Quick Coconut Curry

Phewf, we've had a long dry spell but we have still been cooking and are ready to rev things up. This proved to be a quick and tasty after-work-meal. That means little prep and a short cook time!

This mild coconut curry with just a very small kick of spice will please a crowd.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves approximately 4 adults

Ingredients

Combine a mix of your favorite veggies. To keep it quick, we used a frozen mix that included a few of our favorites:

Broccoli
Carrots
Green beans
Sugar snap peas
Water Chesnuts
Bell Pepper
Celery
Onion

We also quickly fried up and added a few mini sweet peppers to beef it up a bit.

Optional: Thai green basil


For the Curry:
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (can sub olive oil)
6 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
1 pinch Cayenne or 1 dried red chili pepper, diced (can add more if you want more heat)
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cans coconut milk (can use Light for thinner curry)
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste (can use black pepper too)
Coconut, shredded
Cilantro, to garnish


Coconut Rice:
1 cup rice, white or brown
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water

*you can also use quinoa instead of rice


Directions

Add coconut oil and garlic to pan over medium heat. Once oil is melted add mixed veggies and fry for 2-3 minutes. You might need to fry for a few more minutes if veggies are frozen. Add ginger, curry powder, Cayenne, vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat slightly and cook for 10-15 minutes or until curry is hot and vegetables are tender.

Once the curry is simmering, add all coconut rice ingredients to a rice cooker (making sure to rinse your rice first). For more details about how to make coconut rice without a rice cooker see our post here - however, a rice cooker is totally worth it, especially if you are looking to make quick meals!

Serve curry over coconut rice (or quinoa) and top with coconut flakes and fresh cilantro.

Teriyaki Bowls

This recipe is actually one of Andrea's, but I made it last week and thought I would share it here. It was so delicious! The sauce was amazing and I just wanted to keep putting more in my bowl! It came together fairly quickly and I was able to do all the chopping and preparation earlier in the day while my babies were sleeping. This will be one we make again and again!!

Teriyaki Bowls

Sauce:
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
5 tablespoons packed Brown Sugar
1-2 tablespoons Honey
Chili Paste or Oil to your liking, optional (I did about 1/2 tsp chili oil)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Cold Water

Sliced variety of stir fry veggies, such as:
Broccoli
Carrots
Zucchini
Onions
Peppers
Water Chestnuts
Baby Corn
Asparagus
etc.

Hot Cooked Rice
Grilled and sliced Chicken Breasts (approx. 2-4 breasts)


In a sauce pan, heat all the sauce ingredients except cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Dissolve cornstarch in water and slowly add to sauce mixture. Cook on medium heat, stirring until slightly thickened. If mixture gets to thick, just add more water to thin it to the consistency you like.

In a separate pan, sauté your vegetables until tender crisp.

Grill chicken to your liking. I went fairly basic because I wanted the flavors of the teriyaki sauce to be the boss in this dish. I just used a little salt, pepper, garlic and seasoning salt to give the chicken a little flavor. Slice up your chicken and layer it in a bowl with your hot cooked rice and vegetables. Pour the teriyaki sauce on top and enjoy!

PF Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps, copycat recipe

I made this recipe again this week, and really like it. I might add some chopped up peanuts and a little more spice to it next time. Maybe a touch of red pepper. This recipe calls for a couple of ingredients you may not typically have on hand, but once you buy them they last a long time. (for example rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red chili paste). This recipe is also a little more involved than the Spicy Ginger wraps posed previously, but once you have made it once, it is a breeze.

Ingredients:

3 TBsp oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnuts
2/3 cup mushrooms
3 TBsp chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
4-5 leaves of iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce:

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 TBsp soy sauce
2 TBsp rice wine vinegar
2 TBsp ketchup
1 TBsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 TBsp hot mustard
2 tsp water
1-2 tsp garlic and red chili paste

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 TBsp soy sauce
2 TBsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1 - Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2 - Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, and sesame oil.
3- Mix well and refrigerate sauce until you are ready to use it.
4 - Combine the hot water and hot mustard and set aside.
5 - You will eventually add the desired amount of mustard mixture to the special sauce, and pour over the lettuce wraps.
6 - Bring oil to high heat in a wok or frying pan.
7 - Saute chicken breasts 4-5 minutes on each side until done.
8 - Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9 - Keep oil in pan hot.
10 - As chicken cools, mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of a small pea.
11 - Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing ingredients in a small bowl.
12 - when chicken is cool, mince it as well.
13 - With the pan still on high het, add another TBsp oil.
14 - Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15 - Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute for a couple minutes. Serve in the lettuce cups.
16 - Top with the special sauce.

Spicy Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have been terrible about taking pictures lately, but decided I just needed to post these recipes anyway. This is Annalisa's recipe that we have been making for years and I have wondered for some time why it never made it's way to the blog. They are super fast to make and amazing!

15 min prep time
15 min cook time
yields 4 main dish servings

3 TBsp soy sauce
1 TBsp grated, fresh ginger (can substitute for ground)
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp crushed red (cayenne) pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb chopped up chicken (approximately 3 small chicken breasts)
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
8 - 12 large boston lettuce leaves or iceberg

1- In a cup combine soy sauce, ginger, sugar, pepper, and garlic. Set aside.
2 - Heat nonstick 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add hicken and cook4-5 minutes or until no longer pink.
3 - Add celery to chicken in skillet and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water chestnuts and soy sauce mxture. Cook 1 minute to blend flavors. Stir in peanuts.
4 - Divide chicken mixture among lettuce leaves, fold leaves over and enjoy!

Apricot Chicken

This is a great recipe for our home because of all of the apricot jam we made with our neighbors apricots. Also, all of the ingredients can generally be found in our home at any given time. The recipe originally came from tasteofhome.com in 2007 as a microwave recipe. However, I never cook it in the microwave. It is just as easy, if not easier to do it on the stove. And it is oh so delicious!


1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 TBsp soy sauce
1 TBsp chicken broth or Sherry
1 TBsp vegetable oil
1 TBsp corn starch
1 TBsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 Lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup salted cashews
Hot cooked rice

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Add Chicken and toss to coat. (I like to make this early in the day and then let it sit in the fridge). Cook on the stove top until the chicken is almost done, then add green peppers. Let it simmer for a minute or so longer. Next add cashews, then serve hot over rice.

Teriyaki Chicken

This recipe is one that our family tried for the first time this week and absolutely loved. I've had it in my recipe album for years but just needed a little prod from my sweetheart to give it a try. Having to come up with dinner ideas every single day can get hard sometimes so if my husband gives me an idea of something he really wants it really helps. This recipe comes from our Aunt Sara.

Teriyaki Chicken

5/8 cup soy sauce
5/8 cup sugar
2 slices lemon (or about a TBSP lemon juice)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp ginger
Chicken (enough for your family)

Using a sauce pan, dissolve sugar in soy sauce over medium heat. (Don't let it burn!) Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes until chicken cooks. You can add a little water if needed.

I cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Aunt Sara lists this as being good with chicken wings. Be creative.

Goes great with white rice.

{Just for reference... I doubled this recipe for our family of 6 and it was just right for dinner and then my hubby's lunch the next day.}

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I got this recipe years ago from my friend Kim. It's delicious!


4-6 defrosted chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tsp. water
1 can pineapple chunks
1 green pepper cut into chunks
1/2 onion cut into chunks

Chop up chicken into bite size pieces. Mix flour and bread crumbs in a bowl Mix the egg and water in another bowl. place chicken in the egg and water mixture; coat each piece with the flour mixture. Fry in a wok or on the stove in oil until light brown; set aside in a 9x13 baking dish.

SAUCE
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 TBsp ketchup
1 TBsp soy sauce
1 TBsp corn starch

Prepare sauce ingredients on the stove over medium heat. Pour the can of pineapple chunks over the chicken, including the remaining juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken, making sure each piece is coated. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Stir occasionally during baking. Serve over a bed of rice.

Sweet & Sour Teriyaki Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Defrost 4 chicken breasts and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Open 1 can of pineapple rings, drain and reserve the juice.

Sauce
Heat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often:
Reserved pineapple juice
3/4 to 1 C sugar

Once this mixture is hot, add:
3/4 C apple cider vinegar (may need a little more if it is too sweet for you)

Pour a small amount of this mixture into another container and dissolve 2-3 T corn starch in it. Return to sauce pan.

Continue to add:
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1/8 tsp. ginger
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
dash of pepper

Pour sauce over chicken. Top chicken with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. Cover with tinfoil and bake in oven for 45 min, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice.

I've never tried it, but I'm sure you could cook this in a crockpot.

Sweet & Sour Chicken/Stir-fry

I'm not really sure how to do this, so here goes my first attempt at blogging! Wish me luck!

I didn't have a lot of time so I just sautéed the chicken in the sweet and sour sauce, but I will include the Peanut Chicken part of this recipe, as well.

Peanut Chicken

(This is an authentic Japanese recipe)

Serves 6-8

2 eggs

1/2 t salt

3-4 T cornstarch

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2-3 T oil

1/2-3/4 C chopped peanuts

3-4 green onions, finely chopped

Break eggs into shallow bowl. Add salt and enough cornstarch to make a sticky dough (not too thick). Add chicken, coating breasts with cornstarch mixture. In a large skillet, cook chicken in hot oil until done in the middle and golden brown on both sides. Slice chicken pieces diagonally. Arrange on a platter and cover with sweet and sour sauce. Garnish with peanuts and green onions.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

(You may want to half this, depending on how much sauce your family likes to use.)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 t oil

1/2 t salt

2 C water

2-3 T cider vinegar

1 C sugar

3/4 C ketchup

1-2 T cornstarch

1/4 C cold water

Sauté garlic in oil. Add salt, 2 C water, vinegar, sugar, and ketchup. Bring to a boil. Thicken to desired consistency with paste made of cornstarch and cold water.

*My "paste" was pretty runny, I used the whole amount of the "paste" and it worked great.

Stir-fry

I basically just make this part up.

Cut up desired vegetables. I used white onion, broccoli, carrots, red/green bell pepper, and green onion. You may want to include water chestnuts, snow peas, mushrooms, celery, cabbage, or anything else you like!

Then, sauté 3 cloves garlic, minced (I like to use bottled, minced garlic because it saves so much time!) in oil. Add veggies. When vegetables are tender-crisp sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sweet and sour sauce. Toss to coat. Then, I put the vegetables aside and in the same pan, sauté a defrosted chicken breast in sweet and sour sauce (I cut the chicken up in strips).

Serve over rice.

(my version without chicken)

(with chicken)

***I often make variations of this, cooking the chicken differently or using different sauces. One of my favorites is World Harbors' Maui Mountain Teriyaki sauce & marinade. It is so good that Rich and I will saute the veggies and chicken in just this! It makes for a very quick and tasty dinner. I have been able to find World Harbors brand sauces at pretty much all grocery stores here. We also really like their Fajita sauce and marinade.

Gardiner's Japanese Gyoza

Annalisa requested that I add this recipe to the blog. I think we've had a chance to make it for most of the family but if we've missed you then just let us know and we'll make up for it the next time we visit...or you visit us! :)

Gardiner always makes these so I hope my instructions make sense.

Gyoza:
1 lb ground pork
1/2 head green cabbage
about 1 Tbsp ginger root - diced really small or if you have a garlic press that's even better
a couple of small garlic cloves (not the whole bunch but the individual cloves)... diced really tiny or use a garlic press.
1 bunch green onions chopped
salt & pepper to taste
small amount soy sauce
1-2 packages gyoza wraps (they are the round ones)

Mix it all together like you're making a meatloaf. (If you prefer more cabbage than pork you can just reverse the amounts). Wet finger with water (we have a bowl of water on the table for this) and run it along the edge of the wrap 1/2 way around. Add about 1/2 tsp - 3/4 tsp mixture to each wrap. Then pinch together. The water helps it seal. We use a pastry tool to fold them and pinch them together which also makes fancy little edges. It's not necessary though.

Use an electric skillet to steam the gyoza. Put a little oil in the bottom of the pan. Place a bunch of the gyoza's into the pan and then add a little water so they steam. Place lid on top. They are done when you cut into one and the meat is cooked through. It usually takes about 5-8 minutes. (This picture shows that we have the non stick foil on the bottom of our skillet. We did that because we were having issues with the gyoza sticking to the skillet. It's not really part of the normal process of making gyoza.)
Sauce:
just a few drops of sesame oil
soy sauce (this is most of the sauce) ... a couple of tablespoons
1 tsp vinegar

Mostly with the sauce you just have to test it and then add a little more of what's missing etc. It's not an exact science.

Serve & enjoy! :)