Baby it's Cold Outside, Give me Curry

When the weather turns cold, I crave something warm in my belly. Soup, chilli, and mac n' cheese are often on the menu at my house. Winter's coming so it's time to start stocking up on those foods to warm you up from the inside out.

Another warming food I really enjoy is a curry. I love curry - all colours - but yesterday I was craving a yellow Indian curry so that's what I decided to make! I took some photos throughout so I hope that helps you with the recipe.

What you will need:
3 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized peices
any vegetables you have also cut into uniform pieces (I used snap peas, baby carrots, onions and celery but feel free to use anything you have in the fridge)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp fresh ginger (A really good trick for this is to keep it in the freezer so you have some on hand all the time for grating - buy a piece, give it a bit of a peel and then stick it in the freezer. You can then take it out and grate whatever you need when you have a recipe that calls for fresh ginger)
1 bay leaf (I used it, that's why it's in the picture but I don't think you really need it in a dish that has such a strong flavour. I think it gets lost.)
1/2 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 can coconut milk
1 cup plain yogurt

What to do:
Start by browning the chicken and then set aside.

Next, soften the onions in a pan. Add the garlic and the vegetables to get them a little soft (I like my vegetables really crispy so I don't leave them for very long.

Then, add the spice mixture (cinnamon, curry, ginger, sugar, paprika, s & p) along with the tomato paste and coconut milk.

Heat this for a few minutes just to give the vegetables a bit more time to soften.
Then, add the chicken back into the mixture.

And the yogurt.

Now, all you have to do is mix everything up and let it heat through until it's bubbling. And, serve over rice. I like jasmine rice but you can use anything you'd like.

Garbage Pasta (don't worry, not really)

Don't panic - by garbage I just mean whatever you have leftover in the fridge.

Last night wasn't the first night I took some leftovers and made a delicious meal. How often do you open your fridge and feel like you have nothing when really the crisper is over flowing? Probably more than you'd think.

This meal can't really have a recipe because you'll make it with whatever you happen to have in the fridge. I will give you the recipe for the sauce I made though because it was delicious (and healthy too).

What you will need for the garbage pasta

- 1 pkg of any pasta of your choice
- any vegetables you may have in the fridge (I used cherry tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower). Some other suggestions: spinach, mushrooms, green or red peppers (or yellow or orange - why not?), baby carrots, bok choy (seems random but who knows?). Really, you can use any vegetable of your choice.
- any leftover meat you have (chicken, shrimp, steaks) I used some chicken sausages I had in the freezer.

All you have to do to make the pasta (make sure you salt the water), and throw all your other ingredients in a large saute pan to soften the vegetables.

For the sauce:
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of pesto
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

What to do:
This is an easy way to make a healthier version of a roux (butter and flour mixed together and used to thicken sauce).  All I did was take about 1/2 cup of the broth put it together with the flour in an air tight container. I gave it a good shake and then mixed it with the remainder of the broth.

Heat the broth mixture and add the garlic powder. Once it comes to a boil, add the Greek yogurt, parmesan cheese and pesto.

Then, just toss the sauce, pasta and meat and vegetables together and voila! You've got a garbage pasta!

Here's what mine looked like:

My favourite dip - the green stuff

This post has been a long time coming and I can't believe I've never written about guacamole before!

There are so many different ways to make this delicious green dip and to be honest with you, most of the time, I make it the easy, fast way - with a packaged mix. I know, I know, how can I call myself a foodie if I use this pre-made guacamole mix but it's really good and it also has an ingredient in it that I find even better than citrus for keeping the guac from turning brown.

This isn't the exact one I buy but I think they're all pretty similar. They're also usually placed right by the avocados in the grocery store.

If however, you are feeling ambitious, you can do it this way (this is my favourite way to make it if I have the time/energy/ingredients):

2 avocados
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper
handful of chopped cilantro
juice from 1/2 lime.
lots of s & p

Then, you just mash the avocados and mix in the other ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips.

I also have one of these things which is awesome for scooping the avocado out of the skin.

 

Or, if you're in the grocery store and craving guacamole but don't feel like making it, they have this at Safeway and apparently at Costco too. I haven't tried it but I'm told it's really good and tastes like the real thing. I've never been a fan of pre-made, store-bought guacamole because it just doesn't taste anything like real avocados - I don't think they're meant to be preserved (they turn brown when they're exposed to the air). 

 

Jamie Oliver and my dad

Hey readers,

I'd like to blog about my dad today. That's right, my dad, like me, does enjoy to get his hands dirty in the kitchen once in awhile. (Although my dad is like the cleanest person ever so he doesn't really get dirty. That was just a figure of speech.)

Our PVR is full of recordings of Jamie's Meals in Minutes because my dad just loves it! I think it's Jamie's style and approach to cooking that make him so desirable as a TV personality and chef. He's very "no muss, no fuss" and his style is very rustic. I would recommend checking out his show on the Food Network if you get the chance.

The other day, my dad decided he was going to take over making dinner so he went shopping and planned an entire meal (on a weekday). He made pork tenderloin rubbed with rosemary and garlic, smashed carrots, peas and a delicious garlic bread.

Here's a clip from the show: