Coconut Chicken Chili

Coconut Chicken Chili (from here)

12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 15-19oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 medium carrots, shredded
1 stalk celery, sliced (I didn't have this.)
1 medium green onion, sliced (I didn't have this either.)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I didn't use fresh.)

In a large sauce pan, cook chicken onion, chili powder, ginger, and  1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and the cayenne pepper in hot oil over medium heat for 6 to 8 mins until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more. Stir in coconut milk, peanut butter, and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans, carrots, celery, green onion, garlic, and chopped basil. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

Recipe suggest to top with fresh basil and sliced jalapenos (but I'm a spice wimp, so we didn't).

Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce

Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce (from here)

1/4 c. soy sauce
1 c. water
fresh grated ginger (we don't like it, so i didn't use it)
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 minced garlic clove
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c. cold water

Combine 1 c. water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 c. cold water and add to sauce.

Stir constantly and allow the sauce to thicken. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water or soy sauce to thin. I put this over vegetables and chicken with rice for stir fry. We decided that adding some red pepper flakes next time might be a good addition. I will pretty much NEVER buy stir fry sauce again.

Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice (from here)

Note: This was the best and easiest sushi rice recipe I've found yet, and after copying the recipe down I realized I didn't follow it at all! Oops. :) I would have said to cut the vinegar down, but I know that I used white vinegar instead of white sugar...brilliant....haha. At least it was still good. Next time I'll try it with the white sugar.

• 2 1/4 c. Japanese sushi-style rice
• 1 4inch piece of konbu dried kelp (optional..I didn't have so I didn't use)
• 3 c. water
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt

1. Rinse rice until the water isn't cloudy. (Sushi rice has extra starch that needs rinsed off.)
2. Place rice in a saucepan with water and allow to stand for 30 mins (I didn't do this.)
3. Stir together rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved and set aside.
4. Cover, and bring rice to a boil over high head. Then reduce to low and let simmer for 15 mins. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
Scrape rice into a bowl. Discard the kelp if you used it. Stir in the vinegar mixture until well incorporated and no lumps of rise remain.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Hawaiian Haystacks--crockpot style

Hawaiian Haystacks--Crockpot Style (from here.)

Notes: I only put the chicken, milk, butter, and soup in the crock pot. I used cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom. I left the rest to add as toppings For toppings, we had: pineapple tidbits, green onions, slivered almonds, chow mien noodles, coconut, and shredded cheese.

3-4 Chicken breasts
1 1/2 Cups milk
1/4 Cup butter
1 Small can of crushed pineapple
1 Can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 Cup chopped Celery
1-2 Cups shredded cheese

Put all ingredients in crockpot, season with salt and pepper and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Cook rice seperately, then put chicken mixture on rice and top with chow mein noodles.
*Optional ingredients: almonds, carrots, parsley, mushrooms, green onions, coconut or chopped tomatoes.

Feijoada

Feijoada - From Michelle Robinson

(Brazilian black beans and pork stew)

1 lb varied pork sausages (we use mild Italian)

1 lb pork (tenderloin, shoulder, etc), cubed

some slices of bacon

1 can of black beans or 2 cups dried beans

2 T vegetable oil

salt (or Tempero Completo if you have it)

minced garlic, chopped onions, bay leaves

Brazilian method:

Pressure cooker: Heat oil in pressure cooker. Fry onions and garlic in oil, then add bacon, pork, and sausage until browned. Add dry beans, bayleaves, and salt. Add water to 1½ to 2 inches above the rest of the food. Bring to to pressure according to pressure cooker instructions and cook on low or medium low (the pressure cooker should just barely be steaming) for 50-60 minutes or until beans are soft.

Rice: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, fry some chopped onion and garlic in oil in a large pan with lid. Add rice and salt (to taste) and fry rice with garlic and onion until rice turns goldenish. Pour boiling water into pan with rice; cover and cook on low for 15-20 minutes or until rice is done.

Americanized (canned beans) method:

Add canned black beans to a medium sized pot with oil, salt, garlic, onions, and about 6 bay leaves. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat and set aside.

In a separate pan, cook cubes of pork and slices of bacon with salt and garlic. Add the sausage and stir over medium heat until all the water is gone.

Add the cooked meat to the pan with the black beans. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve over white rice.

Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce

Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce

• 2 teaspoons light or dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt (would cut this down next time)
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup prepared Thai peanut sauce
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanuts
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

Cube chicken breasts and toss with spices. Saute until cooked through. Remove from pan.

Mix peanut sauce (I used Peanut Satay Sauce from the Asian Market) with coconut milk and chicken broth. Add to pan and cook for approximately 5 minutes until sauce has thickened.

We put the chicken on rice and then poured on the sauce. We didn't have chopped peanuts and forgot about the scallions. It was delicious!!

Turkey Fried Rice

Turkey Fried Rice

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 3 cups cold cooked rice
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Pour eggs into skillet. As eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath. When eggs are completely cooked, remove to a plate; set aside.
2. In the same skillet, cook turkey and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir the rice, bean sprouts and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients until blended; stir into skillet. Chop egg into small pieces; stir into skillet and heat through. Yield: 4 servings.

http://realmomkitchen.com/2005/turkey-fried-rice/

Rice Pudding

Arroz Con Leche
Adapted from Ingrid Hoffmann

Do you like Cozy Shack rice pudding? Has the rice pudding you fell in love with at New Jersey diners and New York delis been elusive to you at home? Well, step right up! (Can you see me in my cape and top hat, waving you into the circus tent? No? Sigh.) Look no further! All of your rice pudding dreams will come true right before your very eyes!

Ahem, more soberly: I made a few changes to the original ingredients, adding salt and swapping large peels for finely grated zest. Some fun ideas for next time: Swapping out some of the milk for an equivalent amount of coconut milk. Swapping a jar of store-bought dulce de leche for the sweetened condensed milk.

Original recipe says it serves 4, I say 8, easily

1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cinnamon sticks (I had very large canela sticks — see bottom for more info — so I only used one)
2 strips of lemon or orange zest (can use a peeler to get a larger piece)
3 whole cloves or a tiny pinch of ground cloves
4 cups water
1 egg
3 cups whole milk
1 (12-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (I realized after the fact that my can had been 14 ounces, had no averse effect)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Soak the rice, cinnamon sticks, lemon or orange zest and whole or powdered cloves in the water in a heavy saucepan for 1 hour.

After soaking, bring the rice mixture to a boil on high heat, uncovered. When it starts to boil (about 5 minutes), lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 more minutes or until water is almost evaporated.

While rice is cooking, beat the egg in a bowl. Add the milk and stir well to mix. Add the egg mixture, vanilla extract and condensed milk to the rice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring carefully, until it thickens slightly or until desired consistency about 25 to 35 minutes (see notes that follow).

(About cooking time: Many reviewers said 25 to 35 minutes was way too much cooking time for them, and that 15 to 20 minutes would have been better. I was all ready to pull my pot off early, but actually needed almost 30 minutes. Still, want to give you a heads up that yours might be done sooner.)

(About “desired consistency”: I cooked mine until all but 10 percent of the liquid had been absorbed, which yielded a creamy, not-too-thick pudding. If you like your arroz con leche thinner, pull it off the stove when more liquid is left. This pudding does most of its thickening as it cools, but the end result should still be thinner than traditional rice pudding.)

Remove citrus zest and cinnamon sticks. Let cool uncovered, then chill the rest of the way in the fridge.

Mexican cinnamon: A long time ago, I bought a jar of canela (Mexican "soft cinnamon") sticks from Rancho Gordo and this was the perfect time to bust it out. The cinnamon flavor is just a little different than we’re used to, a little less loud and one note, a little dynamic. It smells exactly like a cross between a cinnamon stick and apple cider. Seriously! When simmered with the pudding for almost an hour, the pudding had an almost spicy edge to it and an unmistakable flavor I associate only with arroz con leche.