Recipe for Curried Chicken with Peanuts

As I recently mentioned, we've been eating a fair number of Asian themed meals lately.  They are quick to put together-usually from stuff on hand.  They are also tasty and healthy.  So I find it's hard to go wrong!  Take this recipe for example. Tender chicken, salty peanuts, a subtle curry/coconut milk background and a little pop from the green peas stirred in at the end.  Simple and pretty perfect!

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes


Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 TBSP fresh ginger, grated
• 1 TBSP curry powder (or more to taste)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup peanut halves
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• Salt and pepper 

Method:

• Heat oil over medium-high and when hot, add chicken that has been well seasoned with salt and pepper.
• Brown chicken for about 2-3 minutes then remove from pan.
• Add ginger and curry powder and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add broth, rice, and raisins and bring to a boil.
• Add chicken back to pan and reduce heat to medium/medium low, cover pan and cook until rice is tender about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the coconut milk, peas and green onions; let sit covered, off the heat for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the cilantro and peanuts and serve.

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Adapted from Williams Sonoma

Recipe for Stuffed Portabellas-Secret Recipe Club

It is that time again!  I look forward each month to my assignment for the Secret Recipe Club.  This is a large group of bloggers who cook from one another's blogs each month.  We don't know who is cooking from our blog or what they are cooking until the big reveal day.  That would be today!


This month my assignment was the blog "cravings of a lunatic" authored by the very irreverent and funny Kim Bee.  I chose one of Kim's non-dessert dishes to cook since Mr. ELEB and I are supposed to be limiting our treats right now (although I enjoyed browsing through all the decadent sweets on her site!).


I've made portabella pizzas before and we love them so I was naturally drawn to Kim Bee's recipe for stuffed portabella mushrooms.


Yield: 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients:

• 4 portabella mushrooms, stems and gills removed (see my video if you need to learn this technique)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 4 TBSP mushroom sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 3/4 cup cooked, diced sausage, I used a mix of grilled chicken apple sausages
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crushed red pepper to taste (I omitted this)
• 1/2 cup grated asiago cheese, plus more for tops

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line baking sheet with parchment and place mushrooms on parchment.
• Mix rice, sauce, onion, sausage, most of cheese and seasonings together.
• Spoon mixture into mushrooms and top with remaining cheese.
• Cook for 15 minutes or until filling is warmed and cheese is melted.
• Serve hot.

Big mahalo (thanks) to Kim Bee for this tasty recipe.  I can envision all sorts of yummy stuffing combinations for portabellas going forward.

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Recipe for Vanilla Coffee and Cream Rice Pudding

Rice pudding.   Mmmm, one of my favorite childhood desserts.  There are several ways to make it-stove top, oven baked, and stove top-to-oven.  There are sweet versions, savory versions, versions with raisins.  This one, cooked on the stove top, has both a delicious coffee flavor-from using coffee as some of the cooking liquid-and vanilla flavor-from using a vanilla bean.  Oh, and the real cream that is stirred in at the end doesn't hurt either!

Time: 30 minutes plus cooling time
Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients:

• 1 cup strong coffee (I made mine twice as strong as usual; flavored coffee works well, I used French Vanilla flavor)
• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup organic cane sugar (or whatever sugar you prefer)
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cup medium grain white rice
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, plus some reserved for topping

Method:

• Bring coffee, milk and sugar to a gentle boil
• Split vanilla bean pod open, scrape out seeds and add seeds to liquid.  
• Stir well and then drop in the empty vanilla bean pod.
• Add rice and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and remove vanilla bean pod.
• Stir in cream.
• Serve warm, room temperature or cold topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Yes, it's a bit decadent so don't eat the whole pan in one sitting.  If you like rice pudding and like coffee you will really love this!  Have you made over any of your childhood favorites?


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