Thai Coffee Frappe

Every once in a while we crave a special treat and a Thai coffee is often what is desired. As it's hot outside, we decided to take it one step further and turn that coffee into a Thai Coffee Frappe.  Something a bit different and total deliciousness!!   

Thai Coffee Frappe

• 2 cups strong brewed coffee
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• scant 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
• pinch roasted cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 oz. sweetened condensed milk, more or less to taste

To the hot coffee, add the coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla.  Stir to combine and then place covered in fridge overnight (or longer) to cool and for flavors to develop.  When ready to make the frappe, add the spiced coffee, cream, condensed milk and ice to the jar of a blender.  Process until smooth.  Makes 2-3 servings.  Top with whipped cream if desired.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Chicken Satay with SunButter “Peanut” Sauce

Is it just me or does 2014 seem to be passing at warp speed?  Maisie’s 9th birthday has come and gone, Halloween with our adorable fart-gun-toting minion has passed and today marks the 8 year referral-versary of the first time we laid eyes on a picture of our A-Maisie-ing Maisie, and though Thanksgiving is still over three weeks away, all the stores have decked the isles with all things Christmas.  Today is also Secret Recipe Club reveal day!  This month for SRC we were assigned Jess’ blog, Inquiring Chef.  Jess, her husband and adorable 6 month old twin girls live in Bangkok so her blog is filled with the sights, sounds and recipes of Thailand…and other interesting travels and tastes too!  I’ll bet that time is flying for Jess too as it was just a few months back, when her cutie-patootie girls were just a mere 6 weeks old, that she cooked from our blog, making one of Maisie’s favorite treats, Oatmeal, Cashew & Chocolate Granola Bars. 

We here in the Cook Lisa Cook home adore Thai food so there were dozens of recipes that we wanted to make.  Many of Jess’ recipes, though a bit different, mirrored ones that we’ve already made. Jess has a Tom Yam Gung (Spicy Prawn Soup) similar but different to my Tom Yam Ghoong (Spicy Shrimp Soup), My Red Curry Chicken is almost identical to Jess’ Red Curry Salmon (going to have to try this as we adore Red Curry Chicken and know it would be delicious on salmon!)  Then there are the variations on another soup, my Thai Chicken Noodle Soup and Jess’ Thai Style Chicken Noodle Soup.  We both also enjoy tasty drinks with Jess’ Mango Lassi and my slightly spicier Mango Lassi.  How we would love to live and eat at Jess’s home as there were so many other delicious looking and sounding recipes which totally enticed us.  We looked at making Jess’ Thai Chili Eggplant, Thai Shrimp Salad, and her Thai Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps and we really must try making some Nam Prik Pao instead of always buying it.  Oh, and don’t her Chocolate Banana Tarts just look divine!!  In the end we decided to make one of our favorite treats, which we’ve never made at home, Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce.

I of course made a couple of changes to Jess’ recipe to put it more inline with our dietary restrictions, the most notable was using SunButter in place of peanut butter.  Our other small changes included, replacing the sugar with a whole Medjool date, subbing Coconut Aminos for the soy sauce and roasted cashews for the peanuts.  Jess presented her Chicken Satay with two dipping sauces but we chose to omit her Sweet & Tart Thai Dipping Sauce, though delicious, it’s predominantly sugar so better for us to avoid.  Following Jess’ recipe was easy and the taste was… well, I was going to say just as good, but honestly it was SO much better than any Chicken Satay we’ve had previously.  All of us gobbled the chicken and sauce up with the only complaint being that we all wanted more!  A couple of notes if you plan to make this at home.  Sometimes finding fresh galangal and fresh turmeric can be difficult so when we do find it, we purchase extra, wash and dry it, and store it in a sealed bags in the freezer.  Then when needed for a recipe we easily grate it right from frozen.  If you can’t find galangal feel free to substitute fresh ginger and if needed, dried turmeric for fresh.   

Chicken Satay with SunButter “Peanut” Sauce  (Adapted from here)

Chicken:

• 2 small skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 8 oz.)
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 2 inches only (discard top green stalk)
• 2 1-inch pieces of fresh turmeric, peeled (substitute 2 tsp. ground turmeric if preferred)
• 2 peels of fresh lime zest
• 1 tsp. fresh grated galangal (or fresh ginger) 
• 1 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1 Medjool date, pit removed  
• 1 TBS. Coconut Aminos 
• 3 TBS. full-fat coconut milk 
• 6 whole roasted cashews

Thinly slice chicken into equal strips, about ¼ inch thick and several inches in length.  Except for the chicken, combine all the remaining ingredients in a food processor  and pulse until mixture becomes a paste and only small pieces of the ingredients remain. Transfer the paste to a bowl and add the chicken, stirring to evenly coat. Refrigerate and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 hours.

Thread a bamboo skewer through each piece of chicken. Grill the chicken skewers on an outdoor grill or a grill pan, until cooked through. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce, recipe below.

SunButter “Peanut” Sauce:

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, divided
• 2 Medjool dates, pits removed 
• 1/2 cup finely crushed roasted cashews
• 2 TBS. tamarind paste  
• 1 TBS. plus 2 tsp. Coconut Aminos 
• 1/4 tsp. curry powder (I used “hot” but mild works too) 
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

In a blender, place 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and add the Medjool dates, process to a smooth paste.  Heat the remaining 3/4 cup of coconut milk until boiling, stirring continuously to prevent it from boiling over, and allow it to boil for 1 minute.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer  Add the coconut milk/date mixture and all remaining sauce ingredients. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

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

Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk

After a very.long.break, it’s once again, finally, Secret Recipe Club posting time!  It feels like forever since we were last here, between people being sick, Thanksgiving, more sickness, being with family, more sickness, the holidays, snow storms, more sickness, day-to-day life and each SRC group taking a little break…well, it’s been a long time since my last post so it’s good to be back. 

For my inaugural assignment of 2014 I was given Elizabeth’s blog, Food Ramblings.  Elizabeth’s blog is filled with wonderful healthy or healthier-than-the-original recipes, so perfect for the way we’ve been eating here in the Cook Lisa Cook home and an ideal way to begin a new year.  As soon as I received my assignment I searched through Elizabeth’s blog, reading dozens and dozens of tempting recipes and I narrowed my list down to four; garlic roasted green beans with pecans, chicken coconut curry soup, basil polenta with roasted spinach and tomatoes, which I was going to modify and do with cauli-rice in place of the polenta and, of course the chosen recipe of garlic seafood in coconut milk. 

Now before I continue with the recipe, let me tell you a little small world story.  Many times our (fabulous, talented, kind, beautiful, smart, A-Maisie-ing, yes we’re bragging, proud parents) daughter Maisie, has appeared on this blog and many of our regular readers also read her blog, Moments with Maisie and know that just over seven years ago we adopted Maisie from China.  Through the years we have met, both in real life and online, many friends through the China adoption community and that’s where the choosing of this recipe comes into play. 

You may have seen the news this past Tuesday about Atlanta being brought to a stand-still because of two inches of snow fall.  Well it wasn’t the snow amounts that caused all the problems but rather the almost instant icing that turned all the roads into a skating rink along with schools, business and government all being closed at the exact same time, but I digress…  One of our local friends, Roger, whom we originally met through the China adoption community, got stuck in all the traffic, gridlock and accidents, with most of his time being spent on Johnson Ferry Rd, the main road we live off of.  At close to 11PM, after 9+ hours and 8 miles remaining to travel to his home and family, he landed safely at our home.  After a hot dinner and a beer for him, we all thankfully slept safe and warm.  By late Wednesday afternoon he was able to safely make the trek home even though it did involve dodging wrecks & abandoned cars, detours because of road closures and avoiding re-freezing roads and black ice.  Roger was still at our home for lunch and on an icy cold day nothing is better than a steaming bowl of soup.  After checking the pantry and realizing that I had the fixings for both of Elizabeth’s soups I let Roger pick which he’d enjoy and he was the one who chose.  Now this is where the story gets a bit small-world-ish.  Elizabeth posted her garlic seafood in coconut milk recipe as a guest writer on another blog called Diana Rambles.  Now I have “known” Diana through the China adoption community for over eight years.  So how small world is that, my cooking community through Elizabeth’s Food Rambles writes a guest post on Diana’s Diana Rambles, whom I know through the China adoption community and our stranded snowmageddon house guest, whom we also know through the China adoption community happens to pick that recipe. 

Okay, enough of my ramblings…  Roger made a wonderful choice and after he returned home I heard from his wife just how much he enjoyed the soup, but oddly nothing about how much he enjoyed sleeping in Maisie’s princess palace  ;)  I think that this soup will not only be made again in our home, but become a regular in his home too.  We did made a few small changes to Elizabeth’s original recipe as we left out the rice, my blend of seafood was slightly different, I substituted lime juice for the lemon juice and fish sauce for her salt and instead of mixed frozen veggies I used what I had, sugar snap peas and then added some straw mushrooms just because I had them and knew they would work well.  I know that it sounds like a lot of substitutions but it was acid for acid, salt for salt, veg for veg and fish for fish and just goes to show, in recipes like this, you can still have the same base dish working with what you have on hand.  Check out Elizabeth’s original recipe or make our version, either one will prove to be a delicious choice.

Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk (adapted from here)

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 4 cloves  fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 14 oz can coconut milk 
• 8 oz. sugar snap peas
• 15 oz. can straw mushrooms, drained
• 1 lb seafood blend with shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels and calamari
• 1 TBS. lime juice
• 1 TBS. fish sauce, or more to taste

In a large pot, heat oil on medium. Add the onion and cook slowly until they starts to turn golden.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and softened. Add the cilantro and red pepper flakes and cook for another couple minutes. 

Add the diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir to combine and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar snap peas & mushrooms and simmer until the snap peas are tender.  Bring to a boil and then add the seafood.  Cover and remove from the heat immediately.  Allow the seafood to poach for about 10 minutes until cooked through.  Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce to taste. 

Enjoy! 

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

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

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.

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again, so you know I’m excited, I love this time of month!  This month I was assigned Jessie’s blog Vanderbilt Wife.  I really loved reading her blog, seeing her adorable children and all her wonderful recipes, of which there are many so be sure to click on over and check them out.  I debated back and forth as to which recipe to make but in the end I decided on her Toddler Thai:  Noodles in Peanut Sauce with Chicken.  Jessie’s son is lactose intolerant and she makes this recipe for him and as my Maisie is allergic to wheat, egg & dairy, it was just a simple change of pasta to also make it gluten free and safe for my girl. 

I sautéed up two chicken breasts as I had them defrosted and thought that I would use the second one in a chicken salad…but Maisie had other ideas.  Somehow between the time I started cooking this recipe and the time Maisie started eating it, she decided that she no longer liked the taste of peanut butter…but that of course could change tomorrow…and can we say finicky little girl???  She ate a little of the noodles and then asked for plain noodles with some of the chicken and ketchup…OY!!  I think she’s seven going on tween and definitely has become much more opinionated and picky.  Oh well, all was not lost with this recipe as I spiced it up a little with some Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce and a bit of Sriracha and what was to be Maisie’s, became Eammon’s dinner.  Maisie’s loss was Eammon’s gain as he absolutely loved the pasta and all the flavors.  And little Miss Picky enjoyed her plain bean thread noodles, chicken and ketchup…oh well at least she ate and got some protein and calories into her…even if she did miss out on a delicious meal!

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

• 3 oz. bean thread noodles or noodles of your choice 
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• five spice powder
• ginger
• sesame oil
• peanut oil
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 2 TBS. honey 
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• 1 TBS. Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
• Sriracha to taste 
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots
• Cilantro for garnish

Prepare the noodles according to package directions.  Drain, rinse and set aside.

Season the chicken with the five spice powder and ginger.  Heat a large cast iron skillet and add a thin layer of half sesame oil and half peanut oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear on each side, then cover the pan and remove from the heat.  The residual heat in the cast iron pan will continue to cook the chicken and it won’t get over cooked and dried out.  Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and slice thinly.  To the now empty pan, add the the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, 1 TBS of sesame oil, Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce, Sriracha and carrots and heat, stirring to blend well.  Once hot, stir in the noodles and the sliced chicken breast.  Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

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 Curry Shrimp with Shirataki Noodles

Ages and ages ago I saw a recipe on Catherine’s blog Weelicious for Thai Curry Cellophane Noodles and because of the flavors of the ingredients I knew that it would be a winning recipe in our home so I tucked it away in my “need to make” file.  It took a while to actually make her dish but oh am I ever glad that I did because it was a huge success with all of us and even better, with very minor changes it was not only safe for Maisie’s allergies but it also fit in with my diet of avoiding carbs and sugar.  Honestly right off the top it was Maisie “safe” but to make it fit better into my diet I substituted Catherine’s bean thread noodles with Shirataki Noodles which contain no carbs or calories and in texture are very similar to the bean thread noodles!  This dish was simple to make, delicious and honestly really good cold as I finished the leftovers for breakfast…Shhhhh…  This recipe is a keeper and will be made time and time again.

Thai Curry Shrimp with Shirataki Noodles (adapted from here)  

• 2 – 7 oz. packages angel hair or vermicelli Shirataki Noodles 
• 1 TBS cornstarch
• 2 – 13.5 oz. cans lite coconut milk
• 1 TBS vegetable oil or canola oil
• 2 medium sweet onions, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, julienned
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh minced ginger
• 4 large scallions, white & green parts chopped
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 4 tsp Jamaican curry powder 
• 1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 TBS fish sauce 
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Drain and rinse the noodles very well.  I generally allow them to soak in some water for a few minutes and then rinse a few times.

In a bowl combine the cornstarch and coconut milk and set aside.  Heat oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium heat, add onions and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the red bell peppers, garlic, ginger, scallions, salt and curry powder and sauté another 2-3 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously.  Add the coconut milk mixture, lime juice, fish sauce and cilantro and stir to mix.  Heat through until mixture starts to thicken up.  Add the drained noodles and stir for another minute or until noodles are coated with the sauce and heated through.

Enjoy!

Chicken Satay Noodle Salad

I have been participating in The Secret Recipe Club since June of last year and still each month I’m excited to receive my assignment so I can immediately start stalking my assigned blog searching for the recipe I want to make and feature.  This month was no different and when I received my assignment of Barbara’s Barbara Bakes I immediately started perusing her extensive list of recipes.  Finding the “one” recipe that I wanted to make was quite difficult as Barbara’s recipe list is quite extensive and so many caught my eye including zucchini bacon & cheese fritters, her braised beef short ribs and funeral potatoes (because the one time I had them they were oh-so-delicious) or one of her Daring Cooks recipes, boeuf bourguignon…yum!  Then there was her Cafe Rio sweet pork barbacoa which really called my name because I LOVE eating at Cafe Rio when I’m out visiting friends in Utah, it’s my favorite and one day I will make Cafe Rio’s sweet pork barbacoa as well as the other recipes which I bookmarked from Barbara’s site.  In the end I decided to make Barbara’s chicken satay noodle salad, a perfect meal for a hot Georgia summer night. 

Because I can never leave any recipe as it is, I did make a few changes to Barbara’s recipe but really so that it fit better with our diets and just little taste changes.  For the taste changes I used cilantro instead of parsley because I love the flavor of cilantro with satay and then as Barbara didn’t specify a hot pepper sauce I decided to use two different ones, Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce and Sriracha.  To fit better with our diets I omitted the oil, used sugar free honey and I switched out Barbara’s whole wheat spaghetti for Shirataki noodles as I’m avoiding carbs and with Maisie and her allergies, the Shirataki noodles fit both our diets.

This dish easily came together as I had most of the ingredients in the house and this recipe was a perfect way to use some of the chicken I froze the last time I made my “Rotisserie” Chicken.  Also, since I decided to make this as a cold noodle salad it all came together in one bowl so my clean up was easy-peasy.

This recipe was simple and delicious with the wonderful contrasting sweet, sour, salty & spicy flavors that I love in Thai food.  This salad was a hit with all of us and I can see it gracing our table many nights to come.

Chicken Satay Noodle Salad (adapted from here)

• 1/3 cup peanut butter, softened
• 2 TBS. sugar free honey 
• 1/4 cup tamari, or dark soy sauce  
• Juice and zest of 2 limes
• 1 tsp. Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce 
• 1 tsp. Sriracha 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 – 7 oz. package Shirataki noodles (I use the thin vermicelli), drained and rinsed very, very well
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots   
• 2 cups skinned and shredded “rotisserie” chicken
• 1 cup packed fresh spinach, thinly sliced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, plus extra for garnish 
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish

In a large bowl whisk together the peanut butter, honey and tamari.  Add the lime juice & zest, hot pepper sauces and garlic then whisk until smooth.  Add the noodles, carrots and chicken and fold to mix.  Gently fold in the spinach, green onions, peanuts & cilantro.  Top with additional cilantro and peanuts for serving.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

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

Curried Grilled Thai Chicken Salad

I know that it seems like I’ll never stop posting about the meal I made when friends Lisa, Doug & Briana came to visit, eat and play almost two weeks ago.  I’m telling you the food was delicious, Grilled Thai Chicken and it’s perfect complement, Thai Cucumber Salad with cukes fresh picked from the garden.  Then to satisfy my rib cravings, Chili Maple Mustard Ribs and my still un-posted chocolate dessert recipe which will post on Monday, July 9 as my Secret Recipe Club entry, well the meal all around was just delicious.  I did have quite the leftovers though and I easily froze the ribs but with the Grilled Thai Chicken I decided to make it into a curried chicken salad using flavors to compliment the marinade already grilled onto the chicken while using ingredients I had already in my pantry.  I made the recipe up as I went along but I’m so pleased that I had the sense to write it down as I went along as this chicken was absolutely wonderful and a huge hit with both Eammon and I.  I know that I’ll be making this salad again even using plain grilled chicken breasts if I don’t have leftover Grilled Thai Chicken breasts because this salad was the bomb!

I would have had this recipe posted sooner but between Maisie’s always busy schedule and the fact that I have been suffering with a major sinus infection and a wicked ~going on five days already~ migraine, well just staying up and out of bed with my eyes open is a huge accomplishment for the day when I can do it…but trust me, this recipe was worth the wait and I hope that you’ll give it a try.

Curried Grilled Thai Chicken Salad 

• 3-4 leftover Grilled Thai Chicken breasts, small dice (or leftover grilled skinless, boneless chicken breasts)
• 1/2 c. Hellmann’s real mayonnaise 
• 1/2 c. sour cream (I prefer Breakstone Sour Cream)
• 2 TBS. Major Grey chutney 
• 1 TBS. Jamaican curry powder 
• 1 Granny Smith apple, small dice
• 1/4 c. golden raisins 
• 2 TBS. finely minced cilantro
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 TBS. unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

In a large bowl mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chutney & curry powder.  Add the diced chicken, diced apple, raisins & cilantro.  Using a large spoon, mix everything together until well blended.  Top the chicken salad with the toasted almonds and Coconut.  For myself, I served the chicken salad on full leaves of romaine lettuce so that the whole thing could be rolled into a little wrap.  For Eammon I took the entire serving above, lettuce and all and put it onto some toasted multi-grain bread and he enjoyed it as a sandwich.  So many options and all delicious.

Enjoy!