Belizean Stew Chicken ~ Instant Pot

We have visited Belize a number of times, but always quickly as one of many port stops on a cruise. Because of the quick visits, sadly we have rarely enjoyed the cuisine of the island.   On one of our visits though we did explore and had the opportunity to enjoy some traditional Belizean food, including the Stew Chicken.  Well, when we love something, and trust me, we adored the Stew Chicken, we have to come home and try and re-create it, and do it in our Instant Pot.  When in Belize we enjoyed the Stew Chicken with rice & beans with a side of potato salad.  While we adored the sides with the chicken,  they are a bit too carb heavy for our current diet, so we paired this almost dead-on-knock-off Belizean Stew Chicken with our favorite Toasted Cauli-rice.   This Stew Chicken with the Toasted Cauli-rice gave us all the deliciousness of being in Belize while helping to keep us fitting into our bathing suits for the next time we visit.

Belizean Stew Chicken ~ Instant Pot

• 8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on (or chicken pieces of your choice)
• 2 med. onions, sliced
• 1 TBS. coconut oil
• 2 TBS. Recado rojo
• 2 TBS. white vinegar
• 3 TBS. Coconut Aminos (or soy sauce)
• 5 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
• 2 TBS. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Medjool date, pitted and minced
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves

In a large bowl, mix together the Recado rojo, vinegar, coconut aminos, garlic, cumin, oregano, thyme, black pepper and Medjool date.  Stir to mix well.  Add the chicken pieces and mix to coat all the chicken completly with the sauce.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or over night.  When ready to make, press the saute button and add the coconut oil to the liner of the Instant Pot.  Once the oil is hot, add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until they are golden.  Remove the onions from the pot and add the chicken pieces.  Place the pieces so that they are skin side up.  Add the onions back on top of the chicken along with any sauce remaining in the bowl.  Add the chicken stock and bay leaves.  Turn off saute by pressing the Keep Warm/Cancel button.  Secure the lid and set the steam release valve to closed.  Press either the Poultry button or use the manuel button, setting time for 15 minutes.  Once the 15 minute cook time is finished, quick release the steam by opening the steam valve.  Carefully remove the chicken pieces and place them skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet.  Place the chicken under a hot broiler to crisp and toast the skin.  Serve hot, with sauce ladled on top.  Enjoy with Toasted Cauli-rice or more traditionally, with rice & beans and potato salad.  

Enjoy!!

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup ~ Instant Pot

For over two years, we have been enjoying our adaptation of Melissa Joulwan’s Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup.  You'd think that by now we'd be tired of it and would have moved on to a different favorite soup, but truth be told, I can still eat this soup every.single.day, especially for breakfast.  It's a great way to get in some healthy bone both and it's always warm and satisifying.  It's perfectly labled by Melissa as “a healthy hug in a bowl.”  Though a simple recipe to make on the stove, it's now even easier and quicker using our Instant Pot.  Though we have the 8-qt. Instant Pot, it still holds less than our big stock pot, so I've adjusted the amounts from the stovetop recipe.  This recipe will work in either a 6-qt. or 8-qt. Instant Pot. Remember, if you do freeze the soup, you’ll need to puree it again once thawed, either by placing it in the blender or using an immersion blender.  So, if you have an abundance of zucchini or need a warm hug, make this soup!!

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup ~ Instant Pot (adapted from here)

• 1 TBS. beef tallow or coconut oil
• 1 med. onion, diced
• 5 large fresh garlic cloves
• 1 TBS. ground ginger
• 1 TBS. ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 3 lbs. zucchini, cut in 1/2 moons or leftover pieces
• 6 cups beef bone broth, (can also use chicken bone broth or Cheaters Chicken Soup,vegetable stock, or any mix of broth you choose)

Turn on saute mode and heat the beef tallow or coconut oil in the liner of the Instant Pot.  Add the onions and sauté until caramelized.  Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, salt & pepper.  Cook stirring continuously until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the bone broth and zucchini. Press Keep warm/Cancel button to stop the sauté.  Secure the lid and move the vent to closed.  Press Manuel and using the -/+ buttons, adjust the time to 10 minutes.  Once the 10 minutes are finished, allow for NPR (natural pressure release).  Once the pressure has dropped and the pin falls, remove the lid.   Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or use a blender to carefully puree (use a towel to hold the lid on the blender on whilst pureeing.) Adjust salt and pepper seasoning. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Jalapeño Popper Soup Re-visited

We have been sick with the crud this month so soup and scrambled eggs have made up the bulk of our diet.  We made some super-easy Cheaters Chicken Soup and then turned around, once we got a bit of our energy back, and turned some of the stock into this delicious, creamy, spicy, hearty, filling soup as it’s a great way to use up the leftover chicken.  We enjoy the soup quite hot and spicy but you can mellow it out some by either removing the seeds from the jalapenos or using less of them.  Also, we use white meat in the soup but if you have a preference for dark meat, go for it!

Jalapeño Popper Soup

• 2 chicken breast halves, roasted, skin & bones removed, shredded
• 1 lb bacon, cut crosswise in 1/8-in strips
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4-6 whole jalapenos, stems removed, sliced in thin 1/2 rounds
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups cheaters chicken soup, or chicken stock of your choice
• 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. block of cream cheese, cut in chunks
• salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot, slowly cook the bacon pieces until crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, leaving the fat behind.  To the fat add the onion and sauté until golden.  Add the jalapenos and garlic and sauté until the jalapenos and garlic are fragrant and softened.  Remove half of the onion/jalapeno mix and set aside with the reserved bacon.  Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the cheddar cheese and while stirring, allow it to melt.  Add the cream cheese and using a hand blender, blend until fully mixed and creamy.  Return the soup to a simmer and add in the shredded chicken and reserved bacon and onion/jalapenos.  Allow to simmer for a few minutes and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Enjoy!

Doro Wat ~ Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew

We adore spicy food here in the Cook Lisa Cook house so when we spied this recipe for Doro Wat on Nom Nom Paleo’s site, we just knew it had to be made. 

The original recipe called for a tablespoon of the spice berbere but Michelle said that they used 1½ tablespoons because they’re masochists, so we figured what the heck, if they can do it, we’ll be masochists too, so we went for the larger amount.

The berbere gave the dish a wonderful flavor and it was hot…but not spitting fire hot so it was perfect for us…well not Maisie.

The chicken was absolutely delicious, the flavors were just amazing.  The eggs in the dish were…well…interesting but we felt they just weren’t quite needed.  Maybe if the eggs had been simmered in the sauce, I don’t know.  I know that we’ll make and enjoy this dish again but probably sans eggs. 

Doro Wat ~ Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew (adapted from here) 

• 3 pounds chicken drumsticks (about 10 drumsticks), skin on or off
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup ghee
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (about 1 TBS.)
• 1 1/2 TBS. berbere seasoning (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom 
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper   
• 2 cups chicken stock  
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered into wedges
• Juice from 1 lime (optional)

Thoroughly season the drumsticks with salt, and set aside. Heat the ghee in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, and let them cook undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes. Season liberally with salt, and gently turn over the pile of onions every 3 to 4 minutes to ensure even cooking. Once the onions have softened and significantly reduced in volume, about 15 minutes, turn the heat to medium-low.  Continue cooking, turning over the onion pile every 10 minutes or so, for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and nicely caramelized, tender and sweet.

Stir the garlic and ginger into the caramelized onions, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the berbere, cardamom, and black pepper. Next, pour in the chicken stock and stir to mix well. Nestle the drumsticks into the liquid, and bring the contents of the pot to a low simmer. Cover and cook, turning the drumsticks occasionally, about 45 minutes or until the meat is tender and cooked through.

Once the chicken’s done, remove the lid of the Dutch oven and turn the heat up to medium-high.  Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced by approximately one-third.  Add lime juice, do it now. The citrusy zing adds a nice, zesty brightness to this long-simmered dish. Transfer the chicken drumsticks to a serving platter, garnish with the egg wedges, and ladle the spicy sauce on top.

Enjoy!

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup

We could eat this soup every.single.day and sometimes we go for weeks at a time doing just that!  Such a simple, healthy soup and it’s beyond delicious!  We found the recipe originally on Melissa Joulwan’s blog, The Clothes Make the Girl and in her cookbook, Well Fed 2.  Melissa labels this soup as “a healthy hug in a bowl” which is such a fitting description for this soup.  We make this soup when we gather up enough leftover pieces of zucchini after spiralizing it when making another of Melissa’s recipes, Zucchini Noodles Aglio et Olio (freeze the extra pieces until you have enough.)  We also make this soup when we have an abundance of fresh zucchini.  When we have an abundance of zucchini, we make a huge pot and freeze the soup in 4-6 cup containers.  If you do freeze the soup, you’ll need to puree it again once thawed, either by placing it in the blender or using an immersion blender.  So, if you have an abundance of zucchini or need a warm hug, make this soup!!

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup (adapted from here)

• 2 TBS. coconut oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 10 large fresh garlic cloves
• 2 TBS. ground ginger
• 2 TBS. ground coriander
• 1 TBS. Himalayan salt
• 1 TBS. fresh ground pepper
• 6 lbs. zucchini, cut in 1/2 moons or leftover pieces
• 12 cups chicken bone broth or Cheaters Chicken Soup (can also use beef,vegetable or any mix of broth you choose)

Heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot.  Add the onions and sauté low and slow, until caramelized.  Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, salt & pepper.  Cook stirring continuously until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and zucchini.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Allow the soup to cook for 45-60 minutes, until the zucchini is very soft.  Once the zucchini is soft, use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or use a blender to carefully puree (use a towel to hold the lid on the blender on whilst pureeing.)  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Egg Drop Soup

Okay a little whinge here, we live in Georgia and waking to temperatures in the single digits and feeling like negative numbers should not happen!!  Unfortunately that’s exactly what happened this morning and we’ll be lucky to get up to 30F.  Not our favorite kind of weather!  So, with it being crazy cold outside we needed to warm our insides and for that, nothing is better than a steaming bowl of soup.  Today we decided it would be Egg Drop Soup, not only because it’s simple & quick to make and we had all the ingredients in the house, but also because Maisie has been cleared to have eggs as we test her tolerance and vasomotor rhinitis response.  This soup took minutes to make and got big thumbs up and smiles from Maisie and all of us.

Egg Drop Soup

• 4 cups Cheaters Chicken Soup or broth
• 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• 1 TBS. fish sauce
• 2 TBS. coconut aminos 
• 1 TBS. arrowroot powder (can use corn starch, tapioca/cassava/yucca starch)
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBS. water
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• salt to taste

In a heavy pot, bring the soup, ginger, pepper, garlic, sesame oil & fish sauce to a boil.  While that is coming to a boil, in a small bowl, mix the coconut aminos and arrowroot powder to form a smooth slurry.  In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 TBS. water together.  Once the soup begins to boil, stir briskly while slowly adding the arrowroot slurry.  Allow to boil for 30-60 seconds and then lower the temperature.  Still stirring the soup continuously, drizzle in the eggs allowing the strands of egg to cook.  Add the green onions and then season to taste with salt.

Enjoy!

Chicken & Avocado Soup

The weather is cooling down here in Georgia and unfortunately everyone in the CookLisaCook house has managed to get a cold.  So in our book, nothing could be more comforting, warming and healthier than some homemade soup.  But since EVERYONE has been sick, the soup preparation needed to be simple and the flavors bold to make it tasty for our dulled senses.  We all enjoyed this soup and the health benefits worked wonders, helping us all feel satisfied and just that much closer to being healthy again.

Chicken & Avocado Soup

• 5 c. Cheaters Chicken Soup, or chicken stock/soup of your choice
• 1 TBS. avocado oil, or olive oil or oil of your choice
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. dark chili powder
• 2 c. shredded chicken
• 1 14-oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes 
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 4 small avocadoes, diced
• juice of 2 large limes
• salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot, heat the avocado oil and add the cumin, coriander & chili powder and stir, toasting until fragrant.  Add the Chicken soup, shredded chicken & diced tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in the cilantro, diced avocado & lime juice.  Allow the avocado to heat through and season to taste with salt & pepper.  Serve with an extra slice of lime for added tang and corn chips if desired.

Enjoy!

Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles

Does anyone else feel like the holidays are racing toward them like an out of control speeding freight train?  I just feel like in a blink of an eye 2013 will be over and I have so much left to do before that happens!  I thought that once I made it through Maisie’s birthday and the party, that life would settle down and I could find the time and return to things like blogging but alas, this and my Moments with Maisie blog have both fallen by the wayside even as fun times with Maisie and daily cooking continues.  Guess in the scheme of things, if one thing needs to be cast aside for a while, it’s better to be living and eating than reporting on it all.

I guess that it’s good that I participate in the Secret Recipe Club and the Improv Cooking Challenge, otherwise I don’t know when I would have added recipes over the past couple of months.  Sometimes it’s nice having those deadlines, just to keep myself in the game and in touch.  Anyhow, it’s Secret Recipe Club time and this month I was assigned Jenna’s Cooking Journey. I scrolled through Jenna’s blog and found it filled with hundreds of delicious sounding recipes but the one that really caught my eye was her Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles over Orzo.  I adore eggplant and it just happened to be a loss leader at the market recently and I had a package of ground lamb in the freezer, so it was kismet!  I did change Jenna’s recipe a bit, most notably, I left out the orzo and instead decided to serve the lamb and eggplant over roasted spaghetti squash, and I served it with a side of grilled sweet baby peppers.  I changed around a few items and the cooking steps but overall, I kept very close to the original recipe.  Jenna stated that her one regret when she made the dish was that she only used one chili and the dish lacked some of the heat she was hoping for.  I went in the other direction and used two red jalapenos from my garden and left the seeds in…so the dish had a really, really good kick, perfect for me but I’m sure way too hot for most so adjust those chilies accordingly.  This dish had wonderful flavor and was just all around delicious.  Thanks Jenna for a wonderful recipe.

 Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles (adapted from here)

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 medium, firm eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 red jalapenos, sliced in half rounds (seeded for less heat)
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced finely 
• 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and sauté until caramelized.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add the lamb and cook until well browned, about 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Stir in the eggplant, jalapenos & rosemary.  Partially cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are softened, about five minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken soup.  Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Serve over orzo, couscous, pasta or spaghetti squash.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Pressure Cooker Balsamic Collard Greens

I totally admit that I have no earthly clue on how to make a big ol’ bowl of collards look beautiful in a picture, but what I do know is how to make them taste amazing!  This recipe takes five minutes of hands on work, 20 minutes in the pressure cooker and then you’ll be eating some of the most delicious collards you’ve ever tried.  Though I do love me some southern collards rich with bacon, ham hocks and butter, this recipe is much more diet friendly and so packed with delicious flavor, I don’t even for a moment miss those other ingredients.  I hope that you’ll give this recipe a try and trust me, you’ll be licking the bowl.

Pressure Cooker Balsamic Collard Greens

• 1 lb. fresh collard greens, washed & cut into 2-inch wide pieces (I used a bag of washed and cut ~ ready to go)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock, can use beef stock or vegetable stock
• 1 TBS. olive oil, or oil of your choice
• 1 1/2 TBS. tomato paste 
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
• 1 TBS. Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup medium diced sweet onion
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced

Add the stock, olive oil, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, Whey Low Gold, salt & pepper to the pressure cooker and stir to mix.  Stir in the onion and garlic.  Add the collard greens and seal the pressure cooker.  Over high heat bring to full pressure and then reduce temperature to low.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Remove the pressure cooker from the heat and either run it under cold water or release the steam via the valve.   Open and stir to coat all the collards with the sauce. 

Enjoy!

Loaded Potato Soup

It’s Secret Recipe Club time and this month I was assigned the blog Cupcakes with Sprinkles which is written by Meghan, a sweets loving, cooking and crafting Mama to two cutie-patootie little girls.  So I know you’re scratching your head thinking Cupcakes with Sprinkles and a sweets loving Mama and here I am posting a recipe for Loaded Potato Soup???  Well I had just done a whole slew of sweet treat baking as I was sending a care package off to a friend’s daughter who’s away on her mission for the next year, so here in the Cook Lisa Cook home we were sort of sweet treated out.  Also, about a month ago we were out for dinner and Eammon ordered loaded potato soup and just adored it and had asked if I would try to make some at home for him, so when I saw Meghan’s loaded potato soup recipe I knew what I’d be making.  Trust me though a number of her sweet treat recipe have been saved to make in the future.  I mean check these out and I know you’ll be adding them to your list of recipes to make:  Boston cream pie, one of my all time favorites, white chocolate mousse torte for my white chocolate loving husband and Avalanche Bars which I know I’ll be making one day soon with Maisie.

The day that I made Meghan’s soup was a cold day here in Georgia so it was a perfect & delicious meal.  I’m not even going to mention how much of the pot Eammon consumed in just one day but I’ll put it to you this way, I have already made this soup again and seeing how much Eammon especially loved it the first time, I was smart and made a double batch the second time around.  Oh and here’s something amazing and almost unheard of, other than adding a bit of salt, I changed nothing in Meghan’s recipe…yes amazing for the cook who is always tweaking and changing recipes.  Oh and when I say I didn’t change anything, I mean even the second time around, this recipe is just absolutely perfect and I hope you’ll give it a try…but make a double batch, trust me on that one!    

Loaded Potato Soup (recipe from here)

• 1/2 lb bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 30 oz. Cheaters Chicken Soup or 2 - 15oz cans chicken stock or vegetable stock  
• 3 TBS. butter
• 3 TBS. all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used skimmed)
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper 
• sea salt, to taste
• sour cream for garnish

In a large stock pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. Keep the bacon grease in the pot and add the onions, cook until tender.  Leave the onions in the pot and add the potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. With a slotted spoon remove about a cup of potatoes. Place in a bowl and mash with a fork. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes on med-low. Whisk in the milk, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened.  Slowly stir the milk mixture in to stock pot of potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Stir the bowl of smashed potatoes back into pot.  Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and three-fourths of the bacon to the pot. Add pepper and salt to taste. Stir to combine. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with some shredded cheese, bacon and sour cream.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Thai Massaman Curry for the Year of the Snake 新年快樂

I don’t know what it is this year, holidays are sneaking up on me before I realize but between being busy with Maisie and my not seeming to be able to get my act together, they are passing by without much fanfare here in the Cook Lisa Cook house.  This year for Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, we did…well nothing special.  Instead of going to one of the big celebrations Maisie chose to spend the day doing what she loves best, playing and doing gymnastics with one of her besties.  Since we were home, and it was a holiday, a delicious dinner was a must.  As it worked out I was contacted by Foodie Blogroll and Thai Kitchen and asked to make a dish using some of  the Thai Kitchen’s products.  If you follow this blog at all, you know that we’re huge curry lovers so that’s the direction I chose to go and thanks to the package from Thai Kitchen and my stocked pantry I had everything I needed in the house.

Though there seem to be a lot of ingredients in my Massaman Curry, it’s simple to prepare and came out creamy delicious with a nice bit of heat, a perfect Chinese New Year or any day comfort food meal.   

新年快樂 , Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!

From Thai Kitchen:

“Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia offer a complete line of Asian ingredients and convenience items, including sauces, curry pastes, rice noodles, fish sauce, coconut milk, noodle bowls, and more. Most items are free of gluten, artificial colors/flavors and MSG – more reason to celebrate a New Year, and new you! Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine.”  Check out Thai Kitchen and explore their amazing Asian cuisine ingredients!  Follow Thai Kitchen on Twitter at @Thai_Kitchen

Thai Massaman Curry

• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin bite-sized pieces 
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 medium carrots, roll cut into chunks
• 2 TBS. coconut oil, or oil of your choice
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 TBS fresh grated ginger
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 Thai red chilis, sliced, use more or less depending on your heat tolerance  
• 1/2 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup or low sodium chicken stock  
• 1  TBS. lemongrass powder 
• 1 tsp. turmeric 
• 1/4 cup ground, unsalted dry-roasted cashews
• 1 tsp. ground coriander 
• 1 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper  
• 1/8 tsp. cardamom  
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste  
• 3/4 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian stores)
• 2 TBS. Thai Kitchen fish sauce 
• 1 TBS. coconut palm sugar, Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 
• 3 bay leaves 
• 2 14 ounce cans Thai Kitchen coconut milk
• 3-4 mini baby bell peppers, mix of red, yellow & orange, thinly sliced
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges each
• 1/3 cup whole unsalted dry roasted cashews
• fresh cilantro

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil and then the onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes to release the fragrance.

Add the chicken stock, lemongrass, turmeric, ground cashews, coriander, cumin, white pepper, cardamom, tamarind paste, shrimp paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and bay leaves. Stir with each addition and bring to a light boil.

Add the coconut milk, potatoes & carrots. Stir and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat until you get a good simmer.  Simmer uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes & carrots are tender. Add the chicken, red pepper and tomato during last 10-15 minutes of cooking.

Taste test the curry, adding more fish sauce for increased flavor/saltiness, more chili if you want it spicier. If too sour, add a little more sugar. If too salty or sweet add more tamarind. If too spicy, add more coconut milk.

Stir in the whole cashews.  Serve over rice and add fresh cilantro if desired..

Enjoy!

At Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia, we’ve made your favorite Asian flavors available to enjoy anytime and anywhere. From noodles to sauces and seasonings, coconut milk to fish sauce, our premium products deliver restaurant-quality Asian cuisine in minutes. Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “Thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine. From mild to spicy, appetizers to dessert, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia have something for every taste bud, sure to please even the most discerning palates.

The aromatic essences. The exotic flavors. The abundant texture. There’s no culinary experience that compares to Asian cuisine – whether you’re preparing a meal for the whole family or looking for a quick snack, we’re here to bring the adventure to your kitchen.

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Foodie Blogroll who we have partnered with for this promotion.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Thai Kitchen products.

Soup day

When my reserve of Cheaters Chicken Soup starts to run low I know that it’s time for a full day of chicken roasting and soup making.  I recently happened upon a great sale on chicken, both on whole chickens and leg quarters so I stocked up and made a day of it.   

Ten pounds of leg quarters and twenty seven pounds of whole chickens, ready to become “Rotisserie” Chicken.

After five hours in the oven the entire house smelled delicious.  The skin was crispy and the meat, juicy and tender.  I let everything cool enough so that I could easily handle it.  I then got to work and put into separate bowls, the skin, the white meat and the dark meat.  I put all the bones and pan juices into a huge stockpot and along with some vegetables and garlic I rendered everything I could from the bones before discarding them, and made my Cheaters Chicken Soup. 

I don’t like to let anything go to waste especially when I can make it into something wonderful.  So I slowly cooked up the skin in a fry pan until it was delicious crackling, a perfect crunchy topping for the soup.

My freezer is now nicely stocked with the roasted chicken meat and plenty of Cheaters Chicken Soup. Using my FoodSaver I packaged the chicken meat in one pound portions so it’s ready to be used in soup or other recipes.  The Cheaters Chicken Soup I packaged two cups to a bag and froze the bags flat so that’s now available to pull out to use in recipes or for when we want a nice bowl of homemade soup.  I’ll tell you, all the soup served us well recently when Maisie had her surgery and Eammon had pneumonia as both only wanted soup to eat for a few days.  I was happy to eat the soup plain and Maisie & Eammon enjoyed it with the addition of some chicken and rice noodles.

From my original 37 pounds of chicken I ended up with:

8.2 pounds of roasted dark meat

4.6 pounds of roasted white meat

10.1 ounces of crackling and

Over 3 gallons of Cheaters Chicken Soup, fifty-one cups to be exact.

Not bad for less than $25 and a days work.

Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

It’s Crazy Cooking Challenge time again!  Each month our hostess, Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking challenges the participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate recipe of the month.  We are then to make and feature that recipe and the blog where we found it.  This month the challenge was to find the ultimate chicken noodle soup recipe.  I almost passed on participating this month because my mind wasn’t thinking past traditional chicken noodle soup which isn’t a favorite for me as I generally strain the noodle out so to just enjoy the soup.  As a rule noodles in soup isn’t a favorite and now with Maisie’s food allergies, well I just wasn’t feeling the challenge.  Then I saw a recipe for Thai Chicken Noodle Soup on Lesa’s blog Edesia's Notebook and I knew I had found the ultimate chicken noodle soup recipe and I just had to make it.  Lesa’s soup looked delicious and simple to make and with a few little changes I knew that it could be made “Maisie safe,” delicious and perfect for us…and it was.  Maisie loved the soup as I made it and Eammon and I enjoyed it spiced up a bit with a squirt of Sriracha.  Mild or spiced up, this IS the ultimate chicken noodle soup.

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge 

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup (Adapted from here)

1 TBS peanut oil
2 carrots, julienned
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS fresh grated ginger
1 tsp dried lemon grass powder 
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1/2 tsp red pepper powder 
4 cups Cheaters Chicken Soup 
3/4 cup lite coconut milk 
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 
1 lb cooked chicken meat (I used the meat from when I made my “Rotisserie” Chicken and Cheaters Chicken Soup)
3 oz dry vermicelli rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS fresh chopped cilantro
2 TBS fish sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Sriracha 

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the carrots and cook until slightly softened.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until it is fragrant.  Add the lemon grass powder, turmeric and red pepper powder and stir fry it for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, chicken meat and cooked noodles.  Bring to a low boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the sugar, cilantro and fish sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve and add Sriracha to taste.

Enjoy!