Chicken Coconut Curry

Ok, so I'm a huge fan of indian food, and I saw this recipe on {My Kitchen Cafe} and HAD to try it. 

It. Is. Divine!!

  So flavorful, but not too hot and spicy.  The coconut calms the heat down.  My son even likes it!!

Chicken Coconut Curry

2 lbs ckicken breasts, cut in 1/2" cubes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp curry

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 sweet potato, cut in 1/2" chunks

1 can coconut milk

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

6 tbsp sugar

Jasmine rice, cooked

Season chicken with walt and pepper.  Heat oil, curry, and paprika in a large skillet over med-low head for 2 minutes, or until it's fragrant.  Do not let it burn.  Turn heat to medium and add onions and garlic.  Cook 10 minutes, until onions are clear.  Add chicken and toss to coat.  Cook 7-10 minutes (I actually just put the chicken in with the onions and garlic to save time)  Add potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 - 40 minutes - until sauce thickens.  Serve over rice.  Garnish with cilantro.

You'll love it!

Apricot Chicken

This recipe is from a Rachel Ray cookbook. I'm not sure which one.

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 lbs. chicken tenders, halved on an angle

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 large onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

12 dried pitted apricots, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup apricot all-fruit spread or apricot preserves

2 Tbsp. chopped chives, for garnish

Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium high heat. Add evoo and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly brown the chicken on each side. Add onions and cook, 5 minutes. Add vinegar to the pan and let it evaporate. Add apricots and broth. When broth comes to a bubble, add preserves and stir to combine. cover pan, reduce heat and simmer, 10-15 minutes. Serve chicken with a sprinkle of chives as garnish.

I put this on top of rice.

Chocolate Eclairs

I got this recipe in the mail with those bunches of cards that people randomly send. I put green food coloring in the dough and pudding filling for St. Patricks Day.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Baking 45 minutes

Makes 12 eclairs

Filling

1 package (about 3 1/2 ounces) chocolate pudding and pie filling (I used vanilla and put green food coloring in it)

2 cups milk

Pastry

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 medium eggs

Frosting

2 tbsp. butter

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

To prepare filling, cook pudding according to package directions. Chill for 1 hour.

To prepare pastry, in a heavey saucepan, heat butter, water and salt over medium high heat until mixture boils and butter melts.

Reduce heat to low. Vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball.

Transfer pastry to a bowl; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Drop dough into 12 mounds, about 5 inches apart, on prepared baking sheet.

Spread each mound into a 4 x 1/2 inch rectangle, piling dough on top and slightly rounding sides.

bake until golden, 35 minutes. Remove from oven; make a 1 inch long slit on side of each eclair. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cook.

To prepare frosting, heat butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Slice eclairs in half. Spoon about 1 tbsp. of filling onto each bottom half and replace tops. Spread tops with frosting.

**I don't worry about making the dough mounds just so-so as you can see by my photo. And I like to add some flavoring to the frosting...like peppermint or orange. This things can be devoured very quickly.

Mile-high tortilla pie

This is another recipe from my parents magazine.

serves 6

prep time 15 minutes

cook time 15 minutes

1 can (19 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (11 oz) whole-kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained

1 jar (16 oz) chunky, mild salsa

1 pkg. (10 oz) fajita-style cooked chicken

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

5 (10") low-fat flour tortillas

2 cups (8 oz). shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Fat-free sour cream (optional)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, salsa, chicken and cilantro.

Coat the bottom of the baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in coated pan. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the bean mixture and 1/4 of cheese. Layer 3 more times, finishing with the last tortilla.

Bake in oven 15-20 minutes, or until cheese melts and filling is hot. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Taco Soup

I got this recipe from a roommate, Amber Woodmansee.

1/2 pound ground beef, browned and greaseless

1 can of diced or stewed tomatoes
1 can of corn
1 can of red kidney beans
1/2 cup salsa or spaghetti sauce
2 tbsp. chili pwder
garlic salt (optional and to taste)
salt and pepper to taste.

sour cream
frito chips

Dump everything into a pot--do not drain the cans.
Bring everything to a boil and it's done.

Chicken Curry Fruit Salad

This is my own recipe. I love this dish.

3 Tbsp. chopped onion

3 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1 1/4 tsp curry powder

3/4 cup light mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

3 cups diced, cooked chicken

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, mostly drained

1 red apple, cored and diced

1/3 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup purple grapes, halved

1/2 cup green grapes, halved

a few Tbsp. celery, sliced

Coconut

In a small bowl, mix onion and water, let stand for 10 minutes. Melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Add onions and curry powder, cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir curry mixture, mayonnnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add chicken, pineapple, apples, almonds, celery, ad grapes. Toss gently then sprinkle with coconut.

Crispy coconut chicken

****Please excuse the horrible picture! I realized after we were halfway through that I hadn't taken a picture! It's kind of a mess.

I got this from the Parents magazine. I really love the recipes from there.

Serves 4

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 40 minutes

2/3 cup crushed multigrain crackers (about 8)

1/3 cup flaked coconut (I added more because I like coconut)

1 jar (9 oz.) mango chutney

3 tbs. lime juice

1 tsp. curry powder

8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed (I used chicken breasts and it worked out beautifully)

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

1 up cooked brown rice

Heat oven to 375. Place crackers in a large zip-top plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or cup. add coconut to the bag and shake. In a small bowl, stir together the chutney, lime juice, and curry powder,. Remove 1/4 cup of chutney mixture and set aside. Dip the chicken, one piece at a time, in the remaining chutney mixture, then place chicken inside the bag. Shake to coat.

Bake chicken on a foil-lined shallow baking pan for 40 minutes, or until they're done. Cover chicken loosely with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent over browning.

In a bowl, toss peas with reserved chutney mixture. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through. combine peas and rice and serve with chicken.