Thai Shrimp Curry with Summer squash

You guys, this is really *really* good. Eat it by itself, with rice, whatever..it's all good. Again, I don't have a picture, but i'll try to remember to add one when I make it next. The only change that I make is that I switch the shrimp out for chicken.

Thai Shrimp Curry with Summer Squash

INGREDIENTS:

For the dish:
2 T neutral-flavored oil, like grapeseed
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 large onion, peeled and chopped.
1/2 tsp salt
2 Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium yellow squash, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cups seafood, vegetable, or chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk or 2/3 cup coconut cream concentrate(see note)
1 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled with tails on
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2-3 T Thai curry paste (recipe below)
1 cup cashews (toasting optional)

For the homemade curry paste:
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves
Two 1/4-inch slices fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 tsp finely ground dried red chili peppers
1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
4 plump garlic cloves, peeled & halved
Grated zest from 2 limes
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/3 neutral-flavored oil, like grapeseed 

*The curry paste is a little time consuming, so half the time i'll just buy a store bought one and I think it tastes just a good. The one that I buy is at sproutes, but I saw some at stator brothers, so you can probably find it anywhere. 

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare the dish:
In a large, heavy skillet or pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, onion and salt to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes. Onions should be translucent and soft, but not brown. Add all of the vegetables and the chicken broth (the next 7 ingredients). Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are fork tender.

Meanwhile, pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until it is reduced by about half. (See note)

When the vegetables are done, add the reduced coconut milk, shrimp, lime juice, cilantro, and curry paste to the skillet. Stir to combine and cook another 5 minutes over medium heat until shrimp are pink and no longer translucent. Taste and adjust the seasonings (salt & curry paste) to suit your taste.

Serve with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and a handful of cashews.

Serves 6-8.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

This is my families favorite right now, so I thought I would share. I didn't take any pictures of it when I was cooking it, but I figured I should stop using my forgetfulness as an excuse, so here it is! And I'll add a picture the next time I cook it, it's delicious though, just cook it!

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup quinoa cooked according to package directions (**I cooked it in chicken broth, it adds great flavor!) 
1 – 14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 
1 – 14 ounce can corn, drained 
1/2 of a large red bell pepper 
4 green onions, diced 
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
Juice from 2 limes 
1/3 cup olive oil 
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
1 teaspoon salt 

DIRECTIONS 

Cook 1 cup quinoa according to package directions. I like to cook my quinoa in either vegetable stock or chicken stock to add a little flavor. I also like to rinse it before I cook it. To do this, just place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse it under water for a few minutes. When the quinoa is done cooking, fluff it with a fork, transfer it to a large bowl, and allow it to cool completely (about 15 minutes). In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, black pepper and salt. When the quinoa has cooled, add in black beans, corn, red bell pepper, chopped green onions, and cilantro. Stir in dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Leftovers the next day are even better! Enjoy!

**We actually don't really like cold food, so we don't let the quinoa cool, we just mix everything together nice and warm and serve it like that. We even heat up the leftovers, but try it out and see how you like it!

Recipe: http://centercutcook.com/southwest-quinoa-salad/

chicken and sausage Jambalaya

Made this for my dinner group tonight. It wasn't bad everyone seemed to enjoy it but we had so many leftovers. it was crazy! so if you make it for a smaller group cut the rice down.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion chopped (I used a sweet onion)
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper
8oz boneless chicken breast
4 cloves of garlic
2 cans of stewed tomatoes (or fresh ones cut up you just need a little more)
3 sausages cut up into smaller pieces ( I used a Louisiana seasoned chicken sausage)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp creole seasoning
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional I didn't use it)
4 cups cooked brown rice ( way too many leftovers if I make it again I will add 2 cups maybe)

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and pepper, cook stirring until crisp tender about 5 minutes

Stir in chicken cook stirring until chicken is no longer pink on the outside about 5 minutes

Stir in remaining ingredients minus the rice (tomatoes, sausages, and seasonings etc) bring to a boil reduce heat to a simmer stirring occasionally

Stir in cooked rice continue cooking until the liquid is almost absorbed and rice is thoroughly covered and mixed. 

I served it with a veggie shake and some fruit.

Enjoy!

Blueberry French toast

Got this recipe from a friend. It was pretty good. 

For a 9x13 pan:

In a large mixing bowl, break 6 eggs and mix with about 3/4 cup milk (or cream).  Add a tsp or so of vanilla. 

Bread - about 3/4 loaf of French bread, cut into thick slices, then torn into cubes. Toss the bread in the egg mixture. Spread into a buttered 9x13 pan. 

Blueberries - toss about 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries with 1/2 cup sugar, some cinnamon and about 1 T cornstarch. Pour berries over the bread mixture. 

Bake 425• for about 20 min.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup. 

Notes:

I baked for a little longer

Served with fresh fruit mix of bananas, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. Yummy! 

Use warm organic syrup or no syrup. I actually enjoyed mine plain with no powdered sugar. 

Sprinkled with powdered sugar

Taco soup

Ingredients:

4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used a homemade stock)

1 can tomato sauce no sugar added

2 large tomatoes chopped (or 1 can stewed tomatoes)

1 can black beans (rinsed)

1 can kidney beans rinsed

1 can pinto beans rinsed

1 lbs ground turkey (browned in separate pot with garlic and onion for flavor)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin powder

1/2 pound frozen corn (1/2 small bag)

***mine needed a little more flavoring. I added salt and pepper and some taco seasoning in addition to the a I've seasoning.***

I served it with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips for the kids. I ate mine plain. Served with a bread stick on the side (you can do a roll if you desire even homemade is a better choice :0) Yummy! 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot and heat through.

Note: turkey is cooked and browned prior to adding it to the soup.

Garlic & Lemon chicken with Red potatoes & green beans

Yummy this a dish worth doing again. The only thing is that it is very lemony. If I do it again probably less lemon and a little more salt, pepper & garlic. 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound trimmed green beans
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 chicken breasts 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°F ( 180). Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the chicken, green beans and potatoes and toss to coat. Pour this mix into the pan and spread around evenly. ( did this in a large Ziploc bag way easier to clean up and coat)

Roast for 50 minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm. ( mine was actually ready in 35-40 minutes)

My version of the ingredients coming out of the oven. I have more people to feed. 

On the side we had a nice salad:

Carrots, tomatoes, red onions, red bell pepper with poppyseed dressing. 

Crockpot Potato Soup

So this is originally a crockpot recipe but I forgot or didn't have time to put it in the crockpot so I just cooked it in a big pot for dinner. Probably would have more flavor our of a crockpot but it was still very good and worth making again. It was a good recipe I made some adjustments to accommodate my lifestyle and family taste buds. Found this on Pinterest. 

Ingredients:
1 Yellow onion
2 Stalks of celery
2 medium carrots
1 TBSP minced Garlic
3 lbs. red potatoes
6 cups Chicken broth ( I used stock)
2 cups milk ( I used raw organic)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

I added one pound of cooked bacon puréed in a blender with the soup

1. Finely dice the celery and onion. Peel the carrots and then grate them on a cheese grater. Mince the garlic or use pre-minced from a jar. Add all of this to the slow cooker. Clean the potatoes well, cut into one inch cubes or smaller, and add them to the slow cooker.
2. Prepare 6 cups of chicken broth by dissolving the chicken base in 6 cups of water (or use homemade or store bought broth). Add to the slow cooker. Add some freshly cracked black pepper (about a ¼ tsp). Secure the lid on the cooker and cook on high for approximately 8 hours (give or take an hour).
3. Open the slow cooker and test the potatoes for tenderness. They should be very soft. The onions and celery should also be very soft and transparent. Whisk ¼ cup of flour into 2 cups of milk and then stir that mixture into the soup. Secure the lid once more and let cook on high for another 30 minutes.
4. Cook the bacon over the stove whole No need to separate the pieces. Crispy on the edges. Place in a food processor or blender to purée or mince add to the soup. 
5. After 30 minutes, the soup should once again be bubbling. It needs to be bubbling for the flour to have it’s full thickening power. Use a potato masher, immersion blender, or a hand mixer to “mash” the potatoes. Or, you can transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree (be careful, it’s HOT) until smooth and then stir it back in to the rest. Taste the soup and add salt as needed (about one teaspoon). Serve hot.

Notes

You can replace milk with almond milk

You can omit bacon and use additional seasoning (Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, some Cajun for a little but of spice and flavor)

I served it with a Caesar salad on the side and raspberries. 

Homemade lemonade was the drink. Yummy!

Here is what mine looked like.