Thursday, May 22, 2014

Thai Vegetable Stir Fry with Coriander Rice

Its Thai New Year or Songkran so "สุขสันต์วันสงกรานต์" (suk san wan songkran) — meaning "Happy Songkran Day"




 Im a big fan of Tilda rice and use their brown rice on a regular basis.  Emma at Wildcard, sent me a couple of packs of their Lime and Coriander Microwave Rice and a recipe to celebrate Thai New Year:

Thai Vegetable Stir Fry with Coriander Rice
Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

2 x 250g packs Tilda Lime & Coriander rice
1 tbsp oil
250g mushrooms, halved
100g soya beans
175g baby corn, halved
1 red pepper, sliced into long strips
2 tbsp Thai Taste Thai green curry paste (60g)
2 pak choi, sliced (235g)
160ml can coconut cream
2 tsp Thai fish sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (opt)
My additions:  50g mangetout peas, chilli oil 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms, soya beans, corn and
pepper for 3-4 minutes. Add the curry paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the
pak choi and fry for 2 minutes. Add the coconut cream and fish sauce, simmer
for 1-2 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the pack and garnish with the sesame
seeds if using. Serve with the vegetable stir fry.
Cooks tip
For a meat option, replace the mushrooms, soya beans and baby corn with
500g minced turkey.
Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/TildaRice and follow us on Twitter @Tildabasmati
Ingredients

Scottish Chilli Oil 


It was a really tasty stir-fry and the rice was delicious, full of flavour and no artificial taste at all.  Ideal if you are in a hurry or want something really flavourful without too much time in the kitchen.


The Songkran festival (Thai: สงกรานต์, Khmer: សង្រ្កាន្ត; from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti,[1] or literally "astrological passage") is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Years Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia.
The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays immediately following. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter 1 April was used until 1940. 1 January is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.
Songkran has traditionally been celebrated as the New Year for many centuries, and is believed to have been adapted from an Indian festival. It is now observed nationwide, even in the far south. However, the most famous Songkran celebrations are still in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer. It has also become a party for foreigners and an additional reason for many to visit Thailand for immersion in another culture. (source Wikipedia)


 See what the Thai people get up to for their New Year celebrations:

 Songkran festival: new year in Thailand and Myanmar marked with water fights

 Many thanks to Emma at Wildcard and to Tilda for the rice. 

 This months Sweet Heat challenge  at Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops is Spicy Thai Food, so Im entering this stir fry.

 

Read More..

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Creamy White Chili and Cornbread

This soup comes from the "My Kitchen Cafe" blog. She has a lot of tasty recipes and this one was definitely a winner! (She also happens to be my brother-in-laws cousin). It has a little bit of a kick to it and it has tons of flavor. Ive made it twice now and it was delicious both times. I also found a yummy cornbread recipe from Martha Stewart to go with it. Both were really easy and super delicious. (My picture is lame, but it really is good). Yum!


Creamy White Chili

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. oil
2 (15oz.) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1-2 (4 oz.) cans green chiles (I did one)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Makes about 6 servings. (Or 4 if youre really hungry).

Cornbread

1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt butter. Stir in sugar. Add eggs quickly and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into other mixture. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Bake in greased 8x8 pan at 375 degrees for 30-40 min.
Originally posted 11/17/09
Read More..

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Cherry Salad

Serving 1/2 cup - 2 points



1- 20 oz. can Lite Cherry Pie filling

1- can Fat free Eagle brand condensed milk

1- 12 oz. container F/F cool whip

1/4 c. lemon juice

1- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained



Mix milk, pineapple and lemon juice. Add pie filling and cool whip.Keep in refrigerator.



keywords: dessert

Read More..

Tacos







Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos awaiting a dose of Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce.




This is one good way to get your family to eat their vegetables - with Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos drizzled with a Garlic-Lemon Yogurt. MaMas friend Michelle was raving about this recipe, found in Appetite for Reduction, in fact she served it for lunch one day when MaMa and I were visiting. MaMa knew it would be delicious with Wheat Berries added to the mix.



Ingredients for Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos:



1 tsp olive oil

2 zucchini, diced small (about 1 lb)

1/4 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 c Hard Red Wheat, cooked

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 (6 oz) can salsa verde (we used regular salsa, because MaMa forgot to get Salsa Verde)

1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

8 corn tortillas



Directions: Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, wheat berries and onion to the oil and sprinkle with salt. Saute for about 7 minutes, until the zuchinni is lightly browned. Add the garlic and spices and saute for another 2 minutes.



Add the salsa verde and black beans. Cook for 5 more minutes.









Place tortillas in a moist paper towel and heat in a microwave for 1 minute on high. Serve with the Garlic-Lemon Yogurt (below).



Garlic-Lemon Yogurt:



1 c greek yogurt

3 cloves garlic

zest from 1/2 lemon

juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbs)

1/2 tsp honey



Scoop the yogurt into a small bowl. Use a microwplace to grate the garlic and lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and agave. Using a fork, mix well. Spoon over your tacos and enjoy!









Dinner time! Enjoy your Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos.




This recipe was adapted from one found in Appetite for Reduction. Yes, MaMa took a vegan recipe and made it non-vegan by using honey...just replacethe honey with agave nectar to make it vegan again. And yes, Im a smart 2 year old!





Read More..

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Collard Greens Soup Karalahana Çorbası




























The apartment that I lived in Ankara was on the first floor of one of those old 4 story buildings with just two apartments on each floor and a back yard that the residents didnt care about. A month after the move I remembered there was a back yard and looked over to check it out. Among the things that you can find in the back yards of apartment buildings in Turkey are gazebos, junk, flower beds, people playing "okey," a tile-based game similar to Rumikub, or people drinking tea and eating sunflower seeds. Therefore, I was quite surprised when I saw collard greens in my buildings back yard. And I am not talking about two or three plants here; I am talking about endless rows and rows of collard greens. Collard greens is an indispensable component of the Black Sea cuisine in Turkey, and it is difficult to find them outside that province. So I immediately knew there was a homesick Karadenizli (a person from Black Sea) in the building who apparently had a big craving for collard greens. I was right; our concierge Pakize was from Trabzon and capable of consuming a back yard worth of collard greens with her husband in 2-3 months.

The discovery of garden of collard greens intrigued me to cook with them. The next winter I borrowed a bunch of collard greens time to time from Pakize and made collard greens soup based on her instructions. Later, I had this soup a couple of times at different seafood restaurants, but they were not even close to Pakizes recipe. This soup, a specialty of Black Sea, is just perfect for cold winter nights. It has greens, beans, and corn in it; what else can you ask for?        


1 large bunch collard greens
1/2 cup dry white beans (cannellini or northern beans)
1/2 cup cracked corn (you can find cracked corn at Middle Eastern or organic food stores or feeder stores) OR 1/2 cup coarse grits if you cannot find cracked corn
1/4 cup corn flour
7-9 cups of water
3-4 tbsp butter
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red hot pepper flakes (in traditional recipes you cannot find spice for this soup, but I think hot peppers, hot pepper flakes, or sauces makes this soup even better)

-A night before, put beans in a pot with 3 cups of water. First bring to a boil, then turn it off. Cover and soak overnight.
-The next day cook the beans until soft. (Or use 1 can of beans)
-Wash collard greens well, discard bad leaves and leaf tops. Chop the stems finely. Cut the leaves first into stripes, then into edible-size squarish pieces.
-Boil 7-8 cups of water in a big pot.
-Add collard greens and cracked corn into the boiling water. Cook until soft: ~20-25 minutes.
-Add beans.
-Add corn flour and keep stirring constantly while adding it to prevent lumping.
-Turn the heat to low-medium and cook for almost half an hour to let the soup thicken stirring every 3-45 minutes.
-Heat butter in a small pan. When its hot but nit burning, add paprika. Let sizzle for a couple of seconds.
-Serve the soup with a spoon or two of butter and paprika on top.
Read More..

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Chicken faroosh

Chicken faroosh


Ingredients
  • Chicken 1 kg with skin prick well
  • Ginger garlic 1 tbsp
  • Salt 1 ½ tsp
  • White pepper ½ tsp
  • Paprika 1 tbsp heaped
  • Lemon juice 4 tbsp
  • Oil ½ cup for basting
Method
  • Prick chicken well and marinate with Ginger garlic 1 tbsp, Salt 1 ½ tsp, White pepper ½ tsp, Paprika 1 tbsp heaped, Lemon juice 4 tbsp for at least 2 hours.
  • Place in a baking tray, bake in a preheated oven 180 degree C for 45 minutes, keep adding 1 tbsp oil on top of the chicken after every 10 minutes.Bake till chicken is tender and brown.
Read More..

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Lettuce Entertain You and Get to Know a Farmer

This quick and dirty video recipe for grilled romaine hearts was shot on location at Tanimura & Antle, a family-owned lettuce farm we toured as part of the Get to Know a California Farmer field trip Michele and I just returned from in Carmel, CA.

The event was to introduce their website and, as the name implies, help us get to know a farmer, and thats what we did. We got a fascinating look into how lettuce gets from their farm to your table. Brian Antle, the farm’s Harvest Manager, ran the tour, and it was a joy to hear him talk with such pride about what his and the Tanimura family had created from this land. 


After the tour we were treated to a wonderful lunch showing off some of the farm’s famous foliage. The grilled romaine salad you’ll see in the video was a big hit, but we also had some beautiful pizzas, as you can see below. It always feels special to eat produce that was just picked hours before.


You’ll also see a short video I did showing how the lettuce goes from dirt to final packaging on this slow-rolling mobile processing plant. You’ll have to pardon the dirty lens, as I hadn’t planned on filming in the field, and never checked it. I believe the smudge is gumbo, but there’s really no way to tell for sure. Dont let that deter you, or youll miss a cameo by social media guru, Jay Baer, on a bed of lettuce.


After lunch we got to tour Naturipe Farms, one of the largest berry producers in the state. Our guide, Tom, did a great job of explaining all the challenges that go into growing berries, especially strawberries. I learned that organic doesnt mean that no pesticides are used. They just need to be certified pesticides, and are often the same ones used in conventional farming. The highlight for me was his explaining how fish meal is regularly used to fertilize organic strawberries, unbeknownst to most vegans we assumed.


Anyway, it was a really fun trip, and I want to thank Adfarm and Get to Know a California Farmer for inviting us. Also, huge thanks to the farmers who shared their stories and delicious products with us. For more information on Get to Know a California Farmer, please check out their website! Its a fantastic way to connect directly with the people growing the food you put on your tables every day.

They’re also running a sweepstakes on the Facebook page where you could win $10,000 worth of groceries. It’s only open to California residents, and ends soon, so get over there and check it out. Enjoy!

Grilled Romaine Salad

How Lettuce is Harvested

Read More..