Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

February 16, 2010April 3, 2011Leave a comment

Rex and I tried this new soup tonight from Cooking Light, and we both liked it quite a bit. Honestly, I like that it’s made

Cooking Light's Picture

from sweet potatoes and carrots, which are two vegetables that I usually have on hand, making this a great standby dinner and a great repeater. I think I might reduce the amount of liquid in it next time by about 2 c., but the other reviews on Cooking Light didn’t mention that, so it’s probably a personal thing. Other reviewers also commented that they doubled the spice in the soup, but I liked it as subtle as the recipe calls for.

Creamy Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 3/4 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 1/2 cups water
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 cups chopped carrot (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Move onion mixture to side of pan; add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to open space in pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 1 minute or until butter begins to brown. Add sweet potatoes, 3 1/2 cups water, broth, and carrot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Place half of soup mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup mixture. Stir in half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 2 teaspoons sour cream and 3/4 teaspoon parsley.

Pad Thai (Thai Noodles)

January 28, 2010January 28, 20103 Comments

I have recently attended several fabulous Chinese cuisine classes at Orson Gygi in Salt Lake and this recipe will change your life. The instructor is Meiling Dawson who’s mantra is the fresher your ingredients the better your result.

Happy Cooking!

(Almost all these ingredients you can find at your local supermarket. For fresh rice noodles, Fish Sauce (the clearer the better) and the Red Chili Paste, I go to an asian market. And just an FYI, I always double it and have used no meat, shrimp, chicken, and tofu. My own personal comments are in italics. Everything else is Meiling.)

Pad Thai (Thai Noodles)

7 oz. dried rice stick noodles (you can also used fresh), 5 mm wide

4 T. Canola oil (when I double it, I don’t double this)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 LB. raw shrimp, 21/25

2 eggs, beaten

2 green onions, cut into 2″ lengths

1 C. bean sprouts

Sauce

1/4 Cup Fish Sauce

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 T Paprika

2 T Soy Sauce

1 T Vinegar

1/4 Cup Water (1/2 if using dried noodles)

1/2 T Red Chili Paste, optional (I use Sambal Oelek brand)

1/4 Cup Roasted Peanuts, chopped

Soak dry rice noodle in warm water for an hour or until soft. Heat the wok until hot, add the oil, garlic, and shrimp; Cook until shrimp are turning pink about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the drained noodles and beaten eggs to the shrimp mixture. Stir fry until the noodles are soft, then add sauce, bean sprouts, and green onion. (Sometimes I remove the shrimp while I cook the noodles so they are not over done, adding them after the noodles are ready before I add the sauce, bean sprouts, and green onion.) Combine thoroughly, heat through (I find the sauce cools things off dramatically so it needs to be heated back up. I also like to cook off some of the liquid so it isn’t too runny) and transfer to serving plate. Sprinkle top with chopped peanuts.

So Good!!!!

Recipes for Indian Food

January 27, 2010January 27, 20106 Comments

My little sister requested any great recipes I had for Indian food. I’ve discovered that I’m most apt to go out if I really want good food, but the couple recipes I have (and like) are to follow. If anyone else has good ones, please add them!

Indian-Spiced Braised Chicken

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t, cayenne pepper
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t. garam masala
cooked white rice, for serving

In a 5-6 qt. slow cooker, stire together the chicken, onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, coriander, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper.

Cook on high 4 hours (or on low for 8 hours) until fork-tender. Stir in yogurt, cliantro, and if using, garam masala. Serve with rice.

[You can also make this in the oven by heating the oven to 350, placing the ingredients through the pepper in a heavy pot with 2 c. of water and baking for 2 hours. When finished, stir in the final ingredients.]

Note: This is one of my favorite made-at-home Indian recipes and I’ve had good luck with it. It originally came out of Everyday Food back in 2007. Rex declared it most like a restaurant of anything I’ve tried in the Indian food category.

Curried Lentils in Tomato Sauce (click on this title to go to the recipe)

This is a recipe I posted awhile back that I think is fantastic too. Not sure you would find it on the menu of an Indian Restaurant, but also good for what’s possible at home!

Chicken Curry

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons medium to hot curry powder
Coarse salt
3/4 pound small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes (preferably zesty flavored), with juice

Directions

Place flour on a plate. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a bowl; set aside.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in same skillet; cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute more.
Add potatoes and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover, and cook until potatoes are just tender but still offer slight resistance when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/4 cup water.
Return chicken to skillet along with any accumulated juices in bowl; simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

Note: This recipe is from Great Food Fast, and it’s a nice, simple curry. As with any curry, though, its success depends on the curry powder you use. America’s Test Kitchen recently recommended McCormick Select Curries, which I’ve tried and liked. I’ve also had plenty of store-brand curries that are pretty bland, so I think it’s worth the extra $1-2 to get a good spice blend, or make your own.

Bombay House’s Vegetable Coconut Kurma
from S.L. Tribune or Deseret News, courtesy of Ricky and Carie Allman

1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 in. piece ginger, finely grated
3 T. oil
1 1/2 t. Madras Curry Powder
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (or more, if desired)
1 t. salt or to taste
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. mixed vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, peas, potatoes, or others), chopped
1 c. water
1 c. coconut milk
2 T. broken cashews
2 T. golden raisins
1 T. chopped cilantro for garnish

Blend half the onions, garlic and ginger in a food processor to make a paste. Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the remaining chopped onions, sauteing until they turn golden brown. Add remaining garlic, ginger and onion paste. Fry until the raw smell goes away. Add curry powder, cayenne and salt. Stir well. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes and then add the mixed vegetables and water. Cook for 5 more minutes and then add coconut milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked. Add cashews and golden raisins and garnish with cilantro. Serve over steamed rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: I’ve loved this recipe, although it’s never turned out quite like Provo’s Bombay House. Still, it’s good. Again, the highlights of this dish are the garam masala used and the raisins and cashews. Without these three, it’s not nearly as good. It’s also really important to caramelize the onions, but not to let them burn. According to one recipe book I read, a curry depends entirely on how well the onions are caramelized.

Naan, Peshawri (click on title for the link)

I found this website a couple of years ago, and this naan bread worked perfectly. I was amazed. I stuffed it with chopped cashews, raisins, cardamom and some cinnamon and coconut to replicate my favorite restaurant peshwari. Although I haven’t tried making anything else on the website, judging from how well this recipe turned out, I wouldn’t hesitate to try. It looks really comprehensive.

Mango Lassi

3 c. chopped fresh mango (not frozen, or it will taste flat) from 2-3 mangoes
2 c. plain whole milk yogurt
1 c. ice water, about half water, half ice
2-4 t. honey (depending on how sweet the mangoes are)
2 t. lime juice from 1 lime
1/8 t. salt

Puree all the ingredients together in a blender until there are no visible chunks of mango, about 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing on the solids to extract as muhc liquid as possible; discard any solids left in the strainer. Serve in chilled glasses (You can refrigerate the drink for up to 4 hours, but will want to reblend it before serving).

Note: This recipe is from The Best International Recipe. I have to admit I have not yet made it, but plan to as soon as I buy some mangoes, because I love this stuff.

So, I also have a great, but involved, Saag Paneer recipe that I will post if I hear someone’s interested. I am also inspired to try several other recipes I haven’t yet tried to see what other good Indian food can be made at home. I’ll let you know!

Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Sausage

November 23, 2009November 23, 2009Leave a comment

This is a new favorite with us. It’s easy and healthy and mostly uses things already on hand (esp. the sun-dried tomatoes in the quart jar from Costco). It works really well with the protein enriched pasta that Allison mentioned (I am also a big fan of that stuff)–in fact, I adapted it from the back of a Barilla box. It works well with regular rotini, though, and I think it would work nicely with penne too. Our local grocer makes Italian sausage that’s very affordable & yummy, so I’d recommend looking in the fresh meats. I also recommend getting the hot sausage–I usually don’t like it, but this is a very mild dish.

1 box rotini pasta
1 – 2 lbs hot Italian sausage or gourmet chicken sausage (1 lb if you’re going light on the meat, 2 lbs if you want sausage in, say, every other bite)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup walnut pieces (or coarsely chopped walnuts)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil & herbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil (or about 16 fresh basil leaves, shredded)
salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta acc. to box directions. Add broccoli for the last 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage on a grill or acc. to package directions. Cut into half-inch-wide slices.
3. Toast walnuts in a frying pan for 2 minutes, stirring constantly
4. Cut sun-dried tomatoes into short strips, if necessary.
5. When pasta & broccoli are done, drain & return to pan. Add olive oil & stir, then add everything else, stir, and serve. Enjoy!

Crockpot Turkey Breast

October 27, 20091 Comment

Did you know you could cook a whole turkey breast in the crockpot? Me neither. But you can, and it’s awesome.

Jason is a HUGE turkey fan so when they had turkey breasts on major sale, I picked up a couple. Only, when would I have time to cook it? So I checked out my favorite crockpot recipe site and of course she had a recipe. I can’t tell you how awesome it was to come home from work yesterday and be greeted by the smell of cooked turkey, without all the hassle. It is tender and juicy and so flavorful. I brought leftovers for lunch.

Crockpot Turkey Breast

Emeril’s Southwest Meatloaf

October 22, 2009October 22, 2009Leave a comment

I found this recipe about four years ago, and luckily, it’s still on the internet! Our friend Corinne had made something similar, and when I found this recipe, I knew we’d like it, because we are always

This is the Food Network's picture. I think it's a little unappetizing, actually. . .

suckers for anything with chipotles in adobo sauce. You can substitute oats or breadcrumbs for the tortilla chips, and perhaps tomato sauce mixed with ketchup (half and half) for the chili sauce, if you want. [Kelly: this isn’t the same meatloaf recipe, but it’s our favorite, and I’ll post the traditional Italian one we have later.] Click on the title below to access the recipe.

Emeril’s Southwest Meatloaf

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

October 5, 2009October 5, 20096 Comments

Of all the recipes I tried from September’s Everyday Food, this one was my favorite. I made it last week, and I’m planning to make it again this week. Hope you like it. Incidentally, the picture is from Martha, not me.

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

2 T. vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 5 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed (or I used a can of corn)
1 1/2 t. curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) vegetable broth
1/2 c. heavy cream

In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high; add squash and onion. Cook until onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add corn and curry powder; cook until curry is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. In a blender, blend half the soup until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream; heat through over medium-low (do not boil).

Red Pepper, Chicken and Pesto Pasta

September 28, 2009September 28, 2009Leave a comment

For me, pesto is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s an easy thing to have on hand. If you make more than you can use in one meal, you can freeze the leftover pesto in muffin trays (or ice cube trays), and toss it in with warm pasta the next time you make it. Anyway, I love this pesto, and it’s a simple dinner.

Pesto

3-4 cloves garlic, skins on
1/4 c. pinenuts
2 c. basil leaves, packed
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t. salt

Warm a small skillet over medium heat, and toast the pinenuts until fragrant and lightly browned (be careful not to scorch–turn the heat down if the nuts are blackening), tossing the pan gently every couple of minutes. Remove nuts to a small bowl to cool, and add the garlic to the pan. Heat garlic until fragrant, and skins have browned as well, about 6-8 minutes. Remove to a cutting board to cool.

After nuts and garlic have cooled enough to touch, peel the skins off of the garlic and place both the garlic and nuts in a food processor (I do this in my mini-prep plus–a very small food processor). Add the basil, olive oil and salt and process until finely chopped. Remove to a bowl, and add the parmesan cheese. Pesto is done.

Red Pepper, Chicken, and Pesto Pasta
So, for a meal, I heat some olive oil, saute a diced onion and red pepper until softened (about 8 minutes), and turn off the heat. Meanwhile, I either reheat or cook chicken sausages until done (I like Sweet Italian or Apple Sausage), and then slice them and add the it to the onion and red pepper mixture. I then toss the onion/sausage mixture with cooked pasta (I like either penne or spaghetti) and the pesto in one bowl. It’s a whole meal in one :).

Note: I’ve learned this year that there are a lot of different combinations for pesto that work out well. A few that I’ve tried are substituting 1 c. parsley and 1 c. spinach for the basil, and substituting walnuts for pinenuts. You can also add spinach or parsley to the basic pesto–it keeps the pesto greener and gives it a few more nutrients as well.

Light Chicken Parmesan

September 8, 2009September 8, 2009Leave a comment

I first tried this recipe years ago, and I keep coming back to it. It’s not a typical thing for me to make, but I like it, and it

from Everyday Food

comes together really quickly, so I definitely recommend it. And I must confess to using a whole egg, because I’m just not that concerned about taking the yolk out, and it’s still great.

Click here for Martha’s recipe: Light Chicken Parmesan

I served this with polenta (essentially 1 c. cornmeal to 4 c. boiling water, cook until thickens, and then add salt and olive oil and parmesan to taste). Surprisingly, even the kids ate the polenta.

Chipotle Chicken and Rice

August 17, 2009August 18, 20091 Comment

Natalie was gone most of Saturday and so it was up to me to conjure up something tasty for dinner. Well, actually, it wasn’t left up to me since Natalie knew I would probably wander aimlessly around the kitchen without her guidance, so before she left she pointed me in the direction of this terrific recipe from Everyday Foods. I’m a sucker for anything “adobo sauce” and this turned out to be delicious. I would say it’s definitely a keeper.

You can find the recipe here.