Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp

Curry Sauce
2 teaspoons chili oil (I used olive oil with a dab of siracha)
1/4 cup onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ginger
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups coconut milk
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
1/2 cup frozen peas

Make the curry sauce by heating the chili oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about about 30 seconds then add the chicken broth. Add the spices (cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, and turmeric) and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk. Bring mixture back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add the julienned carrots and zucchini, and the frozen peas. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes or until carrots become tender. 

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili oil  (I used olive oil with a dab of siracha)

Make peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat.  

2 chicken breast fillets
16 large raw shrimp, shelled

You can either coat your chicken and shrimp in cornstarch and fry  them until crispy or you can simply saute them.

 4 cups cooked white rice

Garnish
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Toast the flaked coconut by preheating your oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven. Stir the coconut around every 10 minutes or so that it browns evenly, but watch it closely in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't get too dark. After 25 to 30 minutes the coconut should be light brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.  

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, crumbled
2 tablespoons peanuts
2 green onions, julienned

Plating
Build the two plates (or you can divide the meal into four portions) by filling a soup bowl with 2 cups of white rice. Press down on the rice. Invert the bowl onto the center of a plate, tap it a bit, then lift off the bowl leaving a formed pile of rice in the center of each plate. Arrange an equal portion of chicken and shrimp around the rice. Spoon the curry sauce and vegetables over the chicken and shrimp, being careful not to get any sauce on top of the rice.


Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish concentrating most of it on the rice. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled, dried parsley over the center of the rice. Add a tablespoon of chopped peanuts on the parsley, then place a pile of julienned green onions on top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of toasted coconut over the chicken and shrimp and serve it up.

Thai Corn and Shrimp Chowder

This recipe is from the Best of Bridge cookbook, Bravo.  I have made it with shrimp but have had it in a Thai restaurant with thinly sliced chicken.

 

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 small potato peeled and diced

1 medium red or yellow bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste

2 cups corn kernels, frozen or fresh

2 cups chicken stock

1 can coconut milk (14oz)

1 tsp packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

24 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbsp lime juice

In a large, heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
When it has foamed, stir in the onion, pepper and potato  and saute for 5-7 mins.  Add curry paste and stir for 15 seconds.  Add corn, chicken stock, , brown sugar and coconut milk; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins.  Stir in the, shrimp, salt and pepper, and cilantro and gently simmer until the shrimp are just, cooked through 3-4 mins.  Do not overcook the shrimp.
Stir in cilantro and lime juice, taste and adjust seasonings with brown sugar, salt and lime juice.

Garnish with a few cilantro leaves in each bowl.

Thursday night madness

Thursday night is always a crazy night to get dinner on the table. My daughter has ballet that runs right over the dinner hour. Needless to say, if I am not organized prior to leaving for ballet, it is a take out night...

All week I have been craving Greek food, so here is what we had. I prepared all of this ahead of time so it was ready to put together upon our return.

Greek 'salsa'



1 red pepper - chopped
1/2 long English cucumber - chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
Olive Oil (I just dumped, but if I am guessing...) 3 TBSP
1 TBSP Greek Seasoning (I buy the big container of it at Costco)
Feta Cheese - crumbled - as much as desired

Mix all ingredients together and cover with saran and let marinade in the fridge. Serve either in a pita with hummus and chicken or alongside your souvlaki.

Souvlaki





Bamboo Skewers (about 8)
Store Bought tzatziki

3 Chicken Breasts (You can use steak, lamb or shrimp too)- cut into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes
Sea Salt (enough to lightly season chicken)
After cutting the chicken, season with the salt and let rest while you mix up the marinade.

About 4 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 TBSP Greek Seasoning
Mix these three ingredients together in a bowl. Add salted chicken cubes and coat. Put 6 cubes onto each skewer. Place in a container or on a plate (with saran) and let them rest in the fridge until ready to cook. This will allow the flavors to really get into the chicken

Cooking them on the BBQ gives them a nice char-broiled taste. But you can cook them in the oven by broiling them. Simply place them on a broiling pan and broil at 450 degrees for about 10-15 mins (or until cooked through). I would suggest rotating them half way through to get them cooked evenly. Serve hot with tzatziki.

Pita & Hummus





Nothing fancy here... I have made my own hummus at times, but honestly, I have not found a recipe that compares to the store bought kind (let me know if you have one I can try). I cut the pita into 6 pieces and lightly cover with butter. I then heat them in the oven until butter is melted and the pita is heated through (a toaster oven works great for this). I then serve with hummus.

LEFTOVER IDEA - I use leftovers to make a stuffed pita. Simply cut open one side of the pita, spread hummus and tzatziki on the pita, add chicken and Greek salsa and close to enjoy for lunch or dinner. You can have this cold or hot. Add a bit of extra feta for some more flavor.

Italian & Maple Chicken Marinade

I tried this marinade for an outdoor birthday party that we had for about 30 people, last summer. I used to to marinade chicken breast for BBQ-ing. It is sweet and savory, which makes it loved by all.

I have even tried as a marinade for grilled shrimp. Another alternative is to pour it over chicken or pork and bake it in the oven and serve the remaining liquid over rice.

1 Cup Italian Dressing
1/4 Cup honey
1/4 Cup Maple syrup(I use sugar free)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dijon Mustard
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Mix well and marinade (overnight for best results) in the refridgerator.