Coconut Mango Salsa Verde Chicken ~ Instant Pot

We have a favorite Salsa Verde Chicken recipe which we've enjoyed many, many times, but it was time to change it up a bit and add a twist, so enter Coconut Mango Salsa Verde Chicken.  The heat of the peppers and the creaminess of the coconut milk along with the sweetness of the mango are perfection. Add in that it cooks in the Instant Pot in just mere minutes, makes this a winning dish all around.  The dish has a good heat kick to it, but it mellows after the first day.  This reheats beautifully and don't be suprised if everyone is licking their plate to get the last bits of the sauce...it's that crazy good!

Coconut Mango Salsa Verde Chicken ~  Instant Pot

• 10-12 bone-in chicken thighs with skin (or chicken pieces of your choice)
• 8 oz. coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin seed
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• juice of 1 lime
• 3/4 tsp. dark chili powder
• 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 med. onion, quartered
• 8 oz. poblanos, roughly chopped, seeds and stems discarded 
• 8 oz. Cubanelle peppers, roughly chopped, seeds and stems discarded 
• 2 large jalapenos, roughly chopped, seeds and stems discarded 
• 8 oz. tomatillos, quartered

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• 2 med. red bell peppers, cut in long strips about 1/4-inch thick, seeds and stem discarded 
• 2 med. poblanos, peppers, cut in long strips about 1/4-inch thick, seeds and stem discarded 
• 8 oz. tomatillos, medium dice
• 2 mangoes, peeled and large dice
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Place the coconut milk in the liner of the Instant Pot and add the cumin seed, ground cumin, lime juice, chili powder, paprika & salt.  Stir to combine.  Add the chicken thighs, layering in, skin side up. Top the chicken with the quartered onion, roughly chopped poblanos, roughly chopped Cubanelle peppers, jalapenos and the quartered tomatillos.  Secure the lid and close the steam vent.  Use either the "Poultry" button or set manually for 15 minutes.  Once the 15 end, quick releast the steam.  

Gently remove the chicken pieces and place them skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet.  Broil the chicken 5-10 minutes to toast and crisp the skin. 

While the chicken is in the broiler, using an immersion blender, carefully blend the sauce left in the Instant Pot.  Once smooth, add the sliced red bell peppers, sliced poblanos & diced tomatillos. Secure the lid and close the steam valve.  Set manual timer for 2 minutes, high pressure.  When the 2 minutes end, quick release the steam.  Open lid and add the diced mango & cilantro and stir to combine. Check seasonings and add salt if needed.  Ladle the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Enjoy!

Yucatan Green Chile Saute ~ Instant Pot

Chile is often on the menu at our home and this Yucatan Green Chili Saute from Melissa Joulwan's book Well Fed Weekends, has become a favorite!  We love that this is a quick onepot meal which includes protein and vegetables.  Even better, it's delicious freshly made or as leftovers.  Of course in our home, no good recipe can be left as found so we tweaked this one to our taste by mostly amping up the heat.  We also made this in the Instant Pot instead of on the stovetop.  Both are easy but we're in love with our Instant Pot and use is whenever possible. Great thing about chili, it's easily tweaked to your individual taste.  Check out both Melissa's original recipe and our adaption and make one or both, you won't be disappointed.

Yucatan Green Chile Saute ~ Instant Pot (Adapted from Well Fed Weekends)

• 1/2 TBS. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/4 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
• 2/3 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 2 TBS. red wine vinegar
• 1/3 c. raisins
• 1 head cauliflower, shredded or riced
• 8 oz. roasted hatch chilies (We use fresh but can use canned.  Can also use diced green chilies)
• 1/4 c. dry roasted pumpkin seeds (shelled) when serving

Cumin - lime sauce  (have all ingredients at room temperature)

• 1 egg yolk 
• 3 TBS. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/3 cup avacado oil or light tasting olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
• 1-2 small fresh jalapenos, (seeds and ribs removed if you want less heat)

Set the Instant Pot to saute and add the olive oil, heat until warmed.  Add the onion and saute until golden.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add the ground beef, salt, cumin, paprkika, pepper and oregano and brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks.  Once browned, add the tomato paste and red wine, mix well.  Add the raisins, cauliflower and chilies.  Mix well. Lock the lid on the Instant Pot, close valve and set high pressure for 10 minutes.  Use natural pressure release.

While the chili is cooking, prepare the cumin-lime sauce.  

Place all the ingredients in a flask, and using an immersion blender, blend until thick and creamy.  Or, place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth and thick.

Serve the chili with a drizzle of the cumin-lime sauce and sprinke on some pumpkin seeds for a little crunch.

Enjoy~~

Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip

Seven weeks down and five to go before it’s back to school for Miss. Maisie.  We can’t believe how quickly summer is passing and honestly none of us are looking forward to it being over and returning to the school year schedule.  One of the things that we’re really enjoying this summer is our time relaxing out on the dock, sipping our cocktails and snacking on appetizers, such an enjoyable way to spend summer evenings.  So of course when it came time to search out a recipe on our assigned Secret Recipe Club blog Colie’s Kitchen, we were on the lookout for appetizers. 

 

There were many recipes on Nicole’s blog, both appetizer and non-appetizer which caught our attention and were in the running for this month’s recipe.  I mean how delicious do Southwest BBQ chicken, Southern fried corn, Avocado mozzarella salad, or bunuelos sound?  I mean seriously, difficult choices.  But then there were two recipes which really sparked the debate on which to make and it came down to either Nicole’s cold Jalapeno popper dip or her hot Jalapeno popper dip.  I mean it’s Jalapeno popper dip two ways!  We adore, ADORE, the taste of jalapeno poppers as evidenced by two of our other favorite recipes, Jalapeno Popper Soup and our Totally Outrageous Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich, yes we do love our jalapeno poppers!  In the end it was the hot dip which won the coin toss and it was made for the ladies of book club.  Now you’d think that some hot spicy dip would be too much for the ladies who read but let me tell you, they were scraping that serving dish clean, licking their lips and asking for the recipe.  Needless to say the dip was a huge hit and super simple to make and thus, has been added to the make-again-and-often recipe list. 

 

We did of course change Nicole’s recipe a bit.  Her recipe calls for a mix of cheddar and parmesan cheese and we thought that we had both in the house but when we were preparing the dish we found that we were out of cheddar and only had about a 1/3 cup of parmesan so we went with what we had and that was mozzarella.  We also added crumbled bacon and that was a very last minute decision.  Seriously, we had put the dish in the oven and two minutes in, pulled it out and added on some bacon.  Not sure what possessed us to do that, but it sure was delicious.  Check out Nicole’s recipe or use ours, either way, if you’re a jalapeno popper lover, you won’t be disappointed. 

 

Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip (Adapted from here)

 

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced jalapenos, diced (use diced chilies for less heat)

• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

• 1/3 cup crumbled cooked bacon

Preheat oven to 375F.  In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese and the diced up jalapenos.  Lightly grease a baking dish (I used a shallow 1.5 qt. oven safe dish) and spread the jalapeno cheese mix evenly.  Top with the shredded Parmesan cheese and bacon.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top.  Serve hot with crackers or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Chipotle Stuffed Mushrooms 
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Grilled Pizza Sandwich
Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup 
Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata
Chicken Satay with Sunbutter “Peanut” Sauce
Asian Pork Chops
Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries
Zesty Zucchini Skillet
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
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

Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup

We truly can’t believe that it’s March already but on the other hand, we’re happy that spring is right around the corner as it’s been a cold winter for us southerners.  And on these cold winter nights there’s nothing more wonderful than a bowl of hot, creamy and comforting soup.  It was just one of those cold days when we perused Leigh’s blog, Chit Chat… Chomp, this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment.  Leigh’s food choices are very similar to ours in that she leans towards fresh, gluten free, organic, fructose-free, healthy foods so when reading through her blog, we found so many offerings that fit in with our diets which we were tempted to make.  Her gorgeous photography skills had us wanting to jump right into the screen and devour every item she displayed.  In the end though, because it was a freezing cold day, we were tempted by the comfort of soup.  We actually debated between two soups, her Mushroom & Cashew Soup and her Roasted Tomato Mascarpone Soup and the tomato soup won out only because we had all the ingredients in the house.  I mean seriously, who wants to trek out to the store when it’s freezing outside!  We thought about also making her Zucchini Quiche to enjoy with the soup but that would have entailed a trip to the grocery, so that was going to be left for another day!  Can you tell that we don’t particularly care for freezing cold weather?  Thinking about it, while we’re here freezing, Leigh is on the other side of the world in Melbourne enjoying summer…maybe we should go visit her!  Hey Leigh, want some visitors????

Anyhow, back to the soup.  The soup was oh-so simple to make and the flavors were divine.  The soup wasn’t overly creamy, just enough to balance out the acidity of the tomato.  We changed the recipe only slightly, adding an extra red bell pepper and we chose to leave out the brown sugar.  When the soup was served, some of us chose to add an extra dollop of mascarpone and a sprinkle of chives which topped off the soup perfectly.  It’s still cold out there so make some delicious soup, our version or Leigh’s and while you’re enjoying your soup, check out Leigh’s blog, all her recipes, gorgeous photography and all of her travels to France, oh-so interesting to read.

  Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup  (adapted from here)

• 2 1/4 lbs. plum tomatoes, halved
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled & quartered
• 2 large red bell peppers, deseeded & quartered
• 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled 
• Himalayan salt 
• fresh ground pepper
• olive oil
• 1 TBS. mascarpone cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add a drizzle of olive oil.  Place the tomatoes, onion, bell peppers & garlic onto the pan and stir to coat everything with with oil.  Season with a little salt & pepper.  Roast for 45-60 minutes, until the the vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize slightly.  Remove from the oven and carefully add all the contents of the pan, juices too, to a blender.  Secure the lid and hold it down with a towel as you process the ingredients until smooth.  Once smooth, add the tablespoon of mascarpone and blend until incorporated.  Serve immediately, adding an extra little drizzle of olive oil to each portion and if desired, a nice dollop of mascarpone.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata 
Chicken Satay with Sunbutter “Peanut” Sauce 
Asian Pork Chops 
Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
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

Check out the new SRC blog for more exciting recipes from past reveals

An InLinkz Link-up

Chile Relleno Casserole

We adore Chile Rellenos but they are an absolute pain in the bottom to stuff and fry,  so we enjoy them as a once in a while treat when we happen to go to a Mexican restaurant…which trust me, isn’t all that often. 

This though is an easy casserole and it has all the wonderful flavor of the real thing, without all the work and also without any of the gluten that is used for the typical fry coating.  There are many recipes for similar casseroles on the internet, but this version, of no recipe in particular, is our favorite.  It’s not overly spicy hot, just tingly so.  The balance of flavors is spot on and the casserole reheats perfectly, who could ask for more?  Make and enjoy!

Chile Relleno Casserole

• 4 large fresh poblanos
• 1 TBS. olive oil 
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb.  ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.  Char the skin of the peppers, either on an outdoor grill, over the burner of a gas stove or under the broiler.  Once the skin is charred on all sides, put the peppers in a bag to allow them to sweat.  While the peppers are sweating, heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions until golden.  Add the beef to the onions and brown until fully cooked. Once the peppers have cooled enough to be handled, remove the stem and seeds and the skin.  Grease an 8x10-inch pan with olive oil and arrange three of the peppers to cover the bottom of the pan.  Cover the peppers with the beef & onion mix.  Spread the cheese on top of the beef.  Lice the remaining poblano into strips and arrange over the cheese.  In a bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, eggs, cumin, salt & pepper.  Pour the cream mixture over the cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes uncovered, until golden and bubbly.  Serve hot, room temperature or cold, all ways are delicious.  Top with sour cream if desired.  To reheat, place desired portion on a plate and heat in microwave.

Enjoy!!

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu

I swear that just a week ago here in Georgia, we were still sporting long pants and sweatshirts.  I don’t like being cold so I'm thankful that the warmth of summer has finally arrived. It was one of those cold days though when it came time to cook for this month's Secret Recipe Club so we were looking at recipes which were healthy, easy, warm and hearty. That's how we decided on Beth's Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu, it fit all our criteria. Beth's blog, It's Good to be the Cook is my assigned blog this month.  Beth has lots of wonderfully delicious looking and sounding recipes on her blog and had the weather been warmer we probably would have made her Emily’s Chicken Marinade and Thai Slaw with Spicy Peanut Butter, both of which will probably now be made as the weather is thankfully warmer.  We have been following Beth’s blog for quite a while as she cooked from this blog last September when she made two of our recipes, Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and Strawberry Soup so it was fun to now cook from hers.    

Getting back to the ragu, we stayed pretty true to Beth’s original recipe, just doubling the amount of poblano and cumin we used as we tend to like dishes more on the spicy hot side.  In the end though, the sauce wasn’t spicy at all, just well balanced, flavorful and delicious.  We also changed around the preparation method a bit just to make it easier for us and the way we cook but either method would work just as well.  We enjoyed the ragu over zucchini pasta, totally delicious!  This is a great make-ahead recipe as we enjoyed the ragu the first night but totally loved it as leftovers once the flavors really melded.

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu  (adapted from here)

• 1.5 pints grape tomatoes
• 15  garlic cloves, peeled 
• 1 poblano pepper
• coconut oil, or oil of your choice 
• 8 oz. ground beef 
• 4 red sweet baby peppers, large dice 
• 1 medium onion, large dice
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley (or 1T fresh)
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• additional fresh basil leaves for garnish 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with a little coconut oil or oil of your choice.  Put the tomatoes and garlic cloves on the prepared pan and stir everything around so that all is covered with a light coating of the oil.  Dust with salt & pepper.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are a bit browned and the garlic is tender.  While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, char the poblano on either the grill or on the burner of a gas stove.  Char the skin on all sides and then place the poblano in a plastic bag so that it can sweat. 

In a skillet, add a small amount of coconut oil and then add the diced sweet peppers and onion.  sauté until the onions and peppers begin to caramelize.  Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the ground beef.  Season the beef with salt and pepper as it browns then stir in the cooked peppers and onions into the browned beef.

Once the roasting vegetables are finished, scrape all of the tomatoes, garlic and accumulated juices into a blender or food processor.  Remove the skin and seeds from the poblano and add that to the tomatoes and garlic, along with the can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin & parsley.  Pulse until blended but still a bit chunky.  Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Pour the contents of the blender into the pan with the beef, peppers & onions and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Season as needed with additional salt & pepper.

Serve the ragu over pasta of your choice.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
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

An InLinkz Link-up

Cauliflower with Seared Peppers and Caramelized Onions & Garlic

Cauliflower was a recent loss leader at my local market so I’ve been on a cauliflower binge so get ready to see lots of recipes including cauliflower.  Also a recent loss leader were packages of red, yellow and orange bell peppers so they too have been making a showing in a lot of our meals lately.  

I served this cauliflower dish at our Thanksgiving dinner this year along side the Spatchcocked Turkey.  As I said in previous posts, because we were only a small group, the three of us and my parents and that fact that Maisie, my Mom and I were all sick,  I went simple and easy with our meal and used only the ingredients I had in the house.  With this recipe, I knew what flavors and textures I wanted and I just made it up as I went along.  Thankfully it came out exactly as I envisioned and everyone loved the dish.

The dish includes sweet, caramelized onions and garlic, seared sweet peppers and seared and steamed cauliflower.  What really added an additional, phenomenal flavor, was that I used some chicken fat from my Cheaters Chicken soup as the oil/fat for the dish.  While I could have used any cooking oil, butter or even bacon grease, I just adore the flavor that the seasoned chicken fat added to the dish.

Cauliflower with Seared Peppers and Caramelized Onions & Garlic

• 1 head fresh cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 6 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly 
• 1 cup sliced red, yellow & orange peppers
• rendered chicken fat, bacon grease or oil of your choice
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat a thin layer of fat or oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat.  Very slowly sauté the onion until it begins to caramelize.  Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onion and garlic is nicely caramelized.  Remove the onion & garlic from the pan, set aside, return the pan to the cook top and turn the heat to high.  Once the pan is really hot add the peppers and sear quickly so that they retain some of their crunch.  Remove the peppers to the dish with the onions & garlic and then add the cauliflower to the hot pan.  Allow the cauliflower to sear a little, stirring when necessary.  When the cauliflower has some toasted bits, add a cup of water to the pan and cover immediately.  Reduce the temperature to medium and allow the cauliflower to steam cook until tender but not mushy.  If there is any water left in the pan once the cauliflower is tender, just pour it off.  Add the cooked onions & peppers back into the pan with the cooked cauliflower and toss gently to mix.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Shrimp & Vegetable Madras Curry for Daniel

Through my blogs I have met many wonderful bloggers, some in real life but most, just though cyberspace.  It’s amazing though because even the bloggers who you only know via what they write on their blog or by comments they leave for you, you form a bond with them and you look forward to what they write on their blog and what they have to say about what you’ve written on yours.  In my almost 8 years of blogging I have mainly been involved in two online communities, the International adoption community with my Moments with Maisie blog and the foodie community with this, my Cook Lisa Cook blog.  In both online communities I’ve found that most bloggers and those who may not have a blog, but comment on mine, are wonderful, supportive and kind people.  One of those people whom I’ve only met through cyberspace and really because of my participation in The Secret Recipe Club was Daniel Saraga of The Haggis and the Herring.  I’ve loved reading Daniel’s blog as he seemed to have a warm and gracious spirit, his passion for cooking and food shone through in his words and his taste in foods ran right along the same diverse, ethnic and adventurous lines that ours do.  When commenting on my blog, Daniel always made kind, thoughtful and often humorous comments that always warmed my heart and made me smile.  So it was with great sadness that I read of his sudden passing about two weeks back.  Daniel left behind his wife, two sons and third child on the way as well as a large extended family and many friends.  I had tears in my eyes reading Meredith’s words for the loss of her beloved husband, you could tell how much he was loved. 

Daniel was also loved in the online foodie community and that is why today, numerous Secret Recipe Club bloggers are coming together in a tribute day to Daniel by recreating and posting a recipe from The Haggis and the Herring.  

From my reading of The Haggis and the Herring, Daniel seemed to have a special passion for Indian curries, posting numerous delicious versions including Aloo Mutter Butter Paneer, Baked Aloo Kofta Curry, Channa Korma Curry, Channa Masala, Chicken Curry, Butter Chicken, Chicken Madras, Chicken Vindaloo and Chicken Tikka Masala.  So with that in mind I decided to recreate one of his curry dishes.  Unfortunately when I went to make my chosen recipe of Chicken Madras, I realized that I had everything in the house but chicken so knowing how versatile curries are I used what I had on hand for protein, shrimp.  I also decided to bulk up the shrimp with some added veggies as that morning I had picked some gorgeous red, orange, yellow and green peppers as well as some tomatoes from our garden and I also had a package of mushrooms that begged to be used.

I sautéed the veggies which smelled delicious on their own.

Then I added the shrimp which had been marinating in the curry sauce along with some crushed tomatoes and a delicious curry came together.  I hope to try many more of Daniel’s curries and other recipes.  He, his posts, recipes and kind words will all be missed.

Shrimp & Vegetable Madras Curry

• 1 TBS. garam masala
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 rounded TBS. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 TBS. Whey Low Gold or brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 rounded TBS. fresh grated ginger
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (I used medium/small shrimp but any size would work)
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 3-4 sweet peppers, mixed red, orange, yellow & green
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut in 8ths
• 1 - 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes

In a large bowl, whisk together the garam masala, cinnamon, curry powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil.  Stir in the shrimp, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a deep pan heat 2 TBS. olive oil on high and add the peppers & mushrooms.  Allow the peppers & mushrooms to brown slightly then stir in the fresh tomatoes and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften.  Add the shrimp curry mixture and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes, stir and let simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes.  Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

 

 

French Fries Hash Browns

Last December when we were in Aruba with my parents, my Mom was trying to use up all the food we had in the kitchen before heading back to the states.  In the freezer was a bag of French fries which most likely would have gone uneaten had she not diced them up and fried them up with some onions & garlic, making boring old fries into a wonderful little side dish.  Well they were really good and I remember that dish each time I have leftover fries so that’s how this recipe was born.

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker asked the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the two given ingredients of tomatoes & peppers.  What perfect ingredients as I have a bounty of both tomatoes and peppers coming daily from my garden.  I love being able to walk outside, pick fresh veggies and eat or use them in a recipe within minutes, so perfectly fresh. Where last month I struggled with what to make for the challenge, this month I knew immediately as this recipe is something that I make for Eammon’s breakfast quite often and I pair it with some perfectly cooked over-easy eggs.  It’s a great way to use up leftover French fries and also get a little bit of veg into him.  The other nice thing about these hash browns is that I use what I have on hand and no matter what variation I make, he always enjoys it.  Next time you have leftover French Fries I hope that you’ll give this recipe a try.

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake 
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

French Fries Hash Browns

• Olive oil
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
• 5 banana peppers, sliced into rings
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely minced
• 1 cup coarsely diced leftover oven baked French fries
• 2 thick slices salami, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over high heat and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the onions, banana peppers, jalapeno, French fries and salami and cook, stirring often until everything starts to lightly caramelize an then add the tomatoes.  Cook until the tomatoes start to pop and caramelize. Add salt & pepper to taste.  Serve with a gorgeous fried egg.

Enjoy!

Thai Cucumber Salad

It’s that time of year again when our garden is busting with cucumbers so I’m once again on the lookout for delicious ways to enjoy our bounty.  Last summer my absolute favorite way to enjoy the cucumbers was my Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad and though I know that I’ll be making that salad many times this summer I decided to try a new salad this year with our first harvest.  I was reading Roz’s blog la bella vita and she had a recipe for a Thai Cucumber Salad which really caught my attention so with my first cucumber harvest of the season I present my version of Roz’s salad which was wonderfully delicious and going into the cucumber salad rotation for future harvests.  

Thai Cucumber Salad (adapted from here)

• 5 cucumbers, seeded (you can also peel them if you like)
• 2 medium red onions
• 4 Thai red chilies, minced (I left the seeds in for the heat but they can be removed)
• 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 3 TBS. peanut oil 
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 
• 2 TBS. soy sauce 
• 3 TBS. Thai garlic chili pepper sauce (this is not HOT sauce at all)
• the zest and juice of 4 fresh limes
• 1/4 cup Whey Low Gold (or palm sugar or brown sugar)
• 3 TBS Thai Fish Sauce 
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Using a mandolin or food processor, thinly slice the cucumber and the onions and add to a large bowl.  Slice the Thai red chilies into rings, leaving in the seeds for extra heat and add to the cucumber & onions.  Chop a bunch of cilantro and also add to the bowl. 

In a separate bowl mix together the dressing ingredients and then pour over the cucumber mixture and stir to coat.  Put the entire mixture in a Ziploc bag and allow to marinate overnight.  This easily keeps in the refrigerator for a good week…if it lasts that long.

Enjoy!

Hearty Sausage, Mushroom & Cheddar Mini Quiche

Generally when I make quiche I do the traditional pie plate sized quiche with a pie crust and cut it into slices or if the mood strikes me I’ll make something special like my Potato Crusted Garden Quiche but I’m always trying to neatly freeze leftover slices and as I’m just not a pie crust person I always scrape the filling out of the crust and end up throwing it away.  I wanted to make things easier so I thought that I would make individual crustless mini quiches and they would be super simple to freeze and we’d be able to pull out just as many as we needed when we wanted to enjoy some for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  These mini quiches are delicious and worked out wonderfully for freezing and re-heating.  Once the quiches were fully cooked and cooled I vacuum sealed them in bags using my FoodSaver.  I was then easily able to pull out just the number of quiches I wanted and they were quick to reheat for a fast delicious meal.

Hearty Sausage, Mushroom & Cheddar Mini Quiche (From here)

• 1-16 oz pkg. Jimmy Dean Regular Flavor Pork Sausage Roll
• 1 cup fresh chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 10 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook sausage, mushrooms and bell pepper in large skillet over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until sausage is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain.  Beat eggs, milk and black pepper in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in sausage mixture, cheese, and green onion. Line 2 cupcake pans with 16 foil baking cups sprayed with cooking spray or if not using baking cups spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon mixture evenly into baking cups. Bake 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  If freezing, allow quiches to cool completely then seal in Ziplock bags removing as much of the air as possible or use a FoodSaver with the zipper bags.  To reheat, thaw and then heat in the microwave (f used, remove the foil liner before microwaving.)

Enjoy!