amount- enough to share or take to a potluck. It is easy to toss together and the flavors just pop. I also like it heated after a couple of days. It's great with chicken, or as a side for soup, or even by itself for a light lunch. If you have trouble finding quinoa, you can substitute couscous.  I cook my grains in my rice cooker, and while it's cooking, I have plenty of time to get everything else ready.  Toss it all together once the quinoa is done!

This is a wonderful dish to bring to a potluck. 

Cranberry Pecan Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Scallions

1/2 c chopped pecans (toast if you like)
5-6 cups quinoa, cooked (2 cups uncooked)
2 apples, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 c dried cranberries or cherries, chopped
2/3 c feta cheese, crumbled
6 green onions, diced- use the whole thing!
2 c fresh spinach, chopped
1/3 c olive oil
2 T lemon juice (preferably fresh)
(1 tsp diced lemon zest if you used fresh lemon)
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, except olive oil and lemon juice, together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk olive oil and lemon juice together, and pour over top of salad. Toss again, season with salt and pepper to taste. 

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Fresh Split Pea and Ham Soup

This soup is so delicious.  When my older son was under the weather, this is what he requested...from Claire. She adds a new twist to the old split pea by using spinach and fresh peas at the very end.  The soup is greener, sweeter, and more vibrant, and so much more appetizing than the pea soup from that scene in the Exorcist.  If you have a ham bone, it adds additional richness to the soup. All you need now is a rainy day, a warm fire, and a good movie...

You can see the bright flecks of green!

Fresh Split Pea and Ham Soup
2 c dried split peas
2 T butter or olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
6 c chicken stock or water
1/2 lb spinach, chopped
2 c fresh peas (or thawed frozen peas)

1 ham bone (optional)
1 c chopped ham or turkey ham (optional)
3 slices pancetta, diced (optional)

If using pancetta, saute in your soup pot until crisp.  Take out and set aside.  Saute onions, carrots, and celery in butter or olive oil.  Add split peas, bay leaf, ham bone, and water or chicken stock, and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to a slow simmer for 45 minutes.  If soup is too thick, add additional water.  Discard bay leaf (and ham bone if using), and puree soup with immersion blender (or in a regular blender).  Add spinach and peas and let cook for additional 2-3 minutes.  Puree again until smooth, and stir in diced ham.  Serve with garnish of pancetta.