Back from a little break + lentil and coconut curry stew

We've been staying busy lately! Despite that, I've still been cooking, so do not fret, dear readers. I have some recipes up my sleeve and will be posting a few here very soon, including this great curry soup.

I got a chance to go on a solo trip down to Oregon to visit my family a little over a week ago, which was great. Great quality time. Then it was back to work, fun with friends, ultimate frisbee, tried a couple new restaurants, some "Goodwill hunting" (as Zack calls it) for some neat dishes (which the blog will definitely benefit from), and some great exploring around the Mukilteo area. Spring is coming, and life is good. And curry is always good. Which leads me to this wonderful recipe...

Lentil and coconut curry stew

As adapted from The Little Red House, who adapted their recipe from Scaling Back.

Serves 4-6, depending on serving size.

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons coconut oil 

2 cups lentils (I used a mixture of brown and red)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 large carrots, sliced

1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 heaping tablespoon red curry paste

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup tomato paste

7 cups water

1 15-oz. can coconut milk

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Juice of two limes

Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving (optional)

Heat coconut oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, carrot, and jalapeño. Cook until veggies are almost tender. Add garlic, ginger, curry, spices, salt, and tomato paste; continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Add water, coconut milk, lentils, and chickpeas; bring to low boil and cook, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, until lentils are tender. Stir in lime juice, and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and fresh, warm naan, if desired.

This soup was very delicious and comforting. I'm not sure if I got the curry paste and spice ratio completely right (the color of my soup was a little different from the pictures of The Little Red House's version). Furthermore, the recipe did not indicate how many ounces of coconut milk to use (they just said "one can," and we all know there are different sizes of cans out there), but I figured 15-oz. was probably standard? That being said, the curry stew was great, all the same. I'm betting that this would be lovely over some warm rice, although we skipped that and had some whole-wheat naan from Trader Joe's instead. 

This lentil and coconut curry has a little kick, a beautiful, complex flavor, and the lentils add such satisfying texture. It's a keeper, just may need to make some minor adjustments when it comes to ingredient amounts. If you're into curry, it's definitely worth a try. Enjoy.

Broiled salmon with Mexican salsa verde + corn salad

Salmon is such a great fish and it is so easy to cook (not too mention oh-so-good for you). The options are endless. Furthermore, it's also good just plain and broiled. This makes for an easy weeknight meal.

I went ahead and paired it with Mexican salsa verde and a corn salad as adapted from Mighty Spice. Normally, I might just buy some good green salsa from Trader Joe's, but I'm on a roll with making most things from scratch. I've also discovered the endless opportunities for using my Cuisinart food processor (thank you, Ron). It has a new, permanent place on my kitchen counter. And we all know how I love corn, so this corn and tomato salad appealed to me.

Mexican salsa verde

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1 green jalapeño chili

6 scallions

1 tomato (or a couple small tomatoes)

2 large handfuls cilantro leaves

1 large handful mint leaves

2 large handfuls parsley leaves

juice of 3 limes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make salsa verde, put all ingredients into a food processor with a scant 1/3 cup of water and blend until smooth.

Corn salad

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup corn kernels

1 scant handful mint leaves, finely chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, corn, mint, lime juice, and oil and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Mighty Spice actually calls for broiled red snapper for this meal, which I think would be good with the salsa and corn salad. However, Zack is not a big fan of snapper, so we opted for salmon but I think a whiter fish such as halibut could be good as well.

This was definitely better the next day, so really, the salsa and corn salad could be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. All in all, a pretty simple but good meal.

Roasting my first whole chicken (amateur, I know) as I write, so I better run. More recipes to come soon! Cheers!  

Indian chicken and spinach curry + herb and spice quinoa

Do you ever see a recipe and you are oh-so-excited to make it, but then as you realize you are not even a quarter of the way through cooking, you realize this meal is going to be a bit of an ordeal? Let's just say, it's always good when such recipes turn out well. And delicious. Especially on a weeknight. Because if they don't, doing dishes afterwards is enough to undo you. That is, if eating the meal hasn't already.

I love when cookbooks include a "goes well with" note at the end of a recipe. It's like free, professional help with food pairing. It's nice. Just remember not to bite off more than you can chew on a weeknight. This is more of a reminder to myself than anything.

All that being said, this curry and quinoa creation was pretty tasty. Maybe try it on a weekend.

Indian chicken and spinach curry

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients for the curry:

10 oz. baby spinach

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 large tomatoes (or a few small ones), quartered

4 garlic cloves

1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 jalapeño, sliced lengthwise and seeded 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 lb. 2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

Bring large saucepan of water to boil and add spinach. Cook briefly, just until wilting, then strain, reserving cooking water. Put spinach and a scant 1/2 cup of the cooking water into a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer pureed spinach to a bowl and set aside to cool. Using the same food processor (don't worry about washing), blend garam masala, salt, onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and a little water until smooth. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and throw in cumin seeds. Wait a few seconds until they start crackling, then pour in tomato mixture. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tip in spinach, chicken, and cream (if using), and stir well. Turn up heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Herb and spice quinoa

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

This side dish recipe actually calls for basmati rice, but I decided to try quinoa. The quinoa was great, but be warned - it definitely does not look as pretty as the pilaf rice.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for quinoa:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup cashew nuts
2 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock
1 large handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 large handfuls cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toast cashew nuts in a large skillet over medium heat. Shake pan constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add almonds and continue shaking pan 1-2 minutes longer until nuts are golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Split open cardamom pods on a cutting board with the flat side of a knife. This helps release their flavor. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add split cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Stir-fry 10-20 seconds until seeds start to crackle, then add onion, cooking 3-4 minutes until soft. Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, and onion and spice mixture. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff quinoa with a fork and toss together with toasted nuts, parsley, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

First of all, cumin seeds. They are so fragrant, not to mention the way they crackle in the pan. They are the epitome of the word "crackle." Even more so than Rice Krispies. For real. If you haven't cooked with them, you should give it a try. They're fun. Secondly, cardamom pods - at first I thought I was just going to take the easy way out and use the ground cardamom I had on hand. But then I thought, "No, this is Explorations of an Amateur Cook; I should be willing to try anything!" So I did. The funny part is that I snatched two cardamom pods out of a loose leaf tea I also had on hand to use in this recipe. No judging. Ha ha.

It was also quite humorous that the chicken thighs I had purchased for the curry went missing. Not quite sure where they got left or ended up. But Zack, being the wonderful husband and sous chef that he is, picked up some more for me on his way home from work making this meal possible.

This curry and quinoa was a little ambitious for a weeknight, but it was very tasty. Lots of steps, but satisfying in the end. And I cooked with cardamom seeds for the first time, not to mention putting my own spin on the herb and spice pilaf rice (quinoa, in this case). Plus, mixing up my own garam masala spice mixture (follow the link to it as seen in my ingredient list). An Explorations success if I do say so myself.

The recipes are coming at full force, so don't be too long before you check back here again. Cheers.

Shredded beef tacos

Creative tacos and quesadillas have become one of my favorite go-to meals. I think it's because there is so much you can do with them. And soft tortillas are the way to go with tacos, I think. A nice, soft tortilla toasted up in the oven or in a hot pan. It's just right. I like to buy a variety of 6-inch tortillas such as multigrain, corn and whole wheat blends, etc.

I was so excited to open up Might Spice Cookbook, a gift from my mother-in-law, this Christmas. The pictures are beautiful. And the shredded beef tacos from this cookbook are beautiful.

Shredded beef tacos

Adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4. 

Ingredients:

1lb. 2 oz. skirt steak

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 green jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

a pinch of sugar

8 6-inch tortillas, heated

scant 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (optional)

1 head of romaine lettuce, shredded

4-6 radishes, thinly sliced

3 oz. feta cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Add beef, turn heat down to low, and simmer 30 minutes, or until beef is cooked through. Remove beef from water and set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes, or until onion is golden. Add tomatoes, oregano, thyme, jalapeño, vinegar, tomato paste, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes, or until mixture gets thick. Flake cooked beef and add to pan with tomato sauce. Turn up heat to medium and cook 3-4 minutes until beef is hot. To assemble tacos, place heaping tablespoon of beef into middle of tortillas with a bit of Greek yogurt. Scatter on lettuce, radishes, and feta, and enjoy.

I used some skirt steak I had leftover and frozen from another recipe. I also opted to top my tacos with some Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, as the recipe suggests. 

The beef and tomato mixture was so delightful. This sounds kind of funny to say, but Zack and I thought it almost tasted like beef bolognese. Must have been the oregano and thyme that gave the dish this influence? That being said, these were delicious. The beef is so flavorful, the lettuce adds crunch, and the radishes give it a slightly bitter bite that is really growing on me. "Mighty Spice" was mighty good. You'll be seeing more recipes from this cookbook in the near future.

You regular readers may have noticed that I am now including the recipes, typed-out, in my actual post. That way, you can see adaptations I have made to the recipes. Exploratory, right? And here is a link to the original recipe, for your convenience: Shredded beef tacos.

See you back here, soon. Cheers.

Week One: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro, Chicken with Snap Peas, Greek-Style Halibut, and Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies

This week: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro (you may recognize this from a February 2012 blog post), chicken with snap peas, Greek-style halibut, and iced oatmeal-applesauce cookies. One grocery list, four recipes, three dinners with lunch leftovers for the next day, cookies for dessert, and even extra split pea soup to freeze for later.

First of all, the split pea soup comes from Nordstrom Flavors, a cookbook which continues to impress me and was gifted to me from my mom. And again, see my past blog post (link above) for more information about the recipe. It's a really great spin off of your traditional split pea soup; think, finely diced vegetables like potato, red bell pepper, carrot, celery, and jalapeño. And then add the great flavors of coriander, dry mustard, Tamari soy sauce, and cilantro.

Secondly, Chicken with Snap Peas. I found this recipe through Whole Living; I have this website in my Pulse News favorites on my phone. This is a great weeknight recipe...one pan, 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Heat safflower oil (or vegetable oil as the recipe calls for) over high in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and fresh ground black pepper. I just used skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but you could use whatever chicken you have on hand. Cook chicken on one side (skin side down if not using skinless), until deep golden, about 8-10 minutes. Flip chicken and remove skillet from heat. Remove any fat with a spoon, then return skillet to heat. Add garlic, vinegar, a little bit of sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 17 minutes, then add snap peas and some fresh basil, baking for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and sprinkle with more basil.

This dish has really great flavor, which was maybe even better the next day. I also made some quinoa cooked in chicken stock with diced carrots as a side dish.

Next, Greek-Style Halibut (which you may have seen coming if you've read previously about the frozen wild salmon and halibut fillets Zack and I have been getting from Costco). This is a "tear-out" recipe I've been saving for awhile and it comes from the January 2011 issue of Sunset magazine.

It's another easy one with awesome flavor and good next day quality. And this was also my first time cooking with fennel bulb, which I guess is like an onion with some grassy stuff growing out of it...? Uh, yeah. It has almost a licorice-like quality though, which really adds to the halibut.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Rub halibut fillets with salt and fresh ground black pepper before browning in the pan on one side. Transfer to a plate. Add a little more olive oil to pan, along with fennel (trimmed and cut into wedges/slices). The recipe calls for adding a little ouzo at this point, but I just used white wine. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and tender. Add finely chopped garlic. Add diced tomatoes with juice (low-sodium preferred), a little water, chickpeas (drained and rinsed), and fresh oregano. Reduce heat and simmer, lay halibut fillets (browned sides up) in sauce and simmer until fish is cooked through, 5-10 minutes.

And lastly, these amazing cookies. I'm telling you, you can't go wrong with Martha Stewart when it comes to cookies. Zack and I were thinking we wanted to make some sort of iced oatmeal cookie, and when I found these, with applesauce, we were sold. And they were not disappointing. Find the recipe here: Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies. These are the perfect fall cookie.

Well, that's all for week one of my meal planning, and believe me, week two is turning out to be quite lovely. Stay tuned.

Thai Chicken and Rice Soup

The story: I pulled this jewel out of the January 2011 issue of Sunset magazine. It was featured on a page with some other soups. Sunset says that, in Thailand, this soup is usually served pretty plain for breakfast, using leftover chicken. But this recipe is dressed up with fresh herbs and fried shallots.

I'm not even sure why I chose this recipe. I usually shy away from anything fried. Especially, fried onion rings. But somehow, I knew Zack would appreciate this recipe since it was "Thai" and because he is a pretty bit onion ring fan. And I am pretty sure I will never be making onion rings. So this is the closest thing to it: golden brown fried shallots.

Put chicken broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked rice, salt, and minced fresh ginger. Simmer 15 minutes or  until flavors develop (and believe me, you will be smelling those flavors).

Heat canola oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Fry thinly sliced garlic for about 2 minutes, turning constantly. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Toss thinly sliced shallots in a small bowl with flour,  coating and breaking up the rings. Fry in the same oil used for the garlic until golden brown. Drain on fresh paper towels.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with fresh cilantro and basil, a sprinkle of fried garlic, a few slivers of fried shallot, and a few slices of jalapeno.

This soup was so comforting and the jalapeno adds some great heat. Great way to clear the sinuses. In fact, it would be so good when you're not feeling well. Or any other time for that matter. A winner.