Coconut Curry Chicken, Curry Sauce & Rice

Does anyone else have a better name for this dish?

1.  Make this Crispy Coconut Chicken
2.  Make rice- whatever kind you prefer
3.  Make this curry sauce:

Ingredients:
1 can chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
3 cloves garlic (chopped in food processor with onion)
1/2 yellow onion (chopped in food processor with garlic)
2 T olive oil
1 red pepper (sliced)
2-3 t curry powder
1 t ginger powder
3-4 T dried basil (fresh would be better- it just wasn't available)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
cilantro (optional)

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan heat oil, add chopped garlic and onions.  Cook until onions are translucent.  Add chicken broth, red pepper, curry, ginger and simmer 10 minutes.  Add coconut milk, basil, salt, pepper, cilantro and simmer 10 more minutes.

Serve over chicken and rice.

Recent Cooking Ventures

Maybe it's the weather cooling down or just this time of year, but I've been on a cooking kick lately, and for selfish reasons, I'm posting it all so when I want to make something again, I only have to look here and NOT all over the internet or worse- through my unorganized cook book.

Herb Roasted Chicken from the Pioneer Woman. Successful.

I made this chicken for dinner on Sunday, made a broth that night, then Monday night we had homemade chicken noodle soup with the leftover chicken, broth, carrots, celery, and these:

Homemade Noodles (recipe from Kona Rudd Hammond)

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups flour

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp salad oil

1 tsp salt

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup water and remaining ingredients. Beat at low speed. Knead in flour until not sticky. Roll out and dry about 2 hours. Cut.

Very good.

Potatoes Au Gratin... from the Pioneer Woman. definitely successful.

Ingredients

• 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
• ½ cups Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious!

Pot Roast. From the Pioneer Woman. Successful.

Ingredients

• 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 whole Onions
• 6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Red Wine (optional, You Can Use Beef Broth Instead)
• 2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
• 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
• 3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Preparation Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).

Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

I shredded the roast and we used the juice it cooked in and had french dip sandwiches. It was really good.

Frog Nog (Green Smoothie recipe)

From the Sister's Cafe. Not successful. Maybe it would have been better if I followed the directions closer, but I used canned pineapple instead of frozen, and I may have used a bit too much spinach. Eden and Havi liked it, but that's about it.

2-4 cups spinach or other greens (I use 4 cups organic baby/ or kale)

1-2 cups of water (depending how thick you like it)

1-2 bananas (I use 2)

1 heaping cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 cup frozen mango, peaches or other light fruit (I have used strawberries)

1 Tb honey or agave (optional for sweetness)

First I fill my trusty blender (I use the Blendtec) with spinach--lots of it! Then I fill the container up to the 2 line with water filling in around the spinach. Pulse to blend into a bright green water.

Next add your bananas, frozen fruit ans sweetner, if using. I push the 'whole juice' button and the blender purees it all for me into a wonder smooth green drink. What ever blender you have, just be sure to blend it for a good amount of time to make sure it is as smooth as possible. Pour into glasses and serve!

Easy Apple Crisp (recipe from Sandy) Successful.

Slice enough apples to fill baking dish 2/3 full. Add 1/2 C. sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon. Add 2 T. flour.

Crust:

1 C. sugar

1 C. flour

1 cube butter

Work together with hands and sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Marinade:

2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt and pepper (to taste)

Combine in food processor then pour over 2-3 chicken breasts, seal container and let marinate for 30 minutes or more. Overnight is what I like.

Grill chicken. I usually pound it down a little so it's not so fat.

After it's cooked, let sit a few minutes before you slice it into whatever size piece you like on chicken tacos. Serve on a tortilla with cheese, avocado, sour cream, pico de gallo, or whatever fixings you like!

Pico de gallo:

4 tomatoes, diced

1/2 small onion, diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cloved garlic, chopped

juice of 1/2 lime

salt to taste

Chicken and Broccoli

This is one LeRoy grew up on, it's one of his favorites.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook and cube chicken. About 1/2 pound chicken tenders. (it's against the law in the Montano household to boil chicken. We skillet cook it.)

Steam broccoli. 3 heads works for us. (Again, frozen broccoli is below the standard, but I'm sure it would work fine. One of these days I'll be sneaky and try it out.)

Make creamy mixture:

1 can Cream of Chicken

1/2 cup mayo

1 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon curry

On bottom of 9x13 pan layer chicken cubes and broccoli. Salt and pepper. Pour creamy mixture over top, then add a layer of grated cheese. I like Colby Jack.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, serve over rice.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Looks nasty. Tastes delicious.

I got this recipe from the sisters cafe. Have you checked them out yet? You should. They are yummy! This is the second time I've made this in 2 weeks. That should tell you something right there. (besides the fact that they can be super easy).





1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 2 cans of Costco shredded chicken..see, easy!)
Sauce:
1/3 c honey
1/4 c lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce (I used red/mild sauce both times, and only needed 1 can)
equal parts mixed together of:
mozzarella cheese, shredded
cheddar cheese, shredded (second time I added pepper jack cheese...gave it a little kick)
flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (I usually use one 9x13 and one 9x9 but it may vary with how thick you stuff your enchiladas) Pour green (or red) enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish. (either the can's aren't 1.5 lbs or I used a lot of chicken to stuff, because I only filled a 9x13 pan)

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy! Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Chicken Stir Fry

Simple Family Favorite (can you hear Eden? ah, ah, ah, ah)

Really simple.

2 tablespoons oil

2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 package frozen stir fry vegetable mix (or fresh veggies cut up)

1 packet stir fry seasoning (the kind I use calls for soy sauce, sugar and water mixed in)

2 cups prepared rice

Heat oil and cook chicken in stir fry pan (or large skillet). When chicken is brown, add veggies. When veggies are warmed through, add prepared seasoning and let cook until it thickens. Serve over rice.

Tip- I like to cook the rice with chicken broth instead of water. I didn't have any broth today so I put some chicken bouillon in and it was really good.

Jayme's Chicken Green Chile Enchiladas

I got this recipe from Simply Recipes. Just changed it a little and added chicken.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

• 1-2 chicken breasts
• 1 jar tomatillo salsa verde
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3-4 large Anaheim chiles
• 12-18 corn tortillas
• 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• reduced fat sour cream
• cilantro

1. Place chicken in a sauce pan with 1/4 cup salsa verde and chopped garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat until done. Shred chicken and set aside.
2. While the chicken is cooking prepare the Anaheim chiles. Broil the chiles in a roasting pan, turning them until they are blackened all over. Place the blackened chiles in a small brown paper bag. Close the bag and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Then remove the chiles from the bag and peel off and discard the blackened skin. Slice open the chiles and remove and discard the seed pod, any seeds (they're hot!) and the stems. Slice the chiles into strips.
3. Warm the tortillas in the microwave so they are easier to work with.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread a little of the tomatillo sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole pan. One by one, place a little grated cheese, chicken, and a strip or two of green chiles in the center of the tortillas, roll them up, and place them in the casserole. Once you have filled the casserole with the rolled tortillas, spread the remaining tomatillo sauce over them, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F, until cheese is melted
Serve with sour cream and some chopped fresh cilantro.