Easy, Healthy, Green Veggie Curry

 

I have never actually made a curry before, so I was pretty nervous when I decided to try this. But I have been seeing green curry paste at the store for a while and I decided to make it happen. I went with a fish-sauce free curry paste, so this is completely vegetarian- and actually even fully vegan. Some day soon I will make my own curry paste- I have seen recipes on the interwebs and I think I can piece together one that I like. But it requires many ingredients, and on the day that I made this, I was physically and mentally drained- thus I did not have the capacity to think about the 50 ingredients it would require....

I went with green as it has a more mild flavor than red and I wasn't sure how spicy the paste would be. This one ended up being flavorful with a nice kick, but nothing too extreme. If it isn't spicy enough for you, you may want to toss in some red pepper flakes at the end.

 So- onto the curry...

Ingredients

2 large yams (or some type of combination thereof) approx 1 lb

1/2-3/4 of a red bell pepper

1 large or 2 medium carrots

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp green curry paste

1 13.5 oz coconut milk (I used light coconut milk and it was still great, regular will just make a richer broth)

1/2 c veggie stock

Peas- I had to use frozen, but fresh would be much better

Green onions, for garnish

The basic idea is to add whatever veggies you find tasty- I like potatoes with curry, I feel the white potatoes soak up all of the curry flavor, and yams add a nice sweetness to a somewhat spicy curry. So I did all of that. I used 3-4 baby white potatoes I had lying around, one beautiful Japanese yam, and one garnet yam. The Japanese yams are milder than your usual sweet potato, so it was in all a nice contrast across the 3.

 

Chop the potatoes into half-moon chunks and put them in a pot- cover with water, add a bunch of salt, and bring to a boil. Boil until mostly cooked through, 5-7 mins. 

While that is happening,  chop the  carrots, onions, and bell peppers into nice bite-sized pieces- roughly uniform so they cook at the same pace.Mince the garlic and toss it in the bowl.

 

Heat 1 tsp coconut oil- yes, coconut oil. I raved about this stuff in my stir-fry post and I'll do it again here. There is no better oil for a stir-fry (well.... toasted sesame oil is pretty darn close...) and it is very good for you.

Anywho- heat the oil in your wok, getting the pan and oil nice and hot. Toss in the carrots, peppers, and onions, add a liberal dose of salt, and cook them until mostly cooked through and they start to smell reeeeeaaaaaaaalllllly good.Don't be afraid of the heat here, especially if you are using a wok. Unless things start to brown too quickly, the rapid heat of the wok is your friend...

 

Once they're mostly cooked through, add the curry paste- I did it in 1/2 tsp chunks across the mixture and used about 3 tbsp. More= spicier. Also, if you don't like the flavor level when you're done, you can a)mix some curry paste with a bit of veggie broth and stir that into your pot while reducing the broth down to concentrate the flavors or b) add more veggie broth and/or coconut milk if you want to reduce the amount of curry flavor... or even water if you really want to tone things down.

 

Drain the potatoes when they are done and toss them into the mix in the wok. Add the veggie broth, coconut milk, and whatever peas you are adding, and gently stir. The broth and milk will mix with the curry and turn everything a beautiful creamy green color. Let it all hang out and get all cozy with the flavors for 5-10 mins at around a simmer, making sure it doesn't start to stick to the bottom. As it reduces, taste for salt and add as needed. 

I have a photo for this part but the computer refuses to upload it for reasons unknown to me. Visualize it here:

Serve over brown rice or quinoa. I chose quinoa and it was fantastic. Garnish with fresh green onion and perhaps a squirt of lime juice- light, tasty, spicy, and supremely satisfying.

Potato & Corn Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese

 

Before the last of the summer corn and cherry tomatoes disappeared, I wanted to combine them in a satisfying, refreshing salad. I got this recipe from one of my magazines last year (I think Bon Appetit...) and I was waiting for the ingredients to come back into season. I've been just a tad busy ;) so this was the first opportunity I had to toss it together. I paired the salad with some simple panko-coated chicken. 

Potato & Corn Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese

****This recipe makes a really large batch, suitable as a side for 8, or a main course for 4

8 oz small potatoes

3 cups fresh corn kernels ( approximately 4 ears)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 

1 1/2 cups chopped red or green bell pepper

1/4 cups minced shallots

3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

S&P

3 tbsp EVOO

6 cups arugula

1/2 cup torn fresh basil

2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1. Slice potatoes in half, cook approximately 11 minutes. Drain and chill.

2. Cut corn off of the cobs. They have nifty tools for this, or you can stand it upright and take a goo sharp knife down the length of the cob. 

3. Combine corn with potatoes, tomatoes, and bell pepper.

4. In a small bowl, combine shallots, vinegar, mustard, S&P to taste. Whisk. Slowly combine with EVOO to form an emulsion. 

 

5.  Drizzle over the salad, toss. Add arugula and sprinkle with basil and goat cheese. 

6.If you want to serve it with the chicken- put the chicken in a plastic ziploc bag. Pound the chicken to make the thickness of the pieces even throughout. Coat with egg. In a wide bowl (like a pie plate), mix panko bread crumbs with a generous dose of grated or shredded parm, dried parsley, and S&P. Coat the chicken in the bread crumbs.

7. Pour a glug of EVOO in your pan to lightly coat and get the pan fairly hot (med-med high.) Place the chicken in the pan. And then don't touch it. Once it is browned on one side(usually 4-5 minutes depending on thickness), flip it and brown the other side. 

8. Enjoy :)

Warm German Potato Salad

Unless I am low-carbing, I am a potato fiend. Who am I kidding- even when I am low-carbing, I am dreaming of potatoes. This particular potato recipe is fast, easy, not healthy, and tasty. It has a great tang from the vinegar, a kick of salt from the bacon, and these combined with the starchiness of the potato make a really satisfying side dish.

German Potato Salad
4 russet potatoes or the equivalent if using small potatoes
4 slices of good bacon
1 tbsp AP flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/3 c water
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1/2 c chopped green onion
S&P

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender- don't overcook or they will fall apart. Drain the potatoes and return them to  the pan. Put the lid on the pan and give the potatoes a good shake. What happens here is you end up with potatoes that have kind of a rough texture on the cut sides- this opens them up to absorb and hold on to the dressing. This is a great tip for any potato dish that starts with boiled potatoes.

While the potatoes are boiling, you can cook your bacon- pan-fry is best in this case, because you will need to reserve the fat

Remove the bacon from the pan and chop. Reserve the fat and over very low heat, add the flour, sugar, water, and vinegar. Whisk until thick.
Toss the  dressing with chopped bacon, potatoes, and chopped green onions. Serve warm.

It's also great with a tangy/sweet barbecue: this time,  I served it with pan-seared thick-cut pork chops glazed with a honey barbecue sauce:

Super tasty (and easy) crispy roasted chicken and veggies

Masters thesis = defended. Prelim exam oral defense = done. Maymester = taught. Blog = oops.....

I probably have at least 7 recipes that I have cooked and photographed, but not yet posted. I admit it, I have let the blog slip. But behold- I have returned! And yumminess is coming with me! ...at least I think so. I invited yumminess. They didn't RSVP. But I'm sure they were just busy...

So I have always loved a good roasted chicken, but if you look online, there are about 5 billion different sites telling you that their way is  the best way and they are all different!!!

What's a girl to do?

I decided to pick the tips that seemed most pervasive, add some of my own touches, and just see what happened. After making this recipe 3-4 times, I have settled on a routine that seems to work pretty much every time and has now found a permanent place in the recipe box. It is relatively simple, and comes out as an elevated and yummy comfort food. Also, it is light and almost healthy..... almost :)

Crispy Roasted Chicken and Veggies

1 Whole chicken (I usually use 3-4 lb bird, which is enough for 2 with leftovers for chicken salad, sandwiches, etc)
Carrots, onions, red potatoes
           ****Feel free to mix it up here- I find that these are my favorites because the veggies come out sweet and caramel-y after roasting. The red potatoes seem to have a better texture for roasting than your standard russet. The mixed potatoes I used here were awesome, but they are typically pricey (I got them on sale for $1!) so red works just as well. You can always toss in some turnips or any other kind of veggie you are fond of. Just beware that less dense veggies might not need as much cooking time...
Seasonings that you like- I tend to use dried Italian Seasoning and Rosemary
Salt & Pepa
Approx 1 cup white wine- dryness/sweetness is up to you
1 apple
EVOO
a few garlic cloves depending on your personal taste
about 2 tbsp butter

- Preheat oven to 425 F
-Give the veggies a rough chop- try to make them all approx the same size for better cooking.
- You want enough veggies to fill whatever pan you are using. One recipe online recommended a cast iron skillet and I loved that idea. I used this pan:

Toss the veggies with EVOO and whatever seasonings you have chosen (in this case, italian seasoning, rosemary, S&P.)

It should look kinda like this:

Side note: how beautiful are these potatoes?!? I tried to get a good picture to capture the deep purple-ness, but this was the best I could do:

Gorgeous!!

Ok, moving on.....

Now we prep ze cheeken: Slice your apple into quarters and take out the seeds. Don't worry about peeling it. Slice the garlic into thin slices (you can prob also dice it if you like), and chop the butter into small chunks. At this time, you can also prep any fresh herbs you want to add. When I made this recipe, I had some fresh sage and rosemary on hand, so I figured what the heck:

Rinse your chicken, check for gross feather stubs (this particular chicken had a ton of them- it was ridiculous. And gross.) Take out any heart/liver packages, etc. Pat the bird dry. Then we start sticking stuff in it. I put as much of the apple as will fit (usually it's 3 slices), a coupe of the garlic cloves (sometimes whole), and then just whole sprigs of whatever herbs. Then, make small slits in the breast and squeeze a slice or two of garlic and a chunk of butter in. I usually put this in 4 places on the breast- one at each side near the bottom and the same near the neck. Which reminds me, if your bird comes with a neck piece, toss it in the pan and roast it with the rest. It becomes nice and tender and you can either just eat it (my choice) or use it for a pan gravy if you choose. 

If you're feeling adventurous and your bird allows for it, you can make a couple more slits along the thighs and toss some more stuff in. When all of the stuffing and poking is done, rub  the whole thing down with some EVOO and sprinkle with chosen spices. Then place the bird on top of the veggies:

 A couple of points here: Some truss the bird or close the cavity up. I have found that I like how it comes out without doing the extra work here. Am I just lazy? Perhaps. Would it be better if I did these things? Perhaps. So if you do those things and it does something magical, you let me know...

Second point: placing the chicken directly on top. A lot of recipes want there to be air between the chicken and the veggies to get the heat going all around. I like the way  the chicken drips on to the veggies and makes them softer and adds more flavor. I also have no problems with the way it cooks- it always cooks evenly. So... there ya have it.

Once you have done all of this stuff, pop the whole pan inthe oven at 425 F for 10 minutes. This will get a good brown on the skin and seal in the yumminess. Then lower it down to 400 F.
Let's talk cooking time... it obviously depends on the size of your chicken and your oven. I have had chickens be completely done in 45 mins and I have had some take almost 1 1/2 hours. You want the temp at approx 150 deg when you stick in a thermometer, the juices to run clear, and when you wiggle the leg in its socket, you want it to feel loose.
Once I pull the chicken out, I like to immediately place it standing up in a bowl with the thick end of the breast facing downward. This allows the juices to distribute while it cools, sending a lot of moisture to the thick end of the breast- it keeps it super moist and tasty.
I let this stand for about 10 mins. During that time, I usually like to mix the veggies and then pop them under the broiler for 5 mins. Sometimes they can be soft and tasty but not quite crispy enough. This last step gives them those good crispy edges while keeping the centers soft and fluffy.
I forgot to take a pic of the chicken when it was done (Sorry- we were hungry!), but I remembered right after we sliced it: 

 

 

One final step: a recipe online had a fantastic suggestion and it really adds something special. When the veggies are done, put them in a bowl and pour the cup of wine over the top. Then you can go one of two ways:

1)The recipe suggests straining the veggies, adding the wine to the pan drippings and making a gravy. 

2) By the time it's done, we are usually picking on the chicken and veggies and don't have the patience for this step, so we just let it cool for a minute and most of t he wine actually gets absorbed. Then we eat it. And don't talk. Because our mouths are full.