Basil Chicken

Summer is flying by!  I can't believe the 4th of July is behind us.  We're taking our big family vacation soon so the blog might be a little quiet (I know I haven't been doing great updating recently anyways) but I hope you and yours are enjoying the warm summer weeks as much as we are!

Here are a few pictures of the girls and some of our fun summer memories so far:

Meeting my new nephew!

A trip to WA to see my BFF and a visit to the Children's Museum in Olympia

Then, a drive to Eugene to see my sister receive her PhD.

Celebrating our little sister's accomplishment!

World of Color with friends

Date night with family at the Hollywood Bowl

Swimming with cousins

4th of July Freedom 5000 in Claremont

Baby girl started walking!  She seems so big all of a sudden.

A few of the recipes I've made recently have been inspired by what's growing in our garden.  The basil and jalapeños in this recipe were garden fresh and we all liked this a lot.  My husband and I (as usual) wanted a little more heat so I probably would use more jalapeño next time but it was nothing a little Sriracha couldn't solve.  The texture went from runny to very thick quickly so keep your eye on it when you mix in the cornstarch & coconut mixture.  

Basil Chicken in Coconut Sauce (4 servings)
from Baked Bree

1 pound chicken breast, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 T olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1-2 jalapeños seeded and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14oz) can coconut milk
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 T fresh basil, plus more for serving
1 T fresh ginger, grated
cooked rice for serving

In a small bowl, combine the spices.  Add the chicken pieces and the spices to a large ziplock bag and toss / massage so that the spices cover all of the chicken.  You can let it sit at  room temperature for 30 minutes or do this ahead (I did it in the morning) and let it sit in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook.

Dice the onion, garlic & jalapeños.  Grate the ginger and set aside.  Cook the onions, jalapeño and garlic in a large sauté pan with the olive oil for about 2 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.  Transfer the mixture to a plate.  Add more olive oil if needed to just coat the pan and cook the chicken until brown on both sides.  If your pan isn't big enough, you can do this in two batches.  Take out of the pan add to the vegetables.  Mix the coconut milk and the cornstarch together.  Add to the pan and cook until it just starts to thicken.  It should come to a bubble but not boil vigorously.

Add the chicken and vegetables back to the pan, adding the ginger and basil.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with rice and additional basil.

Strawberry Lime Ice Cream

It feels like summer already!  Last week we heated our pool and it made me so excited for summer nights watching the kids swim (and tiring themselves out).  I'm working on our 2013 bucket list and will post it in a few weeks.

We had friends over for dinner who eat primal / paleo diet and I was trying to think of a dessert to make for them.  I came up with this ice cream - it was a little icy (probably because I didn't have full fat coconut milk, just a "lite" version) and a little tart but pretty good!  This can accommodate a lot of lifestyles and dietary needs and tastes just like summer.

Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream (makes 1.5 qt)
Originally from www.delightedmama.com

20 strawberries (about 1lb), sliced
1 cup coconut cream (plain, unsweetened)
1 can coconut milk
Juice from 2 limes
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Depending on if you want strawberry chunks or not, you can either mash up the strawberries (I used a potato masher) or put them in a blender.  Add the other ingredients and stir until combined well.  Freeze in your ice cream maker per ice cream maker instructions.

*Trader Joe's has a canned coconut cream right now (right next to the canned coconut milk) but in the past I've had trouble finding it.  Some stores carry it with mix-ins (for pina coladas?) and I think that Whole Foods has carried a plain one in the past.  You could also just do 1 can + 1 cup of whole fat, unsweetened coconut milk.

Coconut muffins

I was wanting some sweet chewy baked good the other day and decided to make these muffins.  You know I love coconut and I'd never made muffins with coconut milk before.  The recipe is vegan so if you have any egg or dairy allergies, this is a good option.

I think next time I might try the regular (not "light") coconut milk, substitute some of the white flour for whole wheat, and decrease the sugar by 1/4 cup.  I used unsweetened coconut flakes and they weren't overwhelmingly sweet but I think the sugar cut back might not make a big difference.  I haven't tried it, but I bet a gf flour would substitute pretty well here.

The one problem was I tried to eat one while it was warm and it stuck to the muffin liner a lot - wait until they're completely cool or grease a muffin tin without a paper liner.

Coconut Muffins (1 dozen)

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 14oz can of coconut milk

1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. shredded coconut (plus more for sprinkling on top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, bakign powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine coconut milk, applesauce and vanilla.  Add wet to dry, stirring just to combine, then fold in the shredded coconut.  Spoon into mufin cups and sprinkle additional shredded coconut on top.  Bake for about 18 minutes.

Thai Red Curry Soup

One of my favorite flavor combinations is coconut and curry. Recently, I was thinking about the red curry from Saladang in Pasadena and I went searching online for some similar recipe to make. The hardest part about making this soup was finding the red curry paste - my third stop at Whole Foods finally resulted in success. The rest of it is pretty normal stuff. While it was cooking, I kept thinking it smelled fishy and thought it was the fish sauce (only 1 tablespoon) but then I remembered that I had fish sticks in the oven for my daughter to eat. If you're averse to using fish sauce, substitute soy sauce.

The soup was rich and flavorful but a little heavy. I think light coconut milk (or less coconut milk) would make it not seem so heavy. The eggplant was my favorite part of it - delicious - and I picked the chicken out of the leftover soup for lunch the next day and it tasted really good.

A couple of cooking notes: I served it over bean thread (thin translucent "noodles" made from mung beans) that I bought awhile ago at Cost Plus World Market but you can serve it plain like the recipe calls for, over hot cooked rice, or rice noodles instead. The base is really versatile so I think substituting or adding vegetables would be fine with this recipe. Red curry paste varies in intensity and spiciness. I started with 1 tablespoon and by the end, had added some red chili flakes and about 2 more tablespoons of the curry paste. Green curry paste would give a different flavor but would probably be great in this soup.

Thai Red Curry Soup with Chicken serves 4
(adapted from Bon Appetit 9/97)

2 T vegetable oil
1-3 T Thai red curry paste (see note above)
1/2 onion, sliced (I used 1 shallot)
12 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
4 oz. green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 small Japanese eggplants, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
3 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1 T fish sauce (nam pla)
1 cup chopped bok choy
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oill in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft (2-3 minutes). Add curry paste and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken; stir 2 minutes. Add green beans and eggplant pieces; stir 1 minutes. Add broth, coconut milk and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes. During the last five minutes, stir in the bok choy.

Taste and season with salt, pepper, red chili flakes and more curry paste, if desired. Sprinkle with basil and serve over noodles, rice or bean thread (or plain).

Sonia's Stir-Fry

Up next: My sister-in-law Sonia. I learned a lot about food and yeast when she was doing the Candida diet this past year - and a lot about perseverance! We share a love of cooking and I'm excited to try this - the combination of coconut milk and red curry sounds great.

Don’t be alarmed that one would follow a recipe for a meal as simple as a stir-fry. When I was on the Candida cleanse diet (for 7 long months) we all got really tired of rice, veggies, and meat “for meat” each night. But you might be surprised at all of the different ways to approach a stir-fry. I was inspired by Food and Wine’s May 2009 issue that presented a variety ways to cook veggies and meat in a fry pan prior to tossing it onto a plate full of white or brown rice. The following is a great stir-fry recipe that compliments a Candida cleanse diet (God forbid any of Bec’s foodie readers ever have to do that) and it proves that you do not have to have sugar or gluten or yeast or broth or mushrooms to enjoy a tasty stir-fry.

Thai Chicken, Zucchini and Tomato Curry Stir-Fry 4 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts sliced ½ inch thick
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion sliced ¼ inch thick
2 zucchini cut into 2 by ½ inch sticks
1 ½ cups of cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk (I ended up using about 1 tablespoon more, and the real stuff is better than the LIGHT)
2 tablespoon water
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ cup chopped cilantro
rice for serving
optional garnish: cashew pieces

1. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until just white throughout, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Add the onion and stir-fry over moderately high heat for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and cherry tomatoes and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the curry paste, coconut milk, water, lime zest and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and stir for another minute or two. Sir in the cilantro. Transfer to bowls and serve with rice.
WINE: Strawberry-scented rose: 2008 Domaine du Bagnol. Or in our household, a chilled glass of white Charles Shaw does the job.

Don’t be scared off by the curry either… it is mild enough for those who can’t handle spicy food (however, I make it spicier). I like to add cashew pieces for garnish (they also sweeten it a little). And because you don’t use soy sauce, this recipe is also low in sodium. My husband douses his with table salt (I try not to be offended).

Green Coconut Curry with Scallops

You know that I love coconut milk and here's another type of coconut recipe - a Thai curry. I've made this probably 5 or 6 times for company this last year and it turns out great every time. The recipe comes together quickly in one pan and I serve it over jasmine rice (tonight, brown jasmine rice). I'll add a couple of photos soon but the header above this post is a picture of the ingredients (minus the scallops). Hope your company likes it as much as mine did!

Green Coconut Curry with Scallops (2 servings)

12 ounces sea scallops
3/4 c. canned unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 tsp. Thai green curry paste (depending on how spicy you want to make it)
1/2 red bell pepper cut into 2 inch strips
Garlic clove
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T soy sauce (or fish sauce)
1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
Hot cooked jasmine rice

Saute bell pepper, ginger, garlic and green curry paste for 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Add the scallops, lower the heat a little, and cook until just opaque (time will depend on how large the scallops are). Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, soy sauce, green onions and half of the cilantro. Put the rice in 2 bowls, place scallops on top and divide the sauce in half in each bowl. Sprinkle with the rest of the cilantro.

I think basil might be good instead of the cilantro and if you want it spicier, add some minced jalapeno when you saute the bell pepper, ginger and garlic.

Coconut milk

I'm back. It's been a long two weeks with spring break, some fun stuff, and some sad stuff and very little cooking at home. But, now I'm back to real life, cooking, and my blog.

I've liked coconut for a long time but recently have discovered two easy coconut recipes that I'm really getting addicted to: Coconut rice and Coconut oatmeal. The coconut rice started as a side dish for a chicken curry crock pot recipe that I found online. The first time I made it (and, I admit, every time since) I ate the cold leftovers standing in front of the refrigerator the next day. I couldn't even go to the table and sit down like a civilized person before I wolfed them down.

The coconut oatmeal is new. I put some shredded coconut on our oatmeal the other morning and it was wonderful. It probably has something to do with the fact that my shredded coconut is sweetened and I usually eat my oatmeal unsweetened (I put cinnamon and dried cranberries or raisins in the water before adding the oats). It was so good and I asked my sisters and sister in law if they've ever tried making it with coconut milk. They had. How was I just now thinking of this? So this morning, I made a bowl and while not too sweet, it was delicious.

Coconut milk is made by simmering together the meat of the coconut and some water and then straining out the solid parts. I sometimes use "light" coconut milk which is sort of like using 2% or skim milk - less flavor and less fat. While I was researching using coconut oil topically for my daughter's excema, I came a lot of information on the health benefits of coconut in diet. From what I read, the idea that coconut milk or oil is unhealthy because of saturated fat is a myth - it's a "good" kind of fat that is similar to what's in breast milk and can improve brain development. Check this out if you're interested in more of that information.

Two simple recipes:

Coconut Rice

Cook rice according to package directions but substitute half of the water for coconut milk, omit any other fat (olive oil) and don't use salt. I think it's great with brown rice but I've also made it with regular white rice and jasmine rice.

Coconut Oatmeal

Cook oatmeal according to package directions but substitute 1/2 to 3/4 of the water for coconut milk.

This morning, I heated 1/2 c. water, 1/2 c. coconut milk, and 1/4 cup raisins to a boil. I added 1/2 c. rolled oats and cooked, stirring, until it was the consistency that I like.